Windows Vista Dell Oem

[Zacharie Brodhacker]

Iwas trying to fix an issue with my computer (Inspiron 1521) with windows Vista Home Basic Sp1 when I noticed that it no longer boots into any time of safe mode as it hangs at the windows logo (sometimes it makes it to the logon screen) but automatically restarts before I can do anything. I have heard of this behavior occurring on XP as well as vista machines and was wondering if there was any ideas? I have run a virus, spyware etc check and everything seems fine which is another reason why I was going to run them in safe mode to make sure. I have tried the startup repair as well as system restore and do not really want to reinstall since regular windows works fine. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank You

Thanks but what I meant is it boots into safe mode using F8 showing the loaded drivers and then the windows logo then if it gets that far the login screen but it just reboots at this point. Any ideas? By the way, normal mode works fine. How would I do a repair install in vista? Thank you very much.

Thanks. I realize I have done this many times in XP. I am hesitant in Vista because I have Sp1 but my vista DVD from Dell is pre SP1. I would have to uninstall Sp1 before doing a repair install and then reinstall it. My computer also has a recovery partition, maybe that has Sp1 as well? How would I restore using the partition? Also, I am thinking of waiting until Sp2 as many that will fix the problem by changing some of the OS code but that is just an idea. As you can tell, it is not too pressing of an issue seeing how regular windows works. Thank you again.

The recovery partition would be the same as the disk pre SP1. Not sure if SP2 will fix the issue but as long as you don't need to boot into safe mode your ok. I had a simular issue with XP and ended up doing the Factroy Restore to fix it. Then all the updates and programs and fun fun fun...

I bought a Dell Latitude D531 one year ago. Due to an urgent trouble on my WIFI connection I decided to reinstall my Vista Business OS. But I had no CD. So I've formated and re-install XP but I keep the recovery partition for later Vista install. But now that I want to install it I don't know how I can do.

Copy your important txt documents to a memory stick ($10 for a 2 Gig stick). Also copy the "Favorites" folder for Internet Explorer (in the user/yourname folder) and important pictures and icons. If you have a website upload the actual web file from your web writer program to the website for safe storage with an FTP program, so you can download and open it when you reinstall your web writing program.

You will be left with some programs in the "Program Files" folder. Some will actually run when you restart a few times, but many will disappear as you restart. So you will have to reinstall your programs.

Menu item 1: Picture of a disk with a tick mark: Header is: Start up repair

Menu tem 2: Picture of a computer system with a clock. Header: System reconfigures (probably a bad translation)

Menu item 3: Picture of a computer system with a green arrow. Header Windows complete PC restore

Menu item 4: Picture of a memory stick. Header: Windows memory diagnostic

Menu item 5: Picture of the C:\ prompt. Will open a dos window.

You should have an OS reinstallation disk (i.e., the Windows disk), the Dell Drivers & Utilties (aka Resource) CD, at least one Dell Applications CD, and a disk for any third party software you ordered with the system (such as MS Office or a full version of Roxio). The Windows disk is for a clean install of Windows with nothing extra, and is not a recovery CD as it does not load the Dell factory image.

Hi, I own a small business where I fix dell PC's all day every day. I never use the recovery partition for a number of reasons. The main reason is I dont want to recovery the bloatware. Instead I recommend doing whatever it takes to get an OEM Windows Recovery Disk. I know that Dell offers them to people who are still under warranty. If you arent under warranty and you lost or damaged your disk, you can actually buy a backup replacement copy of your windows recovery disk at: www.oemsoftwaresource.com . Take your recovery disk, and put it into you disk drive. Press F12 during bootup and follow the prompts to reinstall windows. Good luck on getting your PC up and going again! Anthony

From what Larry wrote & clicking on his link for replacement disks...if I buy the Dell I'm considering...I already know it doesn't include the OS CD, Dell will send me that disk with the others? Is that true?

Hi, ive have also been a dell VAR (value added reseller) for a few years now, I know that every computer i have ever sold came with the OS Disc. If best buy or these companies dont include the OS cd then they are thieves. That means they take your property out of the box and then sell it to you. How dispicable.

Im not sure because I havent bought Dell from Best Buy, I do know that it is in Best Buy's Interest to sell you a windows vista recovery disk, so I wouldnt be surprised if they remove it. But im not sure. So if you buy from them, check the box first to see if the OS disk is in there. And could you let me know what you find out? Thank you, Anthony

Today we bought the Dell Studio 17 at Best Buy...I even had them call me from online shopping site & they confirmed no OS CD...but guess what! You guys are exactly right, the CD is in the box. It is Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1...that sounds right to me.

Did anyone figure out the F8 menu? I tried doing the resintall this way but when I select "Repair My Computer" nothing happens and the computer just starts up normally and goes to the desktop. I don't know what to do anymore. :(

The image reinstallation uses the information in the Restore D drive. It's odd that you have a Restore Z drive, unless it is on a disk. Also even stranger that you do not get an image reintallation screen.

I have a Dell Inspiron 531, we have been using it for years, however over the last couple of years we have not used it. It has windows vista installed I am wanting to upgrade it to Windows 10. So I took a hard drive that had windows 10 on it and installed just to make sure everything would work with the hardware and all. Everything did work just fine.

I have downloaded the windows 10 iso and I have a windows 10 product key that I can use for it. I created the dvd to install it with however the computer will not boot with the dvd. I created it on a different computer and with the one I am wanting to upgrade. Every time I try to boot from dvd it says there is no boot device available. There is no potions in bios to boot from usb. any ideas on how to get this to work?

You generally need to pick up a used Win8 or Win7 computer to get anything acceptable or purchase a entirely new system based on a modern platform. Practically speaking, the odds are generally not on your side.

The problem is drivers go bad after 2-3 releases due to age and depreciated APIs and any Vista driver is officially 4 OSes old at this point. Hardware age and API depreciation is the primary problem with going beyond 2-3 releases.

Now the question is will Windows 10 at least install in some crippled state but none the less boot up. If it does try installing the driver in compatibilty mode. If that doesn't work well maybe Windows 7?

@aactech The issue is W7 is dead as of 1/14/2020 so it'll be a short lived victory with 7. I'm just skeptical it will even work reliably. Win10 needs PAE (since Win8 BTW), which I think these 531's have so that isn't an issue. Exceptions are a thing as you found out, but you got lucky.

I still think it is worth a try once he gets his BIOS boot settings sorted out. You never know with Windows, until you try. I'm still blown away by the DELL Inspiron 6000 notebook I upgraded. I mean it is 15 years old! His DELL desktop is only 11 years old. I just love the challenge of reviving "ancient" computers. If Windows installs its generic video driver then that simplifies the whole process. My only "failure" was the HP/Compaq Presario SR1820NX which is 13 years old.

I must take exception to your "...W7 is dead as of 1/14/2020.." comment (in the friendliest way possible) as I believe they are really only marketing statements from MS. Lots of third party security software even protects Windows XP as long as the signatures are updated!

From a professional standpoint if it self implodes you're the one at fault - no thanks. On the other it's fair game to warn the OP that it generally doesn't end well but it may work AND to save their key until they see it holds up for a while (1+ months).

My comment on the W7 EOL date reflects more with internet use. If you keep it offline that's fine BUT don't put it online unless you absolutely have to. The extended support companies like Avira and Google provide don't last forever.

This is a Legacy Guide that instructed in Downloading Windows Vista Setup Files from Digital River Servers and using them to make an Installation ISO for Windows Vista Reinstallation on a Dell PC with a Dell Windows Vista OEM License.

Computers manufactured at the time of Windows Vista are now approximately 12-15 years old and should be considered as Legacy Systems. They do not have the capabilities of running modern versions of Windows such as Windows 10 or Windows 11 as they are below System Requirements. Moreover there is no Free Upgrade and the cost of a Windows 11 Retail License is far higher than the worth of such Legacy Hardware. Legacy Systems no longer have any support from their computer manufacturer (as they have outlived their warranty period by about 4 or 5 fold).

There are a handful of Linux Lite Editions aimed for use on Legacy Computers. One of the most noticeable is Zorin OS 16 Lite which is a Linux distribution designed with a Windows Like Desktop Environment. Installation of Zorin OS 16 Lite will allow one to continue to use their computer for basic tasks such as web-browsing, word-processing and viewing multi-media such as videos. Note that Zorin OS 16 Lite requires a computer with a 64 Bit Processor. For older systems with a 32 Bit only Processor, you will need to use the last 32 Bit Version which is Zorin OS 15 Lite.

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