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Re-installing my Dell OS to it's original configuration?

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Latest post 12/13/2008 02:36 PM by rabcnesbit. 5 replies.
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Joined on 12/09/2008
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Re-installing my Dell OS to it's original configuration?

09 Dec 2008 01:14PM
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Hello.
Recently, my Dell desktop PC (Dell Dimension C521) was mis-behaving and I could not figure out what was wrong. As a last resort, I decided to re-install the OS (Windows XP Media Centre edition 2002. I have both the Microsoft Windows installation CD and the Dell Resource CD. I just inserted the Microsoft Windows XP  installation CD, rebooted and followed the instructions. The OS re-installed alright, but not to the original Dell configuration (as delivered). Hence, I do not have some softwares/programs and settings that were included in the original state.
In my quest to find out what I had done wrong,  I came across the Dell support page  and realised that what I should have done was just  reboot  the PC, and while rebooting,  press <Ctrl> + <F12>, which would have brought up the Recover My Computer to Original Dell Configuration option.
I went back to try and do this, but pressing <Ctrl> + <F12> did nothing, and the PC just carrys on and boot up normally to Windows desktop. One other thing also, is that, when it boots up, it now shows three of the same OS's - 2 Windows XP Media Editions’ and 1 Windows XP Professional and prompts me to select one.  Basically, I now have 3 Windows XP OS's  on 3 different partitions on my  PC, which is not idea and waste of space.
Is there a way I could restore my PC back to the original Dell configuration (original state as it was when delivered)?  If not, could  someone please  advise me how to get rid of all different partitions / OS’s and do a clean re-install to just one OS (i.e. get rid of the triplicate OS’s)
Many thanks.

It's a Dell Dimension C521 AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3200. Micrsoft XP Media Centre.

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5 Replies:

Inverness, FL
Joined on 05/29/2002
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Re: Re-installing my Dell OS to it's original configuration?

09 Dec 2008 05:12PM

Have you tried CTRL/F11 to access the Dell restore partition?  That is what is used to access the partition on many Dell's.

F12 (but not CTRL/F12) will access the Dell Diagnostic Partition.

Dimension E510 with D925 CPU and Vista Home Premium 32 bit

Home Built PC with Q6600 CPU, 8GB RAM, HD4850 Video, HTO Striker 7.1 Audio Card - Windows 7 64 bit Professional

Sonar 8.5.1 ( Producer) DAW Software/Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 Recording Interface and Frontier Tranzport wireless controller.

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Northern Ireland
Joined on 02/29/2008
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Re: Re-installing my Dell OS to it's original configuration?

09 Dec 2008 05:25PM

Hi rabcnesbit, What has happened here, when you used the reinstallation disc to reinstall XP, you removed the restore partition that is used to get it back to factory state. What you are going to do now is, put the reinstallation back in boot off it, when you select to format the drive, you will have an option to remove the other partitions. Here is an link to restore your drivers HERE. There is another link to a support page on how to restore manually, HERE.

Sorry Fireberd, your quicker at typing than me.

 

Inspirion 530s Wink

Somebody once said:  Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it, and then misapplying the wrong remedies.

 

 

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Lumberton, NC
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Re: Re-installing my Dell OS to it's original configuration?

10 Dec 2008 01:55AM

Rabcnesbit,

When you reinstalled XP using the Dell Reinstallation CD for Windows XP, did you delete all partitions or simply install XP on the existing XP partition?  If all you did was reinstall XP on the existing partition, then the Dell PC Restore Partition is intact.  Reinstalling XP from the CD overwrites Dell's Proprietary Boot Record (PBR) and you lose the ability to use CTRL + F11 to access the PC Restore partition.

As long as the PC Restore partition is intact, you can use Dan Goodell's DSRFIX program to "reconnect"; i.e., "repair" functionality of the CTRL + F11 keystroke combination.  The DSRFIX download and instructions on how to use it are here:  http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/index.htm .

Click on the link "Troubleshooting the Restore Process" for the DSRFIX download and instructions.

If all of this seems a bit technical, don't worry.  The DSRFIX is not as difficult a procedure as it may at first glance appear.

The big advantage to using the PC Restore is that it restores your computer to its "as-shipped" condition in about 15 minutes.  All drivers and application programs that orginally shipped are pre-installed.   You can be using the system in 30 minutes.  By contrast, a clean install of XP will require that you manually install the device drivers and application programs that shipped with your system.  Some Dell applications are unique to the "as-shipped" PC Restore and are not included on either the XP CD or Drivers/applications restore CDs.  Typically, it will take you hours to manually install XP, the system's device drivers and applications.

Hope this info helps.  Let us know if you need assistance using the DSRFIX.

Tony

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Joined on 12/09/2008
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Re: Re-installing my Dell OS to it's original configuration?

10 Dec 2008 12:44PM

Many thanks for all your advice/suggestions. Very much appreciated.

@Fireberd, I actually meant Ctrl + F11, not Ctrl + F12. Typo error.

@Tony, I shall give your suggestion a try. Thanks

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Joined on 12/09/2008
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Points 75

Re: Re-installing my Dell OS to it's original configuration?

13 Dec 2008 02:36PM

Hello. Tony, I have followed the suggetsions on Goodell's site. I have run 'DSRFIX' from a bootable usb to analyse the status of my PC. It came up with some 'alerts and fatal  errors'. I am now attempting to fix the errors manually. The first step as per the instructions on the site is to restore DELL MBR. This I am meant to copy from another Dell Computer with a working DELL MBR. Unfortunately, I do not have another Dell Computer.

Any ideas or suggestions? Many thanks.

Extract of from the site:

To use MBRsaver, follow these steps:

  • Note: To save a backup file, you must have a writable location on which to save. This will typically be a floppy disk or USB flash drive. MBRsaver cannot save your backup file to a CD. In the instructions below, you will need to use the appropriate drive letter in the MBRsaver commands.

     

  • Begin with your computer with a known working Dell MBR. (If your computer briefly displays the blue "www.dell.com" bar at the top of the screen during bootup, it has a working Dell MBR.)

     

  • Boot the source computer from a DOS boot disk and run the command " mbrsaver  /s  a:\dellmbr.bin " to save the MBR sector.

     

  • Move to your computer on which the Dell MBR needs to be restored.

     

  • Boot the target computer from a DOS boot disk and run the command " mbrsaver  /s  a:\backup.bin " to save the MBR sector. This backup copy is optional, but will allow you to recover if something should go wrong while you are tinkering with the MBR.
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