blank error on attempted factory image restore

Question

operating system: vista system model: inspiron 530

Mary G · Answer

The factory restore partition might be damaged or altered and not usable. Use your vista disk to manually reinstall. Make sure you have good backups, all your added program disks and copies of your personal files. Replacement vista disks: support.dell.com/.../backupcd_form Directions for a manual install: support.dell.com/.../document

dorkdude2 · Answer

i submitted that form, already nabbed a response saying they cant process my request because the contract expired 2 years ago.... and I would have to buy the OS from them(which would be ridiculous to do.. as I own the OS already)

theflash1932 · Answer

Tech support is suggesting that you buy the OS "media", not the OS itself. You don't own the OS - you own a license to use the OS on your computer (it is the sticker with the Product Key on it). This is likely $20 or so, whether you buy it from Dell or from someplace like eBay. To buy a new license is anywhere between $70 and $200 depending on which version/edition you get, its condition, and where you purchase it.

You can also use the links to the Vista ISO that matches your license to download and install Windows from. You will need to activate it by phone though:

en.community.dell.com/.../microsoft-windows-and-microsoft-office-standalone-downloads.aspx

Tom Green · Answer

I didn't know you could run PCRestore from inside windows, I though you had to press F8 at boot then repair computer then go to Dell restore. I must get caught up here. Tom

dorro001 · Answer

Try booting from your windows Vista disc which came with the computer. I tried to use the dell restore option after a clean install of vista and was getting the same error. What I found was that in doing the clean install, windows had done some relabeling of each volume, so the C: drive was actually now the E: drive and my recovery partition was labeled as C:. If you choose the option "repair my pc" or similar from the windows Vista install page after booting from your disc, you can then use a command prompt to issue the following few commands. You should see something like X:\something something\whatever in the command window.

Type these commands

D:
cd tools
imagex /apply d:\dell\image\factory.wim 1 c:\

Where 'D' should be the location of your recovery partition (in my case it was labeled C) and c: is where you want the image to be restored I.e. your main volume in your hard drive.

Windows General

blank error on attempted factory image restore

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