Using The Operating System Media; Reinstalling Windows Vista - Dell Inspiron 1521 Owner's Manual

2. As the computer restarts, press <F8> until the Advanced Boot Options menu appears on the screen.
NOTE: You must press the <F8> key before the Windows logo appears on the screen. If you press <F8> after the Windows logo appears on the
screen, the Advanced Boot Options menu will not appear on the screen. If you do not see the Advanced Boot Options menu, restart the
computer, and then repeat this step until you see the menu on the screen.
3. Press <Down Arrow> to select Repair Your Computer on the Advanced Boot Options menu, and then press <Enter>.
4. Specify the language settings that you want, and then click Next.
5. Log in as a user who has administrative credentials, and then click OK.
6. Click Dell Factory Image Restore.
7. In the Dell Factory Image Restore window, click Next.
8. Select the Yes, reformat hard drive and restore system software to factory condition checkbox.
9. Click Next. The computer is restored to the default factory configuration.
10. When the restore operation is completed, click Finish to restart the computer.

Using the Operating System Media

Before You Begin
If you are considering reinstalling the Windows operating system to correct a problem with a newly installed driver, first try using Windows Device Driver
Rollback (see Using Windows Device Driver
system to the operating state it was in before you installed the new device driver (see
NOTICE: 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
l
Dell Drivers and Utilities media
l
NOTE: Your Drivers and Utilities media contains drivers that were installed during assembly of the computer. Use your Drivers and Utilities media to load
any required drivers, including the drivers required if your computer has a RAID controller.

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.
NOTICE: The Operating System media provides options for reinstalling Windows. The options can overwrite files and possibly affect programs that are
installed on your hard drive. Therefore, do not reinstall Windows unless a Dell technical support representative instructs you to do so.
1. Save and close any open files and exit any open programs.
2. Insert the Operating System media.
3. Click Exit if the Install Windows message appears.
4. Restart the computer.
When the DELL logo appears, press <F12> immediately.
NOTE: If you wait too long and the operating system logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Microsoft Windows desktop, then shut
down your computer and try again.
NOTE: The next steps change the boot sequence for one time only. On the next start-up, the computer boots according to the devices specified in
the system setup program.
5. When the boot device list appears, highlight CD/DVD/CD-RW Drive, and then press <Enter>.
Rollback). If Device Driver Rollback does not resolve the problem, then use System Restore to return your operating
Using Windows Vista System Restore).