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question about reformatting and partitioning i9300

post #1 of 8
Thread Starter 
I am about to reformat my HDD and was wondering if I can stil execute the Dell Recovery utility thing (the utility that sets the HDD back to factory condition if a certain keystroke is pressed at startup) if I only reformat and repartition the large partition with the OS installed on it. That is...leave the two small hidden partitions by Dell alone and reformat and repartition the large C: partition. Has anyone done this and does the recovery thing still work?
post #2 of 8
Yes, it works and yes, you can leave the other partitions alone and just reformat the main one. Press F12 during bootup and change the BIOS boot order to CD first. Then use the Dell CD or a OS CD to start the reformat process.
post #3 of 8
Thread Starter 
I appreciate the quick reply and the help. Have you done this yourself?
post #4 of 8
Thread Starter 
appreciate answers from anyone else who knows
post #5 of 8
I haven't done it on a 9300 but I have reformated my PC and laptop before.
post #6 of 8
Thread Starter 
Are your other systems Dells with the hidden partitions? I just want to know if the capability of these Dell utilites are intact after a format of the C: drive, or if they become dead space because their functions can no longer be executed.
post #7 of 8
No. If you reformat you will break the path to the restore partition.
post #8 of 8
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