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How to factory reset back to original OS from Linux?
Hi,
I have the Inspiron 17R 5737 originally running Windows 8 (and later 8.1).
I tried upgrading to Windows 10 and everything - and I mean everything - went wrong. At first after the initial installation, Windows 10 was working well but after a regular restart the computer got stuck in a repair boot loop and went pretty much dead. I couldn't reset, restore to earlier image, boot to safe mode, etc. I couldn't do anything at all. After hours of trying every alternative option, my only real option to get my laptop doing anything at all was to format it and install Linux Mint.
So now my laptop is working well with Linux on it but I need Windows for work because I need access to very specialized software.
Since my computer was formatted, how can I go back to the original software the laptop had when I bought it? I have no recovery DVD and there is no product key at the back of the laptop. There's only the service tag sticker.
I am sure there must be some way to get Windows 8 back on it, since I bought it, but it's not clear how. Do I download the image from somewhere? Do I order a recover DVD? I am not sure what to do next?...
Dell offers no help on this matter whatsoever. All the solutions online assume you are running windows already and that your original recovery partition hasn't been corrupted or formatted.
Please help!
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
1
September 7th, 2015 08:00
Here is a link to the hoops I jumped through to restore Win8 to a family member's desktop when the HDD failed. I think it has the details you need for a laptop.
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19614665
Another option is to download the Win10 iso and re-try Windows 10. I did this on one of our Inspiron 15R laptops to evaluate Win 10. So far it seems to be working OK.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO
good luck.
nkomp18
11 Posts
0
September 7th, 2015 10:00
Hi there,
Thanks for that!
I have the Windows 10 ISO already burned but I think that won't work because I have no product key and I read you must first restore your original Windows and then upgrade via the automatic upgrade method.
I will certainly try the first option using one of the generic keys or extracting the key from the BIOS. I am hoping it will activate without problems.
Thanks for that
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
0
September 7th, 2015 10:00
Dell doesn't have a vested interest in the upgrade and unless your system is under warranty Dell's time spent getting older hardware on Win10 gives Dell no tangible value, only a token amount of goodwill.
OTOH, Microsoft wants your Win10 upgrade to be successful, and before you give up entirely, contacting MS support should be on your list of things to try. but first I would also review this page for the frequent suggestions.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/activation-errors-windows-10
Good luck