Windows 7 on the Dell XPS One

I had a reader email in and ask about my experiences putting Windows 7 on my Dell XPS One.

Our XPS One serves as our kitchen PC, so it gets plenty of exercise for email, Webkinz, web research, and photo sharing. I also have loaded the Zune 4.0 software on there and use it to drive my kitchen sound system.

The XPS One has a coax tuner built-in, as well as a custom set of bezel buttons, so I must admit i approached the upgrade with caution.

To clarify, i am still running the RC. In spite of working at Microsoft I have not gotten off my behind to get the real copy yet. Dell doesn’t officially support the XPS One according to their website, but *spoiler alert* it works fine for me.

First, I decided to install clean. That means hooking up an external drive and doing a Windows Easy Transfer. It’s not hard. Stop complaining.

The XPS is not dual-core, so you’re going with the 32 bit version. The install is pretty quick and there are scant driver changes. Here are the ones you want to re-download (the 32 bit Vista versions) from the Dell driver support website:

• AVerMedia TV Tuner – you’ll need this for enabling your TV Tuner in Windows 7. The new version of Media Center is worth it
• ATI Video driver
• Update your BIOS
• Dell Touchpad/Pointing stick

That should do it. As always, your mileage may vary, see dealer for details. At some point soon I’ll install the retail version. Let me know if your XPS One/Windows 7 upgrade is working for you.