In plain English - how do you wipe these Dell partitions and restore points!?

"relic" wrote in message

Ben Myers wrote:
You can't be serious! I service Dell boxes a lot. I install new
ones for the technically challenged buyers. I reload the OS when
the hard disk is toast and needs to be replaced. I have NEVER seen a
Dell restore CD. I have used and will continue to use the CDs
supplied by Dell (now for a price) containing a copy of Windows XP
(Home or Pro) and the driver CD.

Get your facts 100% right or even just 99.9% when cross-posting to a
Dell newsgroup! ... Ben Myers

****ing DellBots.

I understand now why Dell users complain about recieving
techno-****wittery from the Dell newsgroups, Ben. The fact that _YOU_
haven't seen a Dell restore CD just reveals how limited your
"knowledge" really is.

This page has a lot of information for the various incarnations of the
recovery process:

http://support.dell.com/support/topi...034&l=en&s=dhs

In particular:

" The Dell OS Recovery Utility is available on Dimension computers
that were shipped between December 15, 2004 and July 15, 2005 and on
Inspiron computers between January 10, 2005 and July 15, 2005. The
utility is available on the same systems shipped in Europe between the
dates of April 11, 2005 and February 20, 2006"

"You may have the ability to create your own OS Recovery CD. This CD
would be required if both System Restore and PC Restore failed or if you
are an advanced user and have the desire to rebuild your system
manually. This CD may also be required if you have a hard drive failure
or upgrade your hard drive."

There's more on the page itself about the various methods Dell offers,
but now and in the past.

--
Rhonda Lea Kirk

Happiness limits the amount of suffering one is
willing to inflict on others. Phèdre nó Delaunay

Rhonda Lea Kirk wrote:
"Tom Scales" wrote in message


"Rebecca" wrote in message
...

Bob Levine wrote:

The Dell OEM CDs are effectively the same as any
retail CD with possibly some Dell drivers and installation info so
that it doesn't need to be activated.

Well, not quite. Dell has two types of Dell-branded 'generic' XP
CDs: One will not install on anything except a Dell PC, the other
installs on any PC.
Both need to be activated, neither has any special drivers that any
other OEM XP CD has.

Dell also makes Recovery XP CDs that don't require activation and
have special Dell stuff on them, but those CDs aren't even close to
"the same as
any retail CD".




Rebecca,

Sorry, but absolutely none of this is correct. Dell has ONE kind of
XP CD, which is a standard XP CD with Dell drivers slipstreamed.


My drivers are on a separate CD.
I also received a standard Windows CD and a CD with the various program
samples normally preloaded by Dell.


It
is BIOS locked and does NOT require activation on a Dell, but will if
used as a OEM CD for another brand.

Dell does not have ANY Restore CDs that include the applications.


The Recovery CD may not, but if you obtain the set of 3 CDs, all the
programs are there.

I cannot believe I'm crossposting into this group again. Gak! But Becky
knows what she's talking about; you don't.

I got my Dell Dimension 4700 in March of 2005. It has a CD labeled
Operating System and say "Only use the CD to reinstall the operating
system on a Dell Computer". I also got a CD of Drivers and Utilities
and a CD of Applications. Does this mean I can only use the Operating
System on another Dell computer, or if I build one myself I can use it
on that computer?

Henry

DatabaseBen wrote:
Yes, you have to understand that if you don't want nothin of the Dell O.S.
installed, then you need to get / buy a Window CD from the store. If you
use the Dell OEM Windows CD's, you will get all that stuff you are trying to
avoid.

If you mean "bloatware", not true. Once you finish the Windows Setup
you'll have a bare bones XP on your HDD - no antivirus, no Internet BS,
no Musicmatch, etc.

This is a competition with winners and losers? Since when?

On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 12:46:31 +0545, "Kadaitcha Man"
wrote:

, the brain-dead waiter, reproached:

Kadaitcha Man wrote:
DJ , the stuffed mechanician, sent out:

FDISK from a win98 boot disk.

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA! You ****witted ****. What if the machine has,
say, NTFS partitions that are logical drives on extended partitions?
Then what, **** for ****ing brains?


Easy. Delete non-dos partition, it works charmingly. If that doesn't
workBITCHSLAP

Your get-out clause is accepted as your admission of defeat.

On Sun, 20 Aug 2006 23:20:55 -0500, Henry wrote:
SNIP

The Recovery CD may not, but if you obtain the set of 3 CDs, all the
programs are there.

I cannot believe I'm crossposting into this group again. Gak! But Becky
knows what she's talking about; you don't.

I got my Dell Dimension 4700 in March of 2005. It has a CD labeled
Operating System and say "Only use the CD to reinstall the operating
system on a Dell Computer". I also got a CD of Drivers and Utilities
and a CD of Applications. Does this mean I can only use the Operating
System on another Dell computer, or if I build one myself I can use it
on that computer?

Henry

Microsoft lawyers may come and whack one of us, but legally you can use the CD
on the computer you got, but practically speaking, all Dell OS CDs are
interchangable (provided they say XP Home for example), and can be used on other
Dell systems with the SAME OS sticker.

I have heard several opinions about using a Dell OS CD on a non-Dell computer.
One is that it works just fine. The other is that it balks at accepting the
25-character alphanumeric code from a retail Windows COA... Ben Myers

Ben Myers wrote:


I have heard several opinions about using a Dell OS CD on a non-Dell computer.
One is that it works just fine. The other is that it balks at accepting the
25-character alphanumeric code from a retail Windows COA... Ben Myers

Retail CD keys are, IME, indeed a problem. They just don't work. But
I've had no problem getting the CD keys on other OEM machines to work.

Bob

"Tom Scales" wrote in message


snipped

I know more about Dell's than you EVER will. You're wrong, deal with
it.

Dell's what?

All you're good for is throwing your weight around. "If Tom Scales says
it, it must be so." Even when you're dead wrong.

It's a computer, Tom, not the second coming of Christ, and for all that
you worship it like a graven idol, you are not its holy prophet.

Get over yourself, already.
--
Rhonda Lea Kirk

Happiness limits the amount of suffering one is
willing to inflict on others. Phèdre nó Delaunay

"ANONYMOUS" wrote in message

Damian wrote:


Dell doesn't supply everything they make with each PC. Dell does
make what she wrote!

Dell supplies everything it makes at a price! The CDs are optional
extras. For example look at this site:

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dells...rsdimen_3100_2

I got mine free, a couple of months after I received my computer, just
for the asking.

Want to see the packing slip?

And that link you provided is for Dells sold in the UK anyway.

--
Rhonda Lea Kirk

Happiness limits the amount of suffering one is
willing to inflict on others. Phèdre nó Delaunay

Now THAT is useful information. This implies that the same OEM CDs are used by
every major OEM of Microsoft Windows. And this makes a lot of sense. After
all, why cobble up specific OEM versions for Dell, IBM, HPaq, Gate-machines, and
all the rest? ... Ben Myers

On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:57:53 GMT, Bob Levine wrote:

Ben Myers wrote:


I have heard several opinions about using a Dell OS CD on a non-Dell computer.
One is that it works just fine. The other is that it balks at accepting the
25-character alphanumeric code from a retail Windows COA... Ben Myers

Retail CD keys are, IME, indeed a problem. They just don't work. But
I've had no problem getting the CD keys on other OEM machines to work.

Bob

Ben Myers wrote:
Now THAT is useful information. This implies that the same OEM CDs
are used by every major OEM of Microsoft Windows. And this makes a
lot of sense. After all, why cobble up specific OEM versions for
Dell, IBM, HPaq, Gate-machines, and all the rest? ... Ben Myers

Surely you're not going to buy that crapola. Suffice it to say, "there are
several exceptions to his opinion."


On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:57:53 GMT, Bob Levine
wrote:

Ben Myers wrote:


I have heard several opinions about using a Dell OS CD on a
non-Dell computer. One is that it works just fine. The other is
that it balks at accepting the 25-character alphanumeric code from
a retail Windows COA... Ben Myers

Retail CD keys are, IME, indeed a problem. They just don't work. But
I've had no problem getting the CD keys on other OEM machines to
work.

Bob

Ben Myers wrote:

Now THAT is useful information. This implies that the same OEM CDs are used by
every major OEM of Microsoft Windows. And this makes a lot of sense. After
all, why cobble up specific OEM versions for Dell, IBM, HPaq, Gate-machines, and
all the rest? ... Ben Myers

On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:57:53 GMT, Bob Levine wrote:


Ben Myers wrote:



I have heard several opinions about using a Dell OS CD on a non-Dell computer.
One is that it works just fine. The other is that it balks at accepting the
25-character alphanumeric code from a retail Windows COA... Ben Myers

Retail CD keys are, IME, indeed a problem. They just don't work. But
I've had no problem getting the CD keys on other OEM machines to work.

They are still Dell specific since they don't require activation on
Dells. You'll get an activation warning on other OEM machines and you
can just enter the CD Key on the case to activate it.

Bob

Tom,

You don't need to tell us. We all know that you know far, FAR, more about
Dell computers than anyone else. After all, over the years, you've told us
enough times. G

Now I remember why I periodically read this group.

It is so entertaining.

Your fan,

Irene
"Tom Scales" wrote in message
.. .

"Dustbin Kook" wrote in message
...
Tom Scales wrote:
"Damian" wrote in message
reenews.net...
Tom Scales wrote:
"Rebecca" wrote in message
...
Bob Levine wrote:

The Dell OEM CDs are effectively the same as any
retail CD with possibly some Dell drivers and installation info so
that it doesn't need to be activated.

Well, not quite. Dell has two types of Dell-branded 'generic' XP
CDs: One will not install on anything except a Dell PC, the other
installs on any PC.
Both need to be activated, neither has any special drivers that any
other OEM XP CD has.

Dell also makes Recovery XP CDs that don't require activation and
have special Dell stuff on them, but those CDs aren't even close to
"the same as
any retail CD".




Rebecca,

Sorry, but absolutely none of this is correct. Dell has ONE kind of
XP CD, which is a standard XP CD with Dell drivers slipstreamed. It
is BIOS locked and does NOT require activation on a Dell, but will
if used as a OEM CD for another brand.

Do some research. What Rebecca wrote is correct.



No, its not.

You gonna stomp your feet and hold your breath until you turn blue?
You're wrong, Rebecca is right. Deal with it.


You're crossposting to the Dell group. Those of us posting from there
know more than you do. Lots more. More than you'll ever know. Sorry to
let you know you're stupid, but facts are facts.

Plonk

Irene wrote:

Tom,

You don't need to tell us. We all know that you know far, FAR, more about
Dell computers than anyone else. After all, over the years, you've told us
enough times. G

Now I remember why I periodically read this group.

It is so entertaining.

Your fan,

Irene

Tell us, despite your personal feelings, what has your experience been
in receiving CDs with Dell machines?

Bob

Two came with the CD's. One did not, did not offer a purchase option and did
not have the option to burn the CD. No real problem(other than the wait). We
called Dell and received the CD about two and one half months later.


"Bob Levine" wrote in message
news:JxpGg.20175$u1.6229@trnddc05...
Irene wrote:

Tom,

You don't need to tell us. We all know that you know far, FAR, more
about Dell computers than anyone else. After all, over the years, you've
told us enough times. G

Now I remember why I periodically read this group.

It is so entertaining.

Your fan,

Irene

Tell us, despite your personal feelings, what has your experience been in
receiving CDs with Dell machines?

Bob

Irene wrote:

Two came with the CD's. One did not, did not offer a purchase option and did
not have the option to burn the CD. No real problem(other than the wait). We
called Dell and received the CD about two and one half months later.

And have you used those CDs to reinstall Windows? If so, what was the
experience? Activation request or no?

Bob