Clean install of Windows? Factory reset?


  1. Posts : 2
    Windows 7, 32 bit
       #1

    Clean install of Windows? Factory reset?


    My Dell Inspiron 1545 has been running very, very slow. Although it passed numerous diagnostic tests, I think messing around with the registry has taken its toll. I tried doing a factory reset but there's no option for Dell factory image restore. However, my recovery E drive does contain a factory.wim which would lead me to believe that if I could access it, I might be able to use it. Reading the instructions of how to do a clean install of Windows makes my head explode. I'm fairly tech saavy but hesitant about attempting this.

    This started with my futile attempts to reinstall an HP printer. I could not, and can still not access the troubleshooter. I keep getting the message that a problem is preventing the troubleshooter from starting and error code 0x80070490. When I couldn't install the new Epson printer I bought, I thought I might as well start from scratch since all attempts to repair what was wrong have failed. I'm confused, overwhelmed, and tired of going around in circles. I'm not sure that I fully understand what the difference is between a clean install and a factory reset. I wonder if I shouldn't take my laptop to a pc guru to let him do it, but I'd also like to know if there's a easier and less expensive solution to this.

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Appologize for the length.
      My Computer


  2. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #2
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 2
    Windows 7, 32 bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    That's exactly what made my head explode. I don't feel I know enough to attempt it. I was hoping someone could tell me if there was a way to access the factory.wim.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 277
    Windows 7 home premium 64bit
       #4

    I remember doing this on a mate's laptop a while back. It was either F6 or F8 on start up which got me to the "factory reset" page.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 20,583
    Win-7-Pro64bit 7-H-Prem-64bit
       #5

    Hi,
    You can always contact Dell for instruction for recovery or ordering a win-7 disk for your machine,
    Cheers.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 13,576
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #6

    Installing windows is unbelievably easy :)

    Clean Install Windows 7
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 20,583
    Win-7-Pro64bit 7-H-Prem-64bit
       #7

    Really is it's so easy I did it twice last month
      My Computer

  8.    #8

    If it was that hard then we would have heard about more problems after a million consumers have used Clean Reinstall Windows 7. There hasn't been a single complaint.

    If you're saying you can't run Dell Windows 7 PC Restore
    then you can manually Boot Recovery Partition using EasyBCD
      My Computer


 

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