Acer customer support - a few bytes missing?

I want to make the recovery disks but have had no joy even with the demo version of virtual cd (maybe because it is v10 now, or that I' using win7). So I though I'll ask acer support if that have any suggestions. Here are the editted highlights:

Me: DO you have any suggestion for how to make the recovery DVDs WITHOUT buying a usb DVD burner just to do that! This is a right pain. I have a usb HD for backup which holds ~80 DVD and is smaller than a DVD drive never mind 80 DVDs. Why do I need to buy a usb DVD drive JUST for this? It is very poor. Fair enough if the AS1410 came with a DVD in built but it doesn't so software that requires you to buy extra kit is not fit for purpose.

Acer: Regarding your enquiry, Let me inform you , There is a method of creating recovery cd's for your unit . As it is a notebook , i don't feel that a USB drive is needed here . As soon as you turn on the unit , Hold the ALT and keep tapping F10 key , you will find two options
1. Restore the system to factory default settings
2. Create back up restore disks
You need to select the second option and place a blank DVD in the Optical drive , it will start to burn the Partion in a disk.

Me: WHAT??? If you are assuming that the AS1410 has an optical drive it doesn't. That is my point. The only way to create the recovery DVDs is to BUY a usb drive just for this single purpose. Unless you have a work around?

Acer: Regarding your enquiry, Let me inform you that in this case you need to purchase a usb drive from us which would cost you 50 pounds , In order for us to supply a USB we will first need the details to be completed in the form below. This will enable us to log a case, and generate a unique Case ID Number for you. We will then send you the USB Request from that we need to be filled in with your Microsoft product codes etc. Once this form is received by us we can create a USB and send it out to you. {request for address and warranty details snipped}

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I feel like I'm Alice. Do Acer know the difference between a PC and cheese sandwich? How do you create a USB and send it to me? Is there a human at the end of the email or is it just a buzzword generator on the blink! And one that seems to want my Microsoft product codes........

 

Interesting. They'll provide a USB thumb drive with the recovery 'disks' already on it? Look around... there should be some instructions in the forums here as to how to burn your recovery files to a thumb drive... Or you could just download all your drivers and just put a clean copy of Win 7 on that thumb drive for reinstall purposes. They're making sense... actually.

 

Ah. The penny drops. Or does it. You read it as meaning they'll create a usb hdd drive with all the files on it. I was fixed on usb dvd drive. I think acer sell a usb DVD drive for 50 pounds. Ebuyer is cheaper at 34 though so it still makes no sense financially.

I was think about copying the partitions but there seems to be a lot of issues with getting the MBR copied as well. And the trouble with backup is that it is only when you need them you find they are missing a vital bit.

 

Just use this until you get an external dvd or creat iso , it will copy you mbr automaticy , you can format you hdd and still get it back.

http://www.paragon-software.com/home/db-express/download.html

 

Thanks. I cam across this myself and decided this was the route to go. I'm posting a howto separately for others.