Windows 7: Dell Duo with crashed hard drive/OS install

Since there is no cd/dvd drive in a Dell Inspiron Duo1090, how is the OS reinstalled. Can it be done from a USB Drive? An external CD/DVD reader? Does the new drive need to be set up via USB from another computer? Does the DUO have to go back to Dell?
Thanks for information.

You can install from a USB drive.

I'd guess also from an external DVD reader.

I'd seriously doubt it has to go back to Dell, but if the hard drive failed you may have a warranty claim.

If the drive did not fail, it may have a usable recovery partition on it from which the OS can be reinstalled.

Hi,

You can restore your computer back to factory settings by using Dell Factory Image Restore in Windows 7. For stepsyou can refer to the URL mentioned:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kcs/document?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&docid=DSN_362066&isLegacy=true

Else, if you want to create a Windows 7 “Bootable” USB drive, you can follow the steps to create a Bootable USB drive from the URL mentioned below:
http://www.poweriso.com/tutorials/how-to-make-Windows 7-bootable-usb-drive.htm

Hope this helps

Everything you need is here to Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 including Special Notes for Dell Owners at the end.

If you have the Dell Reinstallation DVD you can extract it's ISO to write to flash stick using Universal USB Installer although the latest official installer provided in Step 1 of the tutorial above might be more recent and save hours of updating. The only thing the Dell DVD provides extra is baked-in activation and a logo on the Properties page.

Thanks, all, for the help. The one from Gregrocker was a hoot, as I got lost 6-8 lines into the instructions. I got a free set of reinstall discs from Dell, even tho the warranty had expired awhile back. I found an old external DVD enclosure in ,my pile of crap that I have collected over the years. Took DVD drive out of an old computer and the rest was simple. I tried the USB route by copying the DVDs to a drive, but the Duo would not boot. Any how. all s well, as soon as the 130-some windows updates get done.

Hi,

Glad to hear that your system is working fine now. Let me know in the future if any help required.

Have a Good Day