apc

Hey all,

Does anyone know the sequence of keys to press to bring a Dell computer back to the way it was when shipped? It is a Dell dimension 3000. Thanks.

wjwerdna

pretty sure that doesnt exist... some will have a partition to reformat to, that should be accessible thru some menus or a application of some sort... or try calling them, the friendly dell tech support always helps if you speak their language.... (not english)

Buck01

You should have a recovery disk of some sort that came with the pc.

Churnd

Aye... all the software that came with it is on those CD's that came with it also.

li_runner

I think by his question he might not really know what anyone is talking about.

There is no simple "reset" button for computers, after all that is why a whole industry exists. What you will want to do is re-install windows. You want to re-format, re-install windows, then re-install all of the programs you use.

My advice, find that friend who knows "computers", and get him to help.

DiskDoctr

I agree. Buy some pizza and beer and invite him over!

But seriously, look to see if you have a "restore disk." If not, I think they can send you one pretty cheap.

Good luck.

-DiskDoctr

ldivinag

before you do any of this...

make sure you have that microsoft 25 digit activation code sticker on the machine and it is READABLE...

Glenn

What he said. ^^^ Without those numbers, you are SOL.

98whtLmTD

Apc, i know exactly what your talking about. There is a sequence you can press to reset your dell back to the factory, still in box setting. I did this once for my aunt when she was having problems with her comp. Her computer did not come with any windwos disk and the dell tech said that they are built into the harddrive. I cant seem to recall what the pattern was, but you should be able to call tech support and they should help. Hope that helps...

Gene.

wjwerdna

yes.... a lot of dells, and especially laptops, and ESPECIALLY those bought through small business area do not come with disks, and if you completely reformat, you lose this partition that has everything set up on it... unless you search different sites you will have to call Dull Tech support

wjwerdna

(dont ask me how i know this)

apc

98whtlmtd,

It seems like you and I are the only ones who have done this. It does exist as I did it some time ago. I guess I will have to call Dell.

Thanks for all the suggestions though.

Churnd

I knew some dells did come with service partitions that contained diagnostics and the like. I haven't seen one with a recovery partition on it yet, but most of the ones I deal with are a few years old or older anyway. Let us know if you find out more.

midiwall

Hmmm... so, we're talking about getting access to what appears to be a recovery partition. Google turned up a few leads...

Here's a utility that will restore _access_ to the partition:
http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/

Info on the partition:
http://www.goodells.net/dellutility/index.htm


And in the midst of it all, it looks like the magic key sequence may be CTRL+F11 when booting... From the page:btw, this page at Dell should help a lot:

http://support.dell.com/support/topi...=us&l=en&s=gen

Buck01

Wow good info. I have not seen this before and I work with dell desktops and laptops every day.

green91runner

i've never run into a dell or toshiba that has the restore partition.. nor have i used one that had quick key diagnostics on boot-up, but i have had a dell tech support try and tell me to push 'crtl+g' (supposed to do a harddrive diagnostic. she was very adament about it, until i told her that this model doesnt have that feature, but the harddrive diagnostic is on the cd. she then put me on hold for 5 min and came back to tell me to get my cd. morale of the story, even if they're paid and have a huge database in front of them, it doesnt mean they know what they're talking about.

i know hp and compaq always use the recovery partition, and I hate it. I actually tried to use it once using the quick-key at boot-up, and nothing happened. simply awesome. but yea, whenever theres a problem they shove the recovery down your throat and don't provide adequate drivers on their site. Toshiba and Dell have the right idea. Provide a recovery DVD, and put every driver and utility on the site so people can use the OS that they want.

ldivinag

ahhh... back in the good ol days... you just ZZTOP it...