Re: Reformatting a Dell Dimension 4550
From: Rick S. (nowhere_at_dot.com)
Date: 02/13/05
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Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 23:32:17 -0500
Power up the computer and when the BLUE DELL SCREEN 1st comes on, press CTL
& F11 , tthat should get you to a recovery screen where you can reformat
and install Windows XP (with the programs that came with it)
"D.Currie" <dmbcurrie.nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:377dbtF599p2jU1@individual.net...
>
> "Cbarton" <Cbarton@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:4177E046-1E0C-4414-B9A0-C4CC9C8104AA@microsoft.com...
>>I am having a problem reformatting a Dell Dimension 4550. My friend got
>>this
>> PC about 2 years ago, and unfortunately, he is not computer literate at
>> all.
>> He had the entire McAfee Security suite on it, but did not have it
>> activated
>> and working. He thought that it was on there, so it was OK. Well, his
>> PC
>> completely froze up a few weeks ago, and he called me. I did a quick
>> virus
>> scan and ran Ewido on it. I got over 600 spyware, malware, key loggers,
>> and
>> hijackers and 59 viruses. WOW, no wonder it wouldn't work. I got all
>> but 1
>> pest out, and it had changed a bunch of registry values, and a quick INET
>> search revealed that the 1 pest that was left was an active desktop
>> hijacker
>> that is used the steal credit card numbers. Needless to say, I need to
>> ensure that there are no registry changes that will point right back to
>> this
>> pest.
>>
>> Another unfortunate event is that it is a Dell, and their restore disks
>> are
>> terrible. There is no boot disk at all or a system restore disk of any
>> kind.
>> I have all the driver disks, the OS disk, and an application disk. I
>> really
>> hate the way Dell treats their customers when it comes to their
>> equipment,
>> and this is no exception. My friend told me that Dell didn't even send
>> the
>> disks until about a year after they got the PC. They had called numerous
>> times, and they kept wanting them to buy them. Personally, I don't think
>> that Dell provided a restore disk.
>>
>> So, that is where I am stuck. I cannot reload the OS without a bootable
>> restore disk because the OS disk won't boot. I really need to reformat
>> this
>> disk to ensure that I get everything out. Just re-installing Windows is
>> not
>> going to solve the problem.
>>
>> Can I use the boot disk creator exe file on Microsoft's site for XP home
>> wSP1, or do I have to have one specific for the Dell?
>>
>> I am stuck, and I have been working on this thing for 2 days. If Dell
>> would
>> just use restore disk images like all the other vendors, these people
>> could
>> have fixed this themselves.
>>
>> Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
>> --
>> Cbarton
>
>
> It's interesting, but most experienced computers users feel exactly the
> opposite about the use of a "real" os cd like Dell provides compared to a
> restore CD that only gives the option to reimage the system. With the os
> cd, you can customize the install or do a repair, which isn't possible
> with the image. And for people who have data on the computer that hasn't
> been backed up, reimaging the system can be a tragedy. But if you prefer
> the images, that's certainly your option. I'd suggest that you simply make
> your own for your computers, and then you have what you like, and no need
> to worry about what comes with the computer.
>
> But even if you had an image, you'd be in the same situation. If you can't
> figure out how to get the computer to boot from the cd, the image disk
> wouldn't run, either, because it also has to be able to boot.
>
> Rather than beating your brains out, it might be best to get some hands-on
> help so someone can actually see what's going on. I've had plenty of
> people swear to me that their computer wouldn't boot from the cd, but when
> I got the computer into the shop there was no problem. It might be worth
> your friend's while to pay to get this done, because once you've got
> Windows reloaded, you're going to need to install drivers, etc., and if
> it's already been 2 days trying to get the computer to boot from CD, it's
> going to be a long, hard journey getting the job finished.
>
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- In reply to: D.Currie: "Re: Reformatting a Dell Dimension 4550"
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