Dell Vostro restore factory settings.

http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/us/en/04/KCS/KcsArticles/ArticleView?docid=DSN_347576

Hi IEEE,

I know how to do system restore. May be you misunderstood what I have asked. I asked how can I restore my laptop to factory settings, so that everything will be in the condition when I first bought my Laptop. It will be highly appreciated if you can provide me the correct doc for this.

PC Restore = factory

Hi,

I am using Dell Vostro and Windows Vista. I followed the Steps that the document has provided. When I go to the Advanced Boot Option I did not get the option "Repair My Computer". Please let me know how can I restore my laptop to factory settings. Is there any other way to do that ?

I have formatted my laptop many times

Usually "formatting" means that the hard drive is wiped clean as part of the process. So you would have already erased any virus and also the restore partition. You probably no longer can restore the laptop to the factory configuration.

Thanks JIm for the info. But recently my laptop is behaving weird. It automatically types something in the search. Automatically increases or decreases the laptop volume. Could you please give your input advice on this.

I would advise running your system off a bootable Linux Live USB before OS installation to see if you are experiencing any issues with the keyboard (e.g. a stuck key) which is a hardware issue and installation of the OS won't fix. If Linux has the same problems it is not a Windows or drivers problem. For more details see Windows Reinstallation Guide/Data Recovery of the Hard Drive using Fedora (page 378):

http://philipyip.wordpress.com/dell-community-forums/ 

You don't need to follow the data recovery steps but can instead open a browser or document and see if the keyboard types by itself and if the volume changes.

As the keyboard also has keys to alter the system volume it is the most likely culprit. This is quite a common problem when the cable between the keyboard and the mainboard get slightly loose.

In such cases you should reseat the keyboard to the mainboard. Instructions to do so are in the service manual:

http://www.dell.com/support/Manuals/us/en/19/product/vostro-1400

If the result continues after reseating the keyboard, remove the keyboard completely and attach a USB keyboard and see if the same thing happens.

You may also want to use a can of compressed air to blow away any dust between the connectors.

Regarding OS install. See Windows Reinstallation Guide/A Clean Install of Windows Vista:

http://philipyip.wordpress.com/dell-community-forums/ 

If you don't have a Windows Vista Reinstallation DVD you may download the setup files and create a bootable USB as here:

http://philipyip.wordpress.com/download-vista-sp1-iso/ 

However you may also want to upgrade to a superior version of Windows such as Windows 7. For more information about the Windows 7 upgrade see:

http://philipyip.wordpress.com/windows-7-sp1-iso-download/ 

And for drivers see:

http://philipyip.wordpress.com/unofficial-driver-sets/vostro-laptops/

Thanks JIm for the info. But recently my laptop is behaving weird. It automatically types something in the search. Automatically increases or decreases the laptop volume. Could you please give your input advice on this.

If the behavior is caused by a virus on the hard drive, formatting the hard drive will erase it. But then it could be picked up again, say from the internet, from a flash drive, an external hard drive, or from the files that you restore back onto the hard drive.

You have a very annoying problem and I'm sorry that I don't have any real advice for you, but I see that natakuc4 has posted some good advice about testing the hardware.

Thank you all.

I have already dislodged my laptop keyboard and using an usb keyboard. But the issue is still there. Could you please let me know whether it may be a mother board issue ?

I do not know whether motherboard can cause this type of issue, but some guys have told me that it may occur due to faulty motherboard.

Have you tried it on Linux?

This will help us diagnose whether it is some sort of virus/driver issue or whether it is a hardware fault.

It is unusual for the problem to persist when the keyboard is physically removed from the motherboard.

You can try a few other things also such as updating the BIOS to the latest version A09 (if its not already at that version): http://ftp.dell.com/bios/1400_A09.EXE 

Make sure the system is plugged in and the battery is charged to at least 50 % before updating the BIOS. Ensure all programs are shut down.

Other things you can try are removing the battery and CMOS (coin cell) battery. This will reset the BIOS to its default settings. Actually if you are going to this bother it may be worth replacing the coin cell battery. It should be a CR2032 battery: http://www.amazon.co.uk/cmos-batteries/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=cmos%20batteries&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acmos%20batteries#/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=cr2032&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acr2032

For information on how to do this see the service manual: http://www.dell.com/support/Manuals/us/en/19/product/vostro-1400 

Hi,

I found this error in Linux. So, it is a hardware issue and not due to any virus I think. I will try upgrade my BIOS and let you know.

Hi,

Bios upgradation also did not solve the prob.

Could you please tell me how can I check what there were the registry update has been done after a certain time stamp ?

If the problem exists in Linux it is not a registry or Windows issue.

Did you try to remove the coin cell battery and battery?

No,

I have not tried it yet. But my laptop battery is not working. So, I am using direct ac power supply. Does removing the coin cell battery and battery work?

It will reset the BIOS to default but both need to be removed along with the AC adapter for at least 10 seconds.