The boot process now takes a minute vs maybe 20 sec before.The recovery disc Dell sent us worked strangely. The laptop came w/ W8, and I think Dell did something to their recovery media such that in Win 8.1, the recovery was not to a fresh Dell install to a new hard drive, but to a clean Windows install w/ no bloatware.We are unable to tell BIOS to turn UEFI on, and the hard drive does no show up in list of boot options. We got it going from a System Image Backup 28Gb USB we had created using the Dell recovery disc. There is no recovery D: partition on the new 500Gb HD we installed.What we need is some META method for the W8.1 install to properly work on the Dell system.I am so tired of MS and Dell is absent.Please help.

When my laptop died a few weeks ago, I searched around and found a Dell laptop at Costco that still came with Windows 7 Professional and bought it. When I got it home, I noticed that the Windows restore disc that came with it was Windows 8.1. I called Dell and made them send me a Windows 7 Professional recovery disc. I will be able to avoid Windows 8.1 until this laptop dies.

Tom_M wrote:What is META method?Good question. I think I meant the reasoning an experienced auto mechanic would bring to an engine problem versus what the manuals say.I had no takers on my posted queries when doing the recovery and new HD install a few weeks ago...this tells me the things Dell had to do to accomodate the UEFI in W8 is not well understood by even pro IT folks.

Ductape wrote:Mod, posts recommending Ubuntu as a solution to this problem have been removed.?I saw them and was not bothered, but I figured the mods were wanting to keep a focus on the techy issue. I think I encouraged linux rederrals w/ my saying I am tired of MS, Dell, and just not having a clue as to what I am doing, even after 40 yrs fooling heavily w/ all kinds of PCs. In addition to a long boot where the Dell circle is up for maybe 25 sec and then a blue 4-pane window (MS icon) with a rotating circular arrow is on for another 30 sec before asking for the PC password...Computer will not go to sleep. It seems only to hibernate (or shutdown - I cannot tell). Also, as I mentioned, UEFI cannot be turned on in boot menu and BIOS sees no HD. Also, Dell recovery disk AND the MS 541Mb 'recovery stick' we created from this W8.1 reinstall flashed the message that they were not recognizing stuff and just stop. CTRL-ALT-DEL will restart (w/ long bootup)If anyone can tell us exactly what to do to get this thing to either go back to Dell OEM, or a non-bloat Windows OS, I would be grateful.

Found that FN+on/off button booted to the Dell PSA diagnostic we had used to 1st get a confirmation that the original HD failed.Running PSA this time found the new HD was not set, but then it corrected that and it now shows in a list that the F12 key shows at bootup.The F2 key, brings up the old DOS style BIOS. Here, it does not work if we try to enable UEFI, and there is no list of hardware devices should you want to re-order their boot preference.Boots from hibernate in 30-40 sec, and Martha seems to think it booted faster back when UEFI worked.Sleep works, but cannot seem to stop a hibernate/shutdown(?) after leaving it unattended for several hours.Seems to be stable otherwise, and I hope it continues to.

Win 8.1 recovery ... BIOS does not see HD on Dell

14 Replies

burlmart
Explorer
Aug 08, 2014
Ductape wrote:
Mod, posts recommending Ubuntu as a solution to this problem have been removed.

?

I saw them and was not bothered, but I figured the mods were wanting to keep a focus on the techy issue. I think I encouraged linux rederrals w/ my saying I am tired of MS, Dell, and just not having a clue as to what I am doing, even after 40 yrs fooling heavily w/ all kinds of PCs.

In addition to a long boot where the Dell circle is up for maybe 25 sec and then a blue 4-pane window (MS icon) with a rotating circular arrow is on for another 30 sec before asking for the PC password...

Computer will not go to sleep. It seems only to hibernate (or shutdown - I cannot tell). Also, as I mentioned, UEFI cannot be turned on in boot menu and BIOS sees no HD. Also, Dell recovery disk AND the MS 541Mb 'recovery stick' we created from this W8.1 reinstall flashed the message that they were not recognizing stuff and just stop.

CTRL-ALT-DEL will restart (w/ long bootup)

If anyone can tell us exactly what to do to get this thing to either go back to Dell OEM, or a non-bloat Windows OS, I would be grateful.
burlmart
Explorer
Aug 08, 2014
Tom_M wrote:
What is META method?

Good question. I think I meant the reasoning an experienced auto mechanic would bring to an engine problem versus what the manuals say.

I had no takers on my posted queries when doing the recovery and new HD install a few weeks ago...this tells me the things Dell had to do to accomodate the UEFI in W8 is not well understood by even pro IT folks.
Tom_M1
Explorer
Aug 08, 2014
What is META method?
Bobbo
Explorer III
Aug 08, 2014
When my laptop died a few weeks ago, I searched around and found a Dell laptop at Costco that still came with Windows 7 Professional and bought it. When I got it home, I noticed that the Windows restore disc that came with it was Windows 8.1. I called Dell and made them send me a Windows 7 Professional recovery disc. I will be able to avoid Windows 8.1 until this laptop dies.

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Win 8.1 recovery ... BIOS does not see HD on Dell

14 Replies

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