How to Create and Use the Dell Recovery and Restore USB drive

Overview of steps

1. Create the Dell Recovery and Restore USB drive on your working computer
2. Start, or boot, the nonworking computer from the Dell Recovery and Restore USB drive
3. Dell Recovery and Restore will guide you through the repair, restore, or reinstall options.
4. Reenable Secure Boot on your restored computer (Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 only)
5. Useful links

Step 1: Create the Dell Recovery and Restore USB drive on your working computer.

Before you begin.

To begin the process to create a Dell Recovery and Restore USB drive, download the Dell Recovery Restore software from the following link: Dell Recovery & Restore Installing the Dell Recovery & Restore software on your USB drive formats the drive and erases existing data. Back up any files or data saved on the USB drive.

Install the Dell Recovery & Restore software on your working computer.

1. Once the file is downloaded to your browser taskbar or Downloads folder, you must extract the .zip file. To do this, browse the download location, right-click the file and select Extract All.
   Note: If the file does not extract correctly, the download may be corrupted or does not have the correct file extension. Change the file to a .zip file type and then attempt to extract the files.
2. Click or run the Dell Direct Key or setup.exe file to launch the installer. The Dell Recovery & Restore installation wizard appears on the screen.
3. On the Dell Recovery & Restore installation wizard, click Next and then click Install.
4. When the installation wizard is complete, click Finish.

Open Dell Recovery & Restore to transfer the software to your USB drive

1. On your desktop, click the Dell Key Creator icon to open the application.
2. Connect a 16 GB or larger USB drive to any available USB port.
3. On the Dell Recovery & Restore application window, select the USB drive as the media that you would like to use. The software should detect the USB drive. If it is not detected, click the Refresh icon next to the drop-down box.
4. Click Start to transfer the Dell Recovery & Restore software on to your USB.
5. If a dialog box about formatting a disk appears, please ignore the message and close it by clicking the X in the upper-right corner.
6. When the process is completed, an "Operation done" message appears. Click OK.

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Step 2: Start, or boot, the nonworking computer from the Dell Recovery & Restore USB drive

For Windows 10 and Windows 8.1

To disable Secure Boot

1. Turn on or restart the computer that you are repairing.
2. When the Dell logo appears, tap F2 on the keyboard several times to open the UEFI menu. Or, from Windows, hold the Shift key while selecting Restart. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options: UEFI Firmware Settings.
3. Using the arrow keys, browse the Boot tab of the UEFI menu.
4. Next select Secure Boot and press Enter, and then use the + or - key to change the status to Disabled and press Enter. If you are prompted to allow the changes, select Yes.
5. Select the Boot List Option and press Enter, and then on the options menu, select Legacy, and press Enter.
6. Connect the USB drive with Dell Recovery & Restore to any available USB port.
7. Use the arrow keys to browse the Exit tab of the System Setup window. Then select Save and Exit. The computer will restart.

To boot from Dell Recovery & Repair USB drive

1. When the Dell logo appears, tap F12 on the keyboard several times to enter the computer setup screen.
2. Select the USB storage device and press Enter.
3. The personal computer will start the Dell Recovery & Restore software on your USB drive.
4. On the Recovery & Restore window, select your preferred language for the application.
5. Read and accept the license terms and agreement and then click Continue.

For Windows 7

1. Turn off the computer that you are repairing.
2. Connect the USB drive with Dell Recovery & Restore to any available USB port.
3. Turn on the computer.
4. When the Dell logo appears, tap F12 on the keyboard several times to enter the computer setup screen.
5. Using the arrow keys, select USB Storage Device and press Enter. The personal computer starts the Dell Recovery & Restore software on your USB drive.
6. On the Recovery & Restore window, select your preferred language for the application.
7. Read and accept the license terms and agreement and then click Continue.

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Step 3: Dell Recovery & Restore will guide you through the repair, restore, or reinstall options.

Video - Restore Your Computer With a Dell Windows 10 or Windows 8.1 USB Restore Key

• Smart Repair (up to 5 minutes)
• Data and User-Settings Backup (time depends on file size)
• Image Recovery and Reinstall (up to 30 minutes)

Smart Repair

Smart Repair automatically checks and tries to repair the most common and basic Windows startup issues:

• Main Boot Record issues
• Boot Configuration Data issues
• Partition table issues
• File computer errors on the hard disk drive.

If Smart Repair can find and fix the issue, you will see a summary screen and then be prompted to exit the Dell Recovery & Restore application and restart your computer. Your data has not been touched and there is no risk of data loss.

If Smart Repair is unable to fix the issue, then Dell Recovery & Repair will continue to the next step in the process.

Data and User-Setting Backup

Dell Recovery & Repair will prompt you to continue to reinstall your Operating System. When you click "Continue," the Backup screen appears and gives you the option to back up your personal files and settings.

Note: We highly recommend that you back up your data. If you click "Skip," then you will lose all your data and settings when Windows is reinstalled.

Your backup options are:

• Default Backup. Clicking Continue will back up everything that is saved under the My Computer folder (example: My Documents, My Music, My Video, My Pictures).
• Customized Backup. Clicking Select More will open the Customized Backup screen. This option allows you to select the individual files you want to back up.
• No Backup. Clicking Skip will cancel the backup. Your personal files and settings will be lost.

After selecting the backup option of your choice, you will either be prompted to connect an external hard drive and/or continue to the next step in the process.

Image Recovery and Reinstall

• Once the backup is completed, Dell Recovery & Restore will perform the image recovery using the existing hidden computer image on your computer.
• When the image restore is completed, your computer will restart a couple of times and you will be prompted to disconnect and reconnect the external hard drive until the backup is complete.
• When the entire process is complete, Windows will start normally and the desktop will display.
• The Dell Recovery & Restore application window will open. When prompted, click the Restart button.
• After the computer restarts, Dell Recovery & Restore application will prompt you to connect the external hard drive (if you chose to back up your data) and then click Continue.
• Once the operating system is finished reinstalling, you will be prompted to restart your computer one more time to finalize the installation. Click the Restart button.
• If you are operating system is Windows 8.1, be sure to complete step 4 to reenable Secure Boot.

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Step 4: Reenable Secure Boot on your restored computer (Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 only)

1. Restart your restored computer.
2. When the Dell logo appears, tap F2 on the keyboard several times to open the UEFI menu. Or, from Windows, hold the Shift key while selecting Restart. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options: UEFI Firmware Settings.
3. Using the arrow keys, browse the Boot tab of the UEFI menu.
4. Next select Secure Boot and press Enter, and then use the + or - key to change the status to Enabled and press Enter. If you are prompted to allow the changes, select Yes.
5. Select the Boot List Option and press Enter, and then on the options menu, select UEFI and press Enter.

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Recommended Articles

Here are some recommended articles related to this topic that might be of interest to you.

• Restore your Computer Using SupportAssist OS Recovery
• How to Download and Use the Dell Operating System Recovery Image
• How to Install Dell Drivers in the Correct Order

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