drivers

It is becoming difficult to find the proper drivers for newer operating systems for the XPS 730x. Especially since Dell now seems to be inadvertently filtering (removing?) the actual correct versions for the 730x. Therefore, I am writing this guide to help others ensure they are running the correct drivers and software application versions.

Overview
The approach I will take on this page is to list the drivers and applications needed after a fresh format and install of an operating system, and in the recommended order. This document also only works for XPS 730x users, not the 730 as they have different drivers for a different chipset.

Prerequisites
Before formatting, I recommend preparing a bootable USB stick to install your operating system from. I've written instructions on my blog:Create a Bootable USB Drive with Windows After creating the USB stick, copy all the drivers you need from this guide to your USB drive, under a directory like \drivers. It will make the format and install much much faster. And if you want to upgrade the BIOS, there is information about that too below (do it before you format).

BIOS Version
Before you start, you must decide on what BIOS you want loaded onto your system because each BIOS can have different sets of drivers and applications. There are upsides and downsides to each BIOS version. So, head over to my BIOS Upgrade guide for more details.

See: BIOS Upgrade

Connect to the correct SATA port
The XPS 730x motherboard has eight (9) SATA2 ports. Six of them are bunched together, and there are 2 additional ones off on their on. There is also a 9th SATA2 port colored red next to the expansion slots and a 10th eSATA2 port accessible via the rear I/O panel.

You absolutely must connect your operating system OS drive to one of the group with 6. These 6 that are grouped together go through the Intel ICH10R chipset, and is native to the chipset. "Native to the Chipset" always means lower latency and faster performance than "Add On Controllers". In our case, you want to use the native driver in Windows 7 or the ICH10R Raid driver if using Vista.If using an optical drive (DVD-ROM) to install your operating system, then connect it to one of the group of 6. It will save you from having to install a driver.The other two purple SATA ports, the rear E-SATA port, and the red "SATA" port located on the motherboard back near the PCI_E1 video card slot are all controlled via the Silicon Image RAID "Add On" controller. I'd highly recommend NOT using these to install your operating system on. I list how to install those drivers after the operating system is up and running later down in the document. NOTE: The "red" SATA port, and the rear eSATA port are shared. You can only use one or the other, but not both.

Select AHCI or RAID Mode
You must decide ahead of time what SATA mode you want to run the operating system drives under. Select RAID usually requires 2 or more drives. Selecting ACHI enables SMART monitoring.

Don't know which to choose? Select AHCI. Supposedly you can change this with the latest Intel RST software and drivers installed

Install Windows normally
The next requirement is for you to go ahead and install Windows normally.

Windows Vista and RAID Drivers

 * If you really are installing Vista (why?), then you must be aware that Vista does not have the Intel ICH10R RAID driver built into its drivers database. You will need to download Intel's "ICH10R RAID Driver" and load it up onto a, yep, floppy disk because Vista does not support CD-Roms for driver installs at installation.

Step 1) Intel RST Raid Driver (OS Install)
If you are installing Windows 7, you no longer need a RAID driver as Windows 7 has a version that works with the Intel ICH10R RST that the 730x motherboard has. Though it is an older version, it works just fine.

If you are installing Vista or Windows XP, go to Intel's website and download the RAID driver for ICH10R onto a floppy (yes, a floppy).

Alternatively, you can attempt to Slipstream the RAID driver into your Windows XP or Vista copy on your USB device.

Step 2) Intel X58 Chipset
This is the first thing you MUST install after a fresh install.

The driver listed on Dell's website is waaay waaay too old. Updates to the chipset drivers ensure latest service packs from operating systems are compatible with the ACPI and other interfaces of the motherboard.

The solution is to have Intel's utility auto-detect the latest chipset driver to install. Sorry, but I would rather not link to any one specific version. You are better off downloading the latest version.

Intel Update Driver Utility

''TIP: I highly recommend using Internet Explorer to visit the above link because it will default to ActiveX. If you use any other browser, it will force you to install Java.''

This will also list an updated driver for your ICH10R. Go ahead and download it as well and install it. See Step 3 below.

Step 3) Intel ICH10R RST (Rapid Storage Technology)
Next thing to install is the absolute latest RST drivers. These drivers, except your video drivers, are the drivers you really want to keep up-to-date for the life of your system as they are improving more and more on the SSD support (very soon we'll have TRIM available for SSDs in RAID!).WARNING: The drivers on Dell's site will work. There is no breaking changes with the 5 year old versions. But, if you plan on, or have replaced your HDD with a newer HDD, or perhaps an SSD, then it is a requirement to upgrade your RST drivers asap to get the latest support.Again, I will point you to Intel's driver update utility to get the latest version. You should have saw and installed it when you were installing the Chipset drivers above anyways.

Intel Update Driver Utility

''TIP: I highly recommend using Internet Explorer to visit the above link because it will default to ActiveX. If you use any other browser, it will force you to install Java.''

Step 4) Video Drivers
Now that your system is stable and reliable using the latest Intel Chipset and RST drivers, we can move onto that annoying video resolution. Download the latest drivers for your video card from the vendor's site.

Personally, I always grab mine from Nvidia's site directly. I never install the manufacturer's - some are too slow, and never list betas. The betas is what makes the latest games work.

Step 5) Silicon Image Sil3132
Now that you can see your new freshly formatted system, it's time to update the Sil3132 drivers. As mentioned above, this controller are for the rear eSATA port, red SATA connector next to PCI_E1, and the two purple SATA ports that are all by themselves on the motherboard separate from the 6 SATA connectors.

There are actually different versions to use depending on what BIOS you loaded.

BIOS versions 1.0.X
(todo: upload package and link to last revision to download)

BIOS for Alienware Area-51 ALX A10 and A11
(todo: upload package and link to last revision to download)

BIOS version A11b Hybrid BIOS
TK Mods has edited the A11 bios to create a sort of hybrid BIOS that upgrades the firmware for the Sil3132 controller. Because of this, you need to install a different set of drivers as the signature has changed. This version is Dell driver R201623. It is mirrored here on this wiki for archiving purposes because Dell seems to have removed it from their website.

Download the Package


NOTE: Remember the directory this expands to, you will need it below.

Manual Driver install Required
But downloading is not enough. The download includes two things:


 * The Silicon Image manager, which doesn't seem to do much and doesn't install a driver.
 * The actual INF driver to install manually.

The SETUP program doesn't install the driver. You have to do that manually. In your Device Manager (Press START, right-click on My Computer and click Manage, click on Device Manager) you will see a yellow exclamation point under Other Devices. I can't remember exactly what it said, but it will say Sil3132, RAID Controller, or some type of Controller or Mass Storage controller.

Right-click on the device, select "Update Driver", and select "Browse my computer for driver Software". Point it to the directory that you extracted R201623 to and select the ini file, and continue with the driver install.

Install Applications
Now that you have a fresh operating system install and all drivers loaded and working, it is time to move onto some of the specific software to install.

This section is broken up based on what BIOS you have loaded.

Dell 1.0.X, or TK Mod's A11b BIOS
Using Dell's original bios versions (up to 1.0.6) and TK Mod's A11b hybrid bios allows you to use the original software packages for the XPS 730x.

Dell once again has removed the links to these applications. Therefore, I am mirroring the last known good versions of these files here for download for as long as I can under license from Dell (they reserve all rights).

AlienFX R202930

 * Utility-Alienware AlienFX-R202930.zip


 * Most versions on Dell's website will install and work. Except, you will get a "The system cannot find the file specified" error from the Alienware Controller application that runs in the background, upon first startup. After that, it works. But, it is quite annoying.


 * The solution is even though they are the same "Version" as the one listed under the support page for the XPS 730/730x, this R202930 driver package actually has an updated Controller executable version that does not have this error message.

Dell XPS Thermal Monitor R207374

 * Utility-Dell XPS Thermal Monitor A051.0.0.11.zip


 * The XPS Thermal Monitor that monitors temps and fans (and CPU pump for H2C units), as well as controlling a few of the fans.


 * Dell seems to have filtered out this application from the 730 and 730x support site if you select "64 bit" operating system. Do not attempt to pick Windows XP or a 32bit version and install, as it will not work. If you install the one from the Dell support site, while the Terms of Service will display upon first startup, after clicking Accept it will immediately crash. This is a known problem with that version.


 * The solution is to download a newer version that isn't linked to the XPS 730/730x systems, version

R207374 linked to above.

Alienware A10/A11 BIOS
Using version A10 or A11 BIOS versions, not the hybrid A11b from TK mods, has a flaw. That flaw is that it registers the motherboard manufacturer being Alienware. This is a problem as the AlienFX and XPS Thermal Monitor applications require a Dell motherboard, not Alienware.

Therefore, you have very limited options.

NVIDIA System Tools

 * If you have an ATI card in your system, this will not work. NVIDIA System Tools is locked down to NVIDIA cards only.


 * Download NVIDIA System Tools 6.06


 * Once installed, right-click on your desktop and go into NVIDIA Control Panel. You will have a new section called Performance.


 * I recommend not installing version 6.08. I had problems getting Performance section working.

Custom ESA Software

 * I have been working on my own software for ESA-controlled devices. It is far from complete, mainly because I can use NVIDIA System Tools for now.


 * (todo: insert link to ESA Tools progress site)

What about the other devices?
AFAIK, Windows 7 64-bit comes with all other drivers from Microsoft that support all other drivers in the system including the audio. This has been common practice with Windows Vista and later release versions of Windows with certified drivers. Microsoft seems to be about a year behind the latest hardware releases, and our XPS 730x systems are 5 years old now.

Some built-in drivers are:
 * High Definition Audio Device (can't recall the name, but they actually say to use the driver that comes with Windows 7, because of the updated S/PDIF support).
 * 2x Broadcom NetLink Gigabit Eithernet. Yes, there are newer drivers available direct from Broadcom, but the ones with Windows 7 seem to be flawless.

So in other words, you only need the links I pointed to here.