Dell Restore Partition

My mother in law is having some major issues with her one year old Dell 5100 (can't uninstall some programs, some programs crash when launching, MSN toolbar updater crashes even when IE is not running, can't update programs (adobe, java), WINDOWS UPDATE CRASHES!!!, McAfee disables repeatedly, WIndows says that mulitple antivirus programs are running., but I don't see that there are ....and these are just things that I personally have seen)

I don't know if this is malware related or what, and quite frankly, I don't think it's worth the time to investigate. She has less than 1 GB of data to worry about, only one peripheral to install, and only a couple of non factory programs to install. Plus high speed internet for ease of program download and update.

This Dell did not come with the Restore CD's but the Restore Partition where they take the image of the HD from the factory installation and store it in a special partiton, then when you run the procedure, it recopies that image into the main partition. I chatted with a Dell tech support rep this afternoon and he assured me that the Restore procedure is just as effective as a good old fashioned format and reinstall from the CD.

I have never worked with images or this type of restore before. Is it really as good as the old fashioned way? It sounds great - only 10 minutes!?

If there is a virus, would this clean that up too?

PK

 

I can't figure out why Windows reports more than one antivirus program. I really don't know whether viruses are the culprit.

I would prefer not to use System Restore, as a) I don't know a stable restore date to go back to, and b) if I do something like this, I want to make sure that it is done right, and completely.

PK

 

The link below may help you, if it is available on her model Dell.

http://support.dell.com/support/top...6601CE&docid=DC47E7957E35BBC0E030A68F27280D16

You are not looking for a restore point or date. You are restoring the system to a point like it came from Dell, just like when she first got it. It has been my experience that most people (especially new users) will restore a computer within 6 months to a year anyway. They learn from trial and error what they like, what they have problems with, what "not" to do or install, etc.

I think with the problems she is having now, she might prefer to start out again with a clean system.

I don't know if anyone is going to be able to give you a definite answer if it will get rid of malware completly. But, if it doesn't you at least have a fresh starting point and very very software conflicts. Be sure and save your Outlook and Internet settings/information so you can refer back to it when needed.

If you have other ideas just let us know.

Steve

 

At first I was skeptical when I found out that Dell no longer shipped CD's, but I have to admit, this does sound very convenient. I am excited to give it a whirl.

Thanks

PK

 

She should still get a CD from Dell, I think if you request one they will send it. I have heard they charge you like $10.00 but it would be well worth it to have.

Hope everything goes ok and be sure to direct her to our Must Have Free Downloads here, http://majorgeeks.com/page.php?id=20, she/you might be interested in the anti-virus, firewall, and other programs.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Steve