Dell recovery disk

[Simon]

Has anyone used a Dell recovery disk, and does it save or wipe all of your data?

I've spent the morning up at a friends, trying to rid them of a SpyAxe derivative (spyware that keeps popping up as a dialogue bubble from your system tray, telling you your machine is infected, and to download blah blah to remove it), but have actually made things worse!

I first tried SpyAxe Remover, which did as it said on the tin, at first, but then other things weren't right, such as applications taking ages to launch (even though nothing looked odd in Task Manager), plus the F-Secure icon has disappeared from the system tray, it wouldn't run a scan, and it didn't appear to be updating.  At this point, Windows Update demanded to install SP3 (they had kept clicking 'later' when it had asked before), which I allowed to complete, then I re-installed F-Secure, to no avail. 

I then decided to use CCleaner to see if that would help.  After this, things were still slow, so I thought I'd try SuperAntiSpyware, but it refused to install, even in safe mode, and by this time, after umpteen reboots, the bloody SpyAxe thing had come back again, along with Windows asking to be re-activated, and Networking refusing to start.

By this time, I'm gathering it's pretty well knackered, and was going to use the Dell Recovery CD, but wasn't sure if it would wipe everything or not, hence my original question.  I also have a feeling that the Dell CD won't work, as I seem to remember doing a clean install of Windows for them, when the machine was new. 

Why do I offer to repair friends' machines?  It's lost me a morning of my free weekend, and I'm now wound up after things being worse when I left it, to when I started, making me look a complete pillock!

[Rik]

I suspect that it restores the machine to 'factory state', Simon, so will wipe all data.

[Steve]

It either that or a Dell branded version of the OS. Sounds like you need a clean slate anyway,hopefully you can copy the data first.Good luck.

[Glenn]

If you need a Dell XP CD let me know, we have a few hundred at work doing nothing

[Simon]

I think they still have all the CDs that came with it, Glenn, and I have a copy of XP SP3 which I could use with their licence, but thanks anyway, I'll bear that in mind.

It's just so annoying that they had a working PC before I started, but I suppose, if it was infected with spyware, it wasn't a good idea to have been using it on the network anyway.

[Rik]

Murphy's Law, Simon.

[Steve]

It's just so annoying that they had a working PC before I started, but I suppose, if it was infected with spyware, it wasn't a good idea to have been using it on the network anyway.

I think the term "working" is a liitle strong.

[Simon]

Yes, it possible is, Steve.  I have a feeling I may have already done a fresh installation of Windows for them, when the machine was new, so unless there's still something hidden away in a dark corner of the drive, with the original Dell files on it, the Dell recovery CD may not work anyway.  Thinking about it, even if it did, that would also reinstall all the cr@p that was removed from the machine when it was new, so I'm now looking at the Windows CD Repair installation route, to start with.

[Steve]

According to your first post the spyware was still present, so won't a repair still leave you with problems.?

[Rik]

Well spotted, Wilson.

[Simon]

True, but with Windows functioning, I should have a better chance of removing it, shouldn't I?  Or is that being over optimistic?

I have a feeling it was CCleaner that toasted the OS, after the registry clean, but I did take a registry backup I could possibly employ.  By that point this morning, though, I'd had enough.

[Rik]

It might just be easier to start from scratch, Simon.

[Simon]

It would.  Only problem being, they have a lot of family photos on the hard drive, which The don't want to lose, so I will need to try to save those.

[Steve]

Can you not copy the data from the offending drive?

[Sebby]

Simon, the Dell CD is just an XP CD. You can modify a copy of XP OEM to accept the Dell license key (completely legal). If you borrow a Dell CD from someone, remember that it doesn't ask for a serial during the installation as the key is already set using unattended installation. You can, however, change the license key once back into Windows.

[Simon]

Hang on, so are you saying I can't use the product licence key stuck on the top of the case, with a 'normal' XP CD, Seb?

Steve, yes I'm hoping they can save the data they need.

[Steve]

I think an OEM disk needs an OEM key and a retail disk a retail key,there may be more info here

[kinmel]

Simon, the Dell CD is just an XP CD. You can modify a copy of XP OEM to accept the Dell license key (completely legal). If you borrow a Dell CD from someone, remember that it doesn't ask for a serial during the installation as the key is already set using unattended installation. You can, however, change the license key once back into Windows.

The Licence Key for any CD is written into unattend.txt on the CD and you can change it to your own key before installing windows.

[Simon]

The Licence Key for any CD is written into unattend.txt on the CD and you can change it to your own key before installing windows.

Thanks Alan, but I think I'm being a bit thick here.  How would you change it, given that presumably you can't write to the CD?   

I'm pretty sure that I installed a 'clean' version of Windows when they had the machine new, and would have used the 'Dell' licence to do so.  Assuming they have managed to save their data, I should be getting the machine on Monday, so I'll dive into it all then. 

[Glenn]

The Dell XP install disks I mentioned earlier don't ask for the licence key if installing to a Dell.

[kinmel]

How would you change it, given that presumably you can't write to the CD?   

The hard way is to bust the ISO and then write a new disc after you have changed the file.

However, for a better way that gives a much faster install too, you should  copy all of the Windows XP CD into a second FAT32 partition on the machine's hard drive and then you can edit the file at will.  

To install from a hard drive, start the PC in DOS from a floppy or  boot CD at the command prompt, change to the /i386 directory and run Winnt.exe which will then start the install in the usual way.

The install will be much faster than from a CD.

If you need a floppy or Boot Cd with SmartDrive to boot into DOS, PM me

[Sebby]

Hang on, so are you saying I can't use the product licence key stuck on the top of the case, with a 'normal' XP CD, Seb?

Steve, yes I'm hoping they can save the data they need.

I believe not, Simon. You would definitely not be able to use a retail copy of XP, and I'm pretty sure that even an OEM copy won't accept the Dell license key. There is a file on the XP disc - called setupp.ini - and that determines which keys will be accepted. If you don't have a Dell disc, you can use a normal XP disc, but you need to modify it. I can send you the necessary files off of a Dell disc I have here that you need to replace for it to work.

By the way, this is not illegal in any way. It does not trick the XP installation into accepting the license key in any way (I think it may sound like that a bit). Ultimately, you will be installing the version of XP that you have a license for, but it's just that standard XP discs are not the same as a Dell disc.

[Odos]

If you did do a different install initially then using the Dell restore disk ain't really an option BUT usually with those disks ( or the built in recovery partitions ) you get the option of either OS only restore or full factory reset.

OS only restore is supposed to only overwrite the OS and leave any user data untouched. Full factory reset does as has already been mentioned that is a drive format and re-install.

[Sebby]

I've never seen a Dell CD that's a recovery disc. They are just XP CDs with the license key input into unattended.txt (and obviously the necessary files to make activation unnecessary, i.e. oembios.ini, oembios.dat, etc).

[Odos]

I've never seen a Dell CD that's a recovery disc. They are just XP CDs with the license key input into unattended.txt (and obviously the necessary files to make activation unnecessary, i.e. oembios.ini, oembios.dat, etc).

I've not seen one of those for a long time, though to be honest all of the Dells I've worked on have been recent laptops and they have all been recovery disks. True some of the older ones are only base OS's to enable access to the laptops recovery partition.

[Sebby]

That may well be the case with the very recent ones, Tony.

[Simon]

Well, I have a Dell disc, and Windows discs for pre-SP1, SP2 and SP3, so hopefully one of them will work without too much of a problem!

Alan, thanks, I think I have a Windows start up floppy disc somewhere, but if not, or the PC doesn't have a floppy drive, I can get something from http://www.bootdisk.com/ 

Glenn, presumably your Dell CDs are the same as the ones shipped with new PCs?  This one is only just over a year old.

Thanks for all the help, guys! 

[Glenn]

Simon, yes they shipped with Dell D610's, the disk is a full XP SP2 install with the Dell licence key.

[Simon]

Thanks, Glenn.  They are currently struggling to move the photos from the hard drive to anywhere else, and claim that only two files will fit onto a CD.  Not sure what's going on, tbh.

[Rik]

Sounds like Photoshop files.

[Simon]

I don't know what they've done, Rik, but I would have thought they were only files taken off a camera.  If each photo is over 200Mb, and they have hundreds on there, that may explain why the thing was running so slowly!   

[Rik]

Have they actually looked at the file size?

[Simon]

   I'm determined not to spend my free day on it, so have told them, if they want my help, they'll have to wait till tomorrow. 

[Sebby]

Nicely done, Simon.

If you want those files so you can modify one of your XP discs, let me know.

[Simon]

Thanks Seb. 

[kinmel]

Alan, thanks, I think I have a Windows start up floppy disc somewhere, but if not, or the PC doesn't have a floppy drive, I can get something from http://www.bootdisk.com/ 

Make sure you add Smartdrive to the floppy and call it from within autoexec.bat, else file copying during the install will take forever.

[SillyBilly]

If you need a Dell XP CD let me know, we have a few hundred at work doing nothing

Hi Glenn
I have just managed, after 4 days with help from an expert, to remove a really nasty rootkit.  Thought I would do a Repair re-install using the XP Pro with SP2 reinstall CD I bought when I bought my Dell Inspiron 6400/E1505.  I can confirm it gave me the option to 'repair' but only after it gave me a fright by saying it was installing windows!  Only problem is in the last but one phase it reported 30 files it could not find.
I don't want to have to do a fresh install from Dell's hidden partition if I can avoid it.  Could you send me one of your Dell CDs of this type?  I haven't hidden my email address and could send my address by email
Thanks
SillyBilly

[Glenn]

Welcome to the forum, I can send one of the Dell CD's sure, PM me your address and I'll send one on Monday.

[Rik]

Hi SB

Welcome to Netters.

[Sebby]

SillyBilly and

[Simon]

SB!

I was going to mention this, so thanks for reminding me, but when I recently reinstalled Windows on the above sick machine, using the Dell CD, I found there were actually two hidden partitions.  I assume one was for the Dell Recovery files, but haven't a clue what the other one was, so I erred on the side of caution, and left it. 

[Glenn]

The 2nd one maybe a Dell diagnostics partition

[Rik]

You mean it sits there saying "Turn your head and cough"? 

[Simon]

The 2nd one maybe a Dell diagnostics partition

Ah right, thanks Glenn.

[Simon]

You mean it sits there saying "Turn your head and cough"? 

 

[Glenn]

More like a fitness test, now get down and give me 5 good press ups

[Rik]

I just failed.