Install Factory default, eRecovery

This is a guide for those lost souls who have problems booting their eRecovery Partition with the factory installation image. It does not matter what the factory defaul OS is, as this only starts the recovery, and the recovery reinstalls everything.

What you need:
- Have the hidden partition previously unspoiled, at least working. It is usually called "PQSERVICE" without this you cannot use this guide
- os needed: Windows XP (should work with vista to) on a partition C:/ . c:/ also needs to have enough harddisk space to install your particular OS, for vista i suggest at least 10+ gig, xp 5gig+ (to be safe)
- I would think that PTEDIT32 is not supported by 64bit os's but if you find a similar program, please reply
- look through replies to this post for more tips!

Supported by models:
- Aspire 5610 default os: Vista
- Acer 5101 with Win XP home.
- Look through other peoples postings for models supported.

1. Download: ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/tools/pq/utilities/PTEDIT32.zip

2. Launch PTEDIT in WIN XP and change the partition that has a 12 in it's boot to 07. Save and exit. Restart PC

3. Search for mbrwrwin and rtmbr.bin and find them on F: (or at least i did, it is the hidden partition's driveletter. Copy both to c:\

4. run cmd(command) and go to c:\ (use cd\)

5. type this: mbrwrwin install rtmbr.bin

6. press enter, and let it do its stuff(this installs the alt+f10 option)

7. restart PC and press alt+f10 at post screen, or if you like me do not know what postscreen is, just press alt+f10 continuously from the first booting you see. If it don't work, make sure d2d recovery is enabled in bios

Factory recovery should begin and work perfectly. For me it installed Windows Vista HP with all the "goodies" that came with it. (oh sorrow!)

But this proves that you can install a different OS on the computer and still get it back to factorydefault. My warranty says that the warranty gets broken if you install a different OS on the acer computer. But this installs all back to normal.

If you looked for a way to delete the partition, i guess the easiest way is to pop inn a windows XP installation cd and delete it from the XP setup.


I like to thank Creatz for making his post containing this guide in a much more hairyer way.

Please Feedback on what acer computers this works on, so i can make a list.

 

well man....if u hav a xp installed...then u just download Partion Magic 7.0 and make the recovery partition active...system will reboot and no need for alt+f10...the system itself boots into factory partition and starts installation !!!

I have done dis on my Acer 5674..it works perfectly..

 

Does this method really work? I have tried it on two laptops and I get errors before and after the recovery process:
* Selecting target partition gives some Media Error then I get prompts for Abort, Retry and Fail.
* Post-restore file copying gets stuck at 40%
* None of the Acer programs (ePowerManagement, GridVista, etc) get installed after recovery. Seems like that custom setup launcher thats supposed to automatically launch doesn't launch at all.

 

I tried that, didnt work. It failed on 0% recovery. I tried my method, worked flawlessly

It works, this method makes alt+f10 work at startup, and it boots it from the right partition. but like i stated, make sure this is the factory default partition, not something you have tampered with, or if you made your own d2d image?

 

Ok, I've installed XP and I deleted my C:/ drive. Bassically creating new partition C:/ and installed XP. So does this mean that my hidden partition is spoiled can not be done? I want my Vista back..

How many partitions should I create? 2, 3, 4?

 

That depends. go to control panel->administrative tools->computer managment->Disk Managment and look for the hidden partition. It will not be named, and be EISA configured. If you still have it. the guide should work

I used 2, Because the "recovery" stuff in vista acer OEM needs 2 partitions.
so: 1hidden partition(Which we dont touch), and 2 NTFS partitions(C: and Somethingelse

 

Thank you, I don't know what I would have done without this!

 

Works on Acer 5101 with Win XP home.

 

Hi there, very good thread here. I bought (unfortunately) Acer Aspire 5315, and first thing I did was to nuke vista and install xp... I've had sooo many problems with XP, but have solved almost all of them... Last thing I messed up was the touchpad... doesnt work at all anymore, so I thought I'll try to recover to the factory state (I saw the hidden partition and started snooping around)... So far I havent been able to recover... I followed these instructions, but when I Alt+F10 during boot, the computer starts beeping like mad, so I have to kill it asap I have once got to the "rescue boot mode" by activating to PQSERVICE partition from partitionmagic, but then I got a weird message saying:
Cannot find file c:\D2D\Images\*.WSI when try to determine UI
language (and I couldnt do anything, there was Okay button or something, but pad nor keyboard didnt work...) Any ideas what to do? I'm sad my 14-day return-warranty is gone already :/

edit:
btw, I havent touched the PQSERVICE partition sofar, only set it once to active and once from 12 to 07 with the PTEDIT32...

 

Touch pad not working - tried "Fn" - "F7" ? - enables/disables touch pad.

Also since you're using partition magic, look through pqservice partition and you should find a file "stcdboot" - a bootable image file which you can use partition magics file browser to copy to a non hidden partition and then burn using magiciso to a disc, gicing you a bootable disc.

 

would this work on an acer aspire 5920G?

 

Pupples you are the best!!!!!!!
My Acer Aspire 5610 it was not working when it was presing alt+f10, but now it works to the perfection.


They excuse if I do orthographic mistake because I am Spanish.

 

It should, most relatively new laptops, should work with this.. What this really does is install the alt+f10 Recovery feature during boot on your main partition( c: ) and nothing else.

Make sure you have harddiskspace enough on C: before you run in though

 

Great post
Found it via google and registered to say thank you.
It worked for me, Acer Aspire 7720z.
Just one thing, instead of partition type 12, for me was 27.
Thanks again

 

yea, i got a problem, i dont no how to reformat my computer, its a Compaq Vista Proccessor Pentium duel core and its Home Premium, so if anybody can help pm me back ty, And also i gotta do this bad cuyz i got a bad virus its tha 1 that finds EXE'S and delets them and so on and so forth so Help! Thnx, -blinky

 

I have had similar problems so i followed your advice but now when i turn my laptop on it says -

'Invalid Partition Table'

I tried to change the boot options to boot from an old copy of XP that I have on CD but the same message came up!

I cant do anything with it, does anyone have any advice?

Thanks

 

I installed a 120gb hard drive and a fresh copy of winxp,(because my 100gb hard drive stopped working for some reason).Can i still recover my aspire5050back to the factory defult?

 

I installed a 120gb hard drive and a fresh copy of winxp, because, my old 100gb hard drive stopped working for some reason. Can i still recover my aspire5050 back to the way it was when i first got it ?

 

Hello,my first post here.Few week's ago i became user of Aspire 5570z.I want to reinstall my laptop to factory defalt's.Did everything as wroten,but no way of showing up Alt+F10 option.There is a little catchWhen enterin cmd it goe's not to C:\ but to C:\USER\XXXX\> and i can't go to c:\
When typing the mbrwrwin install rtmbr.bin at directory c:\user\xxxx\ it does the procedure but after that nothing happen's.Help please i fell lost :confused2:

 

Well, I tried creating a factory default disc with e-recovery, but the damn thing would burn the second disc no matter what, the first disc would be burnt without any probs, but when it tells me to insert the second disc, this is where the **** hits the fan.

It'll eject the disc tray saying that I'm supposed to "insert the same type of disc" WTF? I'm using the same DVD-R type and brand all the time.

 

Hello, well i was thinking what about installing the cd/dvd factory default recovery disc created with e-recovery management on a new hard disk, will it be easy to install like it would be on the hard disk that is shipped with the laptop?

 

I have a problem when i do this. At the recovery i get the message type mismatch or something. Anyone knows whats wrong?
EDIT: Oh and pupple's method worked on my brother's computer. He has the same one as me. ACER aspire 5520.

 

Ya know, things would be a lot easier on us customers if they'd just give us the rescue DVD's in the freakin' box with the computer. What would it cost them? *Maybe* $5 extra per machine?

 

Hi Guys~
I'm Newbie in here...
Sory if my english is not good..

Btw, i've purchased acer aspire 4920G And I Had trouble with it...
Actually I've tried to force installing windows XP on my laptop..
BUt something that look like a Fatal mistake had occured on it...

It CANNOT booting from Disk (BlueScreen)...
And cannot recover from D2D recovery (alt+f10)...
It's always show msg "failed to recover partition 2 drive letter"...
I'm forget to recovery it to disk recovery... T.T

Does anyone know how to solve it??
I'm so sory if my english so bad...
But I'm really needing someone to help...
Thx..

 

hello, and thanks to all.
I registered to thank you all and to give you my issue.
acer 7720z, wrong password in empowering Tech Manager, impossible to restore factory defaults.
Installed new copy of vista, and it seemed to be useful to reinstall empowering technology with my password.
unhided partition pqservice with ptedit32, changed 27 into 07.
The method with the command line to get alt-f10 failed, perhaps with admin rights in vista, refused to write in rtmbr.bin.
Simply right clic on mycomputer icon, manage, storage, and designed pqservice partition as active, reboot, and it booted the restore utility.
Note that the empowering password was useful at that moment. Don't know if i could go further without it.
Returned to factory defaults.
Wonderful!!!
Could never have found the way without you. Loving all helping people in all forums.
sorry for my poor english.

 

It is an official way to switch from 32Bit vista to 64bit?

 

Thank you very much, pupples. It's work perfectly on Aspire 5520-5912 with Vista x64 OS. Atl+F10 function did not work until I found this thread. Thanks again !!

 

I need some help!
I have an Aspire 5520, and according to previous posts, pupple's method works with this model. And I have the system disk and both recovery disks, but I have no way to download the link onto my computer because it won't load past the Microsoft loading screen. Can anyone help me out? Basically I need to download that link from from this site, then get it onto my laptop, but the OS of this computer is Windows ME. And has an incredibly slow disk burner. Can anyone help me out?

 

Very good thread. I havent tried to do that to my ACER 5920G but the EISA partition is there so i guess i should follow the same steps. Between I have 4 partition 1 EISA 10gb aprox( factory) and C , D drives and one unknown does anyone know what for?
And another question if i reinstall acer eEmpowerment would be installed again? If yes it there any way to prevent this?

 

It worked for my Aspire 3627. Cheers. However instead of copying mbrwrwin.exe and rtmbr.bin from the hidden partition, I downloaded the files from the internet at www.schifrin.nm.ru
They include a bat file so all you have to do is double click the bat file in windows. I was finally able to use alt F10 and recover Windows XP, hardware drivers and Acer Empowerment utilities.

 

Hi there
This is my first time using any kind of forum so I apologise if I sound very niaive. My little boy's laptop, an acer 5315, would not start properly, kept telling me it was an "igfxtray.exe"error. When I googled this on my laptop it said this was usually caused by the Trojan virus. I have now managed to reset his laptop back to factory settings (thanks to the threads on here). What I want to know is, if the virus is eradicated by doing this or should I do something else before he uses it again? Remember I am a mother so explanations need to be simple!!!!

Cheers! xLx

 

Pupples,

I have followed instructions which appeared to work very well. Alt+F10 worked and entered e recovery. 4 options are then given, I selected restore system to factory default which it proceeded to work through without error. When finished it rebooted and went straight back to e recovery which I cannot get out of. everytime I start laptop it appears with acer intro screen, says entering e recovery then windows xp logo appears then straight into e recovery. How do I get it back to windows desktop?

You help would be much appreciated.

 

Hi all,

Mine is TravelMate 3280.

I did what Pupples suggested, managed to restore the alt+F10 function, and entered the Acer Recovery Management during start-up. Then, I chose the Restore Factory Settings option.

The restoration process began smoothly until about 50-60% progress when an error message occured. It says:

Fails in creating or opening a file
C:\preload.tag
D:\preload.tag
X:\preload.tag

After those messages, the computer booted again from the beginning and then entered a black screen with a writing on the top of the screen. The writing:

NTLDR is missing. Press any key to continue.

I pressed any key, but the same NTLDR message kept on re-appearing.

Are there any ways to restore my TravelMate 3280's factory settings??

HELP!!!!

 

when i try to do a factory default but i get the error "type mismatch" and if someone could tell me how to post a tread that would be great i can only do reply. thxs

 

just wanted to personally say thank you. you fixed the problem that has been driving me crazy. worked perfectly.
acer aspire one, AOA 150 - 1020

 

Can anyone suggest a workaround for ptedt32 not running on Win 7 64bit?

Also wondered if anyone could confirm this process should/will work on a 3810T (AS3810T-8737 LX.PCR02.085 SU7300 4GB 500GB)

 

Plz Help Me I Have Acer Aspire One Aoa150
With Recovery Pq Service
Now I Insalled Windows 7 On It
Bad Idea
Now When I Want Eo Back To Xp Original By Alt F10 No Responding
The Screen Of Windows 7
Plz Help Me

 

This worked perfectly for me i think the old owner had installed xp from a different disk so alt+f10 dident work and this caused the "make active" method just give me an invalid partition table message.

Your Method worked flawlessly on my Acer Aspire 3610 series 3614WLMi

Thanks Alot