Dell Inspiron 5150 recovery help

[hootnow]

Hi, really need your help and that certainly seems to be what you are all good at.

I have a dell inspiron 5150 and my son managed to download some sort of virus or trojan, despite my having Kaspersky. So, handed it in to PC world and they have managed to retreive my data which is the reason I used them rather than just reinstalling xp myself. However, now they want a recovery disc which i wasn't given by dell. Their customer service couldn't help without my serial tag and I couldn't get it to them before their lines closed on Friday. So a few questions:

-I've heard Dell computers shipped after 2004 have the os recovery on the hard drive. Is this true?

-If so, how is it accessed? And how is it used?

-If PC world have already backed up my data and use this method, will it delete the data on the computer?

-If all this is rubbish, how long would it take for Dell to send me a recovery disk and would it cost anything?

-Why can't I just reinstall windows using an xp disc?

Thanks so much in advance for your help!

[lars77]

Can't answer all your questions but I can try a few of them :)

-If PC world have already backed up my data and use this method, will it delete the data on the computer?

If a machine is recovered using the recovery partition on the hard drive then yes, all your data will be gone & the computer will boot up as though it just shipped from the factory. Probably the same thing would happen if the computer is recovered using recovery discs. Either way you'd want to have your data backed up before any system recovery attempts.

-If all this is rubbish, how long would it take for Dell to send me a recovery disk and would it cost anything?

I've had a 1 week turnaround time, but that's here in the U.S. I don't remember if Dell charged me..some companies charge you $15 - $50 for the recovery discs, but a few will just give them to you for free.

-Why can't I just reinstall windows using an xp disc?

You can if you want, but then you'd normally have to purchase a new Windows XP license along with the disc. One thing you can always try is borrowing someone else's Dell recovery discs, often similar Dell machines will use the same recovery discs & then won't have any problems installing..this might take some trial & error. (Some background: Your Dell came with what is called an OEM license, which ties that copy of Windows XP to just that one Dell computer using whatever install/recovery Dell gives you. It's a bit different compared to the normal Windows XP CD you would buy in the store)

[hootnow]

If a machine is recovered using the recovery partition on the hard drive then yes, all your data will be gone & the computer will boot up as though it just shipped from the factory. Probably the same thing would happen if the computer is recovered using recovery discs. Either way you'd want to have your data backed up before any system recovery attempts.

Right, so if PC world have already backed up my data however they do it and I tell them how to do this system recovery thing ( can't believe such a big firm don't know how to do this properly), they can then fix the computer and have all my old data back on there?

.

Again, thanks a lot for your help. You have been very helpful. :D

[lars77]

Right, so if PC world have already backed up my data however they do it and I tell them how to do this system recovery thing ( can't believe such a big firm don't know how to do this properly), they can then fix the computer and have all my old data back on there?

Yup!

You, or they, may need to double-check that your Dell has a recovery partition, otherwise go the recovery disc route. It's easy to see the recovery partition by using some sort of partition software, eg: GParted. Presumably those techs already know this :)

I looked up your laptop's manual & didn't see any mention of a recovery partition, only notes about the recovery discs, so you may need the discs in the end.

[hootnow]

Again, thanks a lot mate. Guess I'll have to double check with Dell when they re-open their help lines on monday but those were really the sorts of answers I'm looking for. You've been a massive help.

Edit, just checked, it is actually a dimension. :argh: My god, I am an idiot. Does this information change anything?

Edited January 11, 2009 by hootnow

[lars77]

A Dell Dimension 5150? Their manual seems to indicate that a recovery partition does normally exist, so you may luck out. Not sure how the techs would miss that, but you never know..

From http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/syst...om/WD846A02.pdf

Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec

NOTICE: Using Dell PC Restore permanently deletes all data on the hard drive and removes any applications or drivers installed after you received your computer. If possible, back up the data before using PC Restore. Use PC Restore only if System Restore did not resolve your operating system problem.

NOTE: Dell PC Restore by Symantec is not available in all countries or on all computers.

Use Dell PC Restore by Symantec only as the last method to restore your operating system. PC Restore restores your hard drive to the operating state it was in when you purchased the computer. Any programs or files added since you received your computer -including data files- are permanently deleted from the hard drive. Data files include documents, spreadsheets, e-mail messages, digital photos, music files, and so on. If possible, back up all data before using PC Restore.

To use PC Restore:

1 Turn on the computer. During the boot process, a blue bar with www.dell.com appears at the top of the screen.

2 Immediately upon seeing the blue bar, press <Ctrl><F11>. If you do not press <Ctrl><F11> in time, let the computer finish starting, and then restart the computer again.

NOTICE: If you do not want to proceed with PC Restore, click Reboot in the following step.

3 On the next screen that appears, click Restore.

4 On the next screen, click Confirm. The restore process takes approximately 6-10 minutes to complete.

5 When prompted, click Finish to reboot the computer.

NOTE: Do not manually shut down the computer. Click Finish and let the computer completely reboot.

6 When prompted, click Yes. The computer restarts. Because the computer is restored to its original operating state, the screens that appear, such as the End User License Agreement, are the same ones that appeared the first time the computer was turned on.

7 Click Next. The System Restore screen appears and the computer restarts.

8 After the computer restarts, click OK.

[hootnow]

Again, cheers. You've been a lifesaver and very helpful.

Like you said, you would think that they would know how to do this sort of stuff. It is their job. I had to supply my own keyboard and mouse as well. It seems I have given them ?60 just to back up my data. :DD