Inspiron 9400 – Windows 7 and 10

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

HTML

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

25 thoughts on “Inspiron 9400 – Windows 7 and 10

  1. Many thanks for your wise tips. Everything was fine until the video driver installation (ATI Radeon x1400). I am looking for the right driver or procedure to start working. In any case, many many thanks.

  2. Hello Mr Yip, I am very satisfied with the Windows 7 Family Edition 32 bit installation on my DELL Inspirion E1705, I also installed a 240 Gig SSD Hard drive. I have the 2 Gig RAM which came with the E1705 when I bought it new; i would like to upgrade to 4 Gigs of RAM. Is it necessary to make some chassis modifications and alter the heat pipe? The SSD disque I bought was made by CRUCIAL, Two 2Gig RAM Offtek cards (FT256MSQ64V6U) are less than 1/2 the price of two Crucial 2 gig RAM cards. (CT2KIT25664AC667) and the CRUCIAL product refers to a 64 bit configuration. I would just as soon order the cheaper cards from Offtek. Sincerely Stephen Bach. BTW I live in Bayonne, France Most all software and hardware which I buy here is in French or a combination of French and English

    1. The Offtek parts work fine, if it helps I actually have them in my system. 😉
      As for heating, I've not noticed any significant difference in heat and made no modifications to the chassis.

      I would recommend however using one of these:
      http://www.amazon.co.uk/Targus-Lap-Chill-Mat-17-inch/dp/B002Q8X3L2/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1400509315&sr=1-1&keywords=cooling+pad

      I actually have this one but its similar:
      http://www.amazon.co.uk/Targus-AWE61EU-Laptop-Chill-Mat/dp/B004DJ7CWI/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1400509468&sr=1-5&keywords=targus+cooling

      There are cheaper parts such as these which are best to avoid because usually the fans don't align with the events and products like these when used on soft surfaces heat the system up because the fan jams and you heat the system up by covering the vents with a piece of plastic:
      http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Link-CRYSTAL-Cooler-Laptop-notebook/dp/B001AIGTHO

  3. Hello good sir, thank you for this FANTASTIC solution to all of my sound related issues. My old ass Dell laptop had some issues after installing windows 7, after applying the registry file and the newest sigmatel driver, the sound returned after a restart. Can't wait to try the rest of your work. Thank you kindly for all your hard work.

  4. ANYONE CAN HELP ME I HAVE DELL INSPIRON 9400 WINDOW XP AND I WOULD LIKE TO UPDATE TO WINDOW 7 , HOW I FIND OUT MY LAPTOP AVALEBLE FOR IT OR NOT.

    1. It'll work with Windows 7 32 Bit provided you have 1 GB (preferably 2-4 GB of RAM installed).

      Windows 7 has reached end of mainstream support and is becoming hard to come by to purchase.

      Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will automatically update to Windows 10 in Late Summer. So theres little advantage in purchasing Windows 7 over Windows 8.1 at present as Windows 8.1 is cheaper.

      You can alternatively install Windows 10 Technical Preview:
      http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/preview-iso

      Evaluate how well it runs and then take advantage of any promotional deals.

  5. Just got this to work and support XP on an inspiron 9400 and also on an e1705/ Windows 7

    Added Micro SD-XC support up to 64 gb card tested!

  6. hello.sir i have dell inspiron 9400 xp operting system and i would like to update window 7 or window 8.1 so which one is work with my coumputer.

    1. 64 Bit compatibility depends on the processor and RAM but as the system cannot address more than 3.25 GB of RAM there is little advantage of 64 Bit on this system.

      Windows XP is obsolete (end of life April 2014)
      Windows Vista is obsolete (no Digital Distribution, no IE10/11 or Office 2013 support)
      Windows 7 will be obsolete in Summer (free upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10). Also Windows 7 is in scares supply and has a high price.
      Windows 8.1 will be obsolete in Summer (free upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10). Its available but not worth buying for only a few months use.

      The best thing to do is to install Windows 10 Technical Preview 32 Bit:
      http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows/preview-iso
      Hold out on the evaluation until Microsoft fully release Windows 10 at RTM. This will possibly lead to a free upgrade path at the best or a discounted promotion at the worst. Have at least 2 GB of RAM installed. The 120 GB or 250 GB Crucial BX100 SSD will also help this system out a lot.

  7. my coumputer : genuie intel(R) cpu
    T2250 @ 1.73 ghz
    1.73 ghz.3.24 gb of ram
    microsoft window xp professional
    version 2002
    serrvice pack 3

  8. what you think what shoud i do? window 7 or winow 8 or window 10 like you say.

  9. Hello. I have a Inspiron 9400, T5600 Core2 Duo, 1,86, 4 gb of ram, all works well, even the HDD TOSHIBA MK1234GSX (111 GB), i want to upgrade the wireless card maybe something with BT, what do you recommend? you think 7260n can work here? i currently have Intel 3945ABG . Thanks in advance.

    1. Are you running Windows 10? It's a fairly old system and comes with a full height card. You would also need a half height to full height adaptor for such a card to slot in.

      1. Hi philipyip, Thanks for you're answer. Sry i forgot to mention, i use windows 7 , a lite edition , it runs smoothly, better than any windows 10 edition, and much better than xp or vista, it makes 9400 a fast laptop even today. Aham, didnt know about the adapter. Thanks again m8. Maybe ill use a usb wi-fi , i will try a usb card and see what happents. What ssd you recomand? a sata 3 from 2017/18 is a good upgrade or should i buy something older?

        All best wishes,
        Bogdan

      2. You aren't going to get full performance of the SSD as the system is so old (t's a 2006 model so about 12 years old now).

        However there is no point in running something older (unless you can get it for cheaper) the Crucial MX500 or BX300 is likely a good choice. N.B. You are unlikely to see any noticeable performance difference between the MX500 and BX300 on such an old model.

      3. Thanks you philipyip, for the advice and for the answer. And also a last question, i found the xps M1710 model that looks the same but from the seller point of view, the lcd panel, full hd its better than mine , what is you"re opinion, are the xps panels the same with inspiron 9400, can i use other parts from the xps? , and yeah about the Bluetooth, i cant install the driver for win 7 , in bios it says Bluetooth : none, i found the remote control and read it works with BT, but my bt isnt working…? Looked for the problems with the BT and found some unresolved topics with the driver stuck at Fn+F2…, to activate but i cant activate it ? thanks.

      4. These models are aging considerably. They are from 2006 and so now over 12 years old.

        Bluetooth 2.0 was optional in these models… and the Bluetooth cards aren't as capable as Bluetooth 4.0 around today.

        I would not bother getting a M1710, performance wise they are very similar. Not too sure if the motherboards etc are cross-compatible with the chasis but likely not…

        If you are on a budget I would look for a second hand Latitude D830, Latitude D630 or a Latitude E Series instead (which will have a Windows 7 Pro COA and free upgrade to Windwos 10 Pro).

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.