Tutorial: How to clean install Windows on Inspiron 17R SE

i spent the last 19 hours trying to clean install windows on to my 17R SE. many trial and errors. surprisingly, no help from the forum!! so i guess for the next person who has the same trouble, this is my contribution

1. the first thing to do is make an iso image of your retail windows. you can do this with ultraiso. just pop in your cd and create it.

2. download the SATA driver [SATA_Intel_W7_A00_Setup-0MCXG_ZPE.exe] from the dell driver site. extract the contents thereof to a separate folder

3. next open the iso file using ultraiso itself. drag the driver folder into the cd in order to make the driver folder part of the iso.

4. now burn this iso as a new iso.

5. download the windows usb/dvd download tool and install it.

6. open the tool and browse to the place where you have you new iso with the driver incorporated and burn a dvd. (the tool automatically creates it into a bootable dvd)

7. it takes about 45 min for the tool to make the dvd and once the dvd is ready, the drive is ejected. your bootable dvd is now ready to install windows on your 17R SE.

8. pop the dvd in. restart the computer. F2 on startup takes you to bios. change the boot order to CD/DVD. save and exit

9. let the computer boot of the dvd and there will come a stage when a error message is shown which primarily asks you to load the drivers. at this dialogue box you would not be able to see your hard drives. this is cause the sata drivers are not available.

10. click browse in the dialogue box, click the + sign next to the DVD and click the + sign on folder having the driver.

11. in this there will be two folders, one with the number 64 and another with the number 86. click on the one with 64 and click ok.

12. the drives must now be displayed. however, often this is not the case, but just keep repeating step 10 and 11 and by the third try it must show up the drives.

13. follow the usual way of install. i simple chose to format the 1TB harddrive and installed on it. dont know whether i screwed up the recovery. at this stage, i could hardly care any less.

now that i have installed the OS, the drivers are next. i have sought help from the forum again. suddenly the forum seems so silent

hope i was able to help atleast one other person in my situation. if this method could be made more efficient, please do post it here.

 

Good luck on your journey bro! Im hoping for a clean way to install windows fresh but on an ssd and with hdd data. and most tutorials I watched or read mention nothing about the sata drivers as if theyre already there. Maybe an SSD already has them? No idea.

 

Thanks, that safed me a lot of time. Btw, no need to go through the ISO file. I just unzipped it on a USB and used it during the installation.

 

Good post ..!