Need to rebuild an Acer laptop

[dan2229]

Went to see the grandsons this weekend, and the first thing they said when I entered the door, "Grandpa, fix our computers!"

One was an easy fix with AdwCleaner. Found tons of junk as they like to go to flash games sites. All of them I think download lots of junk. I ran the scan twice then updated Avast and ran that. The one computer ran smoothly after that...until he plays a few days on one of those sites!

The other is a real stinker. The computer not the grandson. I did the same clean and found maybe twice the amount of junk on it. I also uninstalled a dozen programs that were on the hard drive that were maybe ride-alongs with some of the games he plays.

When the laptop boots, the first screen shows a message that the system 32 needs some attention and goes through a whole list of temp files that are then resolved. Takes about five minutes. Then a message comes up that some AppleSyncNotifier.exe can't be found along with corefoundation.dll. So I tried downloading a fresh version of iTunes. Every time I try to install the installer disappears.

So, I think the computer needs to be rebuilt, but I looked for a Restore Point, and there was none! Of course, my daughter has no idea where the disks are that came with the computer. It is an older Acer and runs XP, so it probably came with a set of disks.

I saw that Acer has a store where ghosts can be downloaded or maybe purchased, I'm not sure. I also have an Acer and didn't want to try to download anything as the site may recognize my laptop instead of his. The site says I can supply the serial number that can ID the laptop.

Does this service cost?

Thanks,

Daniel

 

[rclarke250]

No idea, but, did you check by model number to see if it has a restore image in a hidden partition? they haven't sent actual disks out for many years now. That would get it to a factory restore if it has one. My understanding is most disk sets cost, but the cost is minimal, 10-30 USD for most manufactures.

 

[dan2229]

Will this work? Did a search for D2D and found this.

1.Detach any external hardware such as an external hard drive or printer.

2.Press the Power button to boot your Acer laptop.

3.Press "Alt-F10" on your keyboard when the Acer screen appears at the start of the boot-up process. Wait a moment while Windows loads the reset files.

4.Select "Restore System from factory default" in the Acer eRecovery Management window.

5.Click "Next" on the next screen to continue. Click "Next" on the following destination information window. This will pop up a notice telling you that resetting your Acer laptop will erase all data and restore the laptop to its original settings and configuration.

6.Click "OK" in the notice window to proceed with resetting your Acer laptop.

7.Wait while your Acer laptop is reset to factory settings.


Read more:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5063933_reset-acer-laptop.html#ixzz2lWtDXfEJ

 

[goombawaho]

If that procedure applies to your model AND it has a valid and healthy recovery partition on it, then it should work. It's best to check on the support page for your exact model and then you'll know. Bear in mind that it could be a hardware problem. Most likely bad memory or bad hard drive IF it were a hardware problem. It could also be malware. What I'm saying is that a system reload won't fix an underlying hardware problem, but it would fix a malware infection.

So, if you can try it, do it, but be prepared for possible disappointment. You can also reload from an XP CD without the need for any recovery partition or recovery disk set. You can find lots of these recovery disk sets on Ebay if you have to go in that direction.

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