[TonyVT]

Background: I replaced my 6-year old desk top with a lap top. I had lots of problems with the slow desk top and service shops could not help. I'd like to restore the Dell desk top so it's as it came from Dell. I'd like to use it as an external hard drive. But I don't know how to start the process. I've already moved all the files I want from the desk top to the lap top.

I have the following cd's:
Reinstall CD MS Windows XP Home (w/ Sevice Pack 1a)
MS Office 2003 Basic
Drivers and Utilities - Dell Dimension Resource CD ("Already installed on your computer")
Drivers and Utilities: Sonic Record Now 7.1 Deluxe Software ("Already installed on your computer")
Drivers and Utilities: Sonic RecordNow 7.1 LE Software ("Already installed on your computer")
Drivers and Utilities: .9 (Capable)/ 56K Data/ Fax Modem Software for MS Windows ("Already installed on your computer")
Application: CyberLink Power DVD ("Already installed on your computer")

[pedroguy]

Don't know if Dell does it this way but:
Many manufacturers partition the hard drive into a c/d drive for example.The d drive being the "restore partition"
Restoring from that partition puts the pc back into "out of box " condition.
Your user's manual should have all that info,if that is the way that they handle the restore process.If not they should give you the correct and usable instructions to accomplish that task.

[stantley]

Basically what you do is boot up with the "Reinstall CD MS Windows XP Home" and reinstall Windows. Then you use the Dell Dimension Resource CD to install the chipset drivers, audio, video and other drivers that you might need.

Then download XP Service Pack 3, install that and go to Windows Update to get the rest of the updates.

Before you start, go to this site for detailed instuctions http://support.dell.com/support/topi...2&docid=339949. You can print them out to have as a guide when you do the reinstall. More info here: http://www.socrtwo.info/cleanxpinstall.htm

[pedroguy]

Also,this link explains all options that may be available to you.

http://support.dell.com/support/topi...7E3&l=en&s=gen

[TonyVT]

Reinstallation seems to have gone well. I have the Office software operating. However, I can't connect to the internet. It tells me a server cannot be found even though I have the Ethernet wire connected. I tried disconnecting and reconnecting the wire. Also tried rebooting from a cold start. Must be I'm doing something wrong?

[pedroguy]

Most likely a driver issue.
Take a look at the network adapters in device manager like so.

Let’s take a look at the status of the network adapters





Device manager:

Hold the Windows key and press R, then type devmgmt.msc

Please respond to all the following steps.
1. Under Network adapters, please tell me all the devices listed.
2. Are there any devices under Network adapters that have a red x displayed?
3. Also, are there any devices anywhere in the Device Manager display with yellow ? or ! displayed?
4. Adapter status should be “working properly and enabled”


Should be no error indicators and should be" enabled and working properly "

[TonyVT]

I got to the Device Manager box and cannot find Network Adapters. Here's what I do have:
Computer
Disk Drives
DVD/CD-ROM Drives
Floppy Disk drives
Human Interface Devices
IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers
Keyboards
Mice and other pointing devices
PPorts (COM & LPT)
Processors
Sound, video and game controllers
System devices
USB controllers

but no listing for Network adapters

[pedroguy]

Device manager:
system devices,pci ports listed ?

Device manager/view hidden devices

Anything there with error indicators ?

I am suspecting that you will need to go to the dell site and see if there are chipset drivers and network adapter drivers available for your model

[flavallee]

Computer
Disk Drives
DVD/CD-ROM Drives
Floppy Disk drives
Human Interface Devices
IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers
Keyboards
Mice and other pointing devices
PPorts (COM & LPT)
Processors
Sound, video and game controllers
System devices
USB controllers

Tony:

Based on your Device Manager list above, these entries are missing:

Display Adapters
Floppy Disk Controllers
Modems
Monitors
Network Adapters

What model number is your Dell Dimension desktop?

Does it have a service tag number on the sticker?

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