XPS 8930 SE, perform a Factory Reset, data is wiped unrecoverable?

https://dban.org/

@TheRoots 

What part of the system is defective? Is it the SSD or something with the Motherboard? Why not request from Dell that they allow you to keep the SSD?

I am not 100% sure but I think deban will delete all the partitions and data. So you would n ot be able to reset to factory because the recovery partitions will be gone.

@TheRoots 

See if they will let you keep the SSD. I would be careful wiping SSD's with those programs. Just my opinion.

@CTG_8273 

They believe the problem is the motherboard.  It looks like Dban will wipe all parts of the SSD, but from their website, it doesn't guarantee that an SSD is wiped.

Also, because of the problems I cannot boot to anything other than the SSD and cannot get to the Boot / BIOS menu (F10 causes it to freeze).

@TheRoots   - You tap F2 when you see the Dell splash screen to open BIOS setup or F12 to get to the boot menu, not F10...

If you're saying it won't boot from the SSD, it's possible the Windows Boot Manager is no longer first in the boot order in BIOS setup. Assuming you get into BIOS setup by tapping F2 at the splash, make sure Windows Boot Manager is first on that list. Save the change, if any, and exit setup. PC should boot itself automatically...

EDIT: And if you're attempting to boot from a bootable USB stick via the F12 menu, that stick has to be connected to the PC before you power it on.

@RoHe 

It boots to the SSD, but not from any other device (USB, HDD, CD/DVD, etc.).  The problem, and one reason why Dell has replaced it is, I can't get to the BIOS to change anything; F2 and F10 cause it to lock.

Don't know why you're pressing F10. Only F2 and F12 work during boot when you're at the Dell splash screen.

Are you sure your "other devices" are bootable?

Where is your monitor connected? If you have an add-in video card (Nvidia or AMD), the first monitor has to be connected to the add-in card. If you have an add-in video card, but the monitor is connected to one of the onboard Intel UHD Graphics ports, you can't get into BIOS setup by pressing F2 at the splash screen.

The onboard Intel Graphics ports are in the area marked 1 and an add-in video card is marked 2 in this diagram:

@RoHe 

Sorry, typo F2 and F12.  Yes all other devices are bootable.  The secondary HDD is the bootable drive from my old computer and was trying to move my data to the new PC.  I have an Nvidia card and it is connected directly to the GPU.

The problems started from an Onsite Support Technician terrible mishandled my PC when he replaced the motherboard.  He had no wrist strap, grabbed the memory, SSD, and CPU by the contacts, etc.  When he tried to put the CPU back in, he dropped it onto the motherboard.  When he put the memory in, he had it upside down and tried to force it in.  When he realized that, he turned it over, but it was still in sideways and again tried to force it.  The list of issues he had go on.  He got everything together, but then started messing with the BIOS because it was booting to the HDD (not SSD).  After 1.5 hours of him changing every conceivable BIOS setting, he gave me a new ticket number and asked me to call Dell to have them resolve the problems and hurried out.  It was then that it wouldn't boot to any device other than the SSD (it would lock when you press F2 or F12) and every time I turn it on I get a strange error message.  So, I don't there's anything that I can do at this point to get into the BIOS or anything.  He updated the BIOS at one point, so I wonder if that became corrupt.

Given that, I need to add that Dell phone support has been exceptional handling that situation.  As soon as the onsite technician left, I contacted support and told him what happened.  He apologized profusely and suggested having me return the system for the Dell Technician's to thoroughly check out and fix my XPS 8930.  (I wasn't confident that I wouldn't experience problems with the items he replaced and installed.)  But, after the support technician talked with his supervisor, they suggested sending a replacement, since it was less than 30 days when I received my system.  Dell sent  a new XPS 8940 SE and also upgraded some of the components for the troubles and delays I experienced.  I am very happy with the way the Dell customer support person responded and addressed the problems.

Since that old HDD had Windows on it, the Windows Boot Manager will always boot from that HDD even though you had an SSD with Win 10 installed at the same time.

So if you eventually got it to boot from the SSD, you should have just copied all your personal files off the HDD onto the SSD or onto an external USB drive. Then you could have initialized that HDD using Disk Management in Win 10 to permanently remove all files, OS and personal, so you could use that HDD for extra storage.

Doesn't sound -to me- that there was really any problems with this system... 

@RoHe 

"He got everything together, but then started messing with the BIOS because it was booting to the HDD (not SSD).  After 1.5 hours of him changing every conceivable BIOS setting, he gave me a new ticket number and asked me to call Dell to have them resolve the problems and hurried out.  It was then that it wouldn't boot to any device other than the SSD (it would lock when you press F2 or F12) and every time I turn it on I get a strange error message.  So, I don't there's anything that I can do at this point to get into the BIOS or anything."

The HDD (with OS) is still in there and it ONLY boots to the SSD after he messed with the BIOS for 1.5 hours.  As I mentioned, I get an error message on Boot and CANNOT get to the BIOS by pressing F2 or F12 because it locks up.  If that's not a problem for you, it will probably be for sale as refurbished, so you are welcome to buy it.  But, after he dropped the CPU, I wouldn't take that risk and Dell didn't think I should either.

This has nothing to do with my original question.  I think it is time to move on.