There have been situations with the partition being visible. I suggest you leave it alone and not try to change the drive letter which might totally crash the PBR.
When you provide answers to my questions, I can ping my Dell tech contacts for further help...
1. The last few days it has stayed there. There was one time it disappeared, but the next day it was back and hasn't disappeared since.
2. The drive letter stays the same. It was Y to begin with and then maybe 2 days ago it changed to L. I think when windows updates or something, it sometimes changes the drive letters. Even on the external drive that I use for storing my videos, etc. When the PBR 'drive' was hidden it always stayed at Y. I know this because I use Macrium Reflect for my backups. My backups usually run automatically, but if I open Macrium, it shows me all the drives (even the hidden ones) so I can choose what I want to backup. Most of the hidden drives do not have drive letters. Just the PBR.
3. It seems to have settled on L for now.
BTW, I have a second Xps 8700 pc. Right now the PBR drive is hidden and the drive letter is Y according to Macrium. I have not updated Dell Backup and Recovery on that pc yet, as the system has not told me there is an update yet.
I started up the computer and I used it for a couple of hours. PBR and WINRETOOLs were there. First one had drive letter L and the second drive letter Y. After I while I started using Nero to burn some DVDs. I burned several and then all at once Nero stopped responding. I waited. Didn't come back. Tried to close. Couldn't. Not even with the TaskManager. Although Nero did say it was checking on the problem. Finally, I shut down the computer. Was pretty quick. Although I know the computer may take 30 seconds after that to actually power down. But it didn't. I waited and waited. Probably not as long as it seems. I never know when to do this, but I held down the power button until it was off. Turned it back on. Took longer than normal to restart. I noticed that PBR was gone. (I was hoping it wasn't really gone.) I started up Macrium just to check and it was there, but no drive letter. I closed Macrium. And started up Nero again. I started adding files and the Nero browser started to flash like it does when you add a new disc. After a short time I noticed that PBR was back with a drive letter X. Nero stopped flashing the colors. I burned a DVD. And then I noticed that the PBR drive was gone again. Not sure...maybe Dell pushed out some update.
Right now WINRETOOLS is visible but PBR Image is not.
As for the USB issue, open Device Manager and expand list under USB. Double-click a USB root hub and click its Power Management tab Uncheck the box "Allow PC to turn off.." Click OK and repeat for all USB root hubs and then reboot PC
Yes. Nero burned all the dics successfully. I think the problem with Nero was that it was trying to reconcile what drive were available and which were not. Let me try to explain a little better.
When Nero is open, and you load a disc, you have to wait until the disk is mounted before you do anything. If you try something too soon, it will say that Nero has stopped responding. Over time, I've noticed that if you watch the screen, right before the disk is mounted, all the file names in the Nero browser will turn into colored bars for a second and then turn back. As soon as I see that, I know that Nero is ready. And that happened, and I started to drop the files I wanted to burn into the left panel. At this time, the PBR drive wasn't visible. And then it apparently decided to load and Nero started flashing those colored bars. Normally I only see them for a second. But this time they kept flashing. And then they stopped and I noticed that the PBR was back with the drive letter X.
I burned my disk, and then I noticed that the PBR was gone again.
What caused the PBR to not load, and then load and then unload is a mystery to me. There has been nothing new installed on the pc in a while other than Windows updates and the Dell update.
I do think a windows update caused problems with usb drives. Windows would drop them if they hadn't been used for a while, and then reload them again. It also did this with mini drives too. You would hear that sound that a new device had been found and it would install the drivers for those mini drives. Some days it would install them twice in the same day. But they seem to have corrected that. It hasn't been happening for the last couple weeks.
Webroot scans everyday and I have run manual scans as well.
Maybe I need to try re-installing the Dell Backup and Recovery software. When it was installing, it was taking a while, so I started reading my kindle. One time I glanced up and I thought I saw a Webroot threat alert, but it was fading away when I saw it. After the install was done, I checked the quarantine panel and it had quarantined a file from Dell backup. It was qttools. I submitted a ticket to Webroot and asked if this was really a threat or a false positive. They said they checked the logs and the file did not appear to be doing anything wrong so they said to unquarantine it. They said they had white listed it so it wouldn't happen again.
During the install, it never complained about anything, but then the PBR was visible. When the qttools was put back, the PBR disappeared again. But then the next day it was back, and you know the rest.
If I need to reinstall, I don't know how I get the file.
Reinstalling DBaR isn't going to help. This was a (random) problem with the prior DBaR version too, so it's unlikely you just had a bad install of the latest update.
My advice is just to leave it alone. It's not causing any problems so don't worry about it. And if it ain't broke, don't break it!
Eventually, they'll figure out what causes this to happen and it'll get fixed...
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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April 5th, 2015 16:00
What PC model and what version of Windows?
What version of DBaR?
There have been situations with the partition being visible. I suggest you leave it alone and not try to change the drive letter which might totally crash the PBR.
When you provide answers to my questions, I can ping my Dell tech contacts for further help...
Kev914z
1 Rookie
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65 Posts
0
April 5th, 2015 17:00
I have an xps 8700. It is running Windows 8.1. All updates have been installed.
The Dell Backup and Recovery was update a couple of days ago. It is version 1.8.1.70
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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April 5th, 2015 18:00
I passed the info to my Dell contact. May take a few days to get a response, so stay tuned.
Meanwhile, don't attempt to change any drive letters...
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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April 6th, 2015 16:00
The feedback I got says it's a bug that sometimes and intermittently happened on the prior version too.
Questions:
You can post the results here...
Thanks.
Kev914z
1 Rookie
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65 Posts
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April 6th, 2015 17:00
1. The last few days it has stayed there. There was one time it disappeared, but the next day it was back and hasn't disappeared since.
2. The drive letter stays the same. It was Y to begin with and then maybe 2 days ago it changed to L. I think when windows updates or something, it sometimes changes the drive letters. Even on the external drive that I use for storing my videos, etc. When the PBR 'drive' was hidden it always stayed at Y. I know this because I use Macrium Reflect for my backups. My backups usually run automatically, but if I open Macrium, it shows me all the drives (even the hidden ones) so I can choose what I want to backup. Most of the hidden drives do not have drive letters. Just the PBR.
3. It seems to have settled on L for now.
BTW, I have a second Xps 8700 pc. Right now the PBR drive is hidden and the drive letter is Y according to Macrium. I have not updated Dell Backup and Recovery on that pc yet, as the system has not told me there is an update yet.
Thanks looking into this.
Kev914z
1 Rookie
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65 Posts
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April 6th, 2015 18:00
Update. The WINRETOOLS drive is now showing too and it has the drive letter Y. It never used to have a drive letter.
I think maybe I won't install the update on the other pc.
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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April 6th, 2015 18:00
Agreed, don't update DBaR on the other system right now.
I'll pass the info you provided to my contact.
Kev914z
1 Rookie
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65 Posts
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April 7th, 2015 10:00
Well, some weirdness went on today.
I started up the computer and I used it for a couple of hours. PBR and WINRETOOLs were there. First one had drive letter L and the second drive letter Y. After I while I started using Nero to burn some DVDs. I burned several and then all at once Nero stopped responding. I waited. Didn't come back. Tried to close. Couldn't. Not even with the TaskManager. Although Nero did say it was checking on the problem. Finally, I shut down the computer. Was pretty quick. Although I know the computer may take 30 seconds after that to actually power down. But it didn't. I waited and waited. Probably not as long as it seems. I never know when to do this, but I held down the power button until it was off. Turned it back on. Took longer than normal to restart. I noticed that PBR was gone. (I was hoping it wasn't really gone.) I started up Macrium just to check and it was there, but no drive letter. I closed Macrium. And started up Nero again. I started adding files and the Nero browser started to flash like it does when you add a new disc. After a short time I noticed that PBR was back with a drive letter X. Nero stopped flashing the colors. I burned a DVD. And then I noticed that the PBR drive was gone again. Not sure...maybe Dell pushed out some update.
Right now WINRETOOLS is visible but PBR Image is not.
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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April 7th, 2015 11:00
You got gremlins ?!?! :emotion-43:
Did Nero successfully burn the DVD?
I gave my tech contact the link to this thread so he should see your latest bit of weirdness.
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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April 7th, 2015 15:00
Have you scanned thoroughly for malware recently?
As for the USB issue, open Device Manager and expand list under USB.
Double-click a USB root hub and click its Power Management tab
Uncheck the box "Allow PC to turn off.."
Click OK and repeat for all USB root hubs and then reboot PC
Kev914z
1 Rookie
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65 Posts
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April 7th, 2015 15:00
Yes. Nero burned all the dics successfully. I think the problem with Nero was that it was trying to reconcile what drive were available and which were not. Let me try to explain a little better.
When Nero is open, and you load a disc, you have to wait until the disk is mounted before you do anything. If you try something too soon, it will say that Nero has stopped responding. Over time, I've noticed that if you watch the screen, right before the disk is mounted, all the file names in the Nero browser will turn into colored bars for a second and then turn back. As soon as I see that, I know that Nero is ready. And that happened, and I started to drop the files I wanted to burn into the left panel. At this time, the PBR drive wasn't visible. And then it apparently decided to load and Nero started flashing those colored bars. Normally I only see them for a second. But this time they kept flashing. And then they stopped and I noticed that the PBR was back with the drive letter X.
I burned my disk, and then I noticed that the PBR was gone again.
What caused the PBR to not load, and then load and then unload is a mystery to me. There has been nothing new installed on the pc in a while other than Windows updates and the Dell update.
I do think a windows update caused problems with usb drives. Windows would drop them if they hadn't been used for a while, and then reload them again. It also did this with mini drives too. You would hear that sound that a new device had been found and it would install the drivers for those mini drives. Some days it would install them twice in the same day. But they seem to have corrected that. It hasn't been happening for the last couple weeks.
Kev914z
1 Rookie
•
65 Posts
0
April 7th, 2015 15:00
Webroot scans everyday and I have run manual scans as well.
Maybe I need to try re-installing the Dell Backup and Recovery software. When it was installing, it was taking a while, so I started reading my kindle. One time I glanced up and I thought I saw a Webroot threat alert, but it was fading away when I saw it. After the install was done, I checked the quarantine panel and it had quarantined a file from Dell backup. It was qttools. I submitted a ticket to Webroot and asked if this was really a threat or a false positive. They said they checked the logs and the file did not appear to be doing anything wrong so they said to unquarantine it. They said they had white listed it so it wouldn't happen again.
During the install, it never complained about anything, but then the PBR was visible. When the qttools was put back, the PBR disappeared again. But then the next day it was back, and you know the rest.
If I need to reinstall, I don't know how I get the file.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
April 7th, 2015 16:00
Reinstalling DBaR isn't going to help. This was a (random) problem with the prior DBaR version too, so it's unlikely you just had a bad install of the latest update.
My advice is just to leave it alone. It's not causing any problems so don't worry about it. And if it ain't broke, don't break it!
Eventually, they'll figure out what causes this to happen and it'll get fixed...
lindafaithful
1 Message
0
October 9th, 2015 13:00
Having problems signing to my Dell account .Won't accept my password Has to be letters ,numbers ,etc..
I don't understand and am getting ready to forget about Dell.
I am going to try to use lindafaithful as sign in name and try once again to find a password you might like.
Linda Odom
Philip_Yip
9 Legend
•
16.1K Posts
0
October 10th, 2015 05:00
Ensure you download a .iso of the correct Edition just in case Dell Backup and Recovery and DBaR Recovery Media doesn't work:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-windows-8-1-retail-and-oem-iso/