Help Please-Factory Reset Error Message

Hi chichibcc, welcome to 7F! :)

If the laptop has a recovery partition, have you considered using it?

chichibcc said:

Hi Anek, thanks for the reply.

How would I do that?

Your Welcome.

• Power down the computer (hold the power button for 5 seconds if necessary).

• Power it back up - but immediately start tapping the F11 key.

• The recovery manager will start, and you can use it to restore the computer to factory defaults. It will guide you through the procedure with prompts.

• If that doesn't work, it may need a different F Key try:

• Powering down again, power back up. Immediately hold down the ALT key, and start tapping the F10 key.

• When the Recovery manager starts, follow the prompts.

It can be tricky to get it to start, you might have to try several times before you hit the right timing sequence with the keys. It may help if you use two hands one finger on the power button and the other on the F11 key. As soon as you hear a beep or see the lappy run the startup screen start tapping the F11Key.


The power + ALT + F10 Key combination will require a bit more dexterity. :)


EDIT:

Ya' know in my haste, I forgot an even easier way and it should be in your start menu, I got this from my manual, and it's there on my Gateway if I ever need it:

   Information

Returning your system to its factory condition
If your computer experiences problems that are not recoverable by other
methods, you may need to reinstall everything to return your system to its
factory condition. You can reinstall using either your hard drive or the
recovery discs you have created.

   Warning

Caution:
This complete recovery deletes everything on your hard
drive, then reinstalls Windows and all software and drivers that
were pre-installed on your system. If you can access important
files on your hard drive, back them up now.

• If you can still run Windows, see “Recovering from within Windows” below.

   Tip

Recovering from within Windows

To reinstall Windows and all pre-installed software and drivers:

1. Click on Start > All Programs > Gateway, then click on Gateway
Recovery Management. Gateway Recovery Management opens.

2. Click on the Restore tab, then Restore system to factory default. The
Confirm Restoration dialog box opens.

3. Click on Yes, then Start. A dialog box displays information about the
hard drive that the operating system will be recovered to.
Caution: Continuing the process will erase all files on your hard
drive.

4. Click on OK. The recovery process begins by restarting your computer,
then continues by copying files to your hard drive. This process may
take a while, but a Gateway Recovery Management screen shows you
its progress.

5. When the recovery has finished, a dialog box prompts you to restart your
computer. Click on OK. Your computer restarts.

6. Follow the on-screen prompts for first-time system setup.

Here is the second method I suggested:

   Tip

Recovering from the hard drive during startup

To reinstall Windows and all pre-installed software and drivers:

1. Turn on your computer, then press Alt+F10 during startup. Gateway
Recovery Management opens.

2. Click on Restore system from factory default.

   Warning

Caution:
Continuing the process will erase all files on your hard
drive.

3. Click on Next. Your hard drive’s original, factory-loaded contents are
recovered. This process will take several minutes.

So, the moral of the story is;
If you have a machine that is 5years old or less, or never shipped with Recovery Disks check the Start > All Programs > (The model name), then click on the model's Recovery Management Program.

That's great news chichibcc! Thank you for the comprehensive follow up.