How do I know what drivers I need.

[Mary]

Thanks in advance to anyone that can help.

I have a Northgate STAX2517c2 computer. Northgate went out of business
and somehow I can't find any of my original disk or manuals.

This computer has a major problem just keeps restarting and never loads
all the way. The only thing I can access is the recovery console.

If I want to format my hard drive and do a clean install how do I know
what drivers I need.

Thanks again.
Mary

 

[Gordon]

Thanks in advance to anyone that can help.

I have a Northgate STAX2517c2 computer. Northgate went out of business
and somehow I can't find any of my original disk or manuals.

This computer has a major problem just keeps restarting and never loads
all the way. The only thing I can access is the recovery console.

If I want to format my hard drive and do a clean install how do I know
what drivers I need.

Thanks again.
Mary

Unless you have some very weird and obscure hardware installed, none. XP
will provide all the drivers you need....(assuming this is not a laptop...)

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Thanks in advance to anyone that can help.

I have a Northgate STAX2517c2 computer. Northgate went out of business
and somehow I can't find any of my original disk or manuals.

This computer has a major problem just keeps restarting and never loads
all the way. The only thing I can access is the recovery console.

If I want to format my hard drive and do a clean install how do I know
what drivers I need.

Thanks again.
Mary

Hard to say if the system uses any special hardware. However, the free
Belarc Advisor can help you determine exactly what the hardware is so that
you can get appropriate drivers assuming Windows does not already have them.
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

HTH
-pk

 

[DatabaseBen]

there probably
a good reason why
the company went defunct.

and you might be better off
to buy something more reliable if
basic installation of windows fails...

as a suggestion, since it is unlikely
you are going to simply give up on it,
would be to pop open the computer, get
a flash light and get the part numbers of
the hardware and see if you can download
the driver from their parent websites, that is
if "they" are still in business...

 

[Gerry Cornell]

Mary

This freeware programme is excellent for getting information about your
computer:
Everest Home Edition (freeware)
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html

Tip: To copy select Report, Quick Report, Plain Text, highlight required
text, right click and select copy. However, whilst this is fine for
posting small amounts of information into newsgroup messages longer
reports will irritate other newsgroup subscribers.

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Gerry Cornell]

Gordon

Without wishing to be rude your comment is just
total rubbish. All systems rely on third party drivers.

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Gordon]

Gordon

Without wishing to be rude your comment is just
total rubbish. All systems rely on third party drivers.

Without meaning to be rude that's total rubbish. I installed Windows XP on a
Toshiba Tecra 9000 that came with NO OS and I did NOT need any third party
drivers.
Go back to auditing PLEASE.

 

[Malke]

Without meaning to be rude that's total rubbish. I installed Windows
XP on a Toshiba Tecra 9000 that came with NO OS and I did NOT need any
third party drivers.
Go back to auditing PLEASE.

Gordon, I don't want to stick my oar in but I'm going to anyway. ;-) All
systems do rely on third-party drivers, whether it's Linux or Windows.
If something "just worked" after installation, it's because the drivers
were included in the operating system. XP has many basic hardware
drivers that were provided by the hardware mftrs. Vista reportedly
ships with 19,500 drivers - again, provided to MS by the hardware
mftrs. after going through testing. Without those drivers, installing
XP or Vista would be akin to the Win95 installation experience.

This is also why some Linux distros find your hardware better than
others - the hardware drivers have been included. This is something
that has to be done consciously; it's not part of the operating system.
If you install Slackware or Roll Your Own Linux, you choose which
drivers you include.

I hope that has cleared up this issue and the thread can die now.

Best regards,

Malke

 

[Gordon]

Gordon, I don't want to stick my oar in but I'm going to anyway. ;-) All
systems do rely on third-party drivers, whether it's Linux or Windows.
If something "just worked" after installation, it's because the drivers
were included in the operating system.

The OP was talking about drivers external to the OS installation media.....

 

[Paul Johnson]

http://wiki.ursine.ca/Top_Posting

Without wishing to be rude your comment is just
total rubbish. All systems rely on third party drivers.

There's some generic drivers that come with Windows that handle some of the
more common hardware component models. Some operating systems (Debian)
ship with all the drivers that almost everyone could ever need.

Gordon's comment really isn't as far-fetched as you make it out to be.

 

[Paul Johnson]

Gordon, I don't want to stick my oar in but I'm going to anyway. ;-) All
systems do rely on third-party drivers, whether it's Linux or Windows.

Most Linux drivers (the lone exception being nVidia 3D support) come with
the kernel itself. Third-party drivers are exceedingly rare on Linux
because the kernel guys are pretty good about getting patches submitted for
first-party inclusion from people who have reverse-engineered it or even
directly from the manufacturers.

If something "just worked" after installation, it's because the drivers
were included in the operating system. XP has many basic hardware
drivers that were provided by the hardware mftrs. Vista reportedly
ships with 19,500 drivers - again, provided to MS by the hardware
mftrs. after going through testing. Without those drivers, installing
XP or Vista would be akin to the Win95 installation experience.

I would argue that it still is, except perhaps a bit harder now since the
installer is working farther and farther away having sane defaults and
being something you can walk away from for an hour after putting the disc
in and having a ready desktop.

This is also why some Linux distros find your hardware better than
others - the hardware drivers have been included.

Actually, it has to with how the distro has implemented hotplug support and
how they compiled their kernels more than anything else on the Linux side.
All the different distros use the same drivers, it's just a matter of what
options are passed at build-time.

 

[Gerry Cornell]

Paul

If you wish to discuss Linux isn't it more appropriate to do
so in a newsgroup devoted to Linux.

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Gerry Cornell]

Paul

If you wish to discuss Linux isn't it more appropriate to do
so in a newsgroup devoted to Linux.

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~