Alien Respawn cannot find system image

Hey everyone, I just picked up an m14x r2 from a friend of mine. I'm trying to restore the laptop to the factory state, but when I try to run the repair tool off of the recovery disc, I get this error:

"Windows cannot find a system image on this computer. Attach the backup hard disc or insert the final DVD from a backup set and click retry."

I don't know if that system image is on the recovery DVD or not and there is no recovery partition on the hard drive. I'm thinking that the only two options are to somehow find a system image or to just reinstall windows, if that's possible using the restore DVD.

The reason I want to restore the computer is because I'm having a couple small issues with it, and I'd just like to start fresh. I'd appreciate any help I can get.

 

Here's a step by step guide on How to restore your Alienware using AlienRespawn

 

Thanks for the guide, but I get the same errors when trying to run Respawn within windows and outside of it. When I try the "re-image your computer" option I get this error message:

"An internal error occured. The following information might help you resolve your error: The system cannot find the specified file. (0x80070002)"

And when I try the system restore tool I get this message:

"To use System Restore, you must specify which Windows installation to restore. Restart the computer, select an operating system, and then select System Restore."

At this point I'm stumped.

 

I'm guessing the HDD was formatted and the recovery partition was deleted.

 

That's what I'm beginning to think as well. Alienware tech support couldn't help me. My plan (correct me if any part of this won't work) is to re-install windows 7 64 bit home premium and use the cd key that came with the laptop to activate the new installation. Then I'll download the drivers from Dell's support site.

In regards to creating a boot disc, can I make an .iso file and mount it to a virtual drive and re-install that way? Or do I have to put the file on a flash drive or CD/DVD and install it that way? I haven't installed windows in a long time, so I'm not sure what would be the best option.

 

Virtual isn't going to work for installing Windows. Burn it. I purchased my M14X from the Dell Outlet and it only came with one DVD which was the Windows 7 install disk (I did a fresh install first thing). I then had to download the drivers and install them manually. I'm not sure what DVD you have...

 

This is the DVD that I have. There's also another one, but it's something like extras. Should I be able to install it with this disc?

 

rquinn may be right, seems like the recovery partition was wiped.

I'd recommend using the Windows 7 DVD for the Windows 7 Clean Installation, then download all the latest drivers for the M14x R2.

Once you're done, you can Install Alienrespawn to make sure it will work properly next time

 

Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it. I'll post the results in a little while as soon as I get this thing taken care of.

 

Okay, so I started the installation by booting from the disc, choosing the language, custom install, then when it ask me where I would like to install it, I'm not seeing any drives, and it says I can load drivers. How would I get my hard drive to show up?

 

Alright, I finally got it working. The reason why the Windows 7 installer wasn't finding the hard drive was because I needed to disable the SSD and disable the acceleration. Once that was done, everything went smooth. It's good to know how to do this now...thanks again guys.