Dell System Recovery Guide

Dell System Recovery Guide-Winter 2010
Written by Richard Hamilton – Thomas Chace-Contributor/Proofreader

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Need to recover your Dell, but don’t know where to start? Just Curious? Look no further, as this guide will walk you through the system recovery process. Whether you use XP, Vista, or 7, you’ll be back up and running in no time. I’ll go over the pro’s and con’s of each recovery method, so you can make an informed decision. Unlike some other computer makers, the recovery method’s Dell has offered has changed over time, hence the need for this guide.

*Special thanks to fellow forum member Thomas for providing me with additional info about his particular recovery disk setup, some tips, and helping with the layout of the guide*

Guide Quick Index​

• Your Restoration Options
• Restoration Prerequisites
• Restoring using Dell PC Restore/Recovery Partition
• Restoring using Dell OS CD/DVD and Resource CD
• What to do after the restoration process

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Your Restoration Options


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There are 2 recovery methods available for most systems. I’ll outline them along with their pros and cons below.<o></o>

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Dell PC Restore/Recovery Partition
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With this recovery method, you can recover your system literally within minutes. It uses a separate section of your hard disk called a partition that contains a system image. Think of this image as a “snapshot” of your computer’s hard drive contents, all the applications, Dell customizations, etc. when the computer left the factory. Recovering in this manner results in you losing all data and programs you added after you bought your computer. On systems with Windows XP, this was done via a restoration solution called “Dell PC Restore” by Symantec, the same company behind the Norton line of backup/security software. In Windows Vista and 7, this is done using Microsoft provided tools.

*For the more technically curious, here is an excellent in depth look at the inner workings of Dell PC Restore*
XP systems: Inside the Dell PC Restore Partition
Vista/7 Systems: http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/vista.htm<o></o>


Pros of using Dell PC Restore/Recovery Partition<o></o>
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• Fast restore times-You can be fully up and running in minutes

• Easy to use-You can start the process in a few clicks

• No optical drive needed

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Cons of using Dell PC Restore/Recovery Partition
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• Less Flexibility: You can’t opt out of installing software contained in the recovery image that you don’t need. It’s “All or Nothing”

• If something happens to the hard disk, you can’t use the partition to recover the computer. This is why, on most Dell systems, you’ll receive a second way of recovery that we’ll discuss below.

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Physical Recovery Media

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With this method, you use the CD’s/DVD’s that Dell provides to restore your system. Oddly, there are two kinds of Dell recovery media floating around. I’ll discuss both along with their pros and cons below.

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Full OS Recovery media

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This is the most common kind of Dell Recovery media, although from around May 2010, Dell is no longer providing this form of recovery media for it's Windows 7 consumer brand systems (Inspiron/Inspiron Mini, Studio, Studio XPS, Adamo) It includes a CD/DVD with just the operating system*, and a CD/DVD containing Drivers and system software known as the Resource CD/Dell Diagnostics disc. In addition, you will also have discs for software like Microsoft Works/Office/WordPerfect and Security software like Norton/McAfee/Trend Micro that shipped with your system if you didn’t opt out during the configuration process.** <o></o>

*Hat Tip to Thomas: While most people’s Operating System discs with this kind of media contain just the OS, Thomas reports that at least on his XP MCE 2005 OS CD, there comes a point in the install process where, after you set up the user accounts, a message appears onscreen saying its “installing applications.” He hasn’t seen this on any other XP installs he’s done and neither have I. He reports that popping the disc out just before the “installing applications” screen appears causes the install to fail. What does work is copying the contents of the install DVD to the hard disk, deleting the OEM folder, then burning the disc. I haven’t reported this happening on Windows Vista Full OS media.<o></o> Windows 7 OS media should install just like Vista.


** Recently, Dell’s been making a switch from providing physical media for additional software included on the machine to making these available online through My Dell Downloads. Once set up on an eligible machine, you can download and burn the installers for the preloaded software from My Dell Downloads to physical media if you like. Not only is this beneficial from a environmental impact standpoint, but it addresses owners of netbooks, (Mini 9, 10 and 12/Latitude 2100) and CULV thin and lights (Latitude Z, Vostro V13, Inspiron/Studio Z series, Dell Adamo) since these systems often do not come with optical disk drives.
Click here to learn more
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Pros of using Full OS Recovery Media
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• The most flexible way to restore the computer-You are in control as to what software gets installed.

• Allows you to perform a clean install of Windows when you receive the machine, which is handy if you forgot to decline added software in the configurator, or your system was available in a limited configuration.-For more on this, look into fellow forum member Les’ excellent guide to doing a Clean Install of Vista and Windows 7 on Dell systems here.

Cons of using Full OS Recovery Media
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• Time consuming-Set aside an hour or two to do this, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the installation process.

• While the Resource CD does a lot of the driver work for you, you still need to know what order to install the drivers in-I’ll list this order for you.

Recovery Partition Based Recovery Media
Timespan(s): Dec 17, 2004 to July 15, 2005 and May 2010 to Present (Windows 7 systems only)

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This used to be much rarer, and was only done from December 17, 2004 to July 15, 2005. I’ve only seen one machine, my uncle’s Dimension 2400 from 2004/2005 have this kind of physical media, but from May 2010 onward all Dell consumer systems will use this recovery method. Like machines from HP/Compaq, Gateway/Acer, and others today, you had to make sure you burned a set of recovery discs when you got the computer. You can only burn one set. If you mess up a set, you have to ask Dell to send recovery media to you. The contents of the discs made this way are straight from the recovery partition we talked about in section 1. This means that you get many of the Pros and Cons of the Dell PC Restore recovery method.

*If you realize that your system falls into the aforementioned time span, and you haven’t burned off a set of recovery disks, do so right away. It takes 30 minutes so make sure you do it during a time where you won’t be using the machine. For instructions see the following links based on the operating system your computer came with:
---------------------------------------------------
My computer came with Windows XP
My computer came with Windows 7
*Label the discs and put them in a safe place*


Pros of using Recovery Partition based Physical Media
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• A hard disk crash won’t affect this media

• Quick recovery-You’ll be up and running in minutes<o></o>

Cons of using Recovery Partition based Physical Media
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• All the cons of Dell PC Restore

 

Restoration Prerequisites

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Regardless of which restoration method you choose, make sure you do the following:<o></o>
Backup your data if you can- We cannot stress this enough, you MUST backup if at all possible. Why? Because both restoration methods WILL cause you to lose all the information stored on the hard disk. There’s several ways to backup, but the easiest is simply dragging and dropping your files onto an external hard disk, CD/DVD, or another computer on your home network.<o> You can simply copy and paste your user profile folder to the external hard disk if you want. To get there in Windows XP, open My Computer then double click the hard drive icon. Once in the C: drive, copy the documents and settings folder to the external hard drive. This will back up everyone's files in one straight shot. If your in Vista or Windows 7, you can accomplish the same thing by copying the "Users" folder to the external hard drive. For all OS's, make sure you perform this action as an administrator.

</o> Gather your disc’s for any software you added to your computer since you bought it. If you still have the download files for software you’ve downloaded off the internet, make sure you back those up as well.<o>

</o> Ok, so you’re ready to restore. In the interest of making this guide as clean as possible, We’ve split each restore method’s instructions into separate posts. Like Neo in The Matrix, you now have to make a choice, lol.

I want to restore using the PC Restore Partition/Recovery Partition.

I want to restore using my Full OS CD/DVD’s and Resource CD/DVD.<o></o>

 

Restoring Using Dell PC Restore/Recovery Partition

Before you begin, have you:

1. Backed up your data?
2. Gathered all your discs for software downloaded/purchased after you bought your computer, along with their license/product keys (if applicable)?

The exact restoration process differs in Windows XP from Windows Vista and Windows 7. To restore a Windows XP system, (except the Mini 9 and Vostro A90 netbooks, as they don't have a F11 key) do the following:

1. Remove anything that's plugged into the notebook-This helps ensure that the Windows installation will go smoothly. If your plugged into a docking station, eject the computer from the docking station.
2. Turn off the computer
3. Turn on the computer, at the "Dell" splash screen hold down CTRL and press F11. Let go of both keys.
4. Follow the prompts to restore the computer on the Dell PC restore screen. If a confirmation message is displayed, click "Confirm"
5. When prompted to restart the computer, click "Finish"
6. Follow the Windows XP system setup process then jump to the "What should you do after restoration" portion of this guide

If your using Windows Vista or Windows 7, follow these steps:

1. Remove anything that's plugged into the notebook-This helps ensure that the Windows installation will go smoothly. If your plugged into a docking station, eject the computer from the docking station.
2. Turn off the computer
3. Turn on the computer. After the Dell splash screen loads, but before you see the Windows splash screen, hit the F8 key repeatedly to bring up the "Advanced Boot Options" menu. If you don't manage to get it started, keep trying.
4. Using the arrow keys on the keyboard, move down to highlight "Repair Your Computer" then hit the Enter key.
5. When the Windows Recovery window opens, choose a language, then log on as a user that has Administrative rights.
6. Click on "Dell Factory Image Restore" and follow the prompts. Confirm that you want to restore by checking the checkbox and clicking "Next."
7. When the restore is complete, click "Finish" to restart the computer
8. Jump to the "What should you do after restoration" part of this guide.

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Restoring using Full OS Recovery Media and the Resource CD

Restoring this way takes a bit longer than using Dell PC Restore. Plan to spend a hour installing the OS and Drivers.

*If you have a Dell system w/out a optical drive, you'll need to use an external Optical Drive to install the OS. Other installation methods might be possible, but are outside the scope of this guide. You can ask about those in the Windows OS and Software forum on NBR.

Before you begin:

1. Backup your computer, you will lose all your files during the re installation process.
2. Gather your discs. You'll need the following:

• Dell OS CD-This disc may be a CD or DVD. Regardless, this has the Operating System on it. You need this to recover the computer.
  
  (Your disc might be a different color)

• Dell Resource CD-This disc has the drivers and essential software (like Dell's Quickset Software) you need to get all the devices functioning properly after installing the OS. It also contains a copy of Dell Diagnostics, that you can run if you suspect your computer has a hardware problem.

• 
• CD's for any software/hardware (like a printer) that came with your computer, software/hardware you ordered to be shipped along with it, and or software/hardware you bought after you had your computer.

Ok, now let's start the restoration process. To restore a XP system:

1. Place the XP CD in the optical drive and close tray. Turn off the computer.
2. Set the boot order to the CD drive. To do this, start the computer and when the Dell splash screen appears, hit F12. Highlight the CD drive entry in the list and hit enter.
3. Walk through the XP setup wizard. When the XP partitioning screen is displayed, highlight the largest partition you see and hit Enter. If you aren't careful, you might accidentally reformat the Media Direct (if so equipped) partition or the Dell PC Restore partition. If the disc asks to format the partition, choose "Format the partition using the NTFS file system (Quick)" to format the drive.
4. The computer will restart, once it restarts, finish stepping through the install wizard.
5. The computer will restart one more time, then detect system drivers. If the message "Press any key to boot from the CD" appears, ignore this.
6. Now your ready to install Drivers and System Software using the Resource CD.

To restore a Vista or Windows 7 System

1. Place the Vista/7 DVD in the optical drive and close tray. Turn off the computer.
2. Set the boot order to the CD drive. To do this, start the computer and when the Dell splash screen appears, hit F12. Highlight the CD drive entry in the list and hit enter.
3. When Vista/7's setup program loads, choose your language, time, and currency/keyboard settings and click next.
4. Click install now and accept the license terms.
5. Choose "Custom" (advanced) install on the "Which type of installation do you want?" screen.
6. On the "Where do you want to install Windows" screen, look carefully as this is a bit tricky. Make sure you select the largest "Primary Partition" then click next.
7. Go ahead and finish the setup wizard using recommended settings when prompted.
8. Now your ready to install Drivers and System Software using the Dell Resource CD.

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Restoring using the Dell Image Based Recovery Disk

Before you begin, have you:

1. Backed up your data?
2. Gathered all your discs for software downloaded/purchased after you bought your computer, along with their license/product keys (if applicable)?

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I haven't found the correct Dell support document regarding restoring from the Dell DataSafe Discs. However, I can tell you that placing the first disk into the system, and booting from it should display restoration options. You would then use the DataSafe wizard to complete the process.

1. Place the first DataSafe disc you created into the computer, then turn it off.
2. Turn the computer on, when the Dell splash logo is displayed, press F12 to access the boot menu.
3. Use the up and down arrows on the keyboard to highlight the CD/DVD/Optical Drive and press enter.
4. Follow the prompts on Dell DataSafe.
5. When the process is complete, remove the disc and put them in a safe place.
6. Go to the section in this post below titled "Final Thoughts."

What To Do After The Restoration Process

So now your computer looks like its ready to go, but before you hit that "Start" button you have a bit more work to do.

If you used Dell PC Restore/Recovery Partition or the homemade discs that are based off of the partition, you can scroll to the "Final Thoughts" section below, as your computer was returned to its factory configuration with all drivers installed.

"Why's my monitor fuzzy?" "Why can't i sync my phone over bluetooth?" "Where's my webcam?" Those are just a few questions that you might ask if you don't complete setting up your machine. You need to install drivers to let your computer's hardware "Talk" to Windows, and vice versa. Here's how.

1. Insert your Resource CD/DVD into the optical drive. Close the drive.
2. If a window like what's shown below shows up, click Run autoRcd.exe.
3. Click "OK" to run the installer. Accept the UAC prompt if one appears.
4. Click "next" in the welcome window. The Dell ResourceCD will check hardware in the computer, so it will show the drivers you need. The drivers you need to install have a "checkmark" next to their entry in the list. Install the Drivers in the following order: (from top of list, to bottom)

• Notebook/Desktop System Software
• Chipset
• Video Adapter
• Network Interface Card (NIC)
• Audio Adapter
• Modem
• Wireless Network Card
• Touchpad, Pointer, Trackstick, Mice, and Keyboard
• Other Devices (Bluetooth Module, Dell Wireless Mobile Broadband Cards, PCMIA/Smartcard Controller)

You might be prompted to restart your computer after installing each driver. You can usually uncheck the restart the computer box or hit "No" on the dialog box to cancel the restart. After your done installing drivers, restart the computer.

Final Thoughts
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After you've installed drivers successfully, you can now go ahead and install software and restore your documents from your backup. You DID backup didn't you? If your an advanced user, you might just want to hop online and install the latest drivers from support.dell.com. Also, if your system is in My Dell Downloads, head over there to pick out software you might want to reinstall.

Make sure you turn on/install Antivirus software, and keep it up to date. Microsoft Security Essentials is free and available for XP, Vista and 7.- <cite>www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/</cite>

If your on Windows XP, you might want to check for and install Windows Updates faster than the automatic updates interval. You can do this by opening IE and going to the Windows Update website: windowsupdate.microsoft.com

We hope you found this guide helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post below.

Thank you! Richard and Thomas
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What a thorough guide, Richard. Thank you very much for this!
Kudos! It was nice that Thomas helped you on this..thx to him also.


This will very helpful to the forum members & myself!

This should be "stickied"



Cin

 

Alright, we are indeed pinning this thread as a replacement for Les' Vista-specific reformat/restore guide. For the record, a link to the older thread is provided here:

Dell Vista Laptop Reformat and Bloatware Removal Guide​

 

Wow! This is awesome! And thanks Commander Wolf for keeping Les' guide available, as it does remain a valuable resource!

Thanks again,

Ricky

 

When you use the Dell Resource CD, it will give you the correct driver to install. You can then get the latest driver either from Ati, nVidia or Intel directly, or from Windows Update.

 

Thanks for this

 

No problem, glad it helped

 

Ok one question ...

After receiving my Dell Studio 1558, I did a clean install of windows 7 Home premium 64 bit. I did not make a recovery disk for Dell factory restore. Later I partitioned my C drive. Now I've 2 partitions C & D. During all these procedures I did not touch the partition which have Dell factory restore.

Now I want to make a factory restore disk. Is it possible?

When I go to repair option in dell, the dell factory restore option is missing.

Any thoughts??

Regards ..

 

Chances are, even though you didn't touch the Dell Restore partition, the computer can no longer "see" it. This happens even if you can view it via Computer in Windows 7. The same issue happened to me with Windows Vista. (Dell uses tools that Microsoft makes available to create the recovery images..the same tool is used for Windows Vista and 7)

Even though you can make a DVD in Dell DataSafe 2.0, you should have gotten the following in your computer's box when you bought it:

A Dell Operating System DVD. (it could be in different colors like the example on page 1 of the guide, but will state that it's a Windows 7 disc)

A Dell Resource CD/DVD containing drivers for your hardware.

CD's/DVD's for most additional software that you ordered with your computer or a flyer in the box directing you to go to the My Dell Downloads website and register your machine.

If the OS DVD and Resource CD are missing, you can request them through Dell Online Chat or via a web form: https://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dellcare/en/backupcd_form

Hope this helps out!

Ricky

 

Thanks Ricky.

Yes I got both Win7 CD and drivers CD. However this Win7 is for clean install which I did. I couldn't find Dell Datasafe local to make a DVD's. I am very happy with the clean install but just wanted to know if I can make a recovery disc once its been clean installed and partitioned.

Cheers

 

You can use a Windows 7 Backup tool to create a System Recovery disk that Windows creates on it's own based on your current Windows install.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Back-up-your-programs-system-settings-and-files

 

The guide has been updated to reflect the changes to restoration media options that Dell made. (starting in late April, early May, you must create your own recovery disk from a image) I'd like to further refine this section, but since I don't have access to a system made in this time span it's fairly difficult to do so.

 

Thanks a lot for this guide! its really helpful.

I'll be restoring my XPS soon, to get it ready for sale... Its a scary process, but there's no reason why something could go wrong, right?

 

NP, the process is fairly straightforward. You should be fine!

 

Thanks man - as I have just ordered my first dell (I've only had thinkpads for 10 years) I was wondering how to clean install to the Intel x25-m that is waiting on my desk. I don't make recovery disks anymore, I pull the hard drive and replace it with a SSD within hours of receiving a new laptop. Original drive sits on a shelf until it is time for ebay.

 

Glad this helped! Hope you enjoy your new machine when it arrives!

 

I just wanted to make sure that I understand everything about the clean install. I ordered an XPS 1645 that should be arriving very soon. What exactly is a clean install? Should I do the clean install as soon as I get the system? What all am I doing a clean install of? Do I need to uninstall anything or just "reinstall" software and drivers? I heard that the systems do not come with a windows 7 disc - how would I create one or how would I be able to clean install it? Thank you very much for helping out a guy who is buying his first laptop in 6+ years.

 

Any Idea on how much it costs to get the original OS disks from Dell?

 

hi. i have to reinstall windows in my laptop,but i dont have the drivers and utility cd and i need the drivers,most important the etherrnet, because i went to dell.com and i give the service tag #-dell latitude d820 and i cant dowload the drivers from another pc..please help...thanks

 

When you do a clean install, you'll be reinstalling Windows 7, then installing your applications you want.

I'd play around with your laptop for a while when it arrives, if you don't feel a need to do a clean install, then don't worry about it.

Whichever choice you make, burn off recovery disk images using the instructions in the thread to ensure that you'll have them in case of an emergency.

I'm not sure, as I haven't completed the form on Dell.com for them before. If it cost anything i'd expect the cost to be fairly affordable.

Hi bigangel, you should be able to request a copy of the disks via mail: Dell - Support

Good luck

 

My orignal hard drive crashed in my Inspiron 1545 XP Pro. I have the full accidental warranty. Anyway Dell sent me an imaged drive as promised. The drive had the PC-Restore and the ctrl+f11 did work and the diagnostics and all worked. The problem was that the drive was not 100% imaged. There was programs missing like Office 2007 that I paid extra for and the other dell programs. When I put the drive in it went thru a weird process. I would have to make a video showing what it did because it is hard to explain. It showed it was installing factory installed programs and the system was locked while installing. Menu's were popping up showing the install process. The thing is Dell promised the drive would be exactly like I got it from the factory like when I turned it on and it wasn't the same. Every time I use the ctrl+f11 it goes thru the same process.

 

I have a question I didn't find answered elsewhere (I hope I looked hard enough).

I want to restore my XPS in order to sell it in optimum conditions. How can I leave it, so that when the new owner starts it up for the first time, it gets the "Vista Welcome screen" as with new laptops, where you go though a quick tour, and you input your name and basic preferences?

thanks in advance!

 

That experience you're referring to is known as the OOBE Experience. If you use the recovery partition on the hard drive to restore, the new owner should be able to enter their information in the OOBE.

You could always give it a go when your new machine arrives and you've transferred all your data (BTW, Windows Easy Transfer over your home network is great for this)

Good Luck!

 

great, thanks! Anyway, I was planning on transferring files old-school (via external HDD). I don't want to transfer settings and such, since I like to tweak everything manually from scratch.

btw, a first google search for "OOBE Experience" gave "Out of body experience", like in astral projections and such... I had to add "windows" to the query to find out you meant "out of box"

 

yeah he meant out of the box.

 

@booboo12 AWESOME GUIDE !!!

However i have a small query. I might have missed out some points from your excellent guide, still.. I got my new dell studio 1558 core-i7 last week. I want to install ubuntu on it and remove all the three partitions on my laptop that are present right now. I have made 2 sets(just in case) of PC recovery discs using the dell datasafe local backup. Now the thing i want to know is that..if i use these discs(considering the recovery partition is deleted while installing linux) to restore my laptop to factory state.. will these discs recreate all the three partitions? i mean the first boot partition(133 m), the recovery partition(9.88 gb) and the rest OS partition.

Any help is greatly appreciated

thanks..

 

Hey, thanks for the complement.

The recovery partition and the Dell Diagnostics partition will be gone for good once you reformat the drive.

In any case, you can download Dell Diagnostics from the Dell support site, and since you burned the recovery discs, you dont need the recovery partition.

Hope this helps out and sorry for the late response!

Ricky

 

hi there i ve just subscried myself here . i have a laptop dell i don t know witch type but after i give the datas i think it will be ok. my problem is not data recovery it s about my dvd cd rom . 3 days ago i watched Friends like 3 hours so and next day a put in again DVD and nothing i tried CD nothing ;by nothing i mean it didn t read eather CD or DVD . i know this isn t your subject forum but i would apreciate your help. my datas about this dvd and cd rom are PHILIPS CDRW /DVD SCB5265 and SCSI DVD ROM SCSI Cd rom device . im really new in laptop this isn t a new one but it has been a month now i have it from a gift and it worked ok the dvd rom and cd rom. this was the first time i had used very active the dvd rom for 3 hours and open and close by changing dvd s because i was watching Friends. something important also when dell starts i always here a noise from DVD but not since 3 days, interesting it shoes that it s working properly;
thank you for reading and maybe you have solution too this embarising problem
im a girl but i like better desktop then laptop and here im really new and so i saw your forum first and i said i write you first
thank you by now
Kate

 

Hmm.. yes i get the fact that i do not need the recovery partition as i have created the recovery disc set. But still, you know, i just wanted to know whether those partitions will come back at their place once i restore my dell using the discs i made, considering a case where i want to sell the laptop to someone .
Coz once i know this..i'll start off with all the experiments i have in queue (installing diff OS)

Thanks for the help man.. much appreciated !

 

Interesting point. The same question arises when a new (larger) hard disk is installed and the recovery discs are used. Will the new drive has the same three partitions identical to those when the computer was brand new?

Has anyone tried restoration on a Dell using recovery discs made with DataSafe Local 2.0?

 

I just got a new Dell 1558. I was under the impression that I would have gotten W7 disk along with the Drivers/Utilities disk. When I didn't get the W7 disk, I was pretty upset because I wanted to do a "clean" install of my laptop. After calling Dell Support and getting the lame excuse that they didn't ship the DVD because they wanted to conserve the environment, they told me that I can make back up disks through DateSafe. I was also able to get them to ship the OS DVD for free.

After burned two recovery dvds, I went to get a clean install. I was quite disappointed that it didn't get rid of all of the Dell crapware. Is there a way to get a completely Dell clean install using Datasafe Recovery Dvds? Thanks ahead of time.

 

Why not just download W7 HP ISO and do a clean install yourself? Just add drivers and apps from Dell later on

OR

You could run some decrapfier and get rid of those unwanted programs.

 

Unfortunately, because the Recovery DVD's created with DataSafe are an image of the drive as it came from Dell, there's no way to get a completely clean install using them, unlike when you use the OS DVD and Drivers disc.

You could run the PC Decrapfier after running the DataSafe Recovery DVD's to remove most if not all of the bloatware, however the install will never be as clean (thanks to left behind files from removing the bloatware) as a clean install.

Some people (admittedly newbies) aren't comfortable doing that.

 

Hi

Is it true that, when a clean Windows 7 install is done on a new Dell notebook, the MBR will be overwritten and the built-in diagnostics option (by virtue of a tiny unlabelled FAT16 partition at the front of the disk drive) in the pre-boot phase will cease to work?

Thanks.

 

If you do a clean install formatting the entire drive, you'll lose the partition, but you can get the utility from support.dell.com if you ever need it.

 

Nice job with this guide, it was very helpful for a dell noob like me

 

Hey Booboo12,

I'm in the same boat as many others..first laptop in awhile and wasn't sent the W7 disk. So, if we don't get the W7 disk from Dell, we'll never be able to do a complete clean install. Should that be? If you're spending $1000 or so on a laptop and you're paying for Windows 7, why does the manufacturer not send the disks? It just seems silly.

Anyway, should I just call and request them to send it? I did ask when I ordered and the sales rep sort of blew off the request saying that it can be easily burned myself. I wish I had read all this first.

Oh yea, from one Ship grad/student to another, great work!

 

No Problem! Glad it helped!

Your correct, without a Windows 7 DVD, you can't do a clean install. You can always use an application like the magic jellybean keyfinder on your Dell to snag the key Dell used on your particular machine, then grab the appropriate Windows 7 Microsoft sourced disc image from the Windows section of NBR.

Since the guide was designed to be useful and approachable to anyone, even those who are new to the Dell family/computers in general, I recommend that they contact Dell support if they want physical Windows 7 media.

IMO, Dell should have continued to provide Windows 7 media across the board. It was a little thing, out of several like the ability to opt out of bloatware, color choices, etc. that set them apart from the other computer makers like HP and Acer. I believe it's simply a victim of cost cutting. By not providing the DVD's unless asked, they don't have to account for so many envelopes, blank dvd's ...etc.

Also, Go Raiders!

 

Dell's Windows 7 HP 64-bit Reinstallation DVD allows us to select language. Is is possible and legal to change language on clean install? Did anyone try it? Does product key fit for a new language?

 

@bozydar
product key fits but I'm not sure it is legal.

My question.

I've ordered my first dell. Now I'm waiting for delivery. I have W7P 32 on it. I'd like to do a clean install of Win7 64. Before I had HP HDX and I used ABR
ABR (Activation Backup and Restore) | directedge.us

Can I do the same now with dell?

 

It shouldn't be an issue to use ABR. I've personally never tried it though.

 

Did a clean install of 7 and restored with ABR the dell certificates and key I saved before.

Fresh install of 7 is activated and genuine.

 

Awesome! Good to hear his solution worked for you.

 

Is there any option (preinstalled software) to burn dvds with the recovery partition (recovery form hdd)?