Obtaining Backup disks - Software Restore CD (SRCD)

HI Phil - I recognise this one - the first time this happened to me with Dell, I was lucky to have a service engineer on site fixing a minor problem on my Inspiron laptop - he remarked that there ought to be a set of restore disks with the system and got it organised - few days later a full set of cds/dvd/ turned up on the doorstep.

I have recently added another workstation here a T7400 with Wins X64 downgrade from Vista Business - so Windows X64 is pre-loaded but Dell have sent a Vista DVD as the restore disk.

The answer quite simply - phone up Dell technical support and request the restore disks for your system - its part of the service - admittedly I just paid the price of a medium sized car for this one workstation, but thats cos its a bit of a beast. Even if your system is a mouse its still deserves its disks.

Hope that helps

James

Welcome to the forums both of you :emotion-5:

You can phone them, by all means.  But you can also request backup discs online - 'here' :emotion-55:

I'm trying to get hold of the SRCD for a mini 910, although Ive tried the request form the telephone and email with little success.  Is there anyway to obtain the SRCD for the mini 9 I have.

I've also tried your link as well but this although very quick to respond, they are unable to help me due to them being in the USA, and I have a UK machine.

Any help would be helpful

You should have received an OS reinstallation CD with the computer.  If you did not receive that disk then you would need to call tech support to request it.  I believe the problem you are running into is that an SRCD is not the same thing as an OS reinstallation CD, and I'm not sure if there are SRCDs for the Mini 9.

Within another forum it is suggested that the SRCDs are available from Dell, although there may have been a policy change. I hope Dell wouldnt do such things as this is not very customer frendly.

As for suggesting I use the disk it came with to re-install windows, this doesn't help with trying to restore to factory install.  Had I know the disks where not factory state retore disk I would have made a backup prior to booting the device up to start with.

http://mydellmini.com/forum/how-to-re-image-your-mini9-from-dells-image-for-your-system-t1568.html

I made the mistake of doing a clean XP install only to encounter problems.  The Dell Part Number I'm looking for is 59221.

Please, Please, Please can someone help resolve this little issue for another wise decent little computer.

Software Recovery CDs are built to match the individual system order, so there isn't a generic SRCD to send out for a particular system.  When I was in tech support they were only available during the initial 120 days after the system invoiced because changes to the factory image data made building the SRCD difficult to impossible after that time frame.  I am not familiar with the current policy on sending out SRCDs, but I would be surprised if this has changed.

What problems did you run into with doing a clean install of XP?

Taking a guess, I'm thinking you did not install the Dell Notebook System Software (NSS) first.  The NSS is required because it is the Dell addition to the chipset software, which allows the operating system to properly talk to all of the hardware in the computer.  The full list of drivers for the Mini 9 running WinXP is:

• Dell™ Notebook System Software
• Intel® Mobile Chipset Driver
• Intel 945GM/PM
• Ricoh® Media Card Reader
• Realtek® RTL8102 10/100 Integrated Controller
• Wireless Mini-Card driver (if applicable)
• Realtek ALC268
• Bluetooth® driver (if applicable)
• Synaptics® TouchPad™ Driver
• QuickSet utilities

If you ran into something other than a driver issue I may be able to help (I own a Mini 9 myself).

I've got the drivers, and the updated drivers from the websites.  Its a pitty Dell doesn't support the Mini as well as other platforms.  This still doesn't solve the issue of getting the SRCDs.  I want to restore the Dell back to factory, not to a random XP build.

The disc provided with the mini doesn't do a factory restore, it just provides an install of XP, which is useless.

The disc provided with the mini doesn't do a factory restore, it just provides an install of XP, which is useless.

It's not just the disc you get with the Mini.  The disc supplied with any Dell system/laptop, is just an OS disc... which is something I'm sure many owners are not aware of?

I've said from day one, that Dell ought to supply a 'Recovery' disc - as well as an OS disc, so owners have the option of which to use.

I personally don't think it's too much to ask/expect, for them to create/send an image disc with each system?

If it had to be one or the other (recovery partition, or recovery disc), I'd wager the vast majority would prefer a disc?

Sure... restoring from a recovery partition is faster than restoring from a disc.  But if the hard drive fails, you've lost the option to restore the system to its factory settings altogether!

It wouldn't be so bad, even if they just included an advisory with each system, advising the buyer that they should create their own image, in case the hard drive fails.

But there's nothing along those lines, so many owners won't think about it, and will only realise the limitation when it's too late - i.e. the hard drive fails, and the replacement drive is blank/requires them to reinstall the OS and drivers etc themselves :emotion-41:

Some Dell departments and some Dell country's federal regulations do not favor SRCDs.  For instance businesses usually do not want all the extras pre-installed; in fact their IT departments may even wipe the original Dell factory image before releasing the new systems into the offices, putting their own corporate image on them.  So the business lines of computers may not have SRCDs.  Also some countries do not allow practices which would make SRCDs possible.  So if that country's federal regulations do not allow SRCDs to be shipped, that country's tech agents will have to say that there are no SRCDs available. 

In the United States, I understand that SRCDs are allowed for much longer than before.  Where it was 120 days before, now it is potentially indefinite, although the quoted post says 1 year.  Unfortunately one probably can't have a computer purchased in UK, and then acquire an US address, so as to ask for a set of SRCDs.  Because whether or not the file with which the SRCD is to be created is even saved, is probably based on that country's permitted practices.

If the Dell mini was purchased using a business discount (which many business employees do take advantage of), and if it was purchased in a country that does not allow SRCDs to be available, then methinks the Dell Factory Image file was never saved.  SRCDs couldn't be shipped, and Dell tech agents wouldn't be able to get a set for you, even if you have the right part number.

Bella, XPS410, Inspiron9300

I'm not a business and no the device wasnt purchased using a business account. I'm a retail customer. Therefor usually companies provide a factory restore disk to rebuild the machine to a factory build.  The mini is also unable to store a factory rebuild on the hard disk as this is considered to small, disks are the only option, unless they start provideding a restore build on 1st startup.

As the other poster suggested why dont they warn you prior to booting for the 1st time, and this would allow the user to make an image before 1st startup.  Most users would do this as they do generally like having backups of thier machines as facroty installs.

Even Sony has provided either the disk image on the machine or a hard disk image on CD/DVD.

Bruce,

Your question can be answered better in the DELL Malware Removal Forum

Rick

What if i am not the original owner of the computer? Should i give them MY information? Would they send me a new OS Disk?

You first change ownership to your own information by accessing the ownership transfer form from the Dell computer originally owned by someone else.

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/change_order/tag_transfer?c=us&l=en&s=gen&~ck=anavml

Then call or chat and ask for an OS disk.

They don't send out SRCD's any more unless there's a reason covered by technical warranty.  I know, I bought a Mini-9 just before they phased it out, and promptly called and asked for SRCD's.  They said that as of the beginning of the year these are no longer sent out simply upon request.

Depending on the warranty status and type of computer, you may at least get the OS CD.  If the computer is still under warranty, and it is less than a year old, you may also get the driver CDs and perhaps even some of the pre-installed software.