NOTE: The Dell Drivers and Utilities media contains drivers that were installed during the assembly of the computer. Use the Dell Drivers and Utilities media to load any required drivers. Depending on the region from which you ordered your computer, or whether you requested the media, the Dell Drivers and Utilities media and Operating System media may not ship with your computer.
Reinstalling Windows XP or Windows Vista
The reinstallation process can take 1 to 2 hours to complete. After you reinstall the operating system, you must also reinstall the device drivers, virus protection program, and other software.
NOTICE: The Operating System media provides options for reinstalling
Windows XP. The options can overwrite files and possibly affect programs that are installed on your hard drive. Therefore, do not reinstall Windows XP unless a Dell technical support representative instructs you to do so.
1Save and close any open files and exit any open programs.
2Insert the Operating System disc.
3Click Exit if the Install Windows message appears.
4Restart the computer.
When the DELL logo appears, press <F12> immediately.
NOTE: If you wait too long and the operating system logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Microsoft® Windows® desktop; then, shut down your computer and try again.
NOTE: The next steps change the boot sequence for one time only. On the next
5When the boot device list appears, highlight
6Press any key to Boot from
7Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.
Troubleshooting Software and Hardware Problems
If a device is either not detected during the operating system setup or is detected but incorrectly configured, you can use the Hardware Troubleshooter to resolve the incompatibility.
Troubleshooting Tools
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