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Image restore

post #1 of 12
11/24/04 at 8:08pm
Thread Starter 
Can some one tell me how do i implement the dell image restore
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post #2 of 12
11/24/04 at 8:11pm
Can you be more specific, or am I out of it?
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post #3 of 12
11/24/04 at 8:16pm
Thread Starter 
Dell keeps an image of the os on the hdd

so that one can retrive it back to factory settings

i want to know haow doi retrive this image
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post #4 of 12
11/24/04 at 8:17pm
I think he's looking to do an "ghosted" restore. In Dell's case (unless you're on an older Dell) there is no longer an image restore. There's a small separate partition on the hard drive that has the diagnostics programs on it, but that's it.

If you want to restore to like-new, you have to format/re-install. You *could* uninstalling everything you don't want, then restoring back to the earliest date in time and then defragging, but a format/re-install is probably what you're looking to do.

It's better than image anyway. You could also get rid of the small diagnostic partition while you're at it, so you gain a few more MB of space and have only one partition on your hard drive, if you please. Hope that helps.
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post #5 of 12
11/24/04 at 9:40pm
Reboot and press 'ctrl-f11' when you see the blue 'www.dell.com' line at the top of the screen.

Note that this only works on PCs made since around July, and it'll wipe out all of the data on your HD during the install - setting it back to exactly like it was when it left the factory.
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post #6 of 12
11/24/04 at 11:29pm
You're saying that two buttons can wipe the HD?
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post #7 of 12
11/25/04 at 5:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by poolek
Reboot and press 'ctrl-f11' when you see the blue 'www.dell.com' line at the top of the screen.

Note that this only works on PCs made since around July, and it'll wipe out all of the data on your HD during the install - setting it back to exactly like it was when it left the factory.
Mine is made in late June. I don't think I have this feature (How do I check whether I have this feature?). Can I get it?



thanks
lozx
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post #8 of 12
11/25/04 at 7:25am
Hi there

I think I can guess the answer, but will the image have the preloaded software with it, or will it just be the OS?

Kind Regards
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post #9 of 12
11/25/04 at 10:49am
two buttons to activate the restore. There are several 'are you sure you want to do this' prompts before it actually wipes the drive out.

If you don't see a blue bar across the top of the screen that says 'www.dell.com' after the bios screen and before the WinXP screen, then you don't have it. It's a Symantec product - so I'm sure you could purchase it and add it if you wanted.

The restore from Dell puts the drive back to the state it was when it left the factory - including all preinstalled apps.
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post #10 of 12
11/25/04 at 12:06pm
Yea, you're better off just reinstalling and buying Norton Ghost or something similar. As soon as you reinstall, just do an image of the drive and you can revert back to that when you need to.
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post #11 of 12
11/25/04 at 12:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by poolek
The restore from Dell puts the drive back to the state it was when it left the factory - including all preinstalled apps.
Thanks. That's a shame, especially when certain (all?) regions no longer come with a separate Windows installation CD.

Thanks for clarifying things

Jonty
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post #12 of 12
11/25/04 at 2:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonty
Thanks. That's a shame, especially when certain (all?) regions no longer come with a separate Windows installation CD.
Every Dell I've bought, including 2 laptops in the last month (US) have included the WinXP disc. Same with all the desktops. I don't think the image restore is as much a way of eliminating distribution of CD's as it is a cost saver on support calls. Dell won't have to spend hours on the phone trying to talk someone through reinstalling the OS and all the drivers in the event of a virus or whatever, they can just tell them to hit 'Ctrl-F11' and save a bunch of time.
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