XPS 15 9530 (Haswell) - Installing Windows 7 64-bit?

Unlike the Precision M3800 that offers options for Windows 7 Pro and Windows 8.1 Pro, the new XPS 15 only includes Windows 8.1 Core.

I'm considering the possibility of getting the XPS 15 9530 (mid-tier configuration), removing the mSATA 32GB cache, wiping out the 1TB HDD, and installing Windows 7 Pro 64-bit on a boot mSATA 256GB SSD.

The key question is about using the Precision M3800's Windows 7 64-bit drivers for the XPS 15 9530.

Your comments and insights will be much appreciated.

 

I can't see why that wouldn't work given the identical hardware except for the GPU, but the GPU drivers can be had from NVIDIA's site anyway. The drivers don't check your service tag or official model to make sure they're "allowed" to install on the system, after all. The M3800 Win7 drivers list the same components and names as the XPS Win8 drivers, except for a different name for the chipset (Lynx Point vs 8 Series, but those are just different names for the same chip) and a USB 3.0 driver for Win7 (Win8 has 3.0 support built in). But if you're getting the version with the QHD+ panel, be prepared for a pretty nasty experience in Win7 since it doesn't handle scaling very well at all, and if you'll be using external displays simultaneously with the built-in panel, you're in for an even worse experience because you can't set different scaling for each display, which means you can either have super-tiny objects on the QHD+ panel or super-large objects on a regular DPI external panel.

I'd also recommend getting the Wifi drivers from Intel's site since their latest 16.6 release seems to cure a lot of degradation/dropout issues that people are seeing, and Dell hasn't added that update to their own support site yet.

 

Thanks much for your input on the drivers.

Regarding display scaling, I understand Windows 8 does a better job with respect to the external monitors (setting different scaling factor for each monitor), but Windows 7 is not "crippled" in handling the built-in panel.

That nasty WiFi problem has persisted for nearly 2 years since the initial release of the XPS 15 L521X (which introduced the form adopted for the M3800 today).

 

It's 8.1 that does per-display scaling, not 8.0. I wasn't saying Windows 7 is crippled purely due to the panel's high resolution. My point is that in addition to not supporting per-display scaling, Win 7's scaling just doesn't work very well at all. A lot of the UI graphics and fonts don't draw properly when scaled up, and things just look strange -- so unless you're ok using the QHD+ panel without scaling, you may find that the amount of scaling you'd have to enable to make it usable to regular people would yield a pretty ugly result. But the fact remains that if you'll ever be using an external display simultaneously with the built-in panel, you won't find a scaling option that works well for both; you can optimize for one or the other, or pick an intermediate option that doesn't work very well for either one. And even if you'll just be switching back and forth between only the built-in panel and only an external display, you'll need to constantly switch your scaling option, which could get irritating.

I don't think it's fair to cite Wifi problems on a previous-gen box as evidence that they'll necessarily persist on a newer generation. It's a new Wifi chip and a new chassis design, after all. I'm not sure what the "form" you're talking about is, but sometimes all it takes is a small hardware tweak that may not be visibly apparent to alleviate a problem. I've read every single post in both the XPS 15 Haswell thread and the M3800 Owner's Review thread, and everyone there has either had zero Wifi problem at all or zero Wifi problems after the driver update -- except one person who had more severe problems than everyone else in the first place, and he's getting a replacement from Dell.

Also, the XPS 15 can be ordered with Windows 8.1 PRO if you order it from the Business/For Work store. Or you could just get the 8.1 Core version and buy the Pro Pack upgrade from Newegg for $95.

 

I could have been more precise.

Only with this particular QHD+ panel today, or "just doesn't work very well" in general, for the last few years? I've been using a FHD 1920x1080 panel with Windows 7 SP1 scaling up 125% and everything looks quite good, no distortion, no jagginess.

 

In my opinion I've never thought Win7's scaling worked well enough either in the Windows UI or enough apps to be worthwhile, but I'm also pickier than some, so opinions can certainly vary. If you're using scaling now in Win7 and are happy with it, then chances are you may be happy with how it behaves on the QHD+ panel, though you'll still have the problems I mentioned in my edits above regarding using multiple displays simultaneously or even switching between displays. I'd also make sure Win7 lets you set a higher scaling percentage like 175% or 200% since I don't remember whether it does and I can't check at the moment.

 

Thanks for your feedback. I have been pleased with Windows 7 UI rendition quality on FHD 1920x1080 panels for 3 generations of ThinkPad notebooks. Nevertheless, I keep in mind your advice regarding different scaling factors for multiple external displays.

 

Any news on this? Did u manage to run Windows 7 x64 on the laptop?

Thanks

 

I can confirm that Windows 7 runs quite nicely on the XPS 15 9530. Most of the Dell drivers work for 7 despite saying they are for 8.1.

The graphic drivers on the Nvidia and Intel sites are newer and work better than the ones one the Dell site.

3200x1800 graphics work on Win 7. To make the text readable, type "make text" in the run box, pick the top item, "Set custom text size (DPI)" on the left. I found 200% works nicely.

The touch screen still works in 7. Gestures only work in programs where its supported.

 

May I ask you how you managed to install Windows 7?

I'm also trying but during on of the first steps of the installation of Windows 7, the setup hangs at Starting Windows......

 

In the BIOS, disable Secure Boot and enable Legacy Option ROMs, then make sure that you've created a UEFI-compatible USB flash drive. You can use an app called Rufus to help with that, then Step 11 of this guide is important ( UEFI Bootable USB Flash Drive - Create in Windows), and THEN when you choose your boot device make sure you select the UEFI instance, not the Legacy option.

Or switch your BIOS from UEFI over to Legacy and skip the above. It may not boot quite as fast, but it's easier -- though you'll still want to switch back to UEFI and Secure Bot if you ever clean install Windows 8.

 

also ..u need to change to AHCI setup...

 

That's not a requirement, and if you have the version that has a spinning hard drive and an mSATA cache unit, you'll need to leave the SATA mode in Intel Smart Response to use the cache.

 

Hi,

Just got my dell XPS 15 with the 1TB HDD and the mSATA cache. Purchased an mSATA 240GB disk and wanted to make a clean Win7 install. I have removed the HDD and the mSATA cache and put in the 240GB mSATA disk. Now when I run the Win 7 install from the USB (UEFI disabled, Secure boot disabled, AHCI enabled) I get stack during the Win 7 install. It shows an empty screen for "Select driver to be installed". I tried randomly some of the WIn8.1 drivers from the dell web site, but have no luck.
Any advice how to solve the issue?

Thx
Tom

 

Hi everyone,

I just installed Win 7 64 bits but im having problems finding 3 drivers. I really dont know
which are the drivers missing. I was wondering if anyone could upload the drivers they used for
Windows 7 64 bits.

I hope you can help me with that.

Thanks in advanced.

Ricardo

 

Big mistake should of stayed windows 8.1.

 

Just out of interest why have you gone back to Windows 7

 

One of them will be the NFC card, which isn't supported on Windows 7 and is probably why the XPS 15 doesn't officially support Win7 (the Precision M3800 which does support Win7 does not have the NFC card). For the other devices, it would be helpful if you could go into Device Manager > Details and post the VIDs and PIDs of the missing devices. Some suspects that spring to mind though are the Intel Management Engine, Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework, and Intel Smart Connect (unless you disabled Smart Connect in the BIOS).

 

Why are you trying to install a driver during Win7 installation? You shouldn't have to go into an area where you select a driver to be installed. Have you checked the BIOS to confirm that the mSATA SSD is even detected? If so, go through the BIOS again to confirm that the SATA mode is in fact set to AHCI rather than Smart Response or Legacy because that's the only thing I can think of that would prevent your SSD from appearing during install -- short of a hardware failure on either the mSATA slot or the SSD itself, of course.

Also, you don't have to disable UEFI to install Win7; you just need to disable Secure Boot and enable Legacy Option ROMs. You can even get Win7 to install in UEFI mode if you tweak the install media a little bit, though the benefits aren't as significant as Win8.