Post by papaof2 on Mar 27, 2023 21:33:10 GMT -6
I was loading a new-to-me Dell E6420 laptop with Win 7 Home premium as another solar monitor laptop (Win 7 is the minimum platform for the monitor software so no point in loading Win 10).
I went to support.dell.com and entered the service tag so I could get the configuration when it left the factory and download the appropriate drivers. All the needed drivers downloaded and installed but the internal wifi card isn't seen by Win 7 - so much for how the factory had configured it when it left Dell on 18 June 2012.
Next I go to one of the most useful tools for someone who dabbles with old computers: Belarc Advisor. It's free, updated frequently and can tell you almost everything about a PC's hardware and software (even the keys for some of that software).
In a couple of minutes, Belarc Advisor has scanned everything and has a two page report. Key item on that is the internal 1501 wifi card instead of the 1530 wifi card it had when it left the factory.
Win XP really was a better and more mature OS than Win 7 - XP has no problems determining which of those cards is installed and loading the correct driver but Win 7 has no idea. That's why you need to know about tools such as Belarc Advisor - which will also tell you about all the security holes and missing fixes in the OS it's looking at.
I download the 1501 driver from Dell, install it and Win 7 can now find and use the 1501 wifi card. It's a faster wifi card than what's in the Dell D630 I've used as my "author" PC for a long time - the 1501 card connected at 72Mbs instead of the D630's max of 54Mbs. I think another E6420 might be in my future as I upgrade my "author" PC to Win 7 or higher...
I went to support.dell.com and entered the service tag so I could get the configuration when it left the factory and download the appropriate drivers. All the needed drivers downloaded and installed but the internal wifi card isn't seen by Win 7 - so much for how the factory had configured it when it left Dell on 18 June 2012.
Next I go to one of the most useful tools for someone who dabbles with old computers: Belarc Advisor. It's free, updated frequently and can tell you almost everything about a PC's hardware and software (even the keys for some of that software).
In a couple of minutes, Belarc Advisor has scanned everything and has a two page report. Key item on that is the internal 1501 wifi card instead of the 1530 wifi card it had when it left the factory.
Win XP really was a better and more mature OS than Win 7 - XP has no problems determining which of those cards is installed and loading the correct driver but Win 7 has no idea. That's why you need to know about tools such as Belarc Advisor - which will also tell you about all the security holes and missing fixes in the OS it's looking at.
I download the 1501 driver from Dell, install it and Win 7 can now find and use the 1501 wifi card. It's a faster wifi card than what's in the Dell D630 I've used as my "author" PC for a long time - the 1501 card connected at 72Mbs instead of the D630's max of 54Mbs. I think another E6420 might be in my future as I upgrade my "author" PC to Win 7 or higher...