Getting a D630 Shipped w/ XP then Switching to Vista...

I should have my new D630 by the end of this week. I configured the system w/ XP pro because I wanted the option to roll back if I don't like Vista, AND because I can get Vista Ultimate for $50 through my school.

I plan on running a clean install of Vista right away. I understand that many of the drivers shipped w/ my system will be configured for XP. When it comes to OS clean installs and drivers, I'm fairly clueless. Can anyone provide me with a detailed guide in how to run the transition from XP to Vista immediately upon receiving my computer?

I have located the Vista drivers for the D630 on the Dell support website. I plan on downloading these, burning to disk, and installing once I get vista installed. Is there any more to the clean install than popping in the Vista ultimate disk and running? How about uninstalling XP pro first?

Thanks in advance for the help, and for all your help making this purchasing decision over the past few weeks... I think I'll be happier with this in the end than the m1330....

 

I would dual boot. That way you can play with Vista while still having the functionality of your Xp machine. I had Vista preinstalled, then went back to Xp but still chose to dual boot. I used the guide http://apcmag.com/5023/dual_booting_xp_with_vista . Should make things a little easier for your transition.

 

What are the drawbacks of dual-boot? It seems like it would eat up more memory, no?

 

It would take up more disk space - it wouldn't eat up memory.

 

No drawbacks that I can think of. Actually when you are booting up you get to choose whether you want Vista or Xp. It does require more disc space and you have to partition your drive. You can even use Vista disk management tools and use a 3rd partition to store your documents on that way if either os goes wrong you still have your documents available. I would recommend at least an 80gb hard drive for dual boot with an extra docs partition.

 

Hmm thanks for the suggestions.

When dual-booting, files will only be saved to 1 partition or the other, correct? For example, if I save a document when working on Vista, would I be able to access the same file from XP?

For simplicity, I may wish to just run Vista. Are there any good guides out there for a clean install of vista and/or uninstall of XP (if necessary)?

 

When you dual boot the one physical drive that you have in your machine looks like 2 different drives in the computer browser. You will see drives and letters for the number of logical partitions that you created. To clean install Vista you just put the Vista disc in and follow the prompts, when it shows your current drive which should be xp then click options and format, then you will have Vista only and this is a "clean" install. Post if you have any questions while doing the clean install and we'll help out. Good luck and hope this helps.

 

You could also try and use the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor and have it scan and let you know if drivers are not compatible so you can upgrade them. It's Microsoft software, though, so don't expect it to be 100% reliable.

 

Thanks for the help, everyone. I should get my d630 within the next couple of days and give this a shot.

One note -- I purchased my computer with the NVIDIA dedicated graphics card. I've been hearing some complaints about this being somewhat laggy. Do you know if the drivers for this card are better for either XP or Vista? This could help make the decision easier....

 

On a side note, since the computer comes w/ XP, should I run a clean install of XP first, before even considering vista issues?

 

Computer just shipped -- any final recs on XP vs. Vista... My copy of vista doesn't show up until tomorrow, so I'm hesitant to get anything started on XP before making the final call

 

I would decide which one you want first, then install that one. The Xp vs Vista debate has gone on for awhile and each has their own opinion, I guess you have to decide which one works for you.

 

How many business days it took for you to get the box shipped? I ordered my D630 just now and it says

Shipping Method: 3-5 Business Days
Est. Ship Date: 7/19/2007
Est. Delivery Date: 7/24/2007-7/26/2007

This is way more than 3-5 days. Any clue why this is?

 

Did you order with xp or vista?

 

Took about 1 wk to get shipped w/ XP

 

I did it the other way around.. shipped with vista and rolled back to xp.. and was it annoying.

Finally worked out that theres a setting in the bios to disable something to do with the turbo memory (cant remember the name) so that you can use the correct sata settings and then boot. Be aware if you plan on going back to xp at any point.

 

Hmm, thanks.

Just to clarify -- if I pop in the Vista DVD right away, that will override my XP? Will I need to run an XP uninstall first?

 

yeah pop it in..it'll ask you to format the disk and away you go.

I had an m1210 and went straight for a clean install of vista and it worked first time..found all the drivers etc by itself.. was very impressed actually.

 

Awesome... will do that later today.

How long does the install take?

 

i switched my new D630 straight to Vista from the factory-installed XP with no issue at all. so long as you have at least 2 gigs of RAM the machine will run very smoothly, and the integrated graphics on the laptop will run Aero Glass very smooth. as for drivers, the only drivers you need immediately are for the gigabit ethernet and display adapter (to enable aero). for the rest, Vista supplies its own drivers, which you can update to Dell's specific variants later on.

 

Glad to hear you did the same!

So did all drivers except those 2 download automatically? I was planning on downloading all drivers for the D630 and burning them to a CD before starting up my new system... is this unnecessary?

 

I dont do dual boot.

I use VMWare. A really cool toy.

 

as long as you have wifi in your area you will be able to get online to download the drivers. still, putting the drivers on a CD or thumb drive will work just as well and save you some hassle later on. just make sure you label the downloads accordingly, as they're all given generic alphanumeric names.

and i'm personally LOVING Vista on the D630. i don't play games on the laptop, and as mentioned earlier the OS and all programs i've tried run smoothly on the machine.

 

Sweet, thanks.

Just to confirm, which driver is the display adapter? My system has the nVidia 135m graphics card -- is this the display adapter?