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24035
March 27th, 2010 18:00
Windows Vista Reinstall DVD?
Is the "Reinstallation DVD" that came with my sister's Inspiron 1520 a full copy of Windows Vista? Or is it just a boot disk of some sort to get the restore partition on the HD to work? The reason I ask is that I want to do a "fresh" install of the OS to try to fix some problems she's been having.
She was having problems with updates, etc... essentially, after any Windows updates, or after trying to install printer drivers, or after updating her antivirus software, the computer would crash. It would ask if she wanted to start normally, or restore to a previous time. Neither choice would work. No matter what she did, she would always end up at the same screen. The computer would not boot into windows ever again. This was maybe a year ago. She called Tech Support and they helped her repair or restore the OS using the reinstallation DVD. Tech support then told her not to install AV software and to turn off updates. (Whoever she spoke to, told her that the updates and the AV conflict with Vista...WHAT!?) I didn't believe they would really say this. I thought she misunderstood them. Well, to male a long story short, I tried to install updates, and...crash!
I figure I can probably get it right by wiping the disk and doing a fresh install. I just don't want to start if the DVD isn't a full install of Vista. Some systems come with OS disks, and some come with a restore partition, right?
Anybody got any better ideas?
ieee488
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March 27th, 2010 18:00
Do a PC restore if it is available. http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?docid=347576 Quicker than a fresh install.
mpo
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March 27th, 2010 19:00
The reinstallation DVD has a full copy of Windows Vista. It is keyed to Dell computers. You can approach the repair in two ways. Make sure you back up any data before proceeding:
System Restore
The restore partion on the hard drive (press at boot) returns the computer to the 'as shipped' condition. The process can be found here:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?docid=336966
Manually Reinstall Vista
This will completely reinstall all components:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?docid=339949
Note, it is critical that you install everything in the right order. First install the OS, then the chipset drivers, then any other drivers.
biggiantdeadbea
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March 28th, 2010 08:00
Thanks for the reply guys. I tried the System Restore and I had hope. It was going along and then suddenly a 1" x 1" window pops up that just says "Error"...nothing else. I'll try the full install instructions. Do you think it would be better to wipe the disk with gdisk or something similar? Or will a fresh install over the old one be good enough? I know in older versions of windows there was a sector of the drive dedicated to startup. (MBR? or Boot Sector?) Will a straight install without a disk-wipe cure any problems she might have there?
biggiantdeadbea
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March 28th, 2010 09:00
I just tried something new. Instead of choosing between "start normally" and the restore option at the startup, I decided to just shut the computer off by holding the power button for a few seconds. When I turned the comp back on I get the same screen, but when I choose "start normally" it boots up. I've tried it a few times, and it works the same each time. I have to power down, and then start up or it will never let windows start. I still get the same start normally/restore screen, but it will start windows if I perform exactly the right sequence. Once started, the comp works fine except for the updates, etc like I mentioned in the first post.