Dell driver update panic

badger09

Please excuse any typos. I'm using iPhone.

Dell Inspiron 17R laptop less than 12 months old on Windows 8.1.
Kept getting message re Catalyst Control Centre not working. Research suggested I should update Dell drivers. Download/installation of driver for AMD Radeon (I think) started nearly an hour ago and all I've got is a black screen with occasional flicker at bottom of screen.

Is this normal? Should I worry?

Thanks

imho

Go onto Dell website put in your service tag number and you can get the driver from there free.
http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/uk/en/ukdhs1/drivershome/showproductselector

badger09

Thanks but that's what I was doing when it all want wrong.

Just spent 58 mins on phone to Dell. Upshot is, after testing hardware, seems it's a software problem and these are not covered by my warranty. So I can either have a USB with Windows 8 installation & lose any (recent) data or pay Dell £119 for software support, get Windows 8 reinstalled & not lose data.

As the 'software problem' seems to have occurred during a download from Dell, I am not happy & definitely not going to pay them £119 to put it right!

custardy

badger09 wrote: »

Thanks but that's what I was doing when it all want wrong.

Just spent 58 mins on phone to Dell. Upshot is, after testing hardware, seems it's a software problem and these are not covered by my warranty. So I can either have a USB with Windows 8 installation & lose any (recent) data or pay Dell £119 for software support, get Windows 8 reinstalled & not lose data.

As the 'software problem' seems to have occurred during a download from Dell, I am not happy & definitely not going to pay them £119 to put it right!

Right lets step back a bit here
Catalyst is ATIs graphics software
you can download this directly from ATI
So start with that.
When(if) you rebooted,did you see the bios and then loading screen?

closed

http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/uk/en/ukdhs1/KCS/KcsArticles/ArticleView?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&docid=605477

http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/uk/en/ukdhs1/KCS/KcsArticles/ArticleView?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&docid=619241

http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/us/en/555/KCS/kcsarticles/articleview?docid=608277

you don't need to run catalyst control centre

create the windows disc and backup in future http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

badger09

custardy wrote: »

Right lets step back a bit here
Catalyst is ATIs graphics software
you can download this directly from ATI
So start with that.
When(if) you rebooted,did you see the bios and then loading screen?

I can't do anything. All I have us a black screen. The Dell & Windows logo appear & the spinning circle then nothing!

Also even though switched off & charger unplugged, the power on/off light is blinking constantly.

custardy

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19519054.aspx

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-system/black-screen-on-boot/39e244ad-6a83-4ad6-8b6d-5196546ddc48

badger09

closed wrote: »

http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/us/en/555/KCS/kcsarticles/articleview?docid=608277

you don't need to run catalyst control centre

create the windows disc and backup in future http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

Thanks

All I was trying to do was get rid of the annoying message re Catalyst Control Centre.

I'm struggling to read that Dell article on iPhone. I'll dig out old netbook later.

closed

power on holding the shift button, then press F8 - should take you to a recovery screen, then advanced, system restore to an earlier time

if the machine stays on the black screen at all times, hold down the power button for 6 seconds, then power on

DevCoder

badger09 wrote: »

I can't do anything. All I have us a black screen. The Dell & Windows logo appear & the spinning circle then nothing!

Also even though switched off & charger unplugged, the power on/off light is blinking constantly.

Boot windows in safe mode (for windows 8 hit shift f8 when its booting, I normally just keep down shift and hitting f8 repeatedly otherwise you have got to get the timing right).

Then reinstall the driver (or uninstall the current one and let widows reinstall a driver when it next boots)

badger09

closed wrote: »

power on holding the shift button, then press F8 - should take you to a recovery screen, then advanced, system restore to an erlier time

if the machine stays on the black screen at all times, hold down the power button for 6 seconds, then power on

Shift & F8 just gives me black screen