dell and xp recovery

[Guest]

I had an HP, win 98 and recovery was a single disk and ez. I now have a Dell, winxp and when I first got it a Dell tech spent two hours with the reource disk and complicated drivers etc. Is it therefore true the average pc user should only reinstall xp with a Dell Tech
Than
pete

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Pete;
I thought Dell were much easier than that.
You should take this to a Dell newsgroup:
alt.sys.pc-clone.dell

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/

I had an HP, win 98 and recovery was a single disk and ez. I now

have a Dell, winxp and when I first got it a Dell tech spent two hours
with the reource disk and complicated drivers etc. Is it therefore
true the average pc user should only reinstall xp with a Dell Tech?

 

[Ron Martell]

I had an HP, win 98 and recovery was a single disk and ez. I now have a Dell, winxp and when I first got it a Dell tech spent two hours with the reource disk and complicated drivers etc. Is it therefore true the average pc user should only reinstall xp with a Dell Tech?
Thanx
pete

HP has taken the simple approach to reinstalls - they
just wipe out the entire hard drive, destroying all of the installed
applications, all of your user data files, and everything else you
have configured or done on the computer. Then you start over fresh,
as your computer is just exactly like it was when it left the factory.

This is probably the best approach when dealing with the "can't find
the any key" class of computer users


Dell on the other hand provides the complete set of CDs for the
system, allowing users to actually repair a damaged installation using
the XP Recovery Console or by doing a Repair Install. This is not
possible with an HP/Compaq system.

I prefer the Dell approach, at least for users whose computer
knowledge extends at least a bit beyond the on/off switch.

But it should not have taken two hours to get a new Dell system up and
running. That should have worked "out of the box".

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."

 

[Mike]

Dell, winxp and when I first got it a Dell tech spent two hours with the
reource disk and complicated drivers etc. Is it therefore true the average
pc user should only reinstall xp with a Dell Tech?

HP has taken the simple approach to reinstalls - they
just wipe out the entire hard drive, destroying all of the installed
applications, all of your user data files, and everything else you
have configured or done on the computer. Then you start over fresh,
as your computer is just exactly like it was when it left the factory.

This is probably the best approach when dealing with the "can't find
the any key" class of computer users


Dell on the other hand provides the complete set of CDs for the
system, allowing users to actually repair a damaged installation using
the XP Recovery Console or by doing a Repair Install. This is not
possible with an HP/Compaq system.

I prefer the Dell approach, at least for users whose computer
knowledge extends at least a bit beyond the on/off switch.

But it should not have taken two hours to get a new Dell system up and
running. That should have worked "out of the box".

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."

Definitely with you on that.. I have come across more than a few who ran the
recovery cd only to find that all their work was lost.. many also did not
realize that applications and drivers on the recovery cd had to be reloaded
either..

 

[HillBillyBuddhist]

| I had an HP, win 98 and recovery was a single disk and ez. I now have a
Dell, winxp and when I first got it a Dell tech spent two hours with the
reource disk and complicated drivers etc. Is it therefore true the average
pc user should only reinstall xp with a Dell Tech?
| Thanx
| pete

Adding to what the others have said the Dell support site will have step by
step instructions on how to rebuild your system. I'm not sure what the "Dell
Tech" did for two hours. Out of the box a Dell computer is up and running in
about 10 minutes. To reformat and reinstall might take an hour.

If you can follow step by step instructions you should have no trouble with
doing it yourself.

If you'd like to post back with your make and model I'd be happy to find the
instructions for you at the Dell site.

--
D

I'm not an MVP a VIP nor do I have ESP.
I was just trying to help.
Please use your own best judgment before implementing any suggestions or
advice herein.
No warranty is expressed or implied.
Your mileage may vary.
See store for details.

Remove shoes to E-mail.

 

[SRD]

Dell's caveat to reinstall only with the help of Dell Tech means that the
consumer ordinarily ought not make a decision to reinstall Windows without
assistance. The procedure isn't very complex, but the alternatives are
many, and usually a complete reinstallation of the operating system can be
avoided.

This is particularly true if, like many, you don't have a backup of your
data. You will want the least invasive procedure.

srdiamond