[worthing.jason]

These directions will walk you through getting a copy of the dell image for your system, making a bootable flash drive, moving the image to a bootable flash drive, and making it where it will reimage your computer automatically, in similar manner to how the Dell Ubuntu image on the Dell FTP site...

Click here to read the entire tutorial

[minivista9]

What am I doing wrong their is no autoexec.bat on my flash drive when I install the diagnostic thing

[zrtom]

Originally Posted by MrFaust

I struck out today...

That's a typical first (or second, or third) answer from Dell. Keep trying, or try by phone, ask to speak with a supervisor. They are available.

[zrtom]

Originally Posted by minivista9

What am I doing wrong their is no autoexec.bat on my flash drive when I install the diagnostic thing

As I recall it's hidden. Set folder options so unhide protected operating system files and to show hidden files, folders and drives. Then you can edit the autoexec.bat file.

[MrFaust]

BOOYA, I spoke with our Dell sale rep at work and she had NO problem getting me the SRCDs. I should have them tomorrow.

[cswilhelm]

Hi, I just tried requesting the disks three different times. Got the expected push back, escalated to the manager three times, and even used the session IDs in the thread. The odd thing is they said all four session ids were invalid. So I feel everybody else's pain but unfortunately ran into a brick wall. Any ideas?

Spence Wilhelm

[FedUp]

I just requested the SRCDs and had no problems with them not saying they did not they exist the tech said he would call me once they were made. Then a supervisor took the line and wanted to charge me $10 for them. I really didn't want to have to pay for them and even though I am tierd of this computer at this point (my 14 year old daughter's machine ... have spent 3 days trying to get Koobface virus out of it) I argued I shouldn't have to pay for them. He put me on hold for a bit and came back and said he would send them with no charge and I should have them in 1-2 days.

So hopefully they come, they are the right disks and I am literate enough to follow these instructions to restore the system.

Oh what fun. But I appreciate the forum and advise here, it was extremely helpful.

[zrtom]

Got another set today. This time for my Mini 10v. After the dispatch was set up, it sat in limbo for a couple weeks as "in production." I called Dell and was told it hadn't been approved yet. A consult with a supervisor and the Tech. said they would be on their way. Got them the next day.

[skwasha]

No dice for me

This is an automated email sent from Dell Chat. The following information is a log of your session. Please save the log for your records.
Your session ID for this incident is 28545039.
Time
Details
06/30/2009 01:46:03PM
System: "Thanks for choosing chat for your technical support needs. A chat agent will be with you shortly. Just so you know, you can also visit our website at support.dell.com to get technical help."
06/30/2009 01:48:03PM
System: "Thanks so much for your patience. Chat agents are eager to help you with your troubleshooting needs, so stay on line and the next available representative will assist you."
06/30/2009 02:10:57PM
Session Started with Agent (Narender _172202)
06/30/2009 02:11:03PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Welcome to Dell's Technical Support Chat! My name is Narender. How may I assist you today?"
06/30/2009 02:11:12PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Our chat volume is unusually high today. We apologize that you had to wait in the Queue for this long and appreciate your patience. I would try my best to resolve the issue for you as soon as possible."
06/30/2009 02:11:40PM
Me: "hi there"
06/30/2009 02:11:48PM
Me: "I have a Mini 10 I just got last week."
06/30/2009 02:12:02PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Hello Sascha, Thank you for purchasing a Dell product."
06/30/2009 02:13:02PM
Me: "I've been experimenting with it... and quite frankly have munged up the install pretty good. I was hoping to order a set of SRCDs so that I can restore it to factory state via a USB key (as I don't have a USB DVD drive)"
06/30/2009 02:13:30PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "I appreciate your technical expertise."
06/30/2009 02:13:55PM
Me: "thank you"
06/30/2009 02:15:11PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Sascha the restore option is sent along with the system preinstalled."
06/30/2009 02:15:33PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "We can restore the system to Dell day one factory settings using the preinstalled software,"
06/30/2009 02:15:37PM
Me: "the cd's that shipped with the system you mean?"
06/30/2009 02:16:15PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "It is a software that is saved on the system harddrive."
06/30/2009 02:16:16PM
Me: "the ctrl-F11 option is non-functional - if that's what you're referring to?"
06/30/2009 02:16:35PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Let me assist you step by step."
06/30/2009 02:16:44PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Let me check the system records and I will do the best I can to help you."
06/30/2009 02:17:41PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "As per the records with me you have an Inspiron 1010 with Windows XP. Am I correct?"
06/30/2009 02:17:58PM
Me: "correct"
06/30/2009 02:18:08PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "For verification purposes, could you please confirm where have you purchased the system from?"
06/30/2009 02:18:32PM
Me: "I got it as a gift - it was shipped from Amazon"
06/30/2009 02:18:43PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Thank you for the information."
06/30/2009 02:19:01PM
Me: "I can give you the tag no if you need it"
06/30/2009 02:19:41PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Do you need assistance for the service tag xxxxxx?"
06/30/2009 02:19:50PM
Me: "yah that's it"
06/30/2009 02:21:48PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Okay, as you said you tried Ctrl + F11 and it didn't worked, the only option is to reinstall windows manually using the disks sent with the new system."
06/30/2009 02:22:21PM
Me: "that's why I was hoping to get the SRCDs instead - since they would restore it to factory state"
06/30/2009 02:22:42PM
Me: "with the included CDs I'd need to reinstall manually"
06/30/2009 02:23:53PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Sascha the only Factory image for your system is stored on the harddrive, we do not have any disk or SRCDs for the factory image. Reinstalling windows is the only available option."
06/30/2009 02:24:17PM
Me: "I believe the part no. is 59221?"
06/30/2009 02:25:23PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "I appreciate your technical expertise Sascha, however the only option available with us is to reinstall windows manually,"
06/30/2009 02:25:55PM
Me: "I've read through several forums that the SRCDs are available...."
06/30/2009 02:28:18PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Please disregard those comments are I have checked our resources for the same."
06/30/2009 02:28:49PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Please disregard those comments ** as I have checked our resources for the same."
06/30/2009 02:29:34PM
Me: "Umm but they are very clear that the SRCDs are available... It's also been noted in the discussions that there may be confusion on the Dell end..."
06/30/2009 02:31:13PM
Me: "is that part no. available?"
06/30/2009 02:31:37PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Sascha I would have been the more than happy to send you a SRCD to get the system image for our esteemed customer service, however this is not an available option with us."
06/30/2009 02:32:32PM
Me: "is that part no. available"
06/30/2009 02:32:50PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "No"
06/30/2009 02:33:29PM
Me: "is that due to discontinuation? if so could you point me to a reference?"
06/30/2009 02:34:01PM
Me: "because it was most certainly available - I can reference other Dell chat sessions if necessary"
06/30/2009 02:34:07PM
Me: "by session ID"
06/30/2009 02:34:17PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "That wouldn't be necessary, Sascha."
06/30/2009 02:34:38PM
Me: "But would that not affirm what I'm saying?"
06/30/2009 02:35:12PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "However if you are not convinced with the information provided on this chat, I will forward the chat to my Supervisor."
06/30/2009 02:37:45PM
Me: "please do - I would please make sure that these other session IDs are referenced: 26799852, 25433281, and this thread http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/windows-xp-guides/1506-how-re-image-your-mini9-dells-image-your-system-7.html"
06/30/2009 02:38:06PM
Agent (Narender _172202): "Thank you for the information. Please stay online while I transfer the chat to my supervisor."
06/30/2009 02:38:39PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Hi Sascha. This is Jaspreet, Narender's Supervisor. How are you doing today?"
06/30/2009 02:39:01PM
Me: "fine thank you"
06/30/2009 02:39:09PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Good to know that."
06/30/2009 02:39:47PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Narender has discussed your case with me; however, the SRCDs wouldn't be available for this system, even though the forum suggests otherwise."
06/30/2009 02:40:06PM
Me: "can you explain why not?"
06/30/2009 02:40:09PM
Me: "please"
06/30/2009 02:43:00PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Sascha, the SRCDs used to be available for older dell systems but are no longer available."
06/30/2009 02:44:25PM
Me: "yet people are receiving them (as recently as last week) for this very system"
06/30/2009 02:46:46PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "I see."
06/30/2009 02:47:35PM
Me: "you see how that might be a bit confusing to hear two completely different things?"
06/30/2009 02:49:22PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "I know."
06/30/2009 02:49:45PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "But as per our resources, they are no longer sent."
06/30/2009 02:50:10PM
Me: "when was that change made?"
06/30/2009 02:50:29PM
Me: "and can you send me something that references this change?"
06/30/2009 02:52:13PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Sascha, I apologize we do not have this information on our site referencing the change."
06/30/2009 02:52:40PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Infact, this is not exactly a change."
06/30/2009 02:52:43PM
Me: "Well, if you don't have that - how can you confirm that's the case - I don't understand?"
06/30/2009 02:53:02PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "The SRCDs haven't been available for mini systems from the start."
06/30/2009 02:53:27PM
Me: "yet part 59221 exists (or at least at some point did exist)"
06/30/2009 02:54:24PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Sascha, as I have suggested earlier, SRCDs do not exist for mini systems."
06/30/2009 02:55:13PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "The part number 59221 is a generic part for SRCDs and not pertaining to mini systems."
06/30/2009 02:55:17PM
Me: "OK - can you then point me to a resource that states this in dell's policy"
06/30/2009 02:57:24PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Please allow me a few minutes."
06/30/2009 02:57:46PM
Me: "no problem"
06/30/2009 03:04:14PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Kindly stay online I am checking on this."
06/30/2009 03:04:23PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "I apologize for the delay."
06/30/2009 03:04:23PM
Me: "no problem"
06/30/2009 03:04:26PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Thank you."
06/30/2009 03:11:50PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "I am checking on this with another source, kindly bear with me for some time."
06/30/2009 03:12:03PM
Me: "not a problem"
06/30/2009 03:14:34PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "I appreciate your time and patience."
06/30/2009 03:15:31PM
Me: "sure thing"
06/30/2009 03:17:07PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Sascha, can we get back to you on this?"
06/30/2009 03:17:21PM
Me: "sure"
06/30/2009 03:17:22PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "I wouldn't to keep you waiting."
06/30/2009 03:17:33PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Is xxx.xxx.xxxx the best number to reach you or you have an alternate number?"
06/30/2009 03:17:43PM
Me: "yes, that's my cell"
06/30/2009 03:17:57PM
Me: "you can also use email at xxx@xxx.xxx"
06/30/2009 03:19:06PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "We would prefer phone communication."
06/30/2009 03:19:27PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "What's a good time for us to reach you by phone?"
06/30/2009 03:19:42PM
Me: "That's fine - but I would prefer something in writing for confirmation."
06/30/2009 03:20:07PM
Me: "anytime before 8PM PDT is fine"
06/30/2009 03:20:17PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "That is fine, we would surely give you a satisfactory answer."
06/30/2009 03:20:55PM
Me: "Thank you."
06/30/2009 03:21:29PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Our team would be available between 6 am to 3 pm PST."
06/30/2009 03:21:41PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "So, we would reach you in between those times."
06/30/2009 03:21:51PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "That would be okay with you, right?"
06/30/2009 03:22:00PM
Me: "preferably not before 9AM PT "
06/30/2009 03:22:19PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Ok."
06/30/2009 03:22:42PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "I would note that."
06/30/2009 03:22:47PM
Me: "thanks"
06/30/2009 03:22:52PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "My pleasure."
06/30/2009 03:22:55PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Do you have any other system related question at this time?"
06/30/2009 03:23:08PM
Me: "nope that's it"
06/30/2009 03:23:15PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Alright"
06/30/2009 03:23:17PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Thank you for your time. It was a pleasure talking to you. Thank you for choosing Dell Technical Support."
06/30/2009 03:23:25PM
Me: "OK thanks"
06/30/2009 03:24:27PM
Agent (Sup_Jaspreet_110093): "Goodbye."
If you require further assistance, please visit us at support.dell.com

[zrtom]

That's a fairly common exchange with Dell on the SRCDs. They may or may not get back to you. If you don't hear from them in a day or two, start over. Most of them, supervisors included, have no clue about SRCDs.

[skwasha]

Update. I did receive a call back from the supervisor who claimed there was nothing he could provide in writing but that he had it on authority that the SRCDs were no longer being shipped/produced. I requested to speak with *his* supervisor. Got a call back and was told that their department had received communications from the Engineering dept. that SRCDs would no longer be produced/sent due to 'issues' that were being found some time after restoration. He could not elaborate on the issues and didn't have a specific date for when this became policy. I asked that he forward me a copy of any such communication if possible.

He said that as a solution for re-imaging now, they will ship you a pre-loaded HDD replacement.