Dell System Recovery Guide

[booboo12]

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!

[NinjaAssassin]

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.

[nosoupforu28]

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

[bigangel]

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

[booboo12]

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.

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.

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

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. 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

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

Good luck

[NinjaAssassin]

[QUOTE=booboo12;6360991]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


Great!! Thanks for all of your help.

[xptech]

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.

[agusman]

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!

[booboo12]

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!

[agusman]

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"