Restoring a Dell computer to factory setting. XP,Vista & Windows7

Before you restore any PC
to its factory settings,
make sure you have
backed up any important
information before hand
(if possible).
Dell has designed two new
backup and restore
programs, see below for the
details:
Dell Inspirons, Studios, and
XPS Systems use DataSafe
Local Backup 2.0 as the PC
Restore/Factory Image
Restore option as of April
22, 2009.
Click here if your computer
is an Inspiring, Studio, or
XPS
Dell OptiPlex, Latitude,
Vostro, and Precisions use
Dell Backup and Recovery
Manager as the PC Restore/
Factory Image Restore
option as of May 26, 2009.
Click here if your computer
is an OptiPlex, Latitude,
Vostro, or Precision
Once you have backed up
your PC you can start the
restore process. The first
thing to do is remove non-
essential peripherals. This is
the same for XP,Vista and
W7.
Except for the monitor,
keyboard, and mouse,
remove all external
peripherals including:
Scanner ,Printer ,Modem or
Network cables ,Personal
Digital Assistant (PDA)
,USB flash drive or other
external Hard Drive ,Any
other external devices (e.g.,
USB-attached devices)
,remove the computer from
the docking station, if you
are using one.
You are now ready to
restore the computer's
software to original
condition.
Note : If you have had the
hard drive replaced or have
reformatted the original,
this will not be possible.
The restore partition is
stored on your factory
hard drive.
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---------------------------
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Windows XP or
Windows Media Center
Turn on the computer.
When the Dell splash screen
appears during the
computer startup process,
press and hold <Ctrl> and
then press <F11>. Then,
release both keys at the
same time. If this does not
work try tapping both
keys after turning the PC
on. I have tried this 25 times
before i got it to work so
keep trying. You can use
either left or right <Ctrl>.
Some systems like Inspiron
Mini 9 (910) do not support
System Restore as they do
not have <F11> nor any
substitute.
If the key strokes are not
working or you do not have
PC Restore any more. You
will have to do a manual
reinstall.
Click here for
manual installation
instructions.
You will now see the
Dell
PC Restore by Symantec
window, click
Restore
.
Alternatively, press <Tab>
to highlight
Restore
, and
then press <Enter>.
When a warning message
appears stating that all
data will be lost, click
Confirm,
or press <Tab> to
highlight
Confirm
and
then press <Enter>.
The
Progress
window will
appear. Once the restore
process starts, Dell PC
Restore by Symantec
usually takes about 8 to 10
minutes to finish.
When the restore process is
complete, the following
message will appear:
The system recovery
process was successful
.
Click
Finish
or press <Tab>
to highlight
Finish
and
then press <Enter> to restart
the computer.The software
is now installed as it was
when the computer was
first received.
---------------------------
---------------------------
-----------------
Windows Vista
Turn on the computer.
As the computer starts,
press <F8> on the keyboard
until the
Advanced Boot
Options
menu appears on
the screen.
Note:
You must press <F8>
before the Windows logo
appears on the screen. If
you press <F8> after the
Windows logo appears on
the screen, the
Advanced
Boot Options
menu will not
appear on the screen. If you
do not see the
Advanced
Boot Options
menu, restart
the computer, and then
repeat this step until you
see the menu on the screen.
Press the <Down Arrow> on
the keyboard to select
Repair Your Computer
on
the
Advanced Boot
Options
menu
,
and then
press <Enter>.
Specify the language
settings that you want,
and then click
Next
.
Log in as a user who has
administrative credentials,
and then click
OK
.
Click
Dell Factory Image
Restore
.
In the
Dell Factory Image
Restore
window, click
Next
.
Click to select the
Yes,
reformat hard drive and
restore system software
to factory condition
check
box.
Click
Next
.
The computer is restored to
the default factory
configuration.
When the restore operation
is completed, click
Finish
to
restart the computer.
The software is now
installed as it was when the
computer was first received.
---------------------------
---------------------------
-----------------
Windows 7
Turn on the computer.
As the computer starts,
press <F8> on the keyboard
until the
Advanced Boot
Options
menu appears on
the screen.
Note:
You must press <F8>
before the Windows logo
appears on the screen. If
you press <F8> after the
Windows logo appears on
the screen, the
Advanced
Boot Options
menu will not
appear on the screen. If you
do not see the
Advanced
Boot Options
menu, restart
the computer, and then
repeat this step until you
see the menu on the screen.
Press the <Down Arrow> on
the keyboard to select
Repair Your Computer
on
the
Advanced Boot
Options
menu
,
and then
press <Enter>.
Specify the language
settings that you want,
and then click
Next
.
Log in as a user who has
administrative credentials,
and then click
OK
.
Click
Dell Factory Image
Restore
.
In the
Dell Factory Image
Restore
window, click
Next
.
Click to select the
Yes,
to be cont.