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Options and media for Windows 10 recovery
Just under a year ago I bought a Dell Inspiron 5548 laptop, running Windows 8.1. I was prompted by Dell Backup and Recovery to create Factory Backup/Reinstall disks, which I did.
Recently I think Windows must have registered a click on something that wasn’t visible on screen, because as I was trying to shut my laptop down, it began installing Windows 10.
I am now getting prompts that I should create Windows 10 recovery media, but my options aren’t clear.
I found http://www.dell.com/support/Article/us/en/19/SLN297924/EN which states “This Article Provides Information on how to Create a Recovery Drive or Disc for Your Dell Factory Image.”, but I can only find instructions for creating a recovery 16GB USB Flash Drive. This would be much more expensive than using DVDs, less convenient to label and store, and at risk of carelessly overwriting the data.
I have also read “If you want to recover your current version of Windows … please update to the Premium Edition of Dell Backup and Recovery.” But when I tried to search for more information about Dell Backup and Recovery Premium Edition, it seemed I would have to pay for it. I don’t want to do that; I’ve already paid once for a copy of Windows, and I will back up other files by other means.
Can I create a recovery disk for Windows 10 on my laptop with a free edition of Dell Backup and Recovery, and if so, can I create it on DVDs rather than a USB drive?
Are my Windows 8.1 recovery disks still likely to work now my laptop has upgraded itself to Windows 10?
If Windows 10 fails, and I am able to recover my laptop to Windows 8.1, is it likely that the option of upgrading free to Windows 10 will remain indefinitely?
With thanks for any advice,
Chris Newman
beamermt79
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April 9th, 2016 13:00
The Dell Backup and Recovery software has issues with Windows 10 from what I've read so I wouldn't use it. As a matter of opinion I wouldn't have upgraded to Windows 10 in the first place but that's just me. If DBAR does work for you, you can make a new set of Windows Recovery discs but it will take the information from the restore partition which will be Windows 8.1. You will have to use Windows 10 backup in order to backup Windows 10 information.
Chris Newman_b6a013
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April 10th, 2016 03:00
Thanks beamermt79.
“If DBAR does work for you, you can make a new set of Windows Recovery discs but it will take the information from the restore partition which will be Windows 8.1.”So if my original Windows 8.1 recovery disks still work, I assume this means I wouldn’t gain anything by trying to make new disks, if that is possible, or a USB if it’s no longer possible to make disks. Can I expect my original Windows 8.1 recovery disks to still work now the laptop is running Windows 10?
“As a matter of opinion I wouldn't have upgraded to Windows 10 in the first place but that's just me.” I wasn’t intending to upgrade when it happened, but I thought I should eventually. So far it seems an improvement; when I came to change some file associations Windows 10, it was straightforward because I could follow the instructions whilst I was doing it. Whenever I tried to change settings in Windows 8.1 the settings page would only display full screen, so I couldn’t see the instructions. With Windows 8.1 it felt as though I was using an operating system designed for the tiny screen of a mobile phone.
Chris
beamermt79
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April 12th, 2016 11:00
1st Question is yes. Your original recovery discs should work just fine, they will just have Windows 8.1 on them.
2nd part: I understand :-) I like Windows 10, but on the computers i've tried it with it seems a bit clunky and not well put together. Oddly enough they are fixing all the aesthetic stuff and hopefully making it a bit more stable, on the 1 year anniversary.
Chris Newman_b6a013
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April 12th, 2016 13:00
Thanks again beamermt79, although I’m still puzzled that Dell Backup and Recovery on my laptop is nagging me to create new recovery media for Windows 10, and saying I can’t use DVDs, if I can only recover to Windows 8.1 and my current DVDs will do that OK!
Chris