[Esssy]

Hello,

I posted before about my problem with Dell and the Nvidia GPU issue. Dell fixed and returned my laptop (motherboard etc.) a couple of days ago, and now I'd like to install a new HDD.

When Nvidia's GPU started failing a while ago, Dell released a BIOS update to "fix" the problem. All it did was run the fan nonstop and prevent the laptop from shutting down when it overheated. This was basically the root cause of my laptop's demise, a couple of months after updating to that dreadful BIOS version and immediately following a recent Nvidia driver update. I'm worried about it affecting my new HDD and repaired laptop if I clone the old HDD, hence my question:

Should I
a. Clone the old HDD to my new one, then rollback the Nvidia driver? I'm not really sure what to do about the BIOS in this case- and it's really the worst offender here. Or,
b. Install the new HDD, use Vista and drivers CDs etc., then restore files from backup? More work, but willing to do it if it's worth the effort+time.

TIA!

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The BIOS itself is irrelevant. If it's a different motherboard the system won't boot anyway. With Vista there is no repair option so if the new board is dramatically different you'll have no choice but to do a fresh install anyway.

[Neil Jones]

The BIOS itself is irrelevant. If it's a different motherboard the system won't boot anyway. With Vista there is no repair option so if the new board is dramatically different you'll have no choice but to do a fresh install anyway.

[Esssy]

What do you mean by "dramatically different"? It's similar to the old one- just new. I'm guessing this is dramatically different?

TBH, I just learned that BIOS is stored on the motherboard! Your post intrigued me, so I looked it up. I thought it was stored on the HDD.

So I guess my only choice is to do a fresh install.

Thanks, Neil!