DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Computer Help/Hard drive wipe

I need some help concerning clearing my laptop back to have just the information it started with when I got it. It didn't come with CD's to reinstall Windows and such, and I tried to reinstall using the disc from my brother's laptop and it gets an error part way through and closes. I had a tech guy from Dell here to replace the screen earlier and he said to use Alt+F11 during the Dell startup screen, but the computer just beeps really loud and doesn't do anything else.

The computer is a Dell Vostro 1000 with Windows XP on it.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Your first mistake is you bought a Dell.

Contact the place you bought it, and see if they can send you the disc for your model # computer. Since it is Dell, they will probably want you to pay for them.

Word of advice, in the future don't buy Dell. And make sure when you buy a computer that the installation software comes with the computer.

I"ve had three Dells, never once had a problem... Hell of a lot better than Compaq/HP.. probably not as good as the Toshiba my wife has however...

I totally disagree with your view of Dell laptops, as it is exclusively what I have used for the last 10 years for work and have had very few problems. These laptops are used VERY heavily for software development and I travel a lot so they get beaten up pretty good. When hardware problems did arise, a tech was on-site the next day to fix the issues. I fix software problems myself, so I cannot speak to that side of tech support. Anyhow....off my soapbox now....

The disks are free for the re-install. They should have shipped with your laptop, but you can order 1 set for free - I just had to do this for my parents Dell as they lost the ones that came with it. Go to their website and enter your service tag in the downloads area (I think that is where it is at) There is a place to order the disks somewhere around there.

dells are fine..

i had one just replaced recently, that thing ran great for 5+ years.

my gf has one of their new notebooks. that thing is sleek and powerful.

my only beef with dell is that their customer service. it is awful.

fortunately for me, i have a bunch of friends who are computer science types.

It is luck of the draw. My Compaq/HP's have SUCKED!

But this Dell that I'm on now is for work. I've had it for just shy of 4 years and I use it nearly daily. The only issues that I've had have been related to software, not the actual laptop. And the software issues were work related issues, which they (work) had to fix.

Simple, get a Mac.

I like Macs... I just can't afford them.

They're all the same. They ALL have another company OEM the parts for them. NONE of them actually manufacture their own individual parts, they simply assemble parts that others make for them.

Reliability is largely a function of design, specifications and what batch(es) your particular pieces parts came out of. Designs & specifications can be controlled by the manufacturer, batches and quality from the suppliers cannot.


That said, I couldn't disagree more strongly with the "don't buy Dell" comment. They, like any manufacturer of anything, have had their issues, but I have found their machines to be consistently superior to those of IBM, Sony, HP/Compaq, Gateway, Acer, Asus & Toshiba... all machines that I have had the misfortune of working with over the last decade or so as a network administrator. Simply put, Dell's attention to usability, drivers and NOT trying to force their own custom software into everything (IBM!) is what sets them apart for me. Additionally, their support/warranties have always been top-notch. Heck, this post is being typed from a Dell Latitude D830... and it is a flat out excellent machine.

To address the original post: Without an operating system installation disk, there probably isn't much you can do. Is there a specific reason for your goal of returning it to the original state? Is there some other problem you are trying to resolve with doing this?

That's odd, every Dell I've seen came with a windows installation disk.

What you say!

Computers are only what the user is, if your a dumb user then your computer will be dumb and the same goes for smart, but you pretty much hit the head right on the nail...

I have a Fujitsu notebook and have no issues with it.

Quote:

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The computer itself has just slowed down tremendously over the past few months

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Have you looked to see how much (little) free space you have available on the system?
Have you tried to defragment the hard drive at all?
Does it make any "new" noises? Any intermittent clicking sounds, particularly when trying to load or open files?
Thinking back as best you can, is there any new software that you installed around the time that things slowed down... perhaps a new firewall, antivirus or antispyware program?

A couple notes on the dell debate:

1.) Dell's reputation took a huge hit with the Dell Inspiron 5500. They had a huge price break for these systems, and sold millions of them. And simply put, they were the worst designed laptops ever invented. They were premiered right before I went to college, and so in an 80 person dorm about 20 people had them, and about 15 of them died in that first year due to overheating issues. There just weren't enough fans in the thing for P4 processor they stuck in.

Now, since then, Dell has gone back and worked out the logistics of combining speed with cooling. Also, the expansion of powerful mobile processors by AMD and Intel have gone a long way to fix these problems.

Today, I think Dell makes really good laptops. I still prefer lenovo, because I think the overall build construction (case, keyboard, nub mouse) is much better than Dell's. Both dell and lenovo put a ridiculous amount of junk software on their computers, but that's what you live with nowadays.

~Lyuokdea