Dell Studio 1747: DataSafe Local Backup not working after factory reset

Question

Hi !

I recently got a Dell Studio 1747 from a friend that hadn't used it for 2 years because it was overheating to the point of automatically shutting off. I verified this as it crashed 3 times during attempts to factory reset through the DataSafe/Windows PE, but finally managed to complete it by cooling it "old school" (ice cubes in sealed plastic bag wrapped in a towel -- when you have nothing else... :D). Once everything was ok at OS/software/virus level, I could verify through Core Temp (took the first one I found) that indeed the temp of the 4 cores was at 70°C in "normal" state, and went over 90°C within a few minutes of just browsing the net for example.

I then followed the service manual provided by Dell, dismounted everything and removed a s***load of dust lodged in the fan and exhaust end of the heatsinks. I removed both heatsinks (CPU et graphics), cleaned and reapplied thermal paste and it is running beautifully, hasn't gone over 40°C yet :)

Since everything is so great, I wanted to create system repair disks in case of apocalypse (almost had the issue on another computer where factory reset seemed corrupted and was unusable). Problem is : DataSafe Local Backup won't launch... I'm trying to launch it from within my Windows session, the DataSafe splashscreen stays on, nothing happens and when I hover on its icon in the Windows bar, the preview shows an error message (hidden by the splashscreen on the desktop) saying "An Unhandled Exception occurred. Application will exit.". And the only thing I can do is force-close it.

I tried applying DELL_DATASAFE-LOCAL-2-0_A00_R260476.exe and DELL_DATASAFE-LOCAL-2-0_A01_R249580.exe but it hasn't changed anything.

Any ideas ?

Thanks !

Agario · Answer

Sorry for the double post, couldn't find a way to edit the OP... I forgot to mention it's running Windows 7 Home Premium 64bits, with SP1 and Windows Update saying everything is up-to-date.

Philip_Yip · Answer

You should uninstall Dell DataSafe Local Backup and install the latest version of Dell Backup and Recovery. Then make USB Recovery Media:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/dell-backup-and-recovery-1-8-1-71/

After that you should upgrade to Windows 10:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/upgrading-to-windows-10/

Agario · Answer

Thanks for your reply !

When going to the programs&features list of the control panel, the version displayed for Dell DataSafe Local Backup and Dell DataSafe Local Backup - Support Software is 9.4.60, which seems newer than the 1.9.0.22 listed in your blog.

I also couldn't find anywhere an official Dell page listing the latest version of DataSafe Local along with a link to its setup, which would otherwise have been my first option.

The only relevant link I have access to when going to the product support page and filling out my service tag is for Dell DataSafe Local Patch/Upgrade DELL_DATASAFE-LOCAL-2-0_A00_R260476.exe | Hard-Drive (446 KB).

Agario · Answer

I should also add that Windows Explorer is now showing the recovery partition, listing it as either X: or Y: as shown in following screencaps : inside is an ADRInfos.xml file and a Recovery folder with a locked icon. If I click on it I'm seeing a warning by Dell stating that "Warning about the recovery partition! This area of your HD (or partition) contains files used during the DataSafe recovery process. Do not delete or modify these files. Any modification to this partition could prevent an ulterior recovery."

And this is as far as I can go, I can't get past this screen.

DataSafe tray icon is showing, double clicking on it still gets me stuck with its splashscreen and error popup hidden behind, I still can't launch it. It also sometimes gives me this error popup when not prompted, I'm guessing when trying to launch itself in the background for a specific task (it gave me a popup asking me to create system repair discs, but crashing when I clicked ok).

Trying to access it from F8 at bootup produces exactly what I wanted to avoid : Windows won't let me access the repair tools, saying I need repair discs.

Agario · Answer

Trying to access it from F8 at bootup produces exactly what I wanted to avoid : Windows won't let me access the repair tools, saying I need repair discs.

To expand on that : when trying (and failing) to access the system repair tools, the laptop crashes weirdly... It shuts down after a few seconds with a little pop sound seemingly coming from inside (motherboard ?). At first I thought I messed up when mounting it back together, because if I try to start it up again when it does this produces the same kind of shutoff, even if I select rapidly "Start Windows normally" (instead of the "recommended" system repair tools that it won't let me access anyway). But if I start it up later, like around an hour more or less, then it boots just fine, letting me select Windows, and using into the session correctly (I'm currently typing on it).

So I'm not sure of what's going on, if it's purely a software/OS issue causing it to shut down, or if there's also a hardware issue. I obviously can't rule that out since it overheated so much before I got it, some components were bound to be a little messed up. Any lead on what I might want to check out/rule out first ?

Thanks again !

Philip_Yip · Answer

Dell Backup and Recovery supersedes Dell DataSafe Local Backup.... P.S. its version 1.9.0.22 vs 0.9.4.60...

Agario · Answer

Oh sorry, I misread your answer !

I don't know why but I thought it was the other way around, that DataSafe was the successor of Backup & Recovery...

Anyway I checked the Backup & Recovery page, but Dell Studios aren't listed in the compatible systems list. I want to make sure it'll run on my laptop and play nice with the recovery partition before uninstalling what was default.

Agario · Answer

So I uninstalled DataSafe, restarted and cleaned up registry with CCleaner.

I then launched the installation of Backup & Recovery 1.8.1.71, even though Dell Studios are not listed as compatible machines. Everything seemed fine until it got to the "Updating PE" part where it threw an error and failed the installation.

Here is the installation log :

[09/03/15 22:49:52]   Update Package Execution Started
[09/03/15 22:49:52]   Original command line: "C:\Users\Caro\Downloads\Backup-and-Recovery_Application_64M9D_WN32_1.8.1.71_A00.EXE"
[09/03/15 22:49:52]   DUP Framework EXE Version: 3.3.0.66
[09/03/15 22:49:52]   DUP Release: 64M9DA00
[09/03/15 22:49:52]   Intializing framework...
[09/03/15 22:49:52]   logo.png
[09/03/15 22:49:57]   User Command: attended
[09/03/15 22:49:57]   DUP Capabilities Value: 1966079 (0x1DFFFF)
[09/03/15 22:49:57]   DUP Vendor Software Version: 1.8.1.71
[09/03/15 22:49:57]   Local System/Model Compatible with this Package? Yes
[09/03/15 22:49:58]   Local System OS Version: 6.1.1.0
[09/03/15 22:49:58]   OS Compatible with this Package? Yes
[09/03/15 22:49:58]   Local System OS Language: FR
[09/03/15 22:49:58]   Language Compatible with this Package? Yes
[09/03/15 22:50:01]   Identified Behavior : attended
[09/03/15 22:50:01]   Temporary payload log file name: C:\ProgramData\dell\drivers\Backup-and-Recovery_Application_64M9D_WN32_1.8.1.71_A00\DUP39D4.tmp
[09/03/15 22:50:01]   Translated Command Line : Setup.exe LOGFILE=C:\ProgramData\dell\drivers\Backup-and-Recovery_Application_64M9D_WN32_1.8.1.71_A00\DUP39D4.tmp
[09/03/15 22:50:01]   Path : C:\ProgramData\dell\drivers\Backup-and-Recovery_Application_64M9D_WN32_1.8.1.71_A00
[09/03/15 22:50:01]   Identified Behavior : attended
[09/03/15 22:52:56]   Append Vendor Software Log: C:\ProgramData\dell\drivers\Backup-and-Recovery_Application_64M9D_WN32_1.8.1.71_A00\DUP39D4.tmp
[09/03/15 22:52:56]
--- Start of Vendor Software Log ---

[09/03/15 22:52:56]
--- End of Vendor Software Log ---

[09/03/15 22:52:56]   Vendor Software Return Code: 2147753984
[09/03/15 22:52:57]   logo.png
[09/03/15 22:52:57]   (MUPXMLParser::GetResultName): *** Vendor Return Code is not found in Mup.xml
[09/03/15 22:52:57]   Name of Exit Code:
[09/03/15 22:52:57]   (DupAPI::GetReturnCode): *** Unable to find DUP value for:
[09/03/15 22:52:57]   Exit Code set to: 1 (0x1)
[09/03/15 22:52:57]   Result: FAILURE
[09/03/15 22:53:03]   Open file: C:\ProgramData\Dell\UpdatePackage\Log\Backup-and-Recovery_Application_64M9D_WN32_1.8.1.71_A00.txt

Agario · Answer

By the way, the installation error code is "Factorysetup error 5".

Backup & Recovery is not officially compatible with Dell Studios which came preinstalled with Datasafe, why doesn't Dell provide this installer ??

How can I check the integrity of my recovery partition, and how can I reset my laptop to factory settings when I can't access the recovery environment ?

Philip_Yip · Answer

That error means your recovery partition is corrupt.

As the system is out of warranty you will need to look for a Dell Windows 7 Home Premium Reinstallation DVD on eBay. Alternatively you can use the install to upgrade to Windows 10 and download Windows 10 installation media:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/upgrading-to-windows-10/

Microsoft have removed all .iso download links for the Dell Windows 7 OEM License.

Windows General

Dell Studio 1747: DataSafe Local Backup not working after factory reset

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