How do I restore a Dell Inspiron 1521 laptop to factory defaults?

Question

I got a Dell Inspiron 1521 laptop from a local computer store that a buddy of mine works at. When I turned it on I had come to realize it has not been wiped and reverted to factory defaults.

How can revert the machine to factory defaults?

I do not have any of the CDs that came with the machine, all I have is the computer and the power brick.

But if it helps any I can able to get into Windows so I full access to the machine.

Solution

Windows Vista or W7, use F8 at the Dell logo screen at boot time to access the restore function.

If it is XP use Ctrl+F11

This will only work if the restore partition is still present and no one has tinkered with the Master Boot Record.

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Comments

[ianc1215]

Yeah I was able to find the restore partition and it worked like charm. Thanks for the help.

[Moab]

I would make a "full disk image" (all partitions) of that hard drive, you can use it to restore the system if the hard drive ever dies.