SMALL BIZ ADVICE
What would you ask Michael?
The Dell Community has contributed: 9799 ideas | promoted 668441 times | 76311 comments

How IdeaStorm Works:

Post Promote Discuss See
Operating Systems Comments | Operating Systems Ideas | Service and Support Comments | Service and Support Ideas
180

Prompt for PC (Image) Restore

180 points posted to Operating Systems, Service and Support by rohe Mar 27

Too many Dell users don't know about the existence of Dell's PC (Image) Restore partition. They reformat their hard drive and then post complaints and problems on the Dell Community Forum when it's too late to rescue them using PC Restore.

It's difficult to help them pick the right hardware drivers when they don't even know if they have on-board graphics or an add-in video card, etc.

Dell should consider inserting a new screen in their Windows Reinstallation software that pops up when a user attempts to reformat the hard drive and reinstall the OS. The screen should prompt the user to use PC Restore instead.

Obviously there are times when a format/install is needed (eg, a new hard drive). But in most circumstances, telling the user about PC Restore could get their system up and running again with a "factory fresh" OS in just minutes.

Ron

aikiwolfie
Mar 27		 The stupid restore partition doesn't work anyway. Symantec make the restore software. All Dell really have to do is bundle an OS CD with the PC the same as they do with top of the line XPS systems and Ubuntu systems. The bloatware that comes with the systems is a waste of time anyway. None of it, with the possible exception of Microsoft Works or Office, is full version software. It's all cut down OEM versions or trial ware that will time out in a month or two.
undead999
Mar 27		 I suspect the reason dell doesnt go out of their way to make this obvious is to educate the user about data loss, not all users are tech savy enough to understand the concept "commplete data loss".

on a side note, XP users can use boot_dsr to start the procees from windows http://www.pctroubleshooting.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34...
sugarbear
Mar 27		 aikiwolfie, I have used F11 on two different occasions in my dimension 9100. Every thing worked the way it was suposed to.
zigcatus
Apr 15		 Acer new gem laptops have a way for the user to make system restore disk set so if you do format or kill the hard drive you can load the system back as it was, And the info is in the manual you just have to make them before you kill the drive. I have used the acer software and it work very well it will take 2 DVD with Windows Vista Basic. I don't know if Dell has software like the acer recovery software.
wnura
May 20		 Is it possible to burn the pc image restore to dvd?
 
Atom feed track comments for this idea
Please log in to post a comment
recently promoted by: