format & reisntall from Recovery Partition

I've been reading threads and guides ( 1, 2) on how to format and reinstall, but I have one more question:

My friend owns an Inspiron but lost his recovery DVDs. In order to format his C: and reinstall Windows from the recovery partition, he should hit Ctrl+F11 at Dell logo and follow instrucions to format?

or what are the steps to follow?

thanks, and sorry if it has been answered before (if it has, I didn't find it...)

 

if the recovery partition is intact, he can use it to restore the computer: http://support.dell.com/support/top...d=58E26A65A4388E4FE040AE0AB7E107E3&l=en&s=dhs

 

but does that PC Restore also reinstalls Windows, even if he has no key or disc?

 

yep. it does. I might make a sticky guide to pc restore for Dell systems soon.

 

+1
that would be handy... I coudn't find an easy guide on how to do this.

Thanks for your help.