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December 12th, 2019 08:00
Will running a data wipe remove factory image?
I have an Inspiron 5767. I have performed a factory reset w/removing all my personal info & software. However, when it boots back up & goes thru it's "thing" & gets to Signing into Microsoft Account, it already has my email in the box...So, it's not removing my junk.
Now, my question is...Will running a complete data wipe(NOT reset/recovery) remove factory image? I sure don't wanna lose that. lol
I would appreciate any input.
Thx,
Don
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jphughan
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December 12th, 2019 10:00
It depends on the data wipe tool you're using. If the wipe targets the entire disk, then it would. If it only wipes out the Windows partition, then if you have a hidden factory image partition, that would still be there since the whole point of that partition is to remain available even if something happens to your Windows partition. But email showing up in your inbox is probably a result of you signing into your Microsoft account during the initial "out of box experience" setup process, not due to junk left over. A factory image wouldn't include your personal email, after all.
Fyi though, losing your factory image isn't a big deal. Dell allows you to download factory images, but realistically in many cases by the time you need to recover your system (if ever), there have been so many updates to Windows, drivers, and applications that it's often faster to just start with updated Windows 10 installation media that you can get directly from Microsoft and then install Dell Update to pull down your drivers. Otherwise you'll be restoring a version of Windows 10 that might be years old by that point, which means you'll immediately have to install a lot of large updates to bring yourself current. And then some people would prefer to start with a base Windows installation rather than oen that includes a bunch of bundled Dell software. That's why on every new laptop I get, I actually wipe my entire disk and immediately install Windows 10 from scratch. I get a cleaner setup and reclaim disk space that was previously occupied by a factory image that I never would've wanted to use anyway.
wolf777
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December 12th, 2019 16:00
Thanks for answering.
I'm wanting to use the data wipe option on my BIOS screen.
Yes, Dell will send me a flash drive with my restore on it, but trying to get thru the 1st Tech level to someone that actually knows something without reading it out of the manual take an act of Congress. lol Was on phone w/CS for about an hour trying to Akmed to understand, that I've already did a Recovery. I so miss the days of just going into DOS & formatting, partitioning then popping in CD and boom, done.
I'm the same way. To me an update is like putting more bandaids over top of existing ones. Really doesnt do any good except slow ur pc down cause it's trying to find a path in the middle of all that crap that's in it's way.
jphughan
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December 12th, 2019 17:00
@wolf777 I believe the option in the BIOS relies on the disk installed in the system supporting a secure erase function. It might not work if it doesn't -- but I've never used that. As for the recovery image, you don't have to ask Dell to send you a flash drive. You should be able to download the recovery image to create a bootable recovery flash drive from a flash drive you already have. If you haven't already, go to support.dell.com and enter your Service Tag, then check the Downloads section to see if you find anything along those lines. Or if you're comfortable installing OSes from scratch, as you seem to be, you can always get the latest release of Windows 10 straight from Microsoft here. The utility you download on that page can be used to either perform an in-place upgrade of the system you're using or create a bootable flash drive or DVD that can be used as installation media. In the latter case, you simply boot your system from that, step through the wizard, choose to delete any existing partitions at the point where you're asked where to install Windows, so that the target disk appears only as "Unallocated space", and then off you go. Then download and install Dell Update if you want a quick way to retrieve the appropriate drivers.