restoring to factory settings

Will91,

Yes, it is very different from System Restore. The Dell PC Restore will return the system to its "as shipped" state with all the programs that were originally installed (but without anything the user has added since receiving the computer). XP' System Restore will return the system to its state on the date the restore point was created (without program which have been installed since but with programs that have been uninstalled) and will not remove any personal data which have been added.

Your McAfee antivirus should be on a CD with other preinstalled applications. On my older Dell it was labeled "Backup: Dell Installed Programs" but the name has been changed since I received mine.

If you have a Dimension or Inspiron built after July 15, 2004 you can restore it using the procedure here. If you do not, you will have to reinstall Windows XP followed by your system drivers then your applications.

Message Edited by Denny Denham on 10-04-2004 09:04 AM

Hi Denny:

Two questions:

Is this different from the Windows XP system restore? 

Will either windows XP system restore or the utility you are talking about reinstall removed software?  I removed my Dell installed McAcfee Virus Shield and want to put it back on since I have 90 days of free virus updates.  I could not find any sort of McAcfee CD in my collection of disks they sent with the pc.

 

Thanks

 

 

Denny:

Thanks.  I have a disk with "installed programs" but it only has Norton on it.  I can't seem to find the McAffee on the Dell Downloads page.

Windows XP System restore does not seem to be re-installing my uninstalled (which I did through control panel/add remove) McAffee Shield.  The red M in the task tray is now missing and the .exe file in the McAffee folder in Programs folder is also missing!?  Any other ideas?

Thanks 

i reinstalled windows which is fine and all the other drivers and applications apart from my graphics card which doesn't seem to want to install. whenever i run the instilation process it just sits on my taskbar whilst nothing else comes up on my screen.

my computer spec

Dimension 4550

Pentium 4 2.8ghz, ati raiden 9700 128mb, 512mb ram, 120gb hard disk

Message Edited by nick1000000 on 10-05-2004 03:33 AM

nick1000000,

Did you follow the steps here?

yeah i followed those steps but it still didn't work it copyed all the files to disk but the install shield never opened it just freezed, so i tried doing it through the device manager and that seemed to work, so its all working now. doing this through the device manager should be ok shouldn't it?

Ta very much