Updating Drivers (Dell e1505, x1400)

Short Version: Concerning drivers, how do I properly update/fix them from here on out? Each time Dell posts a new driver, do I have to uninstall something first then install it regularly? Is there an easy way to keep the registry clean (and I mean *easy*) without screwing something up?

Long Version:
First off, it's important to note that, while I've been working with computers the last 15 years, I'm very new to Windows and Drivers in general (born and raised on a mac). I just got a new e1505, repartioned it, reformatted it, and reinstalled Windows MCE from the $10 disc (using SouthernGirl's instructions).

Besides a hideous red/oranged flashing "Installing Applications" screen, which I would have almost sworn was an ugly pop-up, installation went ok. I installed the drivers from the disc (which were very outdated), then once internet was up and running, went to Dell/Support and downloaded all the new ones.

However, in between those steps, I never "uninstalled" anything...I simply overwrote the drivers. Upon realizing that I installed the drivers in the wrong order, I downloaded and installed them *again*, just in the proper order. The biggest problem was with the ATI drivers, which (for God knows why) I reinstalled 3 times (only using the uninstall control panel between the 2nd and 3rd try). From what I understand, my registry is probably an utter pigstye.

I've noticed a couple annoying glitches in windows, take 2 for example (when I launch some games, it will always reset back to a "window view"; the "info text" that appears when you put your cursor over a taskbar item is often hidden "under" the taskbar). On top of that, things seem quite slow to load--the first load of firefox/thunderbird is about 10 seconds--it's much quicker for the 2nd time. MS Office crashes consistently. Finally I got my first BSOD while launching KOTOR II ("parity check / memory parity error"). Now, as my roommate claims, this is just the lovely nature of Windows, and it's nothing to worry about.

Most the problems seem to be video related, so dealing with my ATI x1400 is a big deal. My first problem is proper uninstallation. Everything I've read starts with running the uninstall control panel to remove the bulk of things, then either points you to some registry cleaning app or tells you to just manually remove a few files. The latter won't fix the registry problem, however. Any good/easy methods you guys use? Second problem is reinstalltion. Should I use the Dell ATI drivers, or find an Omega driver (if so, which one's support x1400)? There's been TONS of discussion about this...but to personalize it, here are a few of my priorities. I don't play games that often, but would like things to run well when I do. I'd like to play KOTOR II, which apparently runs the best with the older Catalyst 4.11 driver...so far it runs OK on the April/2006 Dell drivers...but I don't know what ATI drivers those are based on. Second, I'm not sure if the Omega version of CAT 4.11 will work with my x1400.

Sorry this has about a million questions in it. I've been reading around these forums for sometime, and have been getting some good tips. I'd appreciate any help...Thanks!

 

You can get the latest drivers for you machine by plugging in your service tag on Dell's download page.

 

I understand how to get them...I'm just not sure if I have to do anything special each time a new driver comes out. I imagine just overwriting the old one with the new one would make a mess in the registry after some time, and possibly cause problems down the road.

After a many hours of reading and running into several problems, I've successfully uninstalled completely (including the registry stuff) and reinstalled the Dell ATI Driver (6.12 I believe). Just to illustrate how much of an effect letting your drivers "pile up" (that is, not uninstalling them completely) I ran the 3DMark05 both before and after all this. Before was a 1551 and after was an 1845. In case you're unfamiliar with 3DMark05, that is a *huuugggee* increase. Besides that, a lot of my "glitches" have gone away.

Now that I know how big of a deal keeping things tidy is, I'd appreciate anyone's feedback on how to apply this uninstall/clean up/reinstall process to the non-video drivers.

Thanks in advance!