Users Guide

Frequently asked questions
1. If I format the hard drive of my computer, does it affect the SupportAssist OS Recovery partition?
SupportAssist OS Recovery partition is deleted when you format the hard drive of your computer by using a standard
operating system media or a USB drive. After the partition is deleted, you can reset the operating system along with
SupportAssist OS Recovery tool by using the Reset and update option. For more information, see Resetting and updating
your computer.
If your computer supports the BIOSConnect feature, you can reinstall the operating system along with SupportAssist OS
Recovery tool by using BIOSConnect. For more information, see BIOSConnect overview.
2. How much space does the SupportAssist OS Recovery occupy on my hard drive?
SupportAssist OS Recovery occupies approximately 900 MB of your hard drive space.
3. Is SupportAssist OS Recovery available only for a specific service plan?
No, SupportAssist OS Recovery is available for all service plans.
4. My computer is in an out-of-warranty state. Can I still use SupportAssist OS Recovery?
If your computer is in an out-of-warranty state, you can still use SupportAssist OS Recovery. However, if you face any
issues, you must purchase a per-incident support agreement to receive technical support from Dell.
5. What operating systems does SupportAssist OS Recovery support?
SupportAssist OS Recovery supports Microsoft Windows 10 operating system only.
6. What storage formats are supported for backing up files using SupportAssist OS Recovery?
SupportAssist OS Recovery supports USB drives, USB hard drives, and SD cards.
7. What do I do when SupportAssist OS Recovery does not start automatically?
SupportAssist OS Recovery may not start automatically because of the following reasons:
● The option to automatically start SupportAssist OS Recovery may be disabled in the BIOS—to enable automatic start of
SupportAssist OS Recovery in the BIOS, see Configuring SupportAssist OS Recovery.
● Boot files maybe missing on the boot partition—you can reset the operating system along with SupportAssist OS
Recovery tool by using the Reset and update option. For more information, see Resetting and updating your computer.
If your computer supports the BIOSConnect feature, you can reinstall the operating system along with SupportAssist OS
Recovery tool by using BIOSConnect. For more information, see BIOSConnect overview.
● The service operating system might be missing from the local drive because you may have formatted the system drive—
you can reset the operating system along with SupportAssist OS Recovery tool by using the Reset and update option.
For more information, see Resetting and updating your computer. If your computer supports the BIOSConnect feature,
you can reinstall the operating system along with SupportAssist OS Recovery tool by using BIOSConnect. For more
information, see BIOSConnect overview.
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28 Frequently asked questions