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I have the Dell Inspiron 3162 laptop (Pentium N3710 Quad-Core + 128GB SSD).

Basically, I can't find the SATA drivers needed for the laptop to recognise my SSD when booting from a windows 7 pro usb drive (laptop came shipped with windows 10 home).

I've been following this guide and the SATA driver guide linked within it.

dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/a-clean-install-of-windows-7/windows-7-installation/

I've followed the instructions to use legacy boot and to turn off secure boot, however I think I need the SATA drivers so it can recognise the 128GB SSD as I've been getting this prompt.

https://youtu.be/J_uWgOuZM-w?t=1m18s

I can't find the "intel rapid storage SATA pre-os" driver on the dell website, like the SATA driver guide states here, only firmware

I am not knowledgable about how the BIOs interacts with windows 7/10, and/or what legacy boot or UEFI does. I'm really just following guides

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  • If you don't mind me asking, why are devoting so much time and effort towards "downgrading" a new computer that already had Windows 10 installed?
    – Run5k
    Commented Feb 23, 2017 at 1:50
  • I wouldn't necessarily call it a downgrade. Windows 10 has some really nice features and is a good operating system, but Windows 7 still has some definite advantages. It's what I use (when I'm using Windows, that is.)
    – Layne B
    Commented Nov 1, 2018 at 5:04
  • Are you sure it's the SATA drivers and not the USB 3.0 drivers? If so, what is the brand of the SSD you have? If you don't know, you can use the service number on the bottom on Dell's website, and it will show you which SSD you have. Once you know that you can download the drivers and install them when it asks during the Windows installation.
    – Layne B
    Commented Nov 1, 2018 at 5:15

2 Answers 2

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First of all, you should choose the "SATA" mode in the BIOS for the SSD drive.

I checked the Dell website for your machine model. They have SATA driver for your machine model. You could try to download and install it manually during the installing process if the SSD drive is not recognized.

Support for Inspiron 11 3162/3164

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/product/inspiron-11-3162-laptop/drivers/advanced?os=w764

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Hy! U should to use a special image of windows 7 with integrated usb3.0 drivers. For example u can use this image: https://yadi.sk/d/0m7TTZ_O3SQpXA This iso i made from original microsoft's iso from msdn. If u don't like to use this image, u can find the gides, how make such image: just search "windows 7 on skylake, dell". U should install it in uefi mode, with out secure boot and enabled "load legacy rom" option in bios. PS. Sorry for my bad english, but it is not my nacional language.

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  • Can you elaborate on this a little more?
    – Toto
    Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 7:35

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