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mgd882

12 Posts

26871

March 17th, 2007 20:00

Factory default contains visible partition drive name Recovery, this is not the image right?

Just bought E520 with 320GB. Comes with Dell drivers/utilities CD and the OS reinstallation CD. When i check the hard disk, it already has two partition, C and D:. The D drive is only 10GB and this drive name is RECOVERY. It contains folders like 'Source' 'Windows' 'User' etc. It take up only 4GB.
 
What is this drive for? Are we supposed to burn this whole drive to a DVD for recovery purpose? (but already have the drivers and OS cd...) can delete this partition?
 
Is this partition the Dell PC Restore as mention when purchasing the PC, it comes with the pc restore. If delete this partition, can still use the dell pc restore? I assume if there is indeed a factory image in the hard disk preconfigured, it is in hidden partition right? so this d: drive is not...
 
thanks!
 
 

dg1261

623 Posts

March 18th, 2007 07:00

It's similar, but is the Vista way of doing things. Ignore everything you read about Ctrl+F11, DSR, PC Restore by Symantec, or "hidden" partitions. None of this applies with Vista.

In Vista, use F8 at boot time instead of Ctrl+F11. The partition with the recovery image is no longer hidden, it's visible and called 'Recovery'. The image is no longer in Symantec Ghost format, but now in Microsoft ImageX format.

The purpose, however, is the same--to restore the OS partition to its original contents.

Note you don't get quite the same thing by reinstalling from CDs. Using the CDs doesn't reinstall all the extra software (I don't know how much of this there is on a Vista system), while the on-disk recovery image returns everything to the way it was when you first got it, junk and all.

 



Message Edited by dg1261 on 03-18-2007 01:13 AM

mgd882

12 Posts

March 18th, 2007 08:00

So for the d: drive, I can burn all its contents into a DVD and it is bootable? Once done that, i can safely remove the partition. If burning the d drive into dvd is not bootable, how to make it bootable?
 
Thanks!
 
Edit: If for vista machines, the recovery partition is visible now as a drive, which this drives occupies 10GB, the C drive is 290GB, where is the remaining 20GB if bought 320GB? Since there is no hidden partition or whatsoever


Message Edited by mgd882 on 03-18-2007 06:08 AM

dg1261

623 Posts

March 18th, 2007 21:00

No, the DVD won't be bootable. I don't know how you'd make it bootable. As designed by Microsoft, I believe the Recovery partition boots through the Vista partition. It's all new enough that I don't know the details of exactly how it works ... maybe someone else does.

But my point is that it's nothing like the DSR system used on Dell's XP machines, and to answer your original question that it does contain your recovery image.

As for the apparently missing disk size, do a forum search for binary vs decimal measurements--that question is covered at least weekly.

mgd882

12 Posts

March 19th, 2007 00:00

Thanks! But assuming i do not need that image, can i delete that partition? As i know if i trigger the recovery program thru the function key e.g., that program will need that partition right? Or can i change what partition the recovery program picks? im afraid even changing the drive letter from D: to E: will render the program cant find the recovery partition..
 
Can dell moderator highlight where the vista machines on recovery partition info etc can be found officially?
 

C3PO5

2 Intern

 • 

2.7K Posts

March 19th, 2007 03:00

Hi
I am not a Dell moderator!
If you change the drive from D to E you will not be able to restore your computer
back to the way it came from Dell { {and}} if you change the master boot record,
it will do the same thing!
You can delete the partition, and it will not let you go back to the way it came from Dell.
you can use the CD/DVD that came with your computer to get it working but not the way it came from Dell 
If i understand you right you are asking where the info is stored the puts the computer back to
the way it came from Dell that is the { { {Hole D drive.Where the info is stored}}},Vista and all of the preinstalled software that came installed on your Dell computer.
  

C3PO5

2 Intern

 • 

2.7K Posts

March 19th, 2007 04:00

Hi
I read your 1 post again if you can see the hidden D:\ when you boot to windows,
and not have to use any other software to see the hidden D:\ and can see it in my computer 
you have allready did something to make it where it can not be restored back to the way it came from Dell my gess is you may have did something to the master boot record to make that drive
to be seen in my computer. that is way windows set the hidden part as D:\
 
ignore what i just said about not working because Dell and Vista made it where that drive it not hidden and  it can be put back to the way it did come from Dell


Message Edited by C3PO5 on 03-18-2007 10:43 PM

mgd882

12 Posts

March 19th, 2007 04:00

hi c3po5,
 
but if u read the second post, it was mention that for vista machines (for my case, is E520), the factory configuration is that there are two partitions visible. C and D drive. The d drive name is Recovery. This D drive is 10GB partition, but only around 4 GB is used. It was mention in the second post as well that for the new vista machines by dell, the recovery partition is visible by default...
 
anyone can confirm?

mgd882

12 Posts

March 19th, 2007 04:00

Thanks c3po5,
 
guess if i want to create a new partition, it will have to be E drive and cant change the drive letter for recovery. just doesnt like the ordering of the drive letter, where there is the main c drive, then data partition is E whereas recovery is d... ok then, no choice

C3PO5

2 Intern

 • 

2.7K Posts

March 19th, 2007 05:00

Yea it seems i got ahead of myself by not reading the other post about it not being hidden anymore.
 
I wish thay had did that to the older Dells like my D 8400 make it were it could be seen in my computer!
I have read some were when you hit f8 it looks at the autoexecute and the config.sys
files to see what drive is set to use the recovery startup.
Look at c:\ for these files thay may be hidden.
there maybe a way to change it from D:\ to E:\.
If you can post what is inside these files where we could read them  i would bet there is a way to change that . i would really like to know for myself.  

mgd882

12 Posts

March 20th, 2007 05:00

hi c3po5,
 
just check with dell support, they said for vista machines, e520 (not sure abt other models), the recovery partition is made visible as d drive. And this drive is like other normal partition, can be deleted, accidentally deleted, add data, have virus if being compromised, corrupted etc. If remove this partition, PC restore will no longer work. they also said cant change drive letter. if so, pc restore will not work as well.
 
even if one backup the contents of the D drive into dvd and delete the partition (merge with C drive e.g) and in future if need to restore back to original, one create a new partition, name it D drive, name as Recovery (exactly the same) and copy back the contents back to the partition, pc restore wun work as well as dell support said.
 
since the recovery partition is like a normal partition, not protected etc, are there ways to protect this partition from accidentally overwritten/corrupt etc? like as hidden protected partition in other models


Message Edited by mgd882 on 03-20-2007 03:07 AM

C3PO5

2 Intern

 • 

2.7K Posts

March 20th, 2007 10:00

Hi
MGD882
I do not think it can be write protected because when my d8400 was working Dell had a file you could download that would update the programs inside the hidden partition for the next time you had to restore your computer. if it was write protected it could not written to.
 
I do know that if i were to buy a new Dell system and i would like to keep it the way it came from Dell
and it had the new D:\  you can see now or hidden one. i would have bought a second hard drive
and cloned the drive to the one inside the computer and put the other drive away for safe keeping
in case of a felled drive put the other drive in and you would be on your way again
 
When my D 8400 was new i did not know you could restore it back to new ,
until after my drive died and i had to call dell thay sent new CD's, but i still did not get all of the programs that came on it when it was new.
I found out latter after backing up my drive that was in it
the c:\  it had a folder called Dell inside it it had other folders and inside one of the folders was a hidden file called MIDEA.EXE.ISO
i got curious to see what it was,
and wrote that to a CD WHAT  it turned out be was a
Windows XP PRO setup CD that had all of the drivers on it for my D8400
that sure helps
I now have 2 XP PRO setup CD's to use if i need to !   
Well that's enough from me for now,:smileyhappy:
 

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