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System Recovery?
I have a new Dell Inspiron i5R and want to make a system recovery or Data Safe Local Back up on a Flash Drive. When I did the set up a notice came up in the lower right hand corner saying it was recommended, I put in a 8 GB Flash Drive and it said I needed to put in a 12GB, so I clicked "cancel" went to the store and bought a 16GB Flash Drive then came back and can NOT find any place to click on to get it started.
I talked to a tech on Dell Live Chat and he said that I did not need to do a back up because it was built in, but what happens if my computer crashes or the Hard Drive fails I need something to get it started again. So can some one please tell me HOW to get Data Safe Local Back up on my Flash Drive.
I am 80 years old so need baby steps if you don't mind. Thanks Nicki
simpswr
3.2K Posts
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February 7th, 2012 12:00
Have you restarted the pc since canceling the backup?
louetta nicolle
4 Posts
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February 7th, 2012 16:00
How do I cancel the back up? I also tried to get the computer back to factory default but, when I turn on the computer and press F8 like it says it will NOT go to boot options, I have tried it 7 different times and it just continues to go to "resuming windows" thanks Nicki
simpswr
3.2K Posts
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February 7th, 2012 17:00
Your post said you already canceled the backup . . What does " I also tried to get the computer back to factory default " mean? What exactly did you do?
Joel Breiner
10 Posts
1
February 7th, 2012 21:00
Most Dell computers I have purchased over the years come with a special (sometimes hidden) "recovery" partition that contains the original Dell factory image file which can be used to restore the the primary active partition to exactly the condition it was in when the computer was delivered. The OS and all the Dell support files, drivers and bloat-wear furnished with the new machine will be there after executing a complete factolry image restore. Pressing F8 during and immediately after the Dell splash screen as the system is booting should bring up that recovery menu but it does not always do it. Many times it will glide past that point and proceed to boot into Windows. Your timing has to be exactly right (pressing F8). There is an art to it and if you keep trying eventually you will succeed in bringing up the recovery menu. That menu will provide a number of choices you should find more or less intuitive. There are several less drastic recovery options offered in that recovery menu. Choose the "Restore Original Factory Image" option when you see it at the bottom of the list. Keep moving ahead through the choices and warnings that you will lose your data, etc. The reimage operation reformats the disc, unpacks and restores all the original files. If Dell express service is still available on the machine call Dell support and see if you can convince one of there techs to talk you through it over the phone. Better yet if your machine has NBD support or onsite support, Dell may agree to send a service rep to your location who will help you recover it. Every time I get a new machine I immediately backup the Dell Factory Image files on a thumb drive or external backup for safe keeping just in case "as you pointed out" your disc fails and you lose access to the recovery partition. Also, those (image files on the disc) can be accidently deleted a number of ways inadvertantly. In the case of a complete disk failure (out of warranty) you could buy a new disk and have somebody proficient create new partitions and copy that image back to a recovery partition created on your disk, install the OS cleanly; bring up the recovery menu then restore the original factory load. Hope this helps a little. Good luck.