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DataSafe can't find Recovery Partition
Hi, I have an Inspiron 1545 with Windows7 and I'm trying to create a recovery USB stick in the event the system has a problem. When running the DataSafe Local Backup application, the main screen says it can't locate the Recovery partition. When clicking Backup, then Create System Recovery Media, the "discs" and "USB Flash Drive" options are greyed out.
If I look at Disk Management, the RECOVERY partition exists and is "healthy".
What can I do to build the recovery media?
Philip_Yip
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November 22nd, 2015 07:00
Its an inherent weakness of the Recovery Partition. Any unintended slight change in the file size or contents can make it corrupt. I was highly against the Recovery Partition and end user creating their own installation media from the Recovery Partition OEM media reduction policy that Microsoft pushed. However with Windows 10 .isos being downloadable and continuously updated future Windows distributions should be acceptable.
Yes it will, check for the Windows 7 COA underneath your systems battery. Windows 10 should run fine on that model. I have ran it on an older model without issues.
Philip_Yip
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November 10th, 2015 15:00
Uninstall Dell DataSafe Local Backup it is obsolete. Then install the latest version of Dell Backup and Recovery. It should perform some fixes and repairs to your Recovery partition and allow you to make Recovery Media:
http://www.dellbackupandrecovery.com/Windows10Installer/Dell_Backup_and_Recovery_1.9.0.22.exe
Follow the instructions here:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/dell-backup-and-recovery-1-8-1-71/
gossamer1
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November 11th, 2015 10:00
Hi, I followed the directions you've outlined, including uninstalling the old DataSafe Local Backup and rebooting, as well as making sure the RECOVERY partition exists, and when trying to install the new Backup & Recovery software, it produces a "Factorsetup error 5" when attempting to install during the "Updating PE Environment" step.
Ideas greatly appreciated.
Philip_Yip
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November 12th, 2015 15:00
Factory Error # 5 means your recovery partition is corrupt and Dell backup and Recovery cannot fix it.
gossamer1
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November 12th, 2015 19:00
Then something with the software corrupted it, because it worked at one point. I had previously created a recovery USB stick, but accidentally overwrote it and was trying to recreate it.
I now see this appears to be an ongoing issue without a resolution from Dell, and one that apparently you're also aware of:
en.community.dell.com/.../19538385
Is there any interim solution? Is a permanent solution being worked on?
I can make my laptop available for troubleshooting if necessary....
gossamer1
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November 13th, 2015 07:00
Yes, I now understand Datasafe is EOL. I was given instructions to download its replacement (Dell Backup & Recovery), and was told that would work:
"It should perform some fixes and repairs to your Recovery partition and allow you to make Recovery Media"
That's when it produced the "Error 5", which appears to be a problem all over the Internet with no solution.
Somehow the software modified the data on the RECOVERY partition in such a way that the Recovery software no longer is able to properly process it.
speedstep
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November 13th, 2015 07:00
Datasafe is end of life end of support. There is no way to re create it.
speedstep
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November 13th, 2015 10:00
Error 5 is access denied.
Datasafe cannot be replaced with DBAR and "fIx" a broken recovery partition. There are no "fixes and repairs to your Recovery partition"
gossamer1
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November 13th, 2015 14:00
Well that ***. So how did it happen? Are there any other solutions?
What do I need to do to reinstall Windows7 on a system that is out of warranty?
Philip_Yip
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November 14th, 2015 00:00
Dell Backup and Recovery does perform some fixes for the Recovery Partition and also gives some enhancements to the installation media created. e.g. allows installation of a drive that's a smaller size than the original which Dell DataSafe didn't. However it cannot perform miracles if the partition is already in a bad shape then theres only so much it can do. The error #5 means the recovery partition is corrupt..
gossamer1
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November 16th, 2015 07:00
Thanks for your help. Is it possible to find out anything more about *how* it's corrupt?
I know it worked at some point, and the partition itself is not faulty, as I've been able to access it in read-only mode using a Linux rescue CDROM.
It looks to me like the recovery process itself corrupted the data on the partition, as the timestamp on some of the files there are the same day that I was able to perform a recovery on this system.
Very frustrating, particularly since there's no other solutions apparently, other than purchasing another copy of Windows.
Philip_Yip
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November 16th, 2015 10:00
You cannot Download Windows 7 OEM Reinstallation Media however you can Download Windows 10 TH2 Installation Media and use it to directly Clean Install using your Windows 7 OEM license for free:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-windows-10-oem-and-retail-iso/
gossamer1
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November 21st, 2015 18:00
Hi, sorry for the late reply. I'm only now seeing this.
So you are saying that I can upgrade to Windows 10 using my Windows 7 license for free, not that I can use that to somehow reinstall Windows 7, correct?
Philip_Yip
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November 22nd, 2015 04:00
In a move to persuade the main userbase to upgrade to Windows 10, Microsoft removed the Windows 7 .isos from Digital River making Windows 7 no longer downloadable for a Dell Windows 7 OEM license. Moreover since most Dell systems shipped with Windows 7 now have expired warranty procuring installation media from Dell can be expensive and Microsoft have put limitations on Dells abilities to ship installation media especially for out of warranty systems. Microsoft plan to meet a target of 1 billion Windows 10 Devices i.e. to incorporate most the Windows 7 and Widows 8 userbase.
So you essentially have 2 choices, Download Windows 10 TH2 and take your free upgrade, directly clean installing with your Windows 7 OEM key or purchase a Dell Windows 7 Reinstallation DVD of the same Edition e.g. Home Premium, Pro from eBay and use it to clean install Windows 7.
I recommend using Windows 10 TH2 primarily due to the difficulty of getting Windows 7 Reinstallation media and secondary due to the fact that Windows 7 never had a SP2 and SP1 was released in 2011.... You therefore have over 4 years of updates to install to patch Windows 7 making the patching of Windows 7 a very time-consuming process 10 times longer than the actual installation of Windows 7. Windows 10 TH2 installation media was released 10 days ago and is up to date. Moreover TH2 has most the system drivers inbuilt.
Since the last post I have also made Windows 10 TH2 installation videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1RkaknDn7v-Ucth4gt0U3BHVSY7oNkWr
In my opinion Windows 10 TH2 is the first proper Windows OS since Windows 7 SP1. It is much better than Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 TH1.
gossamer1
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November 22nd, 2015 07:00
Thanks so much for your continued assistance. I'm still upset that, by no fault of my own, the recovery partition is unusable. It appears something in the previous attempt to create the recovery media corrupted the recovery partition.
Will an Inspiron 1545 be responsive with Windows 10, or will it suffer a performance penalty?
Will the Windows 10 install request my Service Tag number? I don't see a Windows7 license sticker on the bottom of the laptop like I've seen in the past.