I have the 7 driver files. They are all .exe files. I figure that when the Vista install disk goes into, "Can Not Complete Install" I should take out the Vista disk and feed the computer a driver installation disk. I have a Dell disk labeled, "drivers" but it does not install the drivers. How do I make a driver install disk from here?

 

I thought it was possible to somehow tell the windows installer at the beginning that you want to use 3rd party drivers. At least it worked with xp.

 

I thought applications was *.exe (executable), and not driverfiles. Unless they are zipped to an selfextracting, selfinstalling package...

 

kubeek, not that I know of. Dell, and other manufacturers/builders provide a disk of drivers for the mother board...so the motherboard hardware will talk to the O.S.
This time, I don't have the driver disk from Dell, but I have the driver.exe files from Dell. I need to make a driver disk to install them and I don't know how.

nerdgutta, yes

The driver files are executable. I need to make a driver disk that the Dell computer will accept, and that disk will tell the computer to run each exe file. The files install the drivers, complete with registry entries.

What do I need to do to make a CD disk that will tell the computer to open (run) all the driver files?

 

Are you getting stuck in the "cannot complete installation. Please restart the computer" loop? If so, I don't think that's a driver problem. If you're using the full Windows installation disc, it should include the most important drivers already. Once the OS is installed, you can boot from the drivers disc. Is your hard drive showing up in the installation window? You may have to reformat it. Make sure it's formatted as NTFS.

You might be able to put your driver .exes on a flash drive, and plug that in and have it search for it during the installation, but again, I'm not sure it's a driver issue. I suppose it could be, in which case try the flash drive idea.

Good luck!
Matt

 

Is this related to your RAID problems. Start the install procedure without RAID enabled. Then windows is installed. Install the RAID driver and enable with the RAID configuration GUI.

 

DS8. It gets stuck in, "Can not complete installation, press ctrl,alt,del to restart". Then it re-installs Vista until it gets back to the same message. I am using the Dell install disk to install Vista Home Premium. "Should" isn't installing Vista OR the drivers. I have a disk labeled, "drivers", but it only has a "Diagnostic" program. It will not install any drivers. Once I install the O.S., which isn't finishing, I can do anything I want, including boot from the drivers disk and not get it to install any drivers. In fact, I can boot from the driver disk now. It just doesn't install anything. Of course the hard drive is showing up. That's how the computer installs most of Vista. Yes, I formatted the hard drive twice, once with 3 partitions and once with 1 partition. Yes I used NTFS. I did not see any search options during the Vista install so I could tell it to look for a USB port with driver files. I have the drivers on a flash drive. I can plug it in. However, if you don't think it is a driver issue and the Vista disk installs up to a, "can not finish" loop, what else could it be that is stopping the installation?

What I did was take out the hard drives, plug in new hard drives, format them, and feed it the Dell Vista install disk. The install disk is very nice looking. No scratches, no fingerprints. Never been used. I am the person that cut the envelope open.

TO6
This is not the raid issue. I can not start with RAID enabled because it is not in the BIOS as an option. RAID is not offered as an option during the Vista installation. If Windows Vista would install, I might then install the RAID driver. Right now, I can't log in. Vista will not start. It just says, "Can not finish, insert Vista install disk".

I want to install the drivers when Vista gets stuck. I can try the flash drive if the customer brings the computer back, but I want to make a driver install disk, as stated in the title of the thread and again when I replied, and again, now. Does anyone know how to make a driver install disk when I have copies of all the drivers?

 

I have not looked at your RAID thread, and am unsure what you are trying to do here. But you need to know several things.

1) 'Installation' of Windows changed with Vista. 'Installation' of XP was a true installation. with Vista and & 7 it involves copying an image from the DVD to the target hard drive. Either way the only 'drivers' you install during this process (unless you are using windows preinstallation environment) are for the hard drives.

2) Each successive version of windows comes with a better set of standard drivers. Once this has been installed you need to install a set specific to your hardware. You can download the individual rivers or an automated package from Dell.

3) The Dell installer contains a check for a Dell system so that you don't have to validate windows after installation and adds an extra file to the isntallation with this information.

So what version of OS installation disk are you using - is this a Dell one?
And what is your target machine ie what is the Dell model number?

 

studiot:
I guess you did not read the first line in the first post. It says, "I have the 7 driver files". Those are the driver files that are specific to my hardware. I have installed the OS disk. I am ready to install the drivers that are specific to my hardware.

What version of the OS disk...the one that came with the computer.
The computer is a Dell Studio 540.

Do you know how to install the drivers that are specific to my hardware?

 

Well I was trying to help.

I take it you are not following the proceedure on page 36 of the Dell Manual

"Operating System Reinstallation"

ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-prod..._desktop/studio-desktop_Setup Guide_en-us.pdf

downloadable here

http://www.dell.com/support/Manuals/us/en/19/Product/studio-desktop.

Perhaps I misunderstood, but did you not say that Vista itself would not complete installation?

If this is the case how/why are you trying to install drivers?

Do you have the actual Dell disks, you did not make this clear.

 

Thanks for trying to help.

The difficulty is that at least 6 people have tried to help in the RAID thread and this one by reciting what I have already done. You have provided a link to a manual that I did not have and could not find. Now I can try to reinstate the factory original condition with the F8 option or try installing the driver disk BEFORE the Windows Vista disk as listed on page 36.

Yes. The Vista disk goes into an infinite loop. "Can not finish installation, press ctrl, alt, del to watch me run for 21 minutes again, and stop at this screen again". The only other thing I know of to install is the hardware drivers that are particular to this hardware.

How/why am I trying to install the drivers: I am trying to install the drivers because that is the only thing I know of to install besides the Vista disk. I was trying to install the drivers by inserting the disk marked, "Drivers", but that disk doesn't load any drivers. It just runs a, "Diagnostic" program. And, yes, these are the disks that came with the computer.

In the past, I have recovered allegedly dead computers by making a driver disk and installing the drivers. I forgot how I did that. I thought someone here might know how. That is why I keep pounding on the question, "Does anybody know how to make a driver installation disk?"
It looks like I was wrong. Nobody here knows how to do that.

Thanks to you, I have 2 other options that I didn't have yesterday. None of them are, "Make a driver installation disk", but I might get lucky.

 

Servicing Dells is what my company (Studio T) does.

I have found in the past that sometimes when an install / reinstall won't take it helps to create a partition on the hard drive and copy the entire install disk to it. Then using a boot floppy or usb stick boot to a simple OS and install from the new partition. The new partition can be deleted once Windows is in place.

Send me a PM with a landline number and I can talk you through it.

 

#12, I did another google search and found this. Thought it might be worth a try:

When prompted with error unable to complete installation:
Hit SHIFT-F10 to bring up command prompt.

type MMC
Click File -> Add/Remove Snap-in... (Or CTRL+M)
Select Computer Management (Double click and Finish on Local Computer)
Click OK
Double click Computer Management (Local) -> System Tools -> Local Users and Groups -> Users -> Double Click Administrator -> Uncheck Account is disabled -> OK
Now right click Administrator -> Set Password... -> Set a decent password to get started.

Now, restart. Should be good to go.

If this doesn't work try next step:
SHIFT-F10 to bring up command prompt.
type: CD C:\windows\system32\oobe
type msoobe
enter
Make a generic account and password. hit finish (if it requests a product key and you have one, enter it now. if OEM/No key required, just finish). Set time/date. Finish.
Restart.
Should be good to go.

64 people found this suggestion helpful on the site where I found it