Yes, on all three the recovery partition is corrupt. They are an n5110, an E5430 and one other one (don't have it here, right now). Windows 7 on two of them and 8.1 one one.
It seems like somebody out there has figured out Dell does nothing to protect the recovery partition, so it is a sitting duck.
The truly frustrating part of it all is that DBaR is a joke when it comes to the supposed "Factory Restore".
It will state that you need to keep the pc powered on and connected to the internet. This is misleading, at best - it downloads nothing from the internet. It only creates a "Factory Restore Partition" from your existing "C: drive". Any missing Dell drivers or customization will still be missing after spending HOURS going through all the steps.
I am simply trying to return these pcs to there Factory "like new" state but this software cannot achieve this.
In fact, this software has the potential to be quite dangerous:
Imagine you have an infected Dell Laptop. You decide to download the latest version of DBaR to create a backup of your files before performing a factory restore.
After DBaR installs it creates/updates your Factory Recovery Partition (you think this is a good thing). You do your backup of your files and then do a Factory Restore. When it is done your desktop is the same as before.
You take matters into your own hands, thinking the virus(es) must be interfering. After cleaning up the virus(es) you try the factory restore again... and when it is complete your pc is infected again!
Microsoft have unfortunately removed the Windows 7 .iso meaning you need a Dell Windows 7 Reinstallation DVD for them if the partition is corrupt however in 2 weeks you should be able to upgrade all 3 systems to Windows 10 for free providing Windows 7 can boot (even if it is virus ridden). After the initial upgrade of a system to Windows 10 you should be able to download a .iso and perform a clean install.
Philip_Yip
9 Legend
•
16.1K Posts
0
July 10th, 2015 17:00
It sounds like the recovery partition is corrupt. What is the model of Dell and version of Windows?
-NoOne-
2 Posts
0
July 11th, 2015 07:00
Yes, on all three the recovery partition is corrupt. They are an n5110, an E5430 and one other one (don't have it here, right now). Windows 7 on two of them and 8.1 one one.
It seems like somebody out there has figured out Dell does nothing to protect the recovery partition, so it is a sitting duck.
The truly frustrating part of it all is that DBaR is a joke when it comes to the supposed "Factory Restore".
It will state that you need to keep the pc powered on and connected to the internet. This is misleading, at best - it downloads nothing from the internet. It only creates a "Factory Restore Partition" from your existing "C: drive". Any missing Dell drivers or customization will still be missing after spending HOURS going through all the steps.
I am simply trying to return these pcs to there Factory "like new" state but this software cannot achieve this.
In fact, this software has the potential to be quite dangerous:
Imagine you have an infected Dell Laptop. You decide to download the latest version of DBaR to create a backup of your files before performing a factory restore.
After DBaR installs it creates/updates your Factory Recovery Partition (you think this is a good thing). You do your backup of your files and then do a Factory Restore. When it is done your desktop is the same as before.
You take matters into your own hands, thinking the virus(es) must be interfering. After cleaning up the virus(es) you try the factory restore again... and when it is complete your pc is infected again!
How is this a good thing for the user?
Philip_Yip
9 Legend
•
16.1K Posts
0
July 14th, 2015 14:00
See here:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/dell-backup-and-recovery-1-8-1-71/
If it doesn't work see here for instructions on downloading a Windows 8.1 .iso:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-microsoft-windows-and-office/download-microsoft-windows/download-windows-8-1-retail-and-oem-iso/
Microsoft have unfortunately removed the Windows 7 .iso meaning you need a Dell Windows 7 Reinstallation DVD for them if the partition is corrupt however in 2 weeks you should be able to upgrade all 3 systems to Windows 10 for free providing Windows 7 can boot (even if it is virus ridden). After the initial upgrade of a system to Windows 10 you should be able to download a .iso and perform a clean install.