How do I install software on my Dell laptop?

Symptoms

Dell Drivers & Downloads website allows you to download drivers, firmware, and some software applications for Dell desktops, laptops, all-in-one computers, docking stations, tablets, mobile devices, printers, monitors, projectors, servers, storage & networking devices, and so on.

Dell recommends that you download the drivers for your Dell products from the Dell Drivers & Downloadswebsite.

• Automatically scan your Dell computer for existing drivers and utilities.
• Scan your Dell computer for driver and Dell software utility updates.
• Automatically download and install relevant drivers and utilities.

WARNING: Downloading and installing Dell-developed drivers or software from third-party or unknown sources may cause the computer or device not to work correctly. It may also cause the computer to crash or not boot into the operating system. In some rare instances, it may infect the computer with virus, trojan, or other malicious software.

NOTE: Drivers for third-party or non-Dell products such as non-Dell branded printers, docking stations, webcams, scanners, monitors, and so on, must be downloaded from the device manufacturer's website.

Cause

SupportAssist scans the Dell computer, detects existing drivers and Dell software utilities that are based on the operating system that is installed on the computer and proposes a list of recommended driver and software updates.

Resolution

How to download and install drivers using the SupportAssist app.

SupportAssist application is preinstalled on Dell computers that are shipped with Microsoft Windows operating system.

NOTE: SupportAssist is available for Windows computers only. If SupportAssist is not available, download and install the SupportAssist app.

NOTE: Your Windows login account must have administrator privileges to download and install SupportAssist.

1. Click Start and type SupportAssist.
2. Click the SupportAssist app in the search results.
3. In the SupportAssist window, click Start now.
4. SupportAssist automatically scans your computer, checks for driver updates, downloads, and installs the latest drivers (if available).
5. SupportAssist also runs other automated tasks such as scan hardware, tune performance, optimize the network, and so on.

How to download and install drivers using an automated scan on the Dell.com/support website.

Allow the Dell.com/support website to identify and scan the Dell computer for existing drivers and utilities:

1. Browse to https://www.dell.com/support/drivers.
2. Identify your Dell product:
   • Click Download & Install SupportAssist to auto-detect your Dell computer. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Dell SupportAssist. For more information, see the Dell KB article 130387: Dell SupportAssist (formerly Dell System Detect): Overview and Common Questions.  
   • Or, enter the Service Tag, Express Service Code, or the Serial number of the Dell computer and click Search.
   • Or, click Browse all products to manually select your Dell computer from the catalog.
3. Click Check for Updates to allow Dell to automatically find driver updates for you.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to install SupportAssist (if required).
5. SupportAssist analyzes the Dell computer to find the latest updates.
6. Once the scan is complete, click Download and install.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.
8. After the driver installation is complete, restart the computer.

How to download and install a driver manually if the automated scan fails?

While some drivers like a BIOS update require manual installation, errors may occur during the download procedure. It is recommended that you download the drivers and install them manually.

Examples of some error messages that you may see if the automatic driver update fails:

• Automatic installation failed
• Manual installation required

To manually download and install the driver:

1. Click View details next to the failed driver download.
2. On the driver page, click Download File.
3. Click Save and select the location on the hard drive to save the downloaded file.
4. Browse to the location where the downloaded driver installation file is saved and double-click the file.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the driver installation process.
6. Restart the computer.

Symptoms

Cause

Various Hardware Methods to get an Operating System installed

External Caddy

(Fig.2.1 External Hard Disk Drive Caddy)

An external Caddy is a Hard Drive enclosure that attaches to a system with a USB or Firewire cable. Some are enclosures used for external storage and some are desk docks for temporary use. Most internal IT departments use them to access faulty Hard Drives and sometimes to install a Hard Drive using a different computer.

Note: They have the caddy plugged into a working system and remove your Hard Drive. They install your drive in the Caddy and then install the OS on to your Hard Drive in the caddy using the working system.

External Dock

(Fig.2.2 Extended Dock)

(Fig.2.3 External USB Dock)

(Fig.2.4 External Wireless Dock)

Some external docks come with integral Optical Drives and a multitude of different ports. They can connect to your system either through a docking port connector on most Notebooks or through a USB connection. These Docks can work as attached Optical Drives or as USB hubs during an install process.

Media Slice

(Fig.2.5 External Media Slice)

Some Dell Notebooks have a media slice available for sale. The Slice is a minimal dock. It fits to the base of the d-series laptop and has a slim line Optical drive and minimal ports. Sometimes it has a secondary battery as well. It is specifically designed to fit a particular system chassis base.

USB Optical Drive

(Fig.2.6 External USB DVD)

You can obtain a low-cost USB powered CD/DVD drive. It is the simplest option but involves the cost of getting the drive.

External Media Bay

Bootable USB flash drive

(Fig.2.8 USB Flash Drive)

Every system comes with multiple USB ports now. (From USB Type-A which is shown in the picture, to USB Type-C which is the latest connector format.) You can now purchase Install media on Bootable USB drives or download ISOs that you can load to a bootable USB. There are also several methods possible to make an ordinary USB drive bootable and then to load install media to it. You would use it in place of a CD or DVD. There are a number of different methods for this, but the most common is called slipstreaming.

Note: The minimum size of USB drive that you need will depend on the version of the OS you want to install.

Note: As with any USB device, if used with a Windows Operating System (from XP through to 10) the device will not require any setup. A USB device is a Plug and Play device. If being used outside of windows, then it can be used through the F12 startup menu, by selecting Boot from USB Device.

Donor Chassis

(Fig.2.9 Donor Chassis)

This last option is to use another system that has an optical drive as a donor. This means installing your Hard Drive into the donor system and performing the install on that machine. Once that is complete, transfer your Hard Drive back into your own machine to complete installing the drivers and software.

I hope this has given you some idea's on how to work around any systems limitations. If not, contact your Technical Support for further help.

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Resolution

Chromebox, Chromebook, Inspiron, Latitude, Vostro, XPS, Retired Models, Thin Clients, Fixed Workstations

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