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

I don't know if I was clear in a previous post, but I want a clean reformat
and reinstall on a Dell Dimension 3000. I haven't bought a Dell in years
and this is a friend's unit. I'm just getting into their method of loading
an XP OS, and as I stated before, I can't boot from the system created OS
backup CD-rom (no matter how often I change the BIOS settings).

I"m not even sure the MS site download for creating a set of floppy boot
disks will work with Dell's series of tools and utilites.

All I want is a nice simple install with a set of programs of my choosing
and none of Dell's utilities (and spyware).

(Please excuse the crosspost. After reading the Dell forums and seeing how
many experienced users have problems with this Dell interface, boot up OS
disks and OS setup), I thought it might be useful to have as many responses
as possible for future net searches).

Whatever happened to the days when you would load your own OS and they
provided the disks. Can you request it? Don't they charge extra for the
bloated utility and restore partition load they send out now? Please don't
tell me that McAfee's memory intensive, resource heavy software suite is
pre-loaded, too?

You still may be able to get Windows XP and driver CDs from Dell. Call them
up, tell them that creating a "backup" install CD did not work for you, and ask
them to send out the necessary CDs. They may charge you for them, but it is
worth the $10 or so they are claimed to charge. You can request installation
CDs at the time of order for a price.

Dell is possibly the last of the name brand computer companies to automatically
stop sending out all the CDs in the box with the computer, but they done it.

I typically get rid of the McAfee bloatware on any Dell I touch. There are far
better alternatives... Ben Myers

On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 23:53:57 -0500, wrote:

I don't know if I was clear in a previous post, but I want a clean reformat
and reinstall on a Dell Dimension 3000. I haven't bought a Dell in years
and this is a friend's unit. I'm just getting into their method of loading
an XP OS, and as I stated before, I can't boot from the system created OS
backup CD-rom (no matter how often I change the BIOS settings).

I"m not even sure the MS site download for creating a set of floppy boot
disks will work with Dell's series of tools and utilites.

All I want is a nice simple install with a set of programs of my choosing
and none of Dell's utilities (and spyware).

(Please excuse the crosspost. After reading the Dell forums and seeing how
many experienced users have problems with this Dell interface, boot up OS
disks and OS setup), I thought it might be useful to have as many responses
as possible for future net searches).

Whatever happened to the days when you would load your own OS and they
provided the disks. Can you request it? Don't they charge extra for the
bloated utility and restore partition load they send out now? Please don't
tell me that McAfee's memory intensive, resource heavy software suite is
pre-loaded, too?

FDISK from a win98 boot disk. Delete everything.
Then just put the XP cd in, reload windows, and start from scratch.
Download the drivers from dell when you are done.
www.bootdisk.com has boot disk for all boot media.


wrote:
I don't know if I was clear in a previous post, but I want a clean reformat
and reinstall on a Dell Dimension 3000. I haven't bought a Dell in years
and this is a friend's unit. I'm just getting into their method of loading
an XP OS, and as I stated before, I can't boot from the system created OS
backup CD-rom (no matter how often I change the BIOS settings).

I"m not even sure the MS site download for creating a set of floppy boot
disks will work with Dell's series of tools and utilites.

All I want is a nice simple install with a set of programs of my choosing
and none of Dell's utilities (and spyware).

(Please excuse the crosspost. After reading the Dell forums and seeing how
many experienced users have problems with this Dell interface, boot up OS
disks and OS setup), I thought it might be useful to have as many responses
as possible for future net searches).

Whatever happened to the days when you would load your own OS and they
provided the disks. Can you request it? Don't they charge extra for the
bloated utility and restore partition load they send out now? Please don't
tell me that McAfee's memory intensive, resource heavy software suite is
pre-loaded, too?

Oh yeah, I meant to tell you the CD you use matters, but all MS cares
about is the sticker on the computer with the serial #.

wrote:
I don't know if I was clear in a previous post, but I want a clean reformat
and reinstall on a Dell Dimension 3000. I haven't bought a Dell in years
and this is a friend's unit. I'm just getting into their method of loading
an XP OS, and as I stated before, I can't boot from the system created OS
backup CD-rom (no matter how often I change the BIOS settings).

I"m not even sure the MS site download for creating a set of floppy boot
disks will work with Dell's series of tools and utilites.

All I want is a nice simple install with a set of programs of my choosing
and none of Dell's utilities (and spyware).

(Please excuse the crosspost. After reading the Dell forums and seeing how
many experienced users have problems with this Dell interface, boot up OS
disks and OS setup), I thought it might be useful to have as many responses
as possible for future net searches).

Whatever happened to the days when you would load your own OS and they
provided the disks. Can you request it? Don't they charge extra for the
bloated utility and restore partition load they send out now? Please don't
tell me that McAfee's memory intensive, resource heavy software suite is
pre-loaded, too?

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?

Delete everything.
Then just put the XP cd in, reload windows, and start from scratch.
Download the drivers from dell when you are done.
www.bootdisk.com has boot disk for all boot media.


wrote:
I don't know if I was clear in a previous post, but I want a clean
reformat and reinstall on a Dell Dimension 3000. I haven't bought a
Dell in years and this is a friend's unit. I'm just getting into
their method of loading an XP OS, and as I stated before, I can't
boot from the system created OS backup CD-rom (no matter how often I
change the BIOS settings).

I"m not even sure the MS site download for creating a set of floppy
boot disks will work with Dell's series of tools and utilites.

All I want is a nice simple install with a set of programs of my
choosing and none of Dell's utilities (and spyware).

(Please excuse the crosspost. After reading the Dell forums and
seeing how many experienced users have problems with this Dell
interface, boot up OS disks and OS setup), I thought it might be
useful to have as many responses as possible for future net
searches).

Whatever happened to the days when you would load your own OS and
they provided the disks. Can you request it? Don't they charge
extra for the bloated utility and restore partition load they send
out now? Please don't tell me that McAfee's memory intensive,
resource heavy software suite is pre-loaded, too?




--
alt.usenet.kooks - Pierre Salinger Memorial Hook, Line & Sinker:
September 2005 and April 2006

ObHint: Just because you argue with a notorious ****wit netk0oK, it
does not necessarily follow that you are not also a ****wit netk0oK.

"DJ" wrote in news:1156052966.690649.133210@
75g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

FDISK from a win98 boot disk. Delete everything.
Then just put the XP cd in, reload windows, and start from scratch.
Download the drivers from dell when you are done.
www.bootdisk.com has boot disk for all boot media.


I'm going to try that. The only thing that worries me is this recreated
Dell OS system disk. If I can't boot up now from it and the autorun
feature only activates after boot up, who's to say I'll be able to do a
reinstall.

Can someone check their XP OS disk and see what file BIOS recognizes at
bootup that allows it to boot from the cd-rom?

you still dont get it,
the hidden boot sector on the cd rom is missing.
it is not bootable.
you cant do what you expect.
you need to boot from a windows cd to install it.
get another cd, or try making it again.

wrote:
"DJ" wrote in news:1156052966.690649.133210@
75g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

FDISK from a win98 boot disk. Delete everything.
Then just put the XP cd in, reload windows, and start from scratch.
Download the drivers from dell when you are done.
www.bootdisk.com has boot disk for all boot media.


I'm going to try that. The only thing that worries me is this recreated
Dell OS system disk. If I can't boot up now from it and the autorun
feature only activates after boot up, who's to say I'll be able to do a
reinstall.

Can someone check their XP OS disk and see what file BIOS recognizes at
bootup that allows it to boot from the cd-rom?

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. But any unwanted software can be unistalled later. Some PC's have a
hidden partition that has a dos restore program. This hidden program then
instructs you to provide the cd's in numerical order so that the system
partition can be rebuilt.

To access the hidden partition, you need to press somekind of f key during
the booting. The instructions should be found at the Dell site. If you
simply cannot get beyond the cmos/bios screen, then you need to obtain
emergency boot up disks from another computer. Then use them to repair or
setup your harddrive. If by chance the hidden drive was wiped away, you may
want to download the restore program from dell via another pc that can help
restore the hd with the cd's. But I think it is unlikely that the hidden
drive was wiped away, as an "extra and specialized effort has to be made to
do this.

As a temporary fix, you could use another windows cd to setup the computer.
Because you should not activate it, you will have a limited number of times
that it is usuable before it stops functioning. This can provide you with
the ability to get the harddrive back into its original state with the OEM
you have..... (If you use this method, be sure not to be connected to the
internet when installing someones elses cd to repair your oem version)

Hopes this provides additional fyi with everyone elses......

wrote in message
...
I don't know if I was clear in a previous post, but I want a clean reformat
and reinstall on a Dell Dimension 3000. I haven't bought a Dell in years
and this is a friend's unit. I'm just getting into their method of
loading
an XP OS, and as I stated before, I can't boot from the system created OS
backup CD-rom (no matter how often I change the BIOS settings).

I"m not even sure the MS site download for creating a set of floppy boot
disks will work with Dell's series of tools and utilites.

All I want is a nice simple install with a set of programs of my choosing
and none of Dell's utilities (and spyware).

(Please excuse the crosspost. After reading the Dell forums and seeing
how
many experienced users have problems with this Dell interface, boot up OS
disks and OS setup), I thought it might be useful to have as many
responses
as possible for future net searches).

Whatever happened to the days when you would load your own OS and they
provided the disks. Can you request it? Don't they charge extra for the
bloated utility and restore partition load they send out now? Please
don't
tell me that McAfee's memory intensive, resource heavy software suite is
pre-loaded, too?

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. But any unwanted software can be unistalled later. Some PC's have a
hidden partition that has a dos restore program. This hidden program then
instructs you to provide the cd's in numerical order so that the system
partition can be rebuilt.

That is total crap. 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.

To access the hidden partition, you need to press somekind of f key during
the booting. The instructions should be found at the Dell site. If you
simply cannot get beyond the cmos/bios screen, then you need to obtain
emergency boot up disks from another computer. Then use them to repair or
setup your harddrive. If by chance the hidden drive was wiped away, you may
want to download the restore program from dell via another pc that can help
restore the hd with the cd's. But I think it is unlikely that the hidden
drive was wiped away, as an "extra and specialized effort has to be made to
do this.

As a temporary fix, you could use another windows cd to setup the computer.
Because you should not activate it, you will have a limited number of times
that it is usuable before it stops functioning. This can provide you with
the ability to get the harddrive back into its original state with the OEM
you have..... (If you use this method, be sure not to be connected to the
internet when installing someones elses cd to repair your oem version)

Hopes this provides additional fyi with everyone elses......

I just nobody believed any of it.

Bob

Yeah, I can't believe how little is known about Dell. Dell XP is XP.
Period.
"Bob Levine" wrote in message
news:rh1Gg.3702$E_.851@trnddc06...
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. But any unwanted software can be unistalled later.
Some PC's have a hidden partition that has a dos restore program. This
hidden program then instructs you to provide the cd's in numerical order
so that the system partition can be rebuilt.

That is total crap. 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.

To access the hidden partition, you need to press somekind of f key
during the booting. The instructions should be found at the Dell site.
If you simply cannot get beyond the cmos/bios screen, then you need to
obtain emergency boot up disks from another computer. Then use them to
repair or setup your harddrive. If by chance the hidden drive was wiped
away, you may want to download the restore program from dell via another
pc that can help restore the hd with the cd's. But I think it is
unlikely that the hidden drive was wiped away, as an "extra and
specialized effort has to be made to do this.

As a temporary fix, you could use another windows cd to setup the
computer. Because you should not activate it, you will have a limited
number of times that it is usuable before it stops functioning. This can
provide you with the ability to get the harddrive back into its original
state with the OEM you have..... (If you use this method, be sure not to
be connected to the internet when installing someones elses cd to repair
your oem version)

Hopes this provides additional fyi with everyone elses......

I just nobody believed any of it.

Bob