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System Recovery Options
Operating System Reinstallation
Before you Begin
If you are considering reinstalling the
Microsoft
®
Windows
®
operating system to
correct a problem with a newly installed driver,
first try using Windows Device Driver Rollback.
If Device Driver Rollback does not resolve the
problem, then use System Restore to return your
operating system to the operating state it was in
before you installed the new device driver. See
“Using Microsoft Windows System Restore” on
page 33.
CAUTION: Before performing the
installation, back up all data files on your
primary hard drive. For conventional hard
drive configurations, the primary hard drive
is the first drive detected by the computer.
To reinstall Windows, you need the following
items:
Dell Operating System
• media
Dell Drivers and Utilities
• media
NOTE: The
Dell Drivers and Utilities
media
contains drivers that were installed during
the assembly of the computer. Use the
Dell Drivers and Utilities media to load any
required drivers. Depending on the region
from which you ordered your computer, or
whether you requested the media, the
Dell
Drivers and Utilities
media and
Operating
System
media may not ship with your
computer.
Reinstalling Windows Vista
®
The reinstallation process can take 1 to 2 hours
to complete. After you reinstall the operating
system, you must also reinstall the device
drivers, virus protection program, and other
software.
Save and close any open files and exit any 1.
open programs.
Insert the 2.
Operating System
disc.
Click 3. Exit if the Install Windows message
appears.