Acer says recovery disks not available

[sys-eng]

Acer 5532 with Windows 7 Home Premium 64

Needed to restore computer with factory image. When I enter AltF10 to enter the recovery program at boot, the next screen says
EDIT BOOT OPTIONS
PARTITION: 3
HARD DISK : df8efb5f
[ /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN ]

When I enter Serial Number on Acer website, it says no RCD available. In Acer chat session, tech said that Acer does not keep Recovery Disks past 4 years after the product is sold.

Ebay usually has them but just wondering where do you get recovery disks?

 

[Martyn]

I think in the USA they use http://www.restoredisks.com/findrestoredisk.aspx

I just checked and they have that model

 

[Doc+Com]

A simple web search for 'restore disks' would have taken you to www.restoredisks.com and your model appears in their list of available disk sets. I've used them before without issues.

 

[Doc+Com]

......great minds.....

 

[sys-eng]

I will just set this one on the shelf for a while. It needs a keyboard, battery, and screen . . . and now $35 for a disk that should have come from the manufacturer. There use to be a sight where the ISO could be downloaded for a small fee (~$5), and I never had a problem there. I have not used it in a few years and cannot remember it now.

Asus now charges $50 for recovery disks which is why I never recommend their computers any more.

 

[katz]

Why bother with the recovery disks at all?

If you have a valid COA on the pc, simply install an oem iso & install drivers as needed after the install. I would rather do it that way anyway so as to not install all of the bloatware from the manufacturer.

 

[Altster]

This is the very same thing I generally do AND I usually add some extra software titles (open source / free of course.)

 

[discipulus]

OEM install all the way.

 

[sys-eng]

Why bother with the recovery disks at all?

If you have a valid COA on the pc, simply install an oem iso & install drivers as needed after the install. I would rather do it that way anyway so as to not install all of the bloatware from the manufacturer.

Most of the laptops I get have the COA worn away so much that it cannot be read. I believe Microsoft likes it that way because no engineer would ever think that was the best place to put it.

 

[LifelineIT]

Every windows 7 system I have worked on has key info on the board as well as in the OS. If the hard drive is readable at all, you can extract the existing key with any number of tools, even if the system won't boot. Hirens, UBCD, etc. Then do vanilla install and magic jellybean the key change.

There's also a script out there that I have used that, upon install, pings the board for manufacturer info and pulls the hardware key and inserts it. Look for the Windows 7 AIO torrents.

 

[AndyM]

and now $35 for a disk that should have come from the manufacturer.

You'll probably find that the machine had a Recovery Disk creation wizard, which would have bugged the user to create them. A *LOT* of home use machines of that era came with that option, from various manufacturers. If the client didn't create the discs, then it is the clients fault. The manufacturer gave the facility to create them. The client did have the option of turning the reminder off though.

Andy