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Factory Image Restore - How???
I have a Latitude E5550. I want to restore it to Factory state. The online documentation provided is not correct and Dell support was unable to provide guidance. It appears that there is a factory recovery image on the system, but I cannot figure out how to launch it.
According to the documentation:
Reinstall Windows 10 to the Dell factory image using the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)
If you would like to reset your computer to the Dell factory image as it was originally shipped, including Dell factory-installed apps and software, follow these steps:
- At the desktop, click the Search the web and Windows box and type "reset".
- Select Reset this PC (System Setting).
- Under Advanced Startup, select Restart now.
- At the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot.
- Select Factory Image Restore.
The link to the full documentation:
https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/SLN297920#Refresh
The problem is there is no "Factory Image Restore" option on the Troubleshoot page.
If I select "Reset this PC", I only get the standard Windows 10 "keep my files" or "remove everything".
Support suggested selecting keep my files "might be the option".
Does anyone know how to really return the system to complete Factory state, other than by downloading an image, creating a USB boot drive, and then reinstalling?
Is it possible to launch the OEM recovery partition on this system?
Thanks for any advice - Dell support was most unhelpful.
ejn63
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August 27th, 2016 09:00
At some point, this system was upgraded to Windows 10, apparently with a wipe out of the original OS. Since Windows 10 has been activated, the system has a digital entitlement - meaning you can download an image of the same version of 10 (10 or 10 Pro) and use it to recover the system.
There's no way to do a full factory recovery once that recovery partition is lost.
ejn63
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August 27th, 2016 10:00
Open the disc manager (control panel - computer management - disc management). Is the OEM recovery partition listed?
cc99
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August 27th, 2016 10:00
Sorry, I should have stated this this system was originally shipped with Windows 10 and has not been upgraded. The only thing done was a variety of driver updates, all from Dell, all recommended by Dell Support Assist. Nothing has happened that should have changed recovery means.
The system should have any OEM recovery partition intact.
Thanks for replying though.
cc99
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August 27th, 2016 12:00
ejn63
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August 27th, 2016 12:00
Looks like the partition is there. Try creating a set of recovery media for your system:
www.dell.com/.../SLN297924
(you'll need that anyway should the hard drive ever fail).
If you can successfully create the recovery media, you can use it to restore the system.
If not, you should see an error message that points to the problem.
cc99
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August 27th, 2016 12:00
Yes, and it's 11.35 Gb.
cc99
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August 27th, 2016 13:00
Thanks for the tips. I guess I can try to create a recovery drive and see if a possible error leads to an answer. I suppose this may not work if the factory reset option doesn't. Or maybe it will just create a standard recovery image that isn't factory at all - like on a clean installed system?
The following seems to indicate that creating a recovery drive will just create a standard WinRE image.
Reagentc points to partition 4.
Diskpart shows partition 4 is 902mb.
Thinking that creating a recovery drive will not provide joy.
I know I can download a Dell image to create a factory recovery. The issue is that this system is remote and I cannot get my hands on it or I would have already done that. The factory reset seemed the quickest and easiest way.
Philip_Yip
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August 28th, 2016 02:00
Factory settings are completely obsolete... Even if the system was shipped with "Windows 10" it will have upgraded to "Windows 10"....
Windows 10 has 3 mainstream builds so far Windows 10 RS1, Windows 10 TH2 and Windows 10 TH1. Your factory settings would have likely been Windows 10 TH1 or WIndows 10 TH2 and your system will have upgraded to Windows 10 RS1.
The upgrade from TH1 to TH2, TH1 to RS1 or TH2 to RS1 is the equivalent of a full OS Upgrade install similar as Windows 8 to Windows 10 RS1 or Windows 7 to Windows 10 RS1.
Microsoft are updating Windows 10 installation media roughly every 3 months. Simply put Dell factory settings will always be obsolete... moreover OS Upgrades have the tendency to break the ability to use Dell Backup and Recovery.
Windows 10 RS1 - July 2016
Windows 10 TH2 (Update 2) - April 2016
Windows 10 TH2 (Update 1) - February 2015
Windows 10 TH2 - November 2015
Windows 10 TH1 - July 2015
You should download a Windows 10 RS1 .iso and use it for clean installation:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-windows-10-oem-and-retail-iso/
cc99
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August 28th, 2016 13:00
Thanks Natakuc4 for all the information. Appreciate the link as it contains other good information I can use.
This particular system shipped with TH2 and is still on TH2, no RS1 as of yet. I was trying to go in a direction that my customer can deal with until I return to the office. Then certainly a clean install of RS1 will be in order, and easy for me to do.
In the real world of support sometimes "just enough to get by" is all that's needed just to get by!
Thanks again.