I agree with what jamietoner said. However, you may want to download the Dell Diagnostics for your model and run them, just to rule out any hardware issues.
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rebuild dell dimension 8400
I am trying to rehab a Dell Dimension 8400. Got on the Dell website and ordered a new HD (500g) and a memory upgrade to 4g. The replacement parts sales tech then referred me to another Dell website to order the original CD kit for that machine. All came in the mail a week later and I stuck it all together and started feeding it CD(s).
Dell support clams that they sent me the correct disk, but what they sent is not what remember.
My experience in rebuilding systems was to first insert the manufacture CD and let it prep the drive and it prompts for the windows CD. All Dell sent was a windows CD and diagnostics CD.
Not the recovery or rebuild CD. Am I correct that their should be another CD from Dell that gets you started before the WinXP cd ?
While waiting, I went ahead and used the WinXP CD and like it should, it found the new drive and partition, format and installed. All was good until the reboot to finalize the install.
It boots, gets past the bios screen, shows the windows logo screen for about a 2 count and Blue-Screen ? (*** STOP: 0x0000007B (0xBACC3524, & )
I figure 1 of 2 possible things happen at that moment. 1.) The video driver is loaded and that caused a Blue-Screen or 2.) The system tried to start reading the drive in 32 bit mode and it crapped out. If '1' scenario is correct, I don't have the correct driver for the Video. If scenario '2' is correct, I may have a bad drive or controller.
BTW, tried to boot in Safe-Mode and it Blues-Screened as well !
Any help from Dell Guys is appreciated.
Thanks.
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Answers
I think he is correct too. That is kind of what I remember. I plan on trying to use a USB floppy and let it create a disk, I saw an option for it when the diagnostics CD booted up.
Yesterday I started up the diagnostics and let it run all day (extensive option) on the Drive and Memory. It did not find any issues.
Not working, I was able to create a floppy disk from the util CD and boot from the WinXP, hit F6 selected both drivers (2 times) and it states that the driver I have selected older than the one it has on the disk.
Used it anyway and install keeps loading all its stuff, until it tries to start windows (The runtime version to continue the install), two count BlueScreen ! Did it 4 different times.
The sales tech told me that this system would handle a 500 gig drive and that is what she sold me.
But, Now I remember that a year ago I rebuilt a system just like this one (dimension 8400), at that time the sales tech told me that 320 gig was the max this system would handle ?
Is there any way to check the specs of a Dell Dimension 8400 with out calling support to chatting with them ?
Thanks
I remember older iterations of 2000 having a limit on the size of a partition, but you would still be able install windows, it would just not show you all the data you had. You would have to make some updates to access the rest of the drive.
But XP Sp3 should handle 500gb just fine. And you don't need to hit F6 for 3rd party Raid drivers, the native XP drivers should be fine.
Just boot to the CD, and install XP. You don't need to boot from a floppy.
Is the video card an onboard, or is it an Add-in? I would try removing the add-in, and just use the native. Once the OS is up you can troubleshoot the vid card.
Got it to work, I opened an identical disk from Dell "Reinstallation CD" and tried it out. With the drivers from the resource CD. While I was waiting for a BlueScreen, up pops widows with a desktop ! Whats the difference, looking the purple CD its identical label has one difference. At the bottom, the date on the first CD in very small print was 2007, and on the second was 2004. I found this post on the Intel site that describes my exact BlueScreen scenario (If I build with out the 'F6' 3rd party drivers, I get all the way to the finalization of the install and reboot to start windows and then BSOD. If I build using the 'F6' 3rd party drivers, I get a BSOD a few seconds later when it tries to start the runtime install): http://communities.intel.c
Those Resource CDs have dates as well, don't know what part it plays. Dell certainly has driver a issue here, but from now on I will keep this resource CD and XP CD in a separate envelope marked so I don't have to relive this next time.
Thanks
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by: jamietonerPosted on 2009-09-27 at 20:35:03ID: 25436637
"All Dell sent was a windows CD and diagnostics CD" That's all dell usually sends with new system(plus any purchased software of course). The problem you have having is that your not installing the AHCI sata driver(xp does not have this driver natively). There is a couple of ways to get past this. You can, enter the bios and change the sata operation to ide mode, or install the sata driver(available for download off dell support site) from a floppy using f6 during setup or slipstream the sata driver onto an xp cd using nlite(www.nliteos.com).