Users Guide

The free space that is required to back up the selected files is displayed. You are prompted to connect or insert a storage
device to your computer.
4. Connect an external storage device such as an SD card, USB drive, or USB hard drive.
The free space available on the storage device and the space that is required to back up the selected files are displayed.
NOTE: If the free space available on the storage device is less than the required free space, an error message is
displayed. Connect a storage device with more storage space.
NOTE: If you connect a storage device that is read-only, an error message is displayed. Connect a storage device with
read/write access.
5. Click NEXT.
If you connect multiple storage devices, select the device where you want to back up the files, and then click NEXT.
Results
The backup process begins and may take several minutes to complete. When the backup process is complete, a message is
displayed along with the list of files that were backed up. In the external storage device, a SupportAssist_Backups folder
is created. Within this folder, there is another folder that has the backup date and time in the folder name, for example,
Year-Month-Day_Hour.Minute.Second. This folder contains all your backup files.
After you back up your files, you can reset the operating system on your computer. For steps to reset your computer, see Reset
your computer.
For steps to restore your data after resetting your computer, see the readme.html file that is available in the
SupportAssist_Backups folder or see Restore data after resetting your computer to factory state.
NOTE: If certain files could not be copied during the backup process, an error message is displayed with the list of files that
were not copied.
Reset your computer
When the System Repair or the Startup Repair option in the SupportAssist OS Recovery environment is unable to repair your
computer, you can reset the operating system of your computer. You can either reset the operating system to factory state or
install the latest version of the operating system.
On the SupportAssist OS Recovery home page, click START RESET on the RESET tile. Depending upon the state of your
computer, the following options may be available:
● Reset to factory settings—download and install the operating system and software to the state they were in when your
computer was shipped from the Dell factory.
● Reset and update—download and install the most recent operating system on your computer along with the critical drivers
and applications.
CAUTION:
The reset process permanently deletes all data on the hard drive and uninstalls any programs or
drivers that you installed on your computer. It is recommended that you back up the data before performing a
system reset. Reset your computer using Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery only if you cannot resolve operating
system issues using Windows System Restore.
NOTE: If your computer is irreparable or SupportAssist OS Recovery is unable to detect the factory installed operating
system on your computer, only the Reset and update option is displayed.
NOTE: The feature to reset your computer using the Reset and update option is supported only on certain Dell system
models. For the list of system models where this feature is supported, see the Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Support
Matrix on the SupportAssist OS Recovery documentation page.
NOTE: Resetting your computer using the Reset to factory settings option may require you to enter product or license
keys for software such as Microsoft Office 365 and other licensed software.
To reset your computer to factory state, see Reset your computer to factory state.
To reset your computer and update to the most recent version of operating system, see Resetting and updating your computer.
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Using SupportAssist OS Recovery