How to restore laptop to factory settings - like it was brand new?

it's from early/mid 2009 if that makes a difference.

Hi Newbiedude,

Welcome to the Community. Below is the link to do a PC restore on Win 7. However, if you do not have the option of Dell Image Restore, then most probably the hard drive was formated. In that case you will need to manually reinstall Win 7 and download the necessary drivers off the support site.

support.dell.com/.../document

To manually reinstall Win 7:

support.dell.com/.../detectos

After your reinstall windows click on the below link on how to reinstall the drivers:

support.dell.com/.../document

Link to the drivers for your system.Select your operating system before installing:

support.dell.com/.../driverslist.aspx

Thank you

Royan

Link to the drivers for your system.Select your operating system before installing:

support.dell.com/.../driverslist.aspx

ok thanks, this looks good. is it possible for me to download them all at once or do i have to manually click 'add to list' for every one?

would it be best to do download these drivers or would you recommend doing a 're-image' instead? can i re-image the machine and then download these updated drivers and apps?

thank you

Hi Newbiedude,

You will need to do them manually one at a time. I recommend you download the drivers and save them to a USB flash drive just in case you need them in the future. Try doing a PC restore, if that does not work, then manually reinstall the OS, and load the drivers.

Thank you

Royan

Follow the guide below for full instructions.

ok thanks. i just checked and it's an e4200, not an e4300.

does the model name make a difference?

No it doesn't, just ensure you use your service tag to get to the drivers and downloads page. Then all will be correct.

oh ok thanks.

if i enter in my service tag, would it be able to update the drivers and downloads and grab all of them or would it still ask me which ones i want?

It usually narrows the drivers down to make it system specific (although I find in some of the newer systems its not for some reason...) you will need to select what you want and ensure you install in the correct order. Ensure that you have the correct OS listed once you enter the Service Tag.

I put an idea on Dell Idea Storm that Dell list these drivers in the recommended order but currently they are not.

The guide I wrote will tell you every step, it is more based on the Home Systems, XPS/Inspiron/Dimension but equally applies to your system and should give you full functionality. It takes you every step through a manual install.

There are however additional Drivers and Downloads available for your system, you will have to see if you want/need these (Applications, CMSDK software, Control Point, Systems Management). Also it appears that for this Latitude Model there is no Dell Quickset and so one of the (Applications, CMSDK software, Control Point, Systems Management) must carry out a similar function. Also appears that some of these must be there for some specialised buttons to function also. You will need to read the description of the ones in these categories before deciding to install them.

hey guys, i just tried re-imaging the machine using this official guide from dell:

"1 Turn on the computer.

2 When the Dell logo appears, press several times to access the Vista

Advanced Boot Options window.

3 Select Repair Your Computer.

The System Recovery Options window appears.

4 Select a keyboard layout and click Next.

5 To access the recovery options, log on as a local user.

6 To access the command prompt, type administrator in the User

name field, then click OK."

ok, so i get to step 6 and get stuck here. it's not possible for me to type in 'administrator' in the username box as there's only a drop down dialogue that gives me the option of only logging in as 'user', it won't allow me to type administrator or anything else. anyone know why? it says i need to type 'administrator' to be able to access the command prompt.

this is really annoying me.

thanks guys

anyone have an idea?

guys? i can't figure it out

It should be the user name and password you typed in when you set up your computer. i.e. the user name and password you usually use. If you don't have the password leave it blank.

it won't allow me to enter a username. it only has 'user' there's nothing else.