Dell Inspiron 1545 Dell™ Technology Guide - Page 265

Restoring Your Operating System You can restore your operating system in the following ways: • System Restore returns your computer to an earlier operating state without affecting data files. Use System Restore as the first solution for restoring your operating system and preserving data files. • Dell PC Restore by Symantec (available in Windows XP) and Dell Factory Image Restore (available in Windows Vista) returns your hard drive to the operating state it was in when you purchased the computer. Both permanently delete all data on the hard drive and remove any programs installed after you received the computer. Use Dell PC Restore or Dell Factory Image Restore only if System Restore did not resolve your operating system problem. • If you received an Operating System disc with your computer, you can use it to restore your operating system. However, using the Operating System disc also deletes all data on the hard drive. Use the disc only if System Restore did not resolve your operating system problem. Using Microsoft® Windows® System Restore The Windows operating systems provide a System Restore option which allows you to return your computer to an earlier operating state (without affecting data files) if changes to the hardware, software, or other system settings have left the computer in an undesirable operating state. Any changes that System Restore makes to your computer are completely reversible. NOTICE: Make regular backups of your data files. System Restore does not monitor your data files or recover them. Restoring Your Operating System 265