Installing XP Pro on XPS 420

Has anyone installed XP on an XPS 420?
I have an XPS 420 coming with Q6600 and one 320Gb drive and Vista
Premium. I plan to install XP Pro, since that is my current development
platform and I just prefer it over Vista. I have a slipstreamed XP Pro
w/SP2, which should handle the SATA drive issue. Is there anything else
I should be aware of?

Thanks.

SP2 won't add the SATA drivers for the 420, I don't think, but they
should be on Dell's website.

The 420 is too new for any of us to have even seen one.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cmplx80 [mailto:CCRider@acme.com]
> Posted At: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 8:12 PM
> Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
> Conversation: Installing XP Pro on XPS 420
> Subject: Installing XP Pro on XPS 420
>
> Has anyone installed XP on an XPS 420?
> I have an XPS 420 coming with Q6600 and one 320Gb drive and Vista
> Premium. I plan to install XP Pro, since that is my current
> development
> platform and I just prefer it over Vista. I have a slipstreamed XP
Pro
> w/SP2, which should handle the SATA drive issue. Is there anything
> else
> I should be aware of?
>
> Thanks.

You need the SATA drivers, the chipset software and all the other drivers.
You can use nLite to integrate all and enable unattended installation.
Works great!

"cmplx80" <CCRider@acme.com> wrote in message
news:mPadnYDDOLTX0cra4p2dnAA@giganews.com...
> Has anyone installed XP on an XPS 420?
> I have an XPS 420 coming with Q6600 and one 320Gb drive and Vista Premium.
> I plan to install XP Pro, since that is my current development platform
> and I just prefer it over Vista. I have a slipstreamed XP Pro w/SP2,
> which should handle the SATA drive issue. Is there anything else I should
> be aware of?
>
> Thanks.

Tom Scales wrote:

> SP2 won't add the SATA drivers for the 420, I don't think, but they
> should be on Dell's website.
>
> The 420 is too new for any of us to have even seen one.
>
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: cmplx80 [mailto:CCRider@acme.com]
>>Posted At: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 8:12 PM
>>Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
>>Conversation: Installing XP Pro on XPS 420
>>Subject: Installing XP Pro on XPS 420
>>
>>Has anyone installed XP on an XPS 420?
>>I have an XPS 420 coming with Q6600 and one 320Gb drive and Vista
>>Premium. I plan to install XP Pro, since that is my current
>>development
>>platform and I just prefer it over Vista. I have a slipstreamed XP
>
> Pro
>
>>w/SP2, which should handle the SATA drive issue. Is there anything
>>else
>>I should be aware of?
>>
>>Thanks.
>
>
Tom, thanks for responding. You're correct--the SATA drivers are not in
XP/SP2. My guess is that they're included in the X38 chipset drivers,
which I've downloaded from Dell. I've also downloaded drivers for most
of the peripherals. I'll post up a recap of this adventure at
completion.

"Tom Scales" <tjscales@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:8ED26D34E3AA4E0CBD9A07E2B24C9EB3@M2010...
> SP2 won't add the SATA drivers for the 420, I don't think, but they
> should be on Dell's website.
>
> The 420 is too new for any of us to have even seen one.
>



I lucked out and did see 3-4 of them.

I didn't get to "play" with any of them, though. I'm also curious if that
bezel LCD feature requires some special partitioning similar to Media Direct
on Dell notebooks.

Very nice looking systems, btw.

If I were the OP, I'd use care in viewing the partition information when
installing.

S.Lewis wrote:

> "Tom Scales" <tjscales@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:8ED26D34E3AA4E0CBD9A07E2B24C9EB3@M2010...
>
>>SP2 won't add the SATA drivers for the 420, I don't think, but they
>>should be on Dell's website.
>>
>>The 420 is too new for any of us to have even seen one.
>>
>
>
>
>
> I lucked out and did see 3-4 of them.
>
> I didn't get to "play" with any of them, though. I'm also curious if that
> bezel LCD feature requires some special partitioning similar to Media Direct
> on Dell notebooks.
>
> Very nice looking systems, btw.
>
> If I were the OP, I'd use care in viewing the partition information when
> installing.
>
>
The LCD feature (I think it's called "Sideshow) is only supported by
Vista. I'll probably lose this, since there appear to be no XP drivers
for this. It looks like I'll also lose the 19-1 card reader also for
the same reason. I'm not too excited about Sideshow, but I would like
to salvage the card reader. I'm looking around for a reader that will
work with XP. AFAIK, Dell has no plans of developing XP drivers for the
special features on this system.

It's not Dell that "develops" drivers for computers. Dell does not have a
stable of software heavyweights versed in writing old-time C, C++, and assembly
language. The companies (Intel, AMD, nVidia, VIA, ALI) that design and
manufacture the chipsets are the ones who make the decisions about producing
drivers for various operating systems. If there is an absence of XP drivers
for a given chipset, blame the brand name company of the chipset, but do so only
after searching the company's web site for XP drivers. All Dell does with
drivers is put a software wrapper around them, in effect to "Dell-ize" them with
a common look-and-feel. Same with motherboard chipset, graphics drivers, card
readers, or any other devices driven by chips... Ben Myers

On Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:51:40 -0600, cmplx80 <CCRider@acme.com> wrote:

>S.Lewis wrote:
>
>> "Tom Scales" <tjscales@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:8ED26D34E3AA4E0CBD9A07E2B24C9EB3@M2010...
>>
>>>SP2 won't add the SATA drivers for the 420, I don't think, but they
>>>should be on Dell's website.
>>>
>>>The 420 is too new for any of us to have even seen one.
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> I lucked out and did see 3-4 of them.
>>
>> I didn't get to "play" with any of them, though. I'm also curious if that
>> bezel LCD feature requires some special partitioning similar to Media Direct
>> on Dell notebooks.
>>
>> Very nice looking systems, btw.
>>
>> If I were the OP, I'd use care in viewing the partition information when
>> installing.
>>
>>
>The LCD feature (I think it's called "Sideshow) is only supported by
>Vista. I'll probably lose this, since there appear to be no XP drivers
>for this. It looks like I'll also lose the 19-1 card reader also for
>the same reason. I'm not too excited about Sideshow, but I would like
>to salvage the card reader. I'm looking around for a reader that will
>work with XP. AFAIK, Dell has no plans of developing XP drivers for the
>special features on this system.

In this case, it might be Dell, since the discussion was primarily about
the weird little monitor on the case, wasn't it? Who else would develop
that particular driver.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ben Myers [mailto:ben_myers_spam_me_not@charter.net]
> Posted At: Thursday, December 06, 2007 10:17 AM
> Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
> Conversation: Installing XP Pro on XPS 420
> Subject: Re: Installing XP Pro on XPS 420
>
> It's not Dell that "develops" drivers for computers. Dell does not
> have a
> stable of software heavyweights versed in writing old-time C, C++, and
> assembly
> language. The companies (Intel, AMD, nVidia, VIA, ALI) that design
and
> manufacture the chipsets are the ones who make the decisions about
> producing
> drivers for various operating systems. If there is an absence of XP
> drivers
> for a given chipset, blame the brand name company of the chipset, but
> do so only
> after searching the company's web site for XP drivers. All Dell does
> with
> drivers is put a software wrapper around them, in effect to "Dell-ize"
> them with
> a common look-and-feel. Same with motherboard chipset, graphics
> drivers, card
> readers, or any other devices driven by chips... Ben Myers
>
> On Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:51:40 -0600, cmplx80 <CCRider@acme.com> wrote:
>
> >S.Lewis wrote:
> >
> >> "Tom Scales" <tjscales@gmail.com> wrote in message
> >> news:8ED26D34E3AA4E0CBD9A07E2B24C9EB3@M2010...
> >>
> >>>SP2 won't add the SATA drivers for the 420, I don't think, but they
> >>>should be on Dell's website.
> >>>
> >>>The 420 is too new for any of us to have even seen one.
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I lucked out and did see 3-4 of them.
> >>
> >> I didn't get to "play" with any of them, though. I'm also curious
> if that
> >> bezel LCD feature requires some special partitioning similar to
> Media Direct
> >> on Dell notebooks.
> >>
> >> Very nice looking systems, btw.
> >>
> >> If I were the OP, I'd use care in viewing the partition information
> when
> >> installing.
> >>
> >>
> >The LCD feature (I think it's called "Sideshow) is only supported by
> >Vista. I'll probably lose this, since there appear to be no XP
> drivers
> >for this. It looks like I'll also lose the 19-1 card reader also for
> >the same reason. I'm not too excited about Sideshow, but I would
like
> >to salvage the card reader. I'm looking around for a reader that
will
> >work with XP. AFAIK, Dell has no plans of developing XP drivers for
> the
> >special features on this system.

"Tom Scales" <tjscales@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:F27E6692AF554771B12A2CD2EC2FE2F4@M2010...
> In this case, it might be Dell, since the discussion was primarily about
> the weird little monitor on the case, wasn't it? Who else would develop
> that particular driver.
>



Probably whomever the OEM vendor might be. Dell has seldom, if ever, been
big on R&D spending.

As Ben has said, Dell will typically take a vendor driver/diag and then mod
it for their specific use - BIOS included.

As an aside, the XPS M1730 notebook also has a cute little LCD on the
keyboard panel for such distractions as stopwatch timing, etc....

Stew

Ben Myers wrote:

> It's not Dell that "develops" drivers for computers. Dell does not have a
> stable of software heavyweights versed in writing old-time C, C++, and assembly
> language. The companies (Intel, AMD, nVidia, VIA, ALI) that design and
> manufacture the chipsets are the ones who make the decisions about producing
> drivers for various operating systems. If there is an absence of XP drivers
> for a given chipset, blame the brand name company of the chipset, but do so only
> after searching the company's web site for XP drivers. All Dell does with
> drivers is put a software wrapper around them, in effect to "Dell-ize" them with
> a common look-and-feel. Same with motherboard chipset, graphics drivers, card
> readers, or any other devices driven by chips... Ben Myers
>
> On Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:51:40 -0600, cmplx80 <CCRider@acme.com> wrote:
>
>
>>S.Lewis wrote:
>>
>>
>>>"Tom Scales" <tjscales@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>news:8ED26D34E3AA4E0CBD9A07E2B24C9EB3@M2010.. .
>>>
>>>
>>>>SP2 won't add the SATA drivers for the 420, I don't think, but they
>>>>should be on Dell's website.
>>>>
>>>>The 420 is too new for any of us to have even seen one.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>I lucked out and did see 3-4 of them.
>>>
>>>I didn't get to "play" with any of them, though. I'm also curious if that
>>>bezel LCD feature requires some special partitioning similar to Media Direct
>>>on Dell notebooks.
>>>
>>>Very nice looking systems, btw.
>>>
>>>If I were the OP, I'd use care in viewing the partition information when
>>>installing.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>The LCD feature (I think it's called "Sideshow) is only supported by
>>Vista. I'll probably lose this, since there appear to be no XP drivers
>>for this. It looks like I'll also lose the 19-1 card reader also for
>>the same reason. I'm not too excited about Sideshow, but I would like
>>to salvage the card reader. I'm looking around for a reader that will
>>work with XP. AFAIK, Dell has no plans of developing XP drivers for the
>>special features on this system.
I probably should have said Dell has no plans of "providing" drivers
instead of "Dell... developing" drivers. That aside, Sideshow is a
Vista thing, as is the 19-1 Bluetooth reader, most likely. In short,
Dell has no XP drivers for either.