I have a Systemax Venture HU2, model SYX-D945GPM. I do not have any CD disks, but do have an extended FAT32 partition named INHOUSE on the same hard drive. I suspect this is the factory restore image. I can see the partition by choosing "Start", "Control Panel", "Administrative Tools", "Computer Management", "Disk Management". However, I can find no way to get the partition to appear in "My Computer" as a drive, partition, or named folder. I have read there may be a "magic" key combination (for example, Dell =
I simply want to wipe everything and restore the computer to factory settings as new. All my personal data is backed up. How do I do this? Thanks for your help.
PS- Systemax wants $40 just to talk to me.
Tap F4 repeatedly to launch the recovery console on SystemMax Machines with the recovery partition still intact. Then you should be able to restore the machine to factory defaults without a CD.
Systemax uses Tech-in-a-box. read this PDF:
http://www.tensas.k12.la.us/tentech/download/Techinbox.pdf
Start Tech-In-A-Box by double-clicking the icon. The Tech-In-A-Box icon can be found on the task-bar at the bottom of your desktop. There is also an icon for it located on your desktop. If you still can't locate it, click the "Start" button then click the "Tech-In-A-Box" icon at the top of the Start Menu.
Then go to this link :
http://www.supportforyourpc.com/tools/get_article.asp?aid=782#DCDOver
Restore Factory Setup:
Your computer will now shutdown and restart to begin the restore process. You will now see a message stating that "System Restore in progress. Please do not interrupt this operation or turn off your computer". You are now restoring your system. This process can take 30 minutes or more. When the process is complete, the system will reboot.
Click on this link or copy and paste the complete link into your browser.
If I could be of further assistance, let me know. If this helps or solves the issue, please rate it.
Thanks, Joe
I’m happy to assist further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/joe_8b8c2cd6ce148309
Does your unit have a Product key label on the back or side?
If so, just use that key to make the Windows legal. Then go to Systemax's site and download the drivers.
FDisk will only tell you the size and name of the partition.
If you have the license key, just use the version of XP that is listed on the label. If it says XP Home, then that is what it is. The key will not work on any other version IE; XP Pro.
Also, DOS will not even see the contents of that partiton.
Good luck.
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Thanks for the quick reply. However .....................
I do not have Tech-in-a-Box nor any documentation or CDs. I bought this computer from a friend. He was to give me all the things that came with the computer including the original invoice. Meanwhile in the next few days, his house burned down in a fire. (Unfortunately, this is a true story!)
Regarding your suggestions, I clicked the links. One was a PDF file. The other was an explanation of how to use Tech-in-a-Box. I have searched online for the software to no avail. Systemax is useless in helping as far as I am concerned.
Also, to further complicate the mess, I have reformatted and installed a temporary version of Windows (to buy a license and activate within 30 days) so I could boot to the hard drive. Previously, the computer would not boot to the hard drive in Windows or DOS in normal or safe modes. After loading Windows, I discovered INHOUSE is an auxially partition on the single hard drive. I can not do anything "with" or "to" the partition including getting the Properties except size, used, & remaining.
Any more suggestions? Thanks.
That is my next move ... to try the product key to make the Windows XP legal. I loaded a Windows XP Pro (retail) instead of Windows XP Pro (OEM) so I am wondering what problem that might cause. Anyway, I will probably try it tomorrow afternoon. If I have success, I will certainly let you know. Thanks.
or something on boot that would do the install after answering a couple of questions. Maybe that is too simple. I will let you know how it works out. Thanks for the help.
Oh, BTW, if adding the Windows XP product number doesn't work (or maybe even if it does), I think I will boot with a DOS CD to get to the INHOUSE partition. I can use FDISK to "see" the partition. Of course, I will play nice and be careful inside FDISK! Maybe I can do a directory of the INHOUSE drive after I boot to DOS. If so, I might find the startup program. Based on what I have read though, I will not be able to see the partition with DOS unless I find a DOS editor to change the entry to INHOUSE partition. I don't know enough about this to play .... yet! What do you think? Comments?
I just don't understand why there isn't an
I reinstalled Windows XP (using OEM version), changed the product code, and activated the operating system. Everything works great.
Guess what? After all that trouble, I found a copy of the INHOUSE partition on a CD I had made earlier. Now I am scratching my head as to how I made the CD before. It is tough when you get the CRS disease, isn't it?
Oh, the CRS disease? In polite terms, it is "can't remember stuff".
Thanks again for your guidance.
I had trouble using the built in PowerQuest Drive Image software that the Tech-In-A-Box access's to perform the "ghosting" operation to the drive. Tech-In-A-Box would start normally, choosing the factory restore choice would reboot the PC, and the PQI process would hang with an error message every time I tried it. I wrote to supportformypc folks for some assistance, and they offered that I should just utilyze the windows disk included in my bundle, and start fresh from there. They had no help to offer with the PQI process error.
I researched it myself and found that Symantec had bought up PowerQuest, and their later versions of Ghost could handle the .pqi image file that was still resident on the 2nd partition of my hard drive. I utilyzed the bootable Ghost 14 cd to access my 2nd partition and restore my c: drive back to it's factory fresh startup. Problem solved by myself! (I did inform the supportformypc folks of this fix so that they could better assist someone else in the future if they faced this problem again)
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