Recovery Disk

This is not a disk drive "problem".  OS CD's are not sent with new PC's (all vendors not just Dell).  There is a procedure on the hard drive for creating a recovery disk and there is the Dell recovery partition on the hard drive.

HERE is the Dell datasafe procedure to create the recovery discs.

Buy at least 16 gig USB Flash drive.  Then backup using Datasafe 2.0 to USB flash.  This will create a BOOTABLE USB flash that has recovery, diag, and factory data image that can be used to reinstall onto a new BLANK drive of at least the same size OR LARGER.   It will refuse to install on a smaller drive.

	Patriot 64GB Extreme Performance Xporter XT Rage USB Flash Drive PEF64GRUSB SKU: 838698 3 new in stock $149.99 after rebate savings: $134.99
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What you can do is contact Dell support, they normally will mail you a OS DVD if you ask for it.  Or Go HERE:

support.dell.com/.../backupcd_form

You can request a Driver DVD and a Windows DVD.  Your BIOS has something called SLIC hardcoded in it, so most of the time you will never have to use the COA on the bottom of the machine.  Also Data Safe local is horrid.  If your a power user like me, you'll most likely want to format the drive and do a clean install to get rid of the bloat, use updated drivers, etc.  If you do plan on using the Data Safe Local software, you can also create a Recovery DVD set that way as well.  However, this will install the OS and all of Dell's bloat just like it was when it was new.

Oh I almost forgot, you can also reinstall what ever software originally shipped with your laptop or desktop, like WebCam Central, or PowerDVD by going into your account on the main dell page, and there will be a link to the right hand side to take you to the Software store, where you can redownload all of the factory software.  The only thing you WILL need to call Dell to get again, is the X-Fi MB software if you didn't get the DVD for it.  Sometimes they stick it in the box, and sometimes they don't.  When I bought my XPS 1645, I got an OS DVD, Driver DVD, MS Works DVD, and the X-Fi MB DVD.  However Dell and HP have stopped sending most recovery DVD's outside of the Driver disk, which is sad.  It's not very much money to give the customer the software that they ordered and paid for.  Oh well.

If you need to reinstall windows, everything you require can be downloaded, refer to my clean install of Windows 7 for more information.

You may also do the Dell restore to factory settings which doesn't require anything extra.