Win 8 factory back & recovery

jay22

New Member
Messages
8
Hi all - I recently bought a Dell Inspiron Ultrabook which came with Win 8. I contacted dell and told them that I didn't get a recovery DVD with it and was told that I should use the dell backup & recovery manager to make a back up on a USB drive and use it to restore the image in case of a crash. Has anyone had experience with working with dell backup & recovery manager? I have been reading about it online and seeing mixed responses on how the recovery doesn't work. Can anyone please suggest how I should make a backup to use in case of a crash? Thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
Not familiar with Dell's recovery system, but you could use Windows' built-in imaging software, or
a 3rd-party program like Macrium or Acronis to do a full image backup of your HDD.
This has long been my backup method of choice.
I use either the Windows software, or Easeus Backup Manager (it's free and works very well).
Hope this is of use to you...

Wenda.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 'Ultimate' RTM 64 bit (Pro/WMC).
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer AS8951G 'Desktop Replacement'.
    CPU
    i7-2670QM@2.2/3.1Ghz.
    Motherboard
    Acer
    Memory
    8GB@1366Mhz.
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GT555M 2GB DDR3
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD w/Dolby 5.1 surround.
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built-in. Non-touch.
    Screen Resolution
    18/4" 1920x1080 full-HD.
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 750GBx2 internal. 1x2TB, 2x640GB, 1x500GB external.
    PSU
    Stock.
    Case
    Laptop.
    Cooling
    Stock.
    Keyboard
    Full 101-key
    Mouse
    USB cordless.
    Browser
    IE11, Firefox, Tor.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro.
    Other Info
    BD-ROM drive.
information   Information

We always assume you have made your Recovery Disks using the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Media Creator app the first day you had your new PC.
& made the Startup Repair CD.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2855-system-repair-disc-create-windows-8-a.html




You can use the Dell version of
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html

or
How to order Dell Recovery Disks.
RouteTo
Dell - Support
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Theogg's link is well worth checking out, and could prove useful for you.

Funny, but I never actually made the factory recovery disks for either of my laptops.
The AS5735 came with Vista Home Premium, which only lasted about 48 hours before being replaced with the Win 7 beta.
This AS8951 had Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit, which was replaced with a non-OEM version to get rid of all the crap-ware.
Then, they were both imaged. Same with this Win 8 setup. I do a new image once a month, or whenever I make any major changes.

Wenda.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 'Ultimate' RTM 64 bit (Pro/WMC).
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer AS8951G 'Desktop Replacement'.
    CPU
    i7-2670QM@2.2/3.1Ghz.
    Motherboard
    Acer
    Memory
    8GB@1366Mhz.
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GT555M 2GB DDR3
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD w/Dolby 5.1 surround.
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built-in. Non-touch.
    Screen Resolution
    18/4" 1920x1080 full-HD.
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 750GBx2 internal. 1x2TB, 2x640GB, 1x500GB external.
    PSU
    Stock.
    Case
    Laptop.
    Cooling
    Stock.
    Keyboard
    Full 101-key
    Mouse
    USB cordless.
    Browser
    IE11, Firefox, Tor.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro.
    Other Info
    BD-ROM drive.
Not familiar with Dell's recovery system, but you could use Windows' built-in imaging software, or
a 3rd-party program like Macrium or Acronis to do a full image backup of your HDD.
This has long been my backup method of choice.
I use either the Windows software, or Easeus Backup Manager (it's free and works very well).
Hope this is of use to you...

Wenda.
Thank you. Can you please point me to the windows imaging software? Also, when I save the image on a USB drive, will it make the drive bootable automatically?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8
    Computer type
    Laptop

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
information   Information

We always assume you have made your Recovery Disks using the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Media Creator app the first day you had your new PC.
& made the Startup Repair CD.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2855-system-repair-disc-create-windows-8-a.html





You can use the Dell version of
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html

or
How to order Dell Recovery Disks.
RouteTo
Dell - Support
Thanks for the links!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8
    Computer type
    Laptop

Thanks. The 2nd method looks the simplest to me. I'll use that. Just a couple of more questions so that I am clear:

1. Would I be able to do it on a 4GB usb drive or would I need a higher capacity one?
2. I won't be able to use that drive for anything else after I create the backup, correct?
3. When I need to recover the image after a crash, I just plug the usb drive in and turn the PC on, or do I need to change any settings somewhere?
4. Will this be a factory image or my current system state image that will be made on the usb drive?

Sorry if my questions are too naive, I appreciate all your help!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
1. Would I be able to do it on a 4GB usb drive or would I need a higher capacity one?
2. I won't be able to use that drive for anything else after I create the backup, correct?
3. When I need to recover the image after a crash, I just plug the usb drive in and turn the PC on, or do I need to change any settings somewhere?
4. Will this be a factory image or my current system state image that will be made on the usb drive?

1) NO, Open the Recovery drive app & check for size needed.

2) YES.

3) plug the usb drive in & boot from USB Drive.

4) A factory image.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
Oh well, I created a recovery image on the USB drive, though. That should suffice, right? I won't need two images, I presume?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
OK, was able to change the partition settings and create a system image on my external HD as well. Made another one on a flash drive as well just to be safe.

Can I safely uninstall dell backup & recovery software? I believe I won't need it now?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
recovery

Perhaps you could use Macrium to back up your system to an external drive and your data to 2 flash drives as a precaution.

I would keep an initial system backup as baseline and do periodic ones if you cannot do incremental ones.

Macrium free is ez and reliable and having two flash drives, chances are both failing at the same time are slim.

Then there is always 'file history' where your libraries are backed up, per your choice. You could use this with Macrium; one for system and one for files.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x 64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8300, Dell Inspiron 15 R N5010
    Memory
    6 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GE force 420
    Hard Drives
    1TB
    Browser
    Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender, MBAM, Router
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