Dell Dimension 4300 Reinstalling Drivers, Using the Windows XP Device Driver Rollback

Go to the Dell Support website— Go to support.dell.com for help with general usage, installation, and troubleshooting questions.

E-mail Dell— Go to support.dell.com and then click E-Mail Dell in the Communicate list. Send an e-mail message to Dell about your problem; you can expect to receive an e-mail message from Dell within hours.

Call Dell— If you cannot solve your problem using the Dell Support website or e-mail service, call Dell for technical assistance. See "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Solutions Guide for the correct number to call.

Reinstalling Drivers

NOTICE: The Dell Support website, support.dell.com, and the Dell Dimension ResourceCD provide approved drivers for Dell™ computers. If you install drivers obtained from other sources, your computer might not work correctly.

Dell installed the following drivers on your computer:

•Intel® Chip Set Update Utility Driver — Installs the Microsoft Windows operating system device installation files (.inf) that tell the operating system how certain chip set components should be configured for proper operation.

•ADI AC-97 Audio Codec Driver — Enables the optional integrated sound controller to produce sound.

•Yamaha Wavetable Driver — Enables the optional integrated sound controller to produce sound.

•Intel Ultra ATA Storage Driver — Improves your computer's performance by transferring certain functions from the microprocessor during data transfers from storage devices.

•Other Drivers — Control the devices such as the modem and network cards that might be installed in your computer. For information on those drivers, click the Start button, point to Programs—> User's Guides, and click the appropriate guide from the list.

Sometimes you can fix a device problem by reinstalling its driver:

1.From the Windows desktop, insert the Dell Dimension ResourceCD into the CD or DVD drive.

If this is your first time to use the ResourceCD, go to step 2. If not, go to step 5.

2.When the ResourceCD Installation program starts, follow the prompts on the screen.

3.When the InstallShield Wizard Complete window appears, remove the ResourceCD and click Finish to restart the computer.

4.When you see the Windows desktop, reinsert the ResourceCD into the CD or DVD drive.

5.At the Welcome Dell System Owner screen, click Next.

HINT: The ResourceCD displays drivers only for hardware that Dell installed at the time of purchase. If you installed any additional hardware, those drivers may not be displayed by the ResourceCD. If those drivers are not displayed, exit the ResourceCD program and refer to the documentation and drivers that came with that product.

A message appears that says the ResourceCD is detecting hardware in your computer.

The drivers that are used by your computer are automatically displayed in the My Drivers—The ResourceCD has identified these components in your system window.

6.Click the driver that you want to reinstall and follow the instructions on the screen.

If a particular driver is not listed, then that driver is not required by your operating system.

To view other contents on the ResourceCD:

1.Verify that your computer is selected in the System Model list.

2.Verify that your operating system is selected in the Operating System list.

3.Select the type of device in the Device Type list.

NOTICE: The ResourceCD contains drivers for devices that are not part of your computer. Only reinstall the specific drivers for hardware included in your computer. Otherwise, your computer might not work correctly.

4.Select a topic in the Topic list.

If you select Drivers in the Topic list and a particular driver is not listed, then that driver is not required by your operating system.

Using the Windows XP Device Driver Rollback

If you install a new device driver that causes system instability and you need to replace a device driver with a previously installed version, the Windows XP Device Driver Rollback can replace the device driver. If you cannot reinstall your previous driver with the Driver Rollback process, then use System Restore to attempt to return your operating system to its previous operating state before the new device driver installation:

1.Click the Start button, and then right-click My Computer.

2.Click Properties.

3.Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.

4.In the Device Manager window, right-click the device for which the new driver was installed, and then click Properties.

5.Click the Drivers tab.

6.Click Roll Back Driver.