Windows 8.1 and 7 on Dell D600 Using USB

This is my first Instructables, so please take it easy on me :)

Now these are my finding about the historic Dell D600 about running Windows 7, 8.1

1. You need to have newer CPU with 2MB cache (Pentium M 735, 745, 755). Windows 8 requers NXE SSE and SSE 2 instructions and to my knowledge all socket mPGA 379 Pentium M models after 2003 with 2MB cache are compliant.

2. You need USB Flash drive of 4Gb or bigger.

3. You need windows 7-8 disk or downloaded ISO file (makes sure it is the 32Bit and not the x64)

4. You will need a working computer to make the USB flash bootable

That's all you need to install it (beside the drivers)

Step 1: Using RUFUS to Create Bootable USB Drive for Dell D600

You can use RUFUS to create any bootable media for your needs. There are some special settings that you need to select to make it work on your Dell D600.

1.First you need to download the software from here: RUFUS

2.Just insert your Flash drive and select "Toggle Advanced Options" near the "Format Options". Than select:

- Quick Format

- Create a bootable disk using "ISO IMAGE" - and select your file

- Create extended label and icon files

- Add fixes for Old BIOSes ......

- Use Rufus MBR with BIOS ID .....

the rest should come by default

3.Click START

it may take 5-15 minutes

Step 2: Installing Windows 8.1 on Dell D600

Now just boot from your USB Drive and install as normal. I noticed it goes very quick (15-20 minutes on my old Dell D600 with Dothan 1.6Ghz and 2Gb RAM)

Windows will install pretty much everything for you but the network/wifi drivers so you should have them ready on the flash drive, downloaded from DELL and just install manually with UPDATE DRIVER than select Browse My Computer for Driver Software / Let me pick from a list of DEVICE DRIVERS / then select HAVE DISK and point to the location of the drivers.

Step 3: Dell D600 With Windows 8.1 Review

Windows 8.1 installs some generic drivers for the VIDEO ATI 9000 and they work OK, but I wasn't able to play movies and games on it! After few days I simply switched back to good old Windows XP SP3 and installed CCCP codecs to play 720p videos and use it as a entertainment unit and check on facebook.

There are moded drivers that I found after that, that claim can run well on Windows 8. So here is the link:

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/tools/

May be someone will be interested to try them out and post their results.

Hope this Instructable was helpful for all those D600 units out there :)

Cheers!