I am so confused right now. I don't know much about computers so keep that in mind if you can help me. I reinstalled Windows XP for my inspiron laptop. I thought the drivers weresupposed to install automatically, but they didn't. I put the drivers CD in the CD drive and it said that I didn't need to install the drivers because they are already installed. What? I have nothing on my computer right now. The only things I really need at the MOMENT are sound and internet connection. I have wireless service and built-in wireless card. What do I need to do now? How can I get on the internet and have sound on my computer. I would really appreciate it if someone could help me with this problem. Thank you!The laptop should have shipped with a Driver CD...
Use this to re-install all drivers. Windows does not do this automatically as all drivers are different...

NOTE: MBoard/chipset drivers should go first.- Go to Dell Support
- Find the drivers correct for your system, you can either:
----- A. Enter the service tag on your computer. This is usually a string of 8 letters and numbers in a white square with SERVICE TAG: next to it, but your tag may differ.
----- B. Select your computer type, model number, and whatever other options they ask for.
- Download the wireless utility, Motherboard and chipset drivers and COPY that to a USB pen drive, Floppy, CD, or other external storage device.
- Install that on your computer; if the installation fails, you may have selected the wrong one. They often have two or three versions for the same laptop model; if you're not sure of the card types, you might have to just download them all. If you're lucky, there might only be one driver download for each item.
- Go through the process of selecting your computer model again with the installed network card and proceed to download the remainder of the drivers and install them.

Notes: You can download all the drivers at once and transfer them, but I find it easier to install the internet then download the updates. Why? Because Dell has MANY different types of drivers for the same model of laptop, and it's easier to use a trial-and-error method instead of downloading hundreds of megabytes just to get a few files. If you find that the selection is not a large one, you have fast internet (or a slow internet on the other computer), and/or a large storage device, you may choose to download them all at once.How do we know, it's Dell?Inspiron is a Dell brand.Ahh, well hidden info.....LOL
Good catch I have a DELL Inspiron 1501 which came with a drivers CD. You should also have a drivers CD. When you put this CD in, it installs a DELL Resource software. After the install it should automatically open the DELL Resource software and show you the drivers which are compatible with your system.