Help? please? Dell Inspiron laptop needs to be restored to "factory settings"

aloiseb

Please help! We bought the laptop in January from PCWorld and it's refusing to hook up to wireless internet. Took it back and they had a look, said it looked as if the disc had become "corrupted" and we needed to restore its factory settings. They said we need to use the discs which came with it.

We've saved all the files onto a DVD and are now ready to do this "restore". But we can't find out how to!

Please could somebody sya what you have to do? Is it something to do with pressing F12 when the laptop is first switched on, because I have tried this but can't see anything I can understand when I do it - lots of options such as BIOs doodahs and things but nothing which looks remotely like"restore factory settings"!

BTW we can't find the receipt for the laptop so are not sure PC World will do any more without charging.

Also, is it likely to have been a virus which has caused this problem and if so, will we get the same thing happening again if we put all the old files, I-tunes etc back on the laptop from the dvd of saved files?

A_Nice_Englishman

I have replied in your other thread

macman

It's most unlikely that you need to do a factory restore just because your wireless link has failed. PCW tech support is uselesss, adviding a restore/reinstall is standard practice just to get you out of the shop-why don't you speak to Dell direct? You shouldn't need a receipt, you just give them the service tag which is on the laptop.
Yes, if you have a virus then it may be copied to your backup.
All the instructions for doing a Dell PC Restore are in the manual for your laptop which is installed in PDF format on it. Dell PC Restore is usually accessed through Control+F11 at boot up. Bear in mind that you will lose all your data and any after-market programs that you may have installed.
Personally I wouldn't let PCW near it, but since it is still in guarantee, they should offer to fix it for you.
Therer are various things that can lead to wireless failure and you should check them out before even considering a restore. Can you connect using an ethernet cable for example?

andy2004

1. check services running, start / run type services.msc in the popup window scroll down to bottom and check wireless zero configuration is set to automatic

2. check device manager, start / run type devmgmt.msc, and look for any yellow ! marks, means missing or corrupt drivers.

3. try connecting online via an ethernet lead, their blue, connect via the modem and laptop connection. Blue socket

4. run a spyware scan, suggest malwarebytes antisptware https://www.malwarebytes.org it freeware, use the same computer to download as you used to put in your post. and copy over via flashdrive.

5. laptop have a switch usually on the front on the right, to enable / disable the internal wireless, make sure this is in the correct position, should tell you in the manual. I believe it should be to the left for on.

6. if all the above fails, and you can get the DELL to get online, use the recovery options
most new DELLS dont come with factory restore disc's anymore. They actually have the recovery image on the internal harddrive in a hidden partition. Copied from there webpage. http://oem.windowsreinstall.com/dell/index.htm one of these should be yours.
Dell Windows Vista Recovery from Factory image

• Start the computer.
• As the computer starts, press the F8 key until the Advanced Boot Options menu appears on the screen.
• Press the (Down Arrow) 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 check box for Yes, reformat hard drive and restore system software to factory condition.
• Click Next. The computer is restored to the default factory configuration.
• When the restore operation is completed, click Finish to restart the computer.

I hope you find this information helpful.