Acer Aspire E5-571 Factory Defaults From Fresh Windows 10 Upgrade

thenry
thenry Member Posts: 17 New User

Hi. I done a recent upgrade to Windows 10 from WIndows 8.1 carrying over nothing via the ugprade process and having done so I lost Acer software including care center etc. I have tried alt f10 at boot but that only brings up the ability to reset Windows 10 and I cannot revert back to Windows 8.1 because that option is not there. I have tried freshly installing Windows 10 again to see if there was a glitch with Acer care center downloading but that problem still persists so still no care center. Disk management still seems to show the factory defaults partitions as shown in the image below. I did not opt for any options to wipe the hard drive or any partitions via upgrades, fresh installs. Is there any way I can boot the recovery partition to restore the machine back to factory defaults?

 

diskmanagement.png

Answers

  • finlux
    finlux ACE Posts: 1,834 Pathfinder

    Hi thenry!

     

    You can reinstall all the Acer programs from your regions' support. Select "Drivers & Manuals" then enter your laptop details. Click on the "Driver" & "Applications" tabs to install what you need. Alternatively, if you made the Appdrv disk (when you bought your laptop) then you can install from there!

     

    If you wish to go back to Windows 8.1 from 10, then try this:

     

    Restart your laptop, and press FN+F10 this should allow the recovery partition to "take over" & allow you to reinstall 8.1. Just remember to backup anything you may need!

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    it's ALT+F10 not Fn+F10, by the way after windows 10 upgrade, most of times the Acer recovery will not work.

     

    the only way to revert back to windows 8.1, if windows.old folder is still intact, is using Window revert function:

    http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/how-revert-back-your-previous-os-after-windows-10-upgrade

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • finlux
    finlux ACE Posts: 1,834 Pathfinder

    You are indeed correct, ALT+F10 and not FN+F10.

     

    Sorry for the confusion! Smiley Embarassed

  • thenry
    thenry Member Posts: 17 New User

    No joy. I have had to order recovery disks.

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer
    Why you need so badly Acer car?
    I'm on mobile phone right now and i don't have instructions on how to re-enable your recovery partition.

    Be patient.
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • thenry
    thenry Member Posts: 17 New User

    Because it does a lot automatically rather than manually having to update etc. It's weird that the program is not downloading via the AcerCareCenterCheckTool. I'm not sure why the machine is having trouble connecting to download. There is no third party security software installed for that to be blocking connectivity. I have also tried turning off windows firewall.

     

    I don't want to revert back to factory defaults just for Acer Care Center. I have seemingly lost the ability to revert back to factory defaults which doesn't sit well with me. I don't like the fact I have no ability to reset this machine to factory defaults. I cannot download and install Acer Care Center because of some network issue. I cannot install Acer eRecovery Management because it's not available for download, or it is but it's done via Acer Care Center which I cannot download! Smiley Mad

     

    Please if you could give me instructions on how to startup the recovery partition I'd be very much grateful Smiley Happy thank you

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    So...if i understand correctly, Acer care center starts but can't connect to server?

     

    the connection issues are about all connections?

     

    maybe it just needs some drivers update.

     

    http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/drivers/5344;-;Aspire%20E5-571

     

    about recovery, can you please take a screenshot of diskpart result using this commands?

    windows key logo + r
    type
    diskpart
    on diskpart
    list disk
    (check the disk number where the recovery partition is installed)
    type
    select disk x
    (x is the number of the disk where partition is installed)
    type
    list partition
    check if all partitions appear
    select partition x
    (x is the number of the 17GB partition)
    detail partition

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • thenry
    thenry Member Posts: 17 New User

    I have updated drivers again no joy. The AcerCareCenterCheckTool cannot connect for some reason. DiskPart screenshot below....

     

    diskpart.png

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    windows logo key + r

    type

    diskpart

    type
    select disk 0
    select partition 5
    assign letter=R
    exit

     

    windows logo key + x

    choose Command prompt (admin)

    type
    reagentc.exe /setreimage /path R:\Recovery\WindowsRE /target C:\windows

    exit


    Try to create a recovery disk using windows 10 recovery software:

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/create-a-recovery-drive

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • thenry
    thenry Member Posts: 17 New User

    The hard drive has 2 recovery partitions, the big one sized 15.58GB and the smaller one 600MB which are Acer factory defaults? The Windows 10 create a recovery drive tool brings up what seems to be Windows 10 recovery, even after the steps in your above post the software says

     

    createarecoverydrive.png

     

    The windows 10 installer is around that size isn't it? I'm sure the above is not the machines actual recovery partition which would be considerably bigger. I haven't gone on to create the above partition because it doesn't look right.

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    Acer's partition is 15GB.

     

    from the past diskpart screenshot:

    take note of "offset" value and "type" (guid) value
    Open the XML file C:\Windows\System32\Recovery\ReAgent.xml (don't use wordpad but download a free XML editor like: http://sourceforge.net/projects/xml-copy-editor/ ).

    Locate the line "PBRImageLocation". Set its offset and guid accordingly to the values you found above.

     

    then from a Command prompt (admin)

    type

    reagentc /disable

    and then

    reagentc /enable

     

    try again to create an USB recovery media.

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • thenry
    thenry Member Posts: 17 New User

    still the same...

     

    createarecoverydrive.png

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    give it a try even if it tells only 4GB.

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • thenry
    thenry Member Posts: 17 New User

    I've just seen this in This PC....

     

    thispc.png

     

    Push Button Reset (R: ) wasn't there before.

     

    I haven't got a USB drive bigger than 4GB. I do have blank 4.7GB discs. Will that work where it is asking for a USB device?

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    Yes the R push button has appeared since i asked you to un-hidden the recovery partition and re-assign to windows as the main recovery partition.

     

    it's better if you use an USB flash drive.

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • thenry
    thenry Member Posts: 17 New User

    Sweet Smiley Very Happy

     

    I have no USB drive to hand and the discs when inserted into the machine does get a reaction from the create a recovery drive tool by way of please wait green bar moves from left to right searching but then goes back to connect a USB device rather than proceeding using the disc.

     

    Is there any way I can burn the push button reset drive onto discs using another software? Is there another method other than connecting a USB device?

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    honestly i don't know if it's possible.

     

    if you have an external HDD you can try to use it connecting via USB.

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • thenry
    thenry Member Posts: 17 New User

    No means to test Smiley Sad I only have blank discs but I have now finally managed to restore the machine back to factory defaults using recovery discs supplied by Acer Smiley Very Happy

     

    Thank you for your help and sorry for not being able to complete your step-by-step guide. May be someone else can revisit this to see if it works. Or me at a later date Smiley EmbarassedSmiley Happy

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    ok, good to hear it.

    I'm not an Acer employee.