Windows 8 RP on Latitude D810

I have successfully installed Windows 8 Release Preview Build 8400 on a Dell Latitude D810.

I initially was dual booting WinXP and Ubuntu12.04, used a gparted boot CD to add 20GB to the WinXP partition so Win8 would start the upgrade.

After downloading for a while the upgrader got an error initializing the install.
No problem, it was a long shot to upgrade from XP anyway.
Downloaded the ISO from Microsoft and created a boot DVD from the ISO using the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool which worked great with an external DVD burner on XP.

Booted from the DVD and started the install.
The XP partition was FAT32 and apparently Win8 requires an NTFS partition.
Formatting the partition took only a few seconds and the installation went fine afterwards.

WiFi didn't work until after I plugged in Ethernet, so I'm not sure if Win8 was just slow to install the driver or needed to update something from the internet.

My sound was not working and my video and mouse were still running on generic drivers.

Audio from "Sigmatel C-Major Audio" working using "SIGMATEL STAC 975X AC97" release A03.5.10.04255 in the file R99254.EXE from the Dell drivers website. It does mention Vista-32bit compatibility in the description.

Video was a bit trickier. The Radeon X600 specific drivers from ATI (32bit Vista WDM Integrated Driver 36.7 MB 10.2 2/24/2010) would not detect the card, always leaving the generic driver in place with a stretched 1024x768 display.

I found this awesome tutorial (duplicated below) on forcing the drivers to install by altering the device ID in the driver .inf file. I changed my X600 line to the device ID shown in device manager and manually updated the video driver with that file.

Question
JuanPeñaR asked on  April 11, 2012
HOW TO SOLVE common screen resolution problem after instal windows 8
Hello people.
Do you have a low screen resolution after install windows 8?
Even you download appropriated drivers for your graphic card and it does not recognizes your device?
Does your windows 8 keep a Generic windows graphic drivers on your system?
Do you want to get your screen reach its appropriate resolution?
HERE IS THE SOLUTION:
1. Download your signed display card drivers and install it
2. Uninstall the generic display driver
3. Go to C:\windows\inf and look for display.inf file and rename it to display2.inf (it can be any other name to stuck the installation root by windows)
4. Open regedit and go to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\ControlSet001\Services\BasicDisplay and delete it.
          DO NOT RESTART YOUR COMPUTER!!!!!!!!
5. Go to device manager console (right click on Computer, Manage, Device Manager, click on devices window and then click on Scan for hardware changes icon.
6. You will see your display card asking for drivers.
7. Right click on display card and go to hardware Ids on driver detail
8. Copy values. It must see like this: PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5955&SUBSYS_3085103C&REV_00
9. Go to created directory by your signed driver installed (C:\ATI... C:\NVIDIA... C:AMD... etc.
10. Go to driver directory. for example: C:\ATI\10-02_legacy_vista32-64_dd_ccc\Packages\Drivers\Display\LH_INF and look for .inf file on it
11. Open the .inf file and go to Driver information block. It must see like this(for ATI graphics):

 ""Driver information
;
[Manufacturer]
%ATI% = ATI.Mfg, NTx86.6.0
[ATI.Mfg.NTx86.6.0]
"All-in-Wonder X1800XL" = ati2mtag_R520, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7109&SUBSYS_03221002
"All-in-Wonder X1800XL " = ati2mtag_R520, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7109&SUBSYS_04121002
"All-in-Wonder X1800XL Secondary" = ati2mtag_R520, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7129&SUBSYS_03231002
"All-in-Wonder X1800XL Secondary " = ati2mtag_R520, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7129&SUBSYS_04131002
"All-in-Wonder X1900" = ati2mtag_R580, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7249&SUBSYS_03221002
"All-in-Wonder X1900 " = ati2mtag_R580, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7249&SUBSYS_04121002
"All-in-Wonder X1900 Secondary" = ati2mtag_R580, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7269&SUBSYS_03231002
"All-in-Wonder X1900 Secondary " = ati2mtag_R580, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7269&SUBSYS_04131002
"ALL-IN-WONDER X600 Series" = ati2mtag_RV380x, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B62&SUBSYS_44221002
"ALL-IN-WONDER X600 Series " = ati2mtag_RV380x, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B62&SUBSYS_04221002
"ALL-IN-WONDER X600 Series Secondary" = ati2mtag_RV380x, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B72&SUBSYS_44231002
"ALL-IN-WONDER X600 Series Secondary " = ati2mtag_RV380x, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B72&SUBSYS_04231002
"ALL-IN-WONDER X800 Series" = ati2mtag_R420, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4A50&SUBSYS_44221002
"ALL-IN-WONDER X800 Series " = ati2mtag_R420, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4A4A&SUBSYS_44221002
"ALL-IN-WONDER X800 Series  " = ati2mtag_R420, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4A4B&SUBSYS_44221002
"ALL-IN-WONDER X800 Series - Secondary" = ati2mtag_R420, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4A70&SUBSYS_44231002
"ALL-IN-WONDER X800 Series Secondary" = ati2mtag_R420, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4A6A&SUBSYS_44231002
"ALL-IN-WONDER X800 Series Secondary " = ati2mtag_R420, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4A6B&SUBSYS_44231002
"ALL-IN-WONDER X800 XL" = ati2mtag_R430, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_554D&SUBSYS_03221002
"ALL-IN-WONDER X800 XL Secondary" = ati2mtag_R430, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_556D&SUBSYS_03231002
"ATI Radeon X1050" = ati2mtag_RV370, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B63&SUBSYS_30001002
"ATI Radeon X1050 " = ati2mtag_RV370, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B60&SUBSYS_30001002
"ATI Radeon X1050  " = ati2mtag_RV350, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4153&SUBSYS_30001002
"ATI Radeon X1050   " = ati2mtag_RV360, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4152&SUBSYS_30001002
"ATI Radeon X1050 Secondary" = ati2mtag_RV370, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B73&SUBSYS_30011002
"ATI Radeon X1050 Secondary " = ati2mtag_RV370, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B70&SUBSYS_30011002
"ATI Radeon X1050 Secondary  " = ati2mtag_RV350, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4173&SUBSYS_30011002
"ATI Radeon X1050 Secondary   " = ati2mtag_RV360, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4172&SUBSYS_30011002
"ATI Radeon X1550" = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7142&SUBSYS_30001002
"ATI Radeon X1550 " = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7183&SUBSYS_30001002
"ATI Radeon X1550 Secondary" = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7162&SUBSYS_30011002
"ATI Radeon X1550 Secondary " = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71A3&SUBSYS_30011002
"ATI Radeon X1550 Series" = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7146&SUBSYS_30001002
"ATI Radeon X1550 Series " = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7187&SUBSYS_30001002
"ATI Radeon X1550 Series Secondary" = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7166&SUBSYS_30011002
"ATI Radeon X1550 Series Secondary " = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71A7&SUBSYS_30011002
"Radeon X1800 CrossFire Edition" = ati2mtag_R520, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7109&SUBSYS_0D021002
"Radeon X1800 CrossFire Edition Secondary" = ati2mtag_R520, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7129&SUBSYS_0D031002
"Radeon X1900 CrossFire Edition" = ati2mtag_R580, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7249&SUBSYS_0D021002
"Radeon X1900 CrossFire Edition Secondary" = ati2mtag_R580, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7269&SUBSYS_0D031002
"Radeon X1950 CrossFire Edition" = ati2mtag_R580, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7240&SUBSYS_0D021002
"Radeon X1950 CrossFire Edition Secondary" = ati2mtag_R580, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7260&SUBSYS_0D031002
"Radeon X800 CrossFire Edition" = ati2mtag_R430, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_554D&SUBSYS_0D021002
"Radeon X800 CrossFire Edition Secondary" = ati2mtag_R430, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_556D&SUBSYS_0D031002
"RADEON X850 CrossFire Edition" = ati2mtag_R480, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5D52&SUBSYS_0D021002
"RADEON X850 CrossFire Edition Secondary" = ati2mtag_R480, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5D72&SUBSYS_0D031002
"Asus Radeon X1050" = ati2mtag_RV350, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4153&SUBSYS_30001043
"Asus Radeon X1050 Secondary" = ati2mtag_RV350, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4173&SUBSYS_30011043
"ASUS Radeon X1550" = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7142&SUBSYS_30001043
"ASUS Radeon X1550 " = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7183&SUBSYS_30001043
"ASUS Radeon X1550 Secondary" = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7162&SUBSYS_30011043
"ASUS Radeon X1550 Secondary " = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71A3&SUBSYS_30011043
"ASUS Radeon X1550 Series" = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7146&SUBSYS_30001043
"ASUS Radeon X1550 Series " = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7187&SUBSYS_30001043
"ASUS Radeon X1550 Series Secondary" = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7166&SUBSYS_30011043
"ASUS Radeon X1550 Series Secondary " = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71A7&SUBSYS_30011043
"ASUS X550 Series" = ati2mtag_RV370, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B60&SUBSYS_31001043
"ASUS X550 Series Secondary" = ati2mtag_RV370, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B70&SUBSYS_31011043
"ATI Radeon X1050    " = ati2mtag_RV370, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B63&SUBSYS_30001043
"ATI Radeon X1050     " = ati2mtag_RV370, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B60&SUBSYS_30001043""

12. Look for your display card driver information and overwrite with your copied device id
for example:
If you have an ATI Radeon X1550 display card. so you must find it on the list:
-----"ATI Radeon X1550" = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7142&SUBSYS_30001002-----
-----"ATI Radeon X1550 " = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7183&SUBSYS_30001002-----
and overwrite when says with PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7142&SUBSYS_30001002 with your device Id.
So now the .inf file will keep your device id information. like this:
"ATI Radeon X1550" = ati2mtag_RV515, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5955&SUBSYS_3085103C&REV_00
13. Save your .inf file (you must overwrite the original .inf file with the new information. so if you are denied for windows to save it. you can save as a copy and then rename it same as original file(after delete it of course)
14. Now go to your display card asking for drivers and click update driver, Browse my computer for driver software, click on browse button and go to folder where is located the new drivers. Then click next and new drivers will be installed
15. Remember click on "Install anyway" if windows security recommend don't install it.

I HOPE TO BE WELL EXPLAINED. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK.

Regards.
Juan-

Boom! 1280x800 native resolution.

Installed the Alps Touchpad Driver 7.0.301.4 from http://drivers.softpedia.com/progDownload/Alps-Touchpad-Driver-703014-Download-24482.html and my side scrollers started working on the touchpad.


Would be great to hear if this is fixed in the retail release of Win 8!