HELP RE-FORMATTING COMPUTER

Discussion in 'PC hardware help' started by pspfreak1, Mar 14, 2008.

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  1. pspfreak1

    pspfreak1 Regular member

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    HI GUYS

    I need some help finding the drivers for:

    Dell Optiplex GX110 Tower (Pretty Old)

    On the cover, it says "designed for windows 2000" but it is currently running windows XP.

    Intel Pentium 3 Processor
    931 Mhz
    384 MB of RAM

    Can someone help me find the basic necessary drivers?

    - Sound Card
    - Video Card
    - Modem
    - Anything Else Important

    I can't find the XP drivers on dell.com

    PLEASE HELP!! (I'm new to this so I may need some explaining)

    Thanks a lot
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2008
    pspfreak1, Mar 14, 2008
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  2. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    ddp, Mar 14, 2008
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  3. pspfreak1

    pspfreak1 Regular member

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    thanks ddp

    How will i be able to install these drivers once i re-format my computer? will my computer recognize a USB key?, because i can just put these drivers onto my USB key and install them once i re-format my computer...

    also, where can i get the cd-rom drive driver as well?

    Do i need a USB driver, or is the intel chipset driver for the whole motherboard?

    Also, is the modem included in the intel chipset driver?

    thanks for helping me out, im just starting out here.
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2008
    pspfreak1, Mar 14, 2008
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  4. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    xp use it's own driver for both the cd rom drive & the usb memory stick. what exclamation marks are in the device manager?
     
    ddp, Mar 14, 2008
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  5. pspfreak1

    pspfreak1 Regular member

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    USB CONTROLLER: Intel(R) 82801AA USB Universal Host Controller
    USB Root Hub

    NETWORK ADAPTOR: 3COM 3C920 Integrated Fast Ethernet
    Controller (3C905C-TX Compatible)

    CD-ROM Drive: Samsung CD-ROM SC-148C

    DISK DRIVES: Fujitsu MPD3084AT
    Maxtor 52049H3

    Does the intel chipset cover the disk drives, as well as the netowork adaptor?
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2008
    pspfreak1, Mar 14, 2008
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  6. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    if those don't have exclamation marks in device manager which i don't think they do then don't worry about it as xp will use it's own drivers. the chipset is for the motherboard itself but includes usb, ide & agp.
     
    ddp, Mar 14, 2008
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  7. pspfreak1

    pspfreak1 Regular member

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    okay so if i reformat my computer, i just have to install the chipset, audio and video, and then XP will do the rest?

    will i still be able to LOAD The above drivers from a USB key once I reformat my computer?
     
    pspfreak1, Mar 14, 2008
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  8. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    xp might even load it's own drivers for the video & sound but not certain til you load xp. yes from the usb stick once xp is loaded as i use my stick for that purpose on customers' computers.
     
    ddp, Mar 14, 2008
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  9. pspfreak1

    pspfreak1 Regular member

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    does the "intel chipset" driver include the driver for the modem so I can go onto the internet and install windows updates?
     
    pspfreak1, Mar 14, 2008
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  10. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    no it doesn't. that modem is for dialup if you didn't know. is there an axclamation mark in front of that modem in device manager?
     
    ddp, Mar 14, 2008
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  11. pspfreak1

    pspfreak1 Regular member

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    No there is no exclamation mark in front of it. What does it mean if there is an exclamation mark in front of it?

    I don't have a dial-up connection, I have a DSL connection. How can I ensure that it will work once I reformat my computer?
     
    pspfreak1, Mar 14, 2008
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  12. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    exclamation mark means there is a problem with that device usually software related. dsl means you'll be using the 3com 3C920 network card. the dsl modem if connected via a network cable that is larger then a telephone cord means you don't need it's driver. if connected to dsl modem with a usb cable then you need a driver. go network cable as is better.
     
    ddp, Mar 14, 2008
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  13. pspfreak1

    pspfreak1 Regular member

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    yes i am connected to the internet with a BLUE cable, which is bigger than a telephone cord....(i guess this is called an ethernet cable?)

    SO i do not need a driver for this then, right?
     
    pspfreak1, Mar 14, 2008
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  14. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    correct.
     
    ddp, Mar 15, 2008
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  15. pspfreak1

    pspfreak1 Regular member

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    So if i don't need a driver for the modem, what is the "intel chipset"??, and what does it do?

     
    pspfreak1, Mar 15, 2008
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  16. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    the intel chipset is the chips on the motherboard that does not include the cpu. you have intel, via, sis & amd chipsets used by different motherboard manufacturers.
     
    ddp, Mar 15, 2008
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  17. pspfreak1

    pspfreak1 Regular member

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    so i guess for my specific Pentium 3 version, i need that link that you provided above?

     
    pspfreak1, Mar 15, 2008
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  18. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    yes. there is a newer 1 but won't work on yours because of the age of the computer.
     
    ddp, Mar 15, 2008
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  19. pspfreak1

    pspfreak1 Regular member

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    when i want to format the partition, it goes until 100% and says:

    "windows was unable to format the partition. make sure it is connected properly"

    or something along that line

    PLEASE HELP

    When i go to remove any partitions, there are 2 drives, one with 19461 MB on it, the other with 8534 MB on it. Which one do i install XP on, because i tried both. On the 8534 MB one, it said i have to create an XP compatible partition on the 19461 MB partition, but how do i do this??


    PLEASE HELP
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2008
    pspfreak1, Mar 16, 2008
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  20. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    in the bios, does it show 1 hd or 2 hd?
     
    ddp, Mar 16, 2008
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