User's Manual

31
INSPIRON
If you received an Operating System media with
your computer, you can use it to restore your
operating system. However, using the Operating
System media also deletes all data on the hard
drive.
NOTE: Your computer may or may not have
an optical drive. Use an external optical
drive or any external storage device for the
procedures that involve media.
Windows Operating System
Reinstallation
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.
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
Dell Drivers and Utilities • media
NOTE: The
Dell Drivers and Utilities media
contains drivers that were installed during the
assembly of the computer. Use the
Dell Drivers
and Utilities
media to load any required
drivers. Depending on the region from which
you ordered your computer, or whether you
requested the media, the
Dell Drivers and
Utilities
media and Operating System media
may not ship with your computer.
Restoring Your Operating System