New ghost image for Dell Systme Restore - Page 7

hmm so wht i have now is a 5gb unpartitioned space.
Using parttition magic ill make one 3 gbfat32x for dellrestore assign it some drive letter for the time being.
Then the other drive,what should i do about it?As when i installed md3 in the beg it made 2 hdds for me and another mediadirect drive.
and it was just a 2gb drive.

so shall i format it again and partition it into a 3gigs and a 2gigs drive respectively?

I have been able to get my hands on a backup from another dell xps m1210 for the dellutil and dellrestore but not for the media direct any way on how i cld get tht one?

Ill just use ghost to transfer those images ot the respective drives right?

Thanks

if you used the mediadirect cd to partition the drive then you should have:

pbr1: fat16 47mb ( DE ) dellutility
pbr2: ntfs partition ( 07 )
extended ( 0F ) remaining space + pbr3: 2gb ( DD ) mediadirect

you will have to add another partition
pbr4: fat32 ( 0C )
to contain the image file. Size dpendant on the size of the image.

welll....
that kinda was true.
but i used partition magic to create a partition of the image size and it ended up merging the media direct and the dellrestore partition.

also all i could do was to add a partition before the media direct drive.and not after further i could not modify the media direct partition in partition magic.

So now will it be allright if i manually create those 2 partitions make both of them extended and then use dsrfix to fix the mbr?

Well what I did first was to get everything working with mediadirect. Then create a fourth PRIMARY fat32 partition BEFORE the extended partion.
Restore the ghost image of dellrestore and copy your new windows image to the Fat32 partition.
Then when you use dsrfix the extended/mediadirect partition will still be pbr3 and the new fat32 partition will be pbr4, run dsrfix /pbr4 to make sure everything is ok then run dsrfix /pbr4 /f and answer "y" to everything.

I have a Dell 700m. But I lost the recovery partitions and I don't have CD too. Where can I have the Dell Ultility partition to recreate the Ctrl F11 functions? Thanks very much.

can someone send me the dsr files as a .gho file. Mine was ruined after trying multiboot xp/vista. I would really like to have it all fixed again...

ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/englis...355.Update.exe

Looks like everyone can update to the corporate DOS version of Ghost now. Just download/extract the above file from Symantec then extract and look under update/DOS...

Hi there!

I would also like to have a copy of that dell utility & dell restore partitioin image you got from gombal.

I wanted to restore the dell utility & dell restore partition to my friend's laptop using the methods you tried. I hope it will work too with my friend's laptop.

Hope to receive the image file soon. Thank you very much.

@ Raph_brega,

Just send you the images, hope you can use them.If you need any further help just pm me.


It's been a while since i visited this forum, not much spare time :-)
Got rid of my Fujitsu notebook (sold it) and i have 2 Dell Vostro 1000 notebooks coming my way, they were part of a mobile phone offer.
Both with Vista Basic so there will be lots to play around with when they arrive.
Still got the Dell Inspiron 8000, when the other 2 arrive i will try to get a Vista Basic Lite (vLite'ed) version on it.I will also try to create the same restore function on it as the Vostro's so first i will have to try to make a wim file of the Lite version.But it won't be fast cuase my work is taking up just about all of my time and my wife and kids also want to see me sometimes :-)

@ gombal

Thank you very much for sending the files. I hope I will succeed on getting back the functionality of the CTRL+F11 for Dell.

I will surely pm you can if I ran into some problems. I truly appreciate it.

Hope you will also post the procedures for the restore function for vista once you completed it on your vostros !!! :-)
l

I must be a moron. I have tried this so many times and still no no avail I cant get this to work.

I have 4 primary partions. Dell restore is the last partition. When I do the dsrfix /pbr4 I get a fatal error saying that pbr4 is not FAT32. But it is. I did the instuctions exactly as shown. What else can I be doing wrong? Can anyone please help me out?

@ Funtime4Me!<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_2906186", true); </SCRIPT> I can barely remember this but is ptedit showing all your partitions correctly? And isn't there two dsrfix /pbr options?

I'm pulling my hair out with this one...

Brand new Vista M1330. Before starting the PC for the first time, I decided to Ghost 11.0 image the entire drive. In this way I presumed I'd be getting the drive imaged in it's 'sealed' state (if there is such a thing on the Vista machines). Anyhow, I then put a different HDD into the laptiop and put this image on this new hard drive. PC reboots no problem after the image restore process, and proceeds to boot into windows like it is the first time - Eula, etc. The Dell image installation works OK except for one problem -
when I do a Dell Factory Restore from the repair menu, the Dell image process completes, the PC reboots, but then it just goes into a cycle of continually rebooting. It's like when the HDD or MBR is being detected, it runs into problems, and the PC reboots to repeat the process all over again. Does anyone know where I'm going wrong?


Edit: Just noticed another problem - Media direct button boots into Windows.

Hi i have a vostro 1400 running xp home that came with a fresh install which didnt have a recovery or utility partition. Doesnt anyone have the images? and any pointer in getting media direct to work for this system also? appreciate the help.

Is it possible to download the files on the Dell restore partition minus the image? Accidentally messed up that Dell restore partition on my Inspiron 9300 and would like to rebuild this partition with my own image.

Is there anyone can send me the images of DellRestore and DellUtility.
Thanks

Hey all.
I've done a lot of work and research into this Dell HPA situation, for the last 3 years. Learned it inside and out.

There are a few things to know. TOO Much to go into without an IN-DEPTH 3-4 page ARTICLE. Yes, it really is that complicated. Essentially, if you are NOT getting what you want, go back to the beginning and start again. There's too many mistakes to be made that are SUCH A PAIN to correct, that either you wipe the drive and do it again, or edit the HPA and wipe the drive and do it again.

For those of you asking for
1) Media Direct
2) DSR images or info and files

There is something to understand.
EACH is tailored to
1) you HD size
2) Your notebook model

The fast and dirty method...
Check "Goodell" (goodell's) Website and READ IT ALL.
Print out the guide here- it works in most cases.
DL and try and learn how to use HDAT2 in dos format. Too complicated?
Then don't use or mess with your HPA or MD2, skip it and go to MD3+ which no longer does or uses all this rediculous tech stuff.

Lost your image or DSR structure? we can NOT help you- unless we
1) Have the same HD side
2) the same model laptop.

you run risks painful indeed in a restoration process should you seek to return to it in a crisis time otherwise.

I wrote a huge guide on it in notebook reviews, linked to this thread and other important links (forum name "TangoGrandma").

Essentially, this MD2 and ctrl+f11 was SOO TROUBLESOME that even the TECHS WHO INVENTED IT GAVE UP ON IT (Dell kept the ctrl+f11 to simplify consumer tech help, it's there to revert everything to shipped condition in case of troublesome and lengthy tech calls burning up their time).
One no longer needs the hidden restore image though with ghost and 8gb dvd's.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The restore image was/is a cool idea, but it's too problematic vs. simply burning an image to a dual-layer DVD and storing it in a safe place, which can be done in 10 minutes or so, vs the 10 DAYS it takes, of full time work to recreate and make a perfect restorable image for your Dell. Forget it.

By the way, the ctrl+f11 isn't something you LOOSE- it's part of the Dell BIOS. Unless you flash your bios with some custom made thing or hack it yourself, it's in there. If it doesn't find what it needs it simply either
1) skips it, or
(worse)
2) assigns something else to be the boot partition than what you want.
(I.E. Welcome to Dell!).

Make a Boot CD with these things
Mouse driver
CD/DVD driver
Normal DOS bootable
and add
HDAT2.exe
PTEDIT.exe
DSRFIX.exe

That's all you need to fix everything.
And by the way, I ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND REMOVING THE HPA.
It's a waste of space and a pain -REAL-pain if something goes wrong.
Again, simply burn your OS's and partitions to a 8gb DVD, or leave in a viewable partition.

The only REAL COOL thing anyone ever did with the MD button and restore function was rigging up the MD button to boot the machine into Linux (NICE!) and back out when done. SWEET! all that work though for
ONE
COOL
BUTTON
TO
PUSH

vs.
selecting the OS option
with a mouse?


LOL!

I vote wipe the drive and the HPA off, and never use it again.
4 months from now you'll thank me.
I've been doing this stuff for almost 20 years.

re: Dell Inspiron 6000 - 4 Partition Configuration...

I have been running all this time with the original factory configuration in my older Dell Inspiron 6000 with a single drive for the OS, Programs & my Data. On my desktop computers I have always separated the System from the Data, in case of a crash... but those also have the space for two separate drives in them... Maybe most folks trying to do what I'm doing have accomplished it already, but just in case, I thought I would post my discovery. Sorry it's a bit long...

I am attempting to help fix an identical machine of a friend who has the System/Data configuration, but no longer has the Utility or Restore Partitions on his machine. (We both purchased the "off the rack" Inspiron 6000 that was available at a discount a few years ago.)

I have been searching the various boards to see if I could:

A) somehow create custom restore image for my friend so that he can more easily restore his system (with everything on a single DL-DVD disk.)
B) Get my own computer configured with separate System/Data drives without destroying the ability to do a Ctrl+F11 restore, and
C) Eventually, maybe, also create my own custom image that I could run from the Ctrl+F11 command.
Part B has been accomplished , and I thought I would share the process, as I stumbled into something, quite by accident, that did not require ever messing with DSRFIX or PTEDIT to get the Ctrl+F11 to work again -- as it never stopped working!

My process (after fully backing up all my personal data, and doing a factory restore just to make sure that was working correctly before making any changes) is below...

1) I used EASEUS Partition Master (free version) to shrink the "C" drive to about 17 GB (might shrink it more, but I didn't know if I'd run into problems with the drive size being too small to restore the image to it... so I gave it a bit of extra room.)

2) I used Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Disk Management to create a "D" drive from the empty space. I made this an Extended Partition, and NOT a Primary Partition (in case I wanted to change it later and split it to also have a dedicated pagefile partition... and you can only have a max of 4 Partitions -- but if you can sub-divide an Extended Partition in a number of Logical Drives.)

3) I tried the Ctrl+F11 restore, figuring I'd just undo the changes above if it didn't work out -- and it worked like a dream!!!

Then I started reading this thread (mainly I am interested in now in creating the Custom Images.) I naturally became curious as to why it worked so well, without any of the seemingly common problems it seemed that I SHOULD have run into, having changed the Configuration from 3 Partitons to 4 Partitions.

I ran PTEDIT32.EXE (mainly to make the changes needed to back-up the Factory Recovery Image to another location before trying to create a Custom Image) and discovered why it had worked.

In the PTEDIT Window, the Extended Partition appeared AFTER the 3 Primary Partitions. This meant the Partition for the Dell Recovery Image was still in location #3 (where the Ctrl+F11 command wants it) and therefore the Dell Restore process was unaffected -- the Ctrl+F11 was able to proceed without a hitch!

I don't know if this is always the case, but if so, creating an Extended Partition out of the available space, rather than a 4th Primary Partition becomes an effortless way to make a 4 Partition Configuration without affecting the Dell Ctrl+F11 System Restore.

Dell Inspiron 6000 running with XPsp3

Messed Partition: Error Loading OS. Suggested Next Steps?‏
Messed Partition: Suggested Next Steps?‏

Hi.

Me:
I'll keep it brief. I'm fairly technical but havent played with multi-OSes & partitions in a while.

What I did:

- Booted off Live DVD - iPC OSX86 Final (Hackintosh) build on my Dell Inspiron 9300.
- The Live DVD installer did not detect or show my External USB HDD somehow and by mistake I did this...
- I erased the 47MB Dell Utility Partition via the Live DVD thinking it was the 48 GB Partition I had made on the External
- It was a QuickErase so the HDD / Partition was not wiped. Just its data points erased.

To Recover:

I used Active Boot Disk Partition Recovery tool to get back the lost UTILITY partition. Then HIDE the partition and ACTIVE the WinXP NTFS Partition.
Thinking it would work without flow.

Now:

I get "Error Loading Operation System".

Also did the WinXP Recovery Console (R) - REPAIR Option with FIXBOOT.

I see a lot of advise online on doing the following on commandline FIXMBR / FIXBOOT / New XP BootDisk.com with FDISK /MBR.

PLEASE ALSO REFER TO THIS LINK: This tool called DSRFix for Dell System / Utility Partitions.
http://www.notebookforums.com/thread149197.html
http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/

But then I also saw the following testimonial on THIS site.

http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/comments.htm
unspecified), Dec '07
"Thank you for your DSRFIX tool!!! It worked like a charm on my clients Inspiron E1405 laptop. I was doing a virus removal when all of the sudden on a reboot I received "Error loading operating system." I then did a fixmbr and fixboot which which made everything worse. I created a bootable CD with the DSRFIX.iso and ran it from there. The only alert I had was that the mbr did not match. Ran the fix, checked report again and all was good. Rebooted and ctrl+F11 worked and restored the system. Thanks again for putting this tool out there saved a lot of headache!!!!!"

I would appreciate some guidance so as to get the following FIXED:

1) Get my WinXP Partition up and running again. Thats more important. (This is not my primary PC but my previous laptop so it has lots of important DATA and APPS & DATABASES that I need to slowly migrate)

2) If its not too much trouble... then attempt to get the DELL UTILITY partition working as well.

What do you suggest? Directions / Paths that I can take? Should I go the DSRFix route or run with simple FIXMBR/FIXBOOT etc?

Thanks & Regards

I've been playing around with the old Dell Restore System for XP for the last few days and have some good news to report to you guys. I can set up an automatic recovery partition without the need for any of Dell's recovery software. The only Dell code required is its MBR, which I'll also hack to replace the DB partition type with a type of 1C (Hidden FAT32X). Create the following partitions on a hard drive: Partition 1 - Type=07 (NTFS), Status=00 (Non-bootable) Partition 2 - Type 0C (FAT32X), Status=80 (Bootable) Boot from the boot disk, and copy the system files using "sys c:" The following DOS files are required to be on the FAT32X partition: AUTOEXEC.BAT (SEE BELOW) CHOICE.COM (here) DEBUG.EXE (from EBD.CAB or RAM drive on boot disk) HIDE.DBG (SEE BELOW) RESTART.COM (from EBD.CAB or RAM drive on boot disk) GHOST.EXE (or any other command line imager) I've also got the following files (from the boot disk) himem.sys io.sys msdos.sys config.sys [AUTOEXEC.BAT] And finally, we have HIDE.DBG, which is a debug script that hides the recovery partition and makes the windows partition active [HIDE.DBG] In the above assembly code: "E 3BE 80" makes the Windows partition bootable "E 3CE 00" makes the recovery partition non-bootable "E 3D2 1C" hides the recovery partition. "BE" is the location of the partition table in the mbr, and points to the status of the first partition, the 2nd partition would start at "CE", the third at "DE" and the fourth at "EE". "D2" is the location of the partition type for the 2nd partition. See the tables here for further details. Now for the MBR hack. Get a copy of the dell MBR, and load it up in a hex editor. Do a search for "80 BF C2 07 DB". After the search has found the code, replace "DB" with "1C". If you want, you could also overwrite "www.dell.com". Save your file as hackdell.mbr or whatever, and restore it to disk using mbrsaver in the dsrfix archive. Remember, you only need the bootcode from the MBR, not the table. Now copy your backup image to the recovery partition, and change the filename and location in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file accordingly. Now using PTEDIT or a similar tool, set the status of the recovery partition to 00 (non-bootable) and the partition type to 1C (Hidden FAT32X). Set the NTFS partition status to 80 to make it active and restart Sorted! Enjoy.