System Upgrades
Service Manual
Ensure you reference your service manual before carrying out upgrades:
The most recommended upgrade for this system is a Solid State Drive, here is my affiliate link to Crucial here. If purchasing a SSD or Memory Upgrade please use these links as I will get a tiny bit of commission which will help fund my guides.
SSD Drive Upgrade
Memory Upgrade:
This system supports 2 GB of RAM (2×1 GB Modules) unofficially 4 GB of RAM (2×2 GB) modules work in this system but the system maxes out at 3.25 GB of RAM. This can also be purchased using the affiliate link above.
Media Direct
Media Direct should be installed before the Operating System in order for the Media Direct Button to function correctly.
Operating System
Not all of these systems are 64 Bit capable. A 64 Bit Processor such as an Intel T7200, T7400 or T7600 is required for 64 Bit Windows 7. Note the system maxes out at 3.25 GB of RAM so there is in any case little advantage of installing 64 Bit Windows 0n this model. This configuration works with 64 Bit Windows 10 but it is on the edge of the system requirements, should Microsoft slightly up the system requirements for 64 Bit Windows 10 later down the line, this system will likely fail to meet the minimum system requirements and therefore 32 Bit Windows 10 is recommended on this model.
It is recommended to install Windows 10 on this system see Windows OEM FAQs and Downloads. The Windows Vista OEM or Windows XP Product Key won't be compatible with Windows 10 Installation Media however you can run Windows 10 Unlicensed. Windows 10 will have most of the system drivers required inbuilt however you can install the Windows 7 Drivers if you have any unknown Devices in the Device Manager.
Drivers and Downloads for Windows 7
Legacy BIOS
System Utilities (Windows 7 Only)
Chipset (Windows 7)
Card Reader
Video (Windows 7 Only)
There are three video variants on this system:
Input
Dell Wireless Cards
Audio (Windows 7 Only)
Install the Registry Edit and then the Audio Driver.
Registry Edit
Open up Notepad or Notepad++, copy and paste the above and save the file (as all types) ending with the extension .reg. Once done right click the reg file and run.
Add the entries to your registry before installing the Audio Driver.
Application
MediaDirect Updates
Requires installation of the Media Direct Program
The most recent Windows 7 32-bit Synaptics driver listed here made my touchpad useless. I downloaded this driver from Dell and it works fine. http://downloads.dell.com/input/R175658.exe
For Windows 7-64 Bit the best driver to keep scroll functionality on Inspiron E1505 and 6400 is
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=6RTR8
Thank you! I've tried so many drivers to restore scroll functionality to my Dell E1505 running Windows 10 Pro 64bit. This did it!
Thank you for this fantastic page.
It was a great help to put Win7 64bit on my old Inspiron.
Glad it helped. 🙂
Hi! First of all, thx for your work!
Now… I have inspiron 6400 with ati radeon x1400 and I've got an issue… When I power on or restart, the login screen is black, only the arrow of mouse is on the screen… to realy get into os I must press power button once, to logoff or sleep, I guess, and again power button to power up the pc…After that I can see the desktop screeen.
Also I had this issue on win 8 or 8.1…
There is a resolution for this!
Thx again!!
Not tested that video as my inspiron 6400 had the Intel video. Is this Windows 10 TH2 and did you have the same issue with Windows 8.1? What driver version do you have?
Sorry for lack of detail….
Yes, I installed w10 build 10586 x64. Before had 10240 x64 and before that 8.1 x32, 7 x32 I used in all this example, the driver recommended by you… it work rights only in 7 x32
I can upload a video sample to see what happens.
Anyway right now I'm used with this issue..
Thx for replay….
Ensure you enable Microsoft .Net Framework right click start and select Programs and Features to the left hand side select Turn Windows Features On and Off.
The drivers listed here are 64 Bit from the Update Catalog. Try also this driver: http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop/legacy?product=Legacy1&os=Windows%20Vista%20-%2064
If the install doesn't work extract it and try to update via the device manager.
Disabling "fast startup" in the control panel power settings may resolve the black screen issue. It did for me. You may also want to set your display brightness to 99% instead of 100%. Some people report this working for them also.
Not sure if this page is still monitored but I HAD Windows 10 Home running on the 6400 but a power outage caused my HD to become corrupt. Now I'm trying to install on a fresh SSD but it installs and infinite boots on startup. Any thoughts on using these drivers on a complete new install??
With the new SSD the Bootable USB may be at the top of your Boot Sequence… At the screen where it says Windows 10 will restart in 10 s remove your Bootable USB. Last screen in "The Windows Setup Part 3": http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/clean-installing-windows-10-rs2version-1703creators-update-with-uefi-and-secure-boot/