Restore Disc question.

Do vostro's ship with a restore cd for vista or XP?

If not, what do you do for reinstalling the OS?

 

Unless you specifically specified that you didn't want an OS disk, it should come with an OS disk. If not, you should pester Dell for an OS disk because they should give it to you in the first place.

 

No, it does not. You'll have to call in and insist a request.

 

Apparently, just for general information, the restore disk which came with my Dell Dimension 3000 does not support repairing OS without formatting the entire computer. I'm not sure if it has been fixed or not.

I learned this when I tried to repair my OS due to an installshield error, but it said that a file is "missing". So I phoned Dell support, and they told me that I have to format the computer to use the disk.

 

https://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dellcare/en/backupcd_form

 

The Vostro notebooks come with OS re-installation disk. In some of the early shipment, it was left out and some of the customers have received the disk later automatically with a letter to apologize. Others have gone through either web form or contacting customer service to have the disks sent. My Vostro 1400 came with OS re-installation disk, driver/utility CD, and Media Direct re-installation. Since the disks do not contain all the included softwares, I requested another sets of re-installation disks. They sent again the OS, driver/utility, and Creative Lab Audigy (instead of Media Direct). Finally I recovered the missing softwares from my backup and online support. Some of the drivers/softwares cannot be found in the re-installation disk and can only be re-installed from my Windows.old folder.

 

You should receive an OS cd if you indicated it when you ordered. If not, you should call dell for a request or just fill out a form from the web.

You may also use the restore partition, but i guess this option is only available if the OS came preinstalled.

 

I didn't have restore partition in my M6300. Is it common or techs forgot about it?

 

I think it is normal. Your system is a precision workstation, the recovery partition is not an option. You have to reinstall the OS using the cd or dvd.

 

Also, can I use a restore disc of another system on mine? Like a friend of mine has an inspiron and i have a vostro, could we use a single disc? (assuming exact same OS).

 

yes you can use it since it is an OEM, just make sure you have the same service pack. anyway, why don't you request a copy, they can send you one.

 

I'm pretty sure the disks that are being sent are generic as they have a certain part number for a specific disk. As long as they are of the same OS, using it should do no harm to the system, but it is advised that you should only use the one specified by Dell (we're talking legality here).

 

Hi,

My name is Todd and I'm with Dell's online outreach program. I think there may have been a miscommunication because that's not actually correct. We print Windows installation CDs but in functionality they're the same as a Microsoft Windows installation CD. It could be something else was causing the problem that you ran into, I'm not sure.

As for the Vostro systems, if you didn't get a copy of the installation CD let us know and we'll have one sent out to you. The Precisions Workstations don't normally have the image partition included in them.

You can use any Dell reinstallation CD to install Windows on a Dell system, as long as you are using the correct version (ie Windows XP Home, Pro, Vista Ultimate, etc) and have a valid license for the product. Please note, normally the Dell versions of the reinstallation CDs will not work with non-Dell systems if that is what you were looking for. If you need a copy of the CD contact any of our technical support reps and they can help get you one.

If you have any other questions please let me know and I'll be glad to help in any way that I can.

Thank you,

Todd

Customer Advocate
Dell, Inc.

http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2006/11/19/3648.aspx

 

i think the problem here is that the files for the OS are already corrupted and repairing it will not work.

 

It should copy the uncorrupted file off the CD and replace the file saved to the disk. I've never had great luck with repair installs personally.

You may also want to try running the system file checker to see if it will correct the file(s). This assumes you can get into the OS in some way and if its corrupted so badly that may not be possible.

But with a Dell system if it comes down to it we're more than happy to replace lost or broken installation media.

Thank you,

Todd

Customer Advocate
Dell, Inc.