Where to get AlienRespawn (dell datasafe) software

I went from single drive to Raid 0 and now my respawn (Dell datasafe) is gone. I havent been able to find the software on my discs or dells website. Any idea where to get it?
I am not looking to use another program, I am looking for respawn.


EDIT: Skip to this post - http://forum.notebookreview.com/6936655-post11.html

 

Drivers and Downloads

 

where to get for M15x???....the above link works for M17x only...

 

Reminder -

If the restore/factory image partition has been removed/deleted and you didn't create an Emergency Rescue Option (USB Flash or Optical Media), then you will not be able to recover Dell DataSafe Local/AlienRespawn.

If you have Dell DataSafe Local installed, you can update/convert to AlienRespawn. Note, as before - you must have the recovery partition intact. See this link for additional information:
http://alwchecker.alienrespawn.com/alwchecker-en.html

NOTE: Please do not post the direct link to the .exe. In order to download, you must run through the steps shown on the linked page.

 

Drivers & Downloads

everything you should ever need.

 

Thats not the full respawn program, just a mbr patch; and
its the patch for the old respawn, not the newer datasafe respawn.

 

Thats what I was afraid of. I want to create my own factory image in the new partition I have created. I cant use the original image since I went to Raid, factory was not raid. I actually did restore once but it corrupted the factory image and I couldnt do it a second time.
That is the correct link, I just have to figure out how to get it to work...

 

Sadly, without the partition and its .wim, I believe you are out of luck.

Quite often, we see posts from new owners asking about reformating, clean installs, etc. I always try to catch these threads and post that before doing this be sure to use AlienRespawn (or Dell DataSafe Local) to create that emergency rescue USB Flash or Optical Media option. This way, after upgrading drive(s) or clean installing and a need arises to roll back to the factory out of box state, it can be done with ease.

At this point, you have a couple of options:

1. Purchase the full version of AlienRespawn which I believe allows you to create your own restore partition (check documentation on this and consult customer service to verify).
2. Go with a third party recovery app - Acronis True Image is a good one.

 

I am sure that Dell Alienware must have valid reasons not to upload the full installer of the AlienRespawn to Drivers and Download site. Then again, a portion of the money, we, Alienware owners pay for the purchase the laptops, is used to pay for the right to the license of using AlienRespawn. That is why we should not be denied the right to download the full installer of the AlienRespawn because we have paid for it. I mean, what is so secretive about posting the download link of AlienRespawn online that it cannot be posted online?

I was told that the installer lies inside the hard drive only if you do not format the drive.

All right, the Recovery partition is different for each user and thus cannot be posted online. However, the AlienRespawn program should be same for anyone and I cannot imagine that Dell Alienware would customize multiple version of this software for ecah type of computer as it is not a driver. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong to post just the full installer of the AlienRespawn online.

Sorry for harsh comment here. I just feel that since we have paid money for it, we have every right to have the installer.

Anyway, before formating the drive, luckily I did create the AlienRespawn Recovery Disks. For the sake of having the full installer of the AlienRespawn, I have to use the disk to restore my system to factory state, obtain the installer and subsequently format it again to the setting I desire. Not to mention the time I waste, I just cannot tolerate the wear and tear this operation will cause to my hard disk and optical drive, all for the sake of getting the installer. Sigh, what to do?

 

and as you know alvin (from the previous thread), NBR would have no problem with it if it was a publically listed download available @ support.dell.com. However, it is not.

I agree, you paid for it - so, call support and let them know you want the full installer.

If you wish to comment on NBR forum rules/policy, pm me directly.

 

Here is the way to download the full installer of AlienRespawn (Applicable to only M11x-R2, M15x and M17x-R2).

Before you attempt to format your Windows, you have to create the AlienRespawn Recovery DVDs, just to be on the safe side. Of course, if you have deleted the Recovery partition, there is high probablity that installing AlienRespawn does not work.

All credit goes to Devin1010 in his post in Dell Community Forum. Credit as well to our moderator, BatBoy for pointing out the post from Dell Community Forum, confirming that it is a 100% safe and legitimate Dell website.

1. Go to AlienRespawn website. Download DSLCheck.exe from right column of the page and run it.
Do not worry as it is harmless. This software just checks the Recovery partition of your laptop.

2. DSLCheck.exe would subsequently direct you to another web link:
For AlienRespawn: http://alwdownload.alienrespawn.com/alwdownload-en.html

For Dell DataSafe Local Backup: http://dslbdownload.datasafelocalbackup.com/dsldownload-en.html

3. On right side of both websites is the download link of the full installer. For AlienRespawn, you will be able to download the installer: AlienRespawn_Basic.exe, 183 MB.
_______
Assuming that your Recovery partition remains intact and uncharged, just run AlienRespawn_Basic.exe. Even though I formatted my Windows before, with Recovery partition remains untouched, I was able to install AlienRespawn without any problem. Plus, it can even remember the exact date I created the AlienRespawn Recovery DVDs 2 months ago. Amazing, wasn't it?

Note:
1. Even though DSLCheck.exe may state that your system does not have Windows Recovery Environment, you can still proceed on with Step 2. My system displayed this very same symptom, yet AlienRespawn is installed just fine in my system.

2. The best situation is that DSLCheck.exe would automatically direct you to second link, so that it is confimed that AlienRespawn will have 100 % functionality in your system. Otherwise, if you experience what is mentioned in Note 1 and skip directly to Step 2, you may face one of these possibilities:
a) AlienRespawn cannot return your system to factory state.
b) AlienRespawn cannot create the Recovery disks.
c) AlienRespawn cannot be installed in your system.
_______
Anyhow, I did not test the recovery function nor disk creating function of AlienRespawn. If anyone here can confirm that their newly-installed AlienRespawn functions just fine, post it here. Thanks.

 

Awesome, thanks for the links! The problem for me as with many upgraders, is the machine was shipped with single drive and I upgraded to a second drive with Raid 0, so recovery partition was deleted. I wonder if I just create an empty partition if the software will create a new image inside it??

 

Sorry, I do not know the answer. This method only works if the Recovery partition remains intact. I believe that 183 MB AlienRespawn installer only creates the C:\Program Files (x86)\AlienRespawn directory, without Recovery partition. It needs the Recovery partition to function well. As in your case, installing AlienRespawn will not create the Recovery partition, but I could be wrong.

Did you create AlienRespawn Recovery DVDs or USB stick before formating to RAID 0? The AlienRespawn Recovery Media is probably the only way to restore your computer to factory state. You do not have the Recovery partition, but AlienRespawn Recovery Media serves the same function.

 

Doesnt the OS reinstaller give you the option to create whatever partitions you like? - from recollection, you could chose to delete them all or create various sized ones according to your needs.....maybe thats the option to creating a recovery partition....

 

good detective work alvin... Since you located the direct link on Dell's forum, I'm not going to worry about it being posted here.

Remember folks, unless you have the 'original' recovery partition installed, the 'light' version of AlienRespawn/DataSafe Local is not going to work - even with a clean install. I believe the 'full' version, which Dell charges a fee for, has the ability to create a new/customer recovery - not 100% on this so contact AW support to confirm.

Its just like any other backup solution, if you want added features you have to pay for them.

Again, the first thing any new alienware owner should do is create that emergency rescue option - be it USB Flash or Optical. Its the only thing which will preserve that factory restore option after a wipe/clean install. if you do not create it, you will not be able to recover it.

 

Second that great work Alvin, I too was wondering how i could get respawn/DDS back after a clean install....its one thing that has put me off doing thus far....first thing i did was to create recovery media with respawn that was factory installed....i knew from previous experience that a fresh install wiped repspawn/DDS entirely and i couldnt find a way to get it back...

This is the ideal way to get it back after a fresh install....so thanks very much...

+ rep!

 

So, to sum it up...

By downloading the AlienRespawn, we have the ability to restore to the factory state as long as we HAVE the factory image on the hard drive, but not if we wiped the factory image from hard drive, i.e., AlienRespawn from the above link does not include a factory image itself, but it "execute" the image on our own HD. Am I understanding this right?

I see this from my AlienRespawn: with either Basic or Premium, you can 1.restore your system back to factory state; 2.create recovery *content* on DVD or USB media. The rest of them are just full system backs like all the other backup software can do. From the no.2, you can see it says recovery content, does this mean if we created that DVD/USB when we had the factory image on our HD, and in later days, we wiped the entire HD, we still get to restore to the factory state with only that DVD/USB?

I tend to believe that all we need is that created DVD / USB, because AR require it to be quite large in capacity, like it needs at least 5GB for USB. But I am very not sure.

Got any idea?

 

Thanks, guys for the compliment. It is just a small contribution to this amazing forum from which I have learnt so much, enabling me to maximize the optimal usage of my Alienware laptop.

By OS reinstaller, I assume that you mean Windows 7 Installation DVD. You can create partition of various size as you want using that DVD, in order to use it as Recovery partition. Then again, it will be empty because as BatBoy pointed out, the basic version of AlienRespawn cannot create a factory image inside that partition.

Yes, you are correct. The newly-installed AlienRespawn requires the original Recovery partition to function.

Yes, you can restore your system back to factory state, but if you have wiped the entire hard disk including the Recovery partition, AlienRespawn cannot be installed inside your newly-installed Windows. If you still need AlienRespawn, it is advisable to format the hard disk, without formating the Recovery partition.

The recovery partition itself consumes 8.17 GB of hard disk space, excluding the free space of course. To create AlienRespawn Recovery Media, you need either:
a. 2 DVD-Rs of 4.3 GB each
b. 1 Bluray disc (A waste for sure)
c. 16 GB USB stick (10 GB stick don't exist, right?)

 

Actually my guess is the required space for the rescue option will vary based on what OS you have, if you ordered any apps or software with your system which were installed, etc.

For my 11xR1, it requires 5 some odd GB. So, for me its an 8GB stick. Not sure why yours is at 8.17. In any case, AlienRespawn/DataSafe Local will tell you what it needs in order to create the rescue option.

BE SURE TO DO THIS as soon as you receive your system and before your first clean install/drive wipe -- store it some place safe.

 

Yes I just created one. Thanks for the link alvin provided cuz I've always been looking for a installer for the AR. Mine was corrupted somehow and wouldn't let me create the backup to either USB or DVD. So I removed it and reinstalled. Now it works. My AR only required a 5GB usb, so i went with 8GB drive. I want to be very safe and am going to burn some DVDs at the same time Maybe a dual layer will do it.

When i was creating the restore USB drive, AR explained that: HD may experience a failure at anytime, so it's essential to backup this factory partition to a source in order to quickly restore the factory state should any hardware failure happens. So i believe this backup drive is all we have to have in order to restore a factory state on a brand new HD.

That'd be wonderful if I did not misinterpret =D cuz I'm thinking about getting a 256GB SSD, and i can save my time by doing a restore instead of a clean install. At the same time, it saves me some space on the SSD cuz i won't need a factory partition on the new drive, ooohoo.

Now I'm having another question. Do you guys think there can be reverse action in order to put data on the recovery USB drive back onto a new HD? Or do we have to clone that factory partition directly onto the new drive?

 

I did actually create the usb recovery media before I raided. I was able to restore 1 time, to the raid. It would not allow me a second time stating that files were missing and wouldnt even boot to the usb.
I'm glad I didnt pay for the AW respawn upgrade like I was going to. Looks like im back to acronis. Maybe I'll change the icon and shorcut name to feel cool again.

 

woah, that's a bad news, and so lame for them to do that, while it is understandable. They probably don't want people to re-distribute their copies of factory built system.

In this case, I guess our best bet is to use something like Acronis to duplicate factory partition onto some spare HDs.

This is still pretty unreasonable: if my HD fails, i get to restore to a factory state on the new drive for only once. I still lose the factory partition on the old drive. And I heard dell won't send you the image of that partition. Then, we lost the ability to restore to factory state forever?

 

Not sure why you were only able to restore once Found. I have used the recovery flash drive multiple times to restore my 11x (I have a couple of different HDDs I use). Again, just to be sure we are all on the same page, I created the rescue drive before performing any type of clean install of W7. Right out of the box is when you need to create the rescue option.

As I have mentioned before (and alvin spoke of this as well), the possibility to 'restore' the factory recovery option after a wipe and then clean installing AlienRespawn is unknown.

As for Dell not 'sending' the image of the recovery patition, its simple. They cannot. The recovery partition is created when your system ships. Its done at the factory. Its individual to your system. Why we are seeing folks with different recovery size requirements.

 

OK. All the other questions seemed to be cleared. Only one left.

You are not sure about whether it can be restored to factory state in a clean install OS without a factory partition on the HD, right? But can't we restore factory state using USB drive before installing any OS onto a new HD without a factory partition? The two methods are essentially the same, aren't they? Or do we have to have sort of a AR software installed in a clean install OS first in order to utilize the USB drive?

At the same time, I assume the USB drive or DVDs created serves the same purpose as the factory image on HD? It's just the image being stored in the USB or DVDs, isn't it? When we get a new HD with nothing on it, we will need to 1.do a clean install of OS; 2.install AR software; 3.plug in the USB/DVD to restore, in which case USB serves as the factory image as if it was being stored on the HD partition. Is this right logic?

EDIT: sorry, i just re-read alkin's multi-reply post very carefully one more time. And it looks like the major issue on a new HD will be that there is no factory image, so AR cannot be installed lacking of a serial #, so even if USB drive has everything from factory image, it can't be utilized... Endless looping. But then, this once again seem to be very unreasonable. In side the AR software, it claims that more than half time, it is the HD failure that's causing troubles, and in that case, factory image is very likely damaged, too. The meaningfulness of a USB/DVD restore is reduced if we cannot just use them on a new HD. We'd be better off just clone the factory partition into an image and transfer it onto many many HDs that we will be using =/

 

Sorry cs... you completely lost me.

Let me recap the Emergency Recovery option -

When first opening the system from an out-of-box state, you should create the rescue option (USB Flash Drive or Optical Media) immediately - before wiping, before reinstalling, before anything.

Lets say you purchase an SSD to replace the stock HDD your system shipped with. The process would be:

1. Swap out drives
2. Boot from rescue media (USB Flash or Optical)
3. Follow the prompts to restore to a factory state which will 'image' the drive with your rescue media. This will put your newly installed HDD into the same out of box state your system was in when unpacking it.

I've done this multiple times and it is the same result. I have used different HDDs (different sizes).

As for your other questions - not sure. Like I said, you lost me.

 

quick question on this subject - if a clean install of windows is performed using the dell supplied discs (after making factory image using respawn or datasafe), you go through normall windows install and install dell latest drivers as per your system.

Doing this means that you effectively get rid of respawn/datasafe in the process.

So, assuming you have created recovery media (usb/optical discs)....what is the procedure then for getting respawn or datasafe back....

Is it to follow Alvins link to the download and just follow on screen instructions? - kinda lost me too a 'lil bit LOL

 

That was clear enough for me hehehe, thanks for taking care of my bad english reading. Then I'm not sure what you were unsure about together with alvin? I thought that starting with a blank HDD is already the worst case scenario?

"As I have mentioned before (and alvin spoke of this as well), the possibility to 'restore' the factory recovery option after a wipe and then clean installing AlienRespawn is unknown."

I still can't interpret this bold part =( Let's just say it's a blank HDD which is the same as a wipe, you've got a recovery USB/DVD, you can restore to factory state w/o AR software already. What can't you do? What is this factory recovery option exactly? Can't we just use the USB?

 

I mentioned this earlier - the links Alvin posted are a question mark in terms of being able to restore a factory recovery option. My guess (yes, I have not tested it and have no plans to do so) is that if you wipe the HDD, install AlienRespawn using the link alvin provided, you will not have a working respawn option.

The only way to do this is to make that backup/emergency recovery media that AlienRespawn/DataSafe Local keeps bugging you about

Yeah, not even sure what the point to all of this was... Alvin wanted the factory version of AlienRespawn. He located a link on Dell's community forum and since posting, this thread has turned into a FAQ on AlienRespawn/Recovery - which is fine.

My 2 cents on the matter -

Use the Recovery media creation option as soon as the system is unboxed. Save it and stash it away. You never know when you will need it to revert to an 'out of box' state.

 

that's an easy one as soon as i understand what the question is. I think I was trying to squeeze to many subjects into one post with BatBoy there, rofl.

If you lost factory image, that's forever gone on the HD, the only thing you have is the USB drive ("so use it wisely", lol). From BatBoy, it looks like you can skip clean install and boot from USB there. AR software being downloaded does not include factory image.

 

I see, so part of the topic was struggling with the situation where you do not have a rescue USB but have had factory image wiped out. That's a no solution I guess ;p

Well, I think I probably thought about it a bit further. I was thinking about the possibility of putting factory image into the new HD as well as creating another rescue source from there.

The reason I worry about this is:

If I lost the previous drive (or a drive failure), all I'm left with is the rescue USB I created. There will be no factory image on the new HD, so AR can't be installed, so no more rescue USB can be created. And in the future, if something happened to that only USB, I'm done with ability to go back to factory state in any HD. So I'm a little worried because this looks I've got only limited time to use this function. I would prefer an endless chain in which I can repeatedly produce as much as rescue USBs I want, but not just one (after the factory image is lost, no more rescue sources can be made). Indeed I'm an insecure guy, huh. You can argue that I should just use Acronis to clone that factory partition into an image and feel secure

 

Actually, I can clarify this one - when you restore with that rescue option (USB flash or Optical), you do have AlienRespawn (or Dell DataSafe local) back on the restored HDD. So, if you:

1. Put in a new HDD/SDD as an upgrade and then 'boot from the rescue media you created',
2. your new drive is just the same as when you unboxed. you can recreate the rescue media (this I suggest doing).

As for having the rescue option and another option, no - I do not believe this is possible except if you have the paid version of AlienRespawn (since it allows you to setup an additional restore point).

 

This is getting a bit clearer...i think lol.....take this as a scenario:

User gets laptop out the box....first thing he does is create recovery media via AWR or DDS.....he now has a factory image should anything go pear shaped.

User wants to perform a clean install of windows via Dell OS discs....he wipes HDD and reinstalls OS (same as swapping out a HDD in effect)

This process eradicates AWR and DDS software upon install of windows

Now....if user wants to recover using media created earlier, can he do so? - AWR/DDS software is no longer on his system so must he get it via Alvins link to be able to boot from the media created initially? - or can you slap the usb/disc in, boot from said media and return to factory image?

Or do you NEED AWR/DDS software installed to be able to recover from this media?

 

So for your hypothetical Stevie -

No, the user would not use the link Alvin posted. If the sole purpose was to recover the system to an 'out of box' state after a clean install of windows on a new HDD, the user would just use the emergency recovery media created at time of unboxing.

Keep in mind, the recovery media is 5GB+. In some cases, larger. That recovery option is essentially an image of the factory drive state - its compressed using the Windows .WIM process.

Now, here is an interesting twist - one I have not tried on my 11xR1. Its similar to what I found on the M17xR1 with the old version of Alien Respawn.

You could try this (I wont, but you can ):

1. Boot from your Windows 7 Install media to perform a clean install.
2. DO NOT wipe the drive - the W7 installer will see multiple partitions. ONLY install to the C: partition. Basically, this will wipe the C: drive and you will have a clean OS install where you could then use Grim's driver list and install your drivers.
3. Once done, use the link originally provided http://alwchecker.alienrespawn.com/alwchecker-en.html or use Alvin's direct link. NOTE: There is no difference between the two. Alvin's link just bypasses the check for the recovery partition. This should reinstall AlienRespawn.

What you end up with is AlienRespawn installed and access to the original factory recovery option. The restore partition was never wiped so you should be ok.

Now, in the case of the M17xR1 and the old version of AlienRespawn, this was pointless as it was shipped with a Vista OS and had a Vista recovery partition/image.

follow?

 

Im following LOL...at least i think so!.....

Im not gonna try it yet either - im just curious if i DO want to fresh install windows at some point in the future....forewarned is forearmed and all that eh?

So, If i boot from Dell OS discs, install fresh windows to C partition without deleting or altering the recovery partition...this will geive me a fresh install.

At this point (assuming initial recovery media was created PRIOR to fresh install initiation) , its simply a matter of d/l from Alvins links.

This will reinstall AWR to the recovery partition on the fresh install....

If difficulties arise, you can then use the media created at the very start (out of box) to revert the whole shebang back to out of box status - RIGHT? lol

I take it that if you DONT install the AWR software AFTER your fresh install, you wont be able to use the recovery media that was created at the outset......or can you boot from it without the AWR software?

God...im gonna get a glass of wine hahahahaha

Basically....if i do a clean install.....if i alter the recovery partition or dont install AWR, is my recovery media useless???? - just want to be 100000% sure before i even contemplate a fresh OS install.....at the mo, i can recover to factory easily.....no probs....seems that a fresh install has its benefits but also some major headaches if you dont understand what you are doing BEOFRE doing it....

 

Again, no - even if you wipe the drive and perform a clean OS install and choose not to install only to the C: partition followed by using the link I provided to the AR checker/download, you can still use the recovery usb which was created at the time of unboxing to restore your system to the out of box state. This will of course wipe your clean install but will preserve your out of box state.

Now I am taking a break - all this respawn functionality has left me with a headache. LOL. NBR really needs to pay me for this. j/k

This forum is its own reward. You guys are top notch and when I have had an issue with my system, the forum always has responded with suggestions. NBR AW Forum FTW!

 

I think thats what i needed to hear....if i fresh install, and as i HAVE created media (was the very first thing i did after initial booting) , regardless of what i do to the partitions etc etc, i will be able to return to factory state even if i havent reinstalled the AWR software on the fresh install......

That about right Batboy?

PS: Sorry for the inept understanding....this issue has concerned me for some time and im glad i found this thread about it...

 

Yes, that is correct and no need to apologize for asking questions.

I have tested this and it works fine on my 11xR1 using DataSafe Local and AlienRespawn (I updated to the AlienRespawn - which is another process on its own and one I will link to later, no time to find my post on this at the moment).

 

Thats great.....im sure i recall performing a clean install on my very first m17x back in June ... and then slapping in the recovery media and restoring to factory without doing anything else....think i messed up the driver install procedure...led me to have seconf thoughts about a clean install again...

But, at least now, i know that regardless of what i mess up LOL , i can just revert back to the "out of box" experience by booting from my recovery media.....

Thanks buddy...much appreciated.

 

If the AlienRespawn Recovery Media is used, either:
a) on newer hard disk which replaces the original hard disk and its hard disk space can of any size, as long as it is larger than the Recovery partition, or;
b) original hard disk which all of its partitions have been formated,
Windows 7 should be restored to its original factory state.

Batboy
For such case (and your case), does AlienRespawn Recovery Media (either DVDs or USB stick) create a new Recovery partition in that hard disk? I don't think so, but please correct me If I am wrong.

The AlienRespawn Recovery Media is able to restore the system to factory state, without needing the presence of the original Recovery partition. Thus, it is a standalone software. In short, just pop in the media into completely empty hard disk and the restoration will be completed.
What I mean by needing the original Recovery partition is for reinstalling AlienRespawn on newly-formatted system.

Yes, they are the same. The reason for such bypass is that DSLCheck.exe from http://alwchecker.alienrespawn.com/alwchecker-en.html sometimes cannot detect the recovery partition, thus will not direct you to the second link, as in my case.

 

I see. I also underlined the same question I have as you did in the quote. I also doubt that after a recovery from USB drive, there will be any new partition being created. So we better keep a clone image of factory partition in safe place.

Basically, if we had a wiped HD or a brand new blank HD, where the original factory partition is gone, after we use the USB/DVD to restore to factory state, there will be AR software but not the factory partition. So we still CANNOT create another rescue USB anymore. All we are left with is the only one rescue USB.

 

Did you go from non raid to raid? Thats the difference. I have restored with the usb several times before I raided. I think the usb image just got corrupted somehow. I have another AW here so I think I will try to create another usb restore media from that one.

 

Batboy

1. If I am not mistaken, AlienRespawn offers 3 types of restoration options:
a. go to restore point
b. factory install with data backup
c. complete factory install

Which one do you choose?

2. I have 3 partitions In my laptop:
1) Recovery partition (AlienRespawn)
- This partition is untouched and unmodified, so it is in its original factory configuration.

2) Windows 7 partition
- In its original factory configuration, this partition is larger. So, in Disk Management, I shrunk its size, thus creating unallocated free space.

3) Data partition
- This partition was created from the unallocated free space created earlier.

If I use AlienRespawn (choosing either of 3 options mentioned in Point 1), I know that it will restore a computer back to its original factory configuration, meaning that it will restore the Windows 7 partition to its original factory configuration. What about Data partition? Will AlienRespawn erase Data partition? Or, it will not affect the Data partition? In short, I am afraid that if I do use AlienRespawn, it will format the entire hard disk, instead of just the Windows 7 partition.

Thanks for the advice.

 

@Found: Nope - single drive in the M11x.

@Alvin: When I am wiping a drive or whatever - starting fresh, I go with option C - complete factory recovery.

To answer your part 2 question, yes, I believe (dont quote me on it though) that the entire drive is wiped and imaged from the restore. So yes, all 3 partitions will be overwritten by the image restore.

 

Batboy
So, you are saying that AlienRespawn will change my 3 partitions into the original 2 partitions? Gosh, after using AlienRespawn, I have to spend ton of time copying all of my data which was originally placed in Data partition.

One last question, does AlienRespawn Recovery Media (either DVDs or USB stick) create a new Recovery partition in a new hard disk?

 

restoring using the Recovery Media will place the drive back into the 'out of box' state so, the answer to your q is 'yes'.

 

But this doesn't mean using a emergency USB will bring back the factory partition on a new drive, right?

By the way, when implementing AlienRespawn, does the factory partition have to be on the same hard drive as the AR software? (I'm getting a new SSD, if I use both HDs, the factory partition will be on HDD, and AR software will be with OS which is in the new SSD, will AR recognize factory image being on a separate HDD?)

 

yes, if you create an emergency recovery option (be it USB Flash drive or Optical media) when your AlienRespawn/DataSafe Local is still 'original' (meaning, out of box state - not as a download using alvin's link), then yes, it will put the factory partition on a new drive. Think of it as a duplicate of the original HDD regardless of size.

I have personally done this on my 11x. Went from a smaller HDD (stock) to an aftermarket drop of a larger HDD.

To your second question, not sure - have never tried it. Let us know what happens.

 

Hi Everyone,

I don't think my question is off-topic, but if it is I apologize in advance...

First the Back Story:
I purchased my M15x in Dec 09 (just about to hit a year :-D ) and it came from the factory with Dell DataSafe Local Backup pre-installed. This utility allowed me to do a factory restore from within Windows 7 (which AW Support had me do a couple of times). However, I was also able to initiate a restore from the Windows 7 Boot Option menu (which I have also done). Once I discovered this, I did a complete backup of my M15x to my WHS, and them uninstalled Dell DataSafe Local Backup. I did this, as the software as shipped from Dell, polled the computer approximately once every 60 to 80 seconds, which resulted in choppy Blu-Ray Playback (movie would pause and skip about once a minute). I actually posted here on the forums about it. Removing Dell DataSafe Local Backup solved the skipping problems.

Now the question:
Does the new AlienRespawn software solve the polling issues, and is there any value to re-install this software? My recovery partition is intact (and actually backed-up to my WHS)? I had always wanted AlienRespawn, but it was not an option for the M15x at the time of my purchase. Thanks in advance!

Rich S.

 

Well, the polling issue may have been resolved with one of the updates to DSLocal. I know there have been at least 1 update to DS and since I updated to AWRespawn there has been another.

You might be able to reinstall it using the link I originally posted - try it and see if it detects the restore partition.

Is there any benefit? Not really as long as you had taken the time to make a recovery route using either USB Flash or Optical under DSLocal. With that recovery media created, there really is no reason to have the app installed and the service running - unless you dont mind the minimal sys resources. I have it running and have no issues with it on my 11x. At most it offers a fast route to initiate a restore without having to manually boot up using the rescue media.

Here are the links to reinstall via the checker (again, it will check for the partition first):

DataSafe Local:
http://dslbchecker.datasafelocalbackup.com/dslchecker-en.html

AlienRespawn:
http://alwchecker.alienrespawn.com/alwchecker-en.html

Note, if you want to bypass the checker, you can use Alvin's direct links which can be found here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/6936655-post11.html

I do suggest using the checker first - let the software verify all is fine with the recovery partition.

 

Hello guys!

I received my new m17x-r2, everything is going good but there are some issues, which I cannot explain.. For example, the system advises to create AlienRespawn disks, I follow this advise, but creation is aborted due to error.. There is not enough space on Hard Drive.. while it is completely empty, there is only OS on it..



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I tried to choose usb flash drive media for creation, but it is also aborted, and the system says simply: Error..

Had anyone something like this?

Thank you,


PEACE