Aspire One AO533 Recovery Disk

henman

On my Aspire 533 there is an APP that allows you to make a complete System Recovery CD and/or driver utility CD and first of all these Netbooks never had a CD rom or burner and secondly even if it did it displays the error that my hard drive is not configured for this. The hard drive was never formatted deleting the recovery partition and the only thing that was done was I flashed the BIOS with a newer version in 2010. Also other than purchasing an external CD burner, can this be achieved by using a USB flash drive instead or though my working network? Or is it to the point that factory restore is no longer an option while using the operating system and I have to boot into the recovery partition from BIOS? Other than downloading the drivers from Acer, is a logical option of just doing a fresh install of Windows 7 Starter off of a USB drive a better option? My complaint about the installed programs or should I say useless bloat ware is the Norton and McCaffee that when installed are such resource hogs that bring this already underpowered netbook down to its knees. When I did a recovery bringing it to like new with no viruses those two programs made this netbook almost useless. Also even with Norton I still ended up with viruses prompting me to rip it out and replace with better software. Anyway for a "just in case" senario what do I have to do to enable the function of creating a recovery and driver/utility so that if a clean install of Win7 Starter from USB fails to install all of the proper drivers and utilities I can fall back on these?

henman

Because Acer didn't mention what kind it had I did the grim task of carefully pulling it apart as per the Youtube video and took it over to a friend of mine who has a hoard of ram from repairing computers etc. So we looked to see what kind it was and then proceded to "plug and pray" until we found a 2 gig that made it happy. 

I just did the Alt.  F10 and my System Recovery is now happy with the hard drive settings and both the driver utility and system both complain about no burner. Also System recovery is demandingI use 3 disks which is a surprise compared to the Acer 2 disk set for BOTH system and driver/utility recovery and other than all of the updates from Microsoft, and what I have removed such as Mcafee which is expired, Microsoft Office Home/Student which is a 60 day trial anyway it still wants 3 disks for the system. I guess since it is still unused and empty and just installed I could probably do a Alt.F10 again and do the Virtual CD trick again or go ahead and recover 3 disk images. At least it is working now.

JackE

Google "total mounter". It's a virtual CD/DVD burner freeware that'll make the System Recovery feature think it's writing to a DVD disk. Jack E/NJ    

henman

Great and thanks but one thing is still puzzling me is the fact that the recovery cd feature in the Acer APP is telling me the hard drive isn't configured to make a recovery cd. Also in the past I did a full restore back to new but haven't figured out what I did in the past. My main concern right now is making a recovery cd even though I have win 7 starter on a flash drive.

JackE

>>>Also in the past I did a full restore back to new but haven't figured out what I did in the past.>>>

 

Did you perhaps use the Alt+F10 method? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2xoMEPfiPQ

 

Jack E/NJ

henman

No I didn't. I used the Acer software, perhaps the same where it says restore but I haven't finallize all of what I want to save before I do a total restore due to malware and possible virus infestation. Back when I did the restore there was very little to save. This Alt F10?? Does it do the same thing as the software app within Win 7 or is this an actual keyboard command INCASE the operating system I.E. Windows can no longer boot due to currupted system and registry files? If it is? than perhaps I will try a clean install off of the flash drive. I will try the software to simulate the burner for the driver utility package but the error of the hard drive configuration puzzles me making me wonder if a backup disc is ever possible. I looked in the bios settings and I can't find anything to configure for this mystery "Hard drive isn't configured or set to enable " That disk would be required if my hard drive failed. As for the clean install like I mentioned before I never had any good luck with Norton and always had virus problems right away using it even while being careful. Also the Mcaffe was a total drain as well. This system is barely sufficient with Win 7 compared to the Acers I saw running Linpus Lite or XP but as we all know XP is no longer supported and Win 7 is becoming that. Win 10 I found wasn't such a hog if the drivers etc. are all working and I was reluctant to try it on this computer. As it was 1 gig of ram wasn't close to being enough so I had to follow the YouTube video, disassemble the entire thing just to swap the ram. A simple removable panel or cover would have made sense and replace the stick with a two gig. Of course like others in this forum have mentioned what I found out in the past is Acer will not sell a two gig because it never had. So much for providing upgrades to an obvious bad decision to sell these with one gig. The two gb really helped.

JackE

If the hidden Acer erecovery partition on the hard drive is still intact, the Alt+F10 erecovery method as shown in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2xoMEPfiPQ  can be used to re-set your machine to either factory-delivered new condition or factory-delivered but saving your data. This recovery method is activated by the Alt+F10 keyboard combo *before* Windows starts loading, not by any command inside the Windows environment. Jack E/NJ     

henman

I tried the Alt. F10 and it started loading files so I shut it down after finding out that works. I also downloaded and installed total mount but Acer eRecovery Management still complains of no Burner present (unable to detect a writable optical drive) Just to clarify the error for the Recovery disk

Hard drive configuration is not set to the factory default. Backup aborted.

Personally I think this is absolutly lame providing software that gives you absolutely NO OPTIONS other than forcing you to go out and have to purchase an external burner in a Netbook with no CD ROM/RW!! As it is CD and DVD are becoming a thing of the past and I usually install Windows or other operating systems using a bootable USB! I have never used totalmount before and now I have to learn how to use this vs buying a burner.

JackE

With total mounter, make sure you set up a virtual CD/DVD disk folder on your hard drive.  Device Mgr should also see that a CD/DVD drive is in fact installed  when total mounter is active so that eRecovery Mgt can see it too.

 

As for not having a real burner in a netbook, it's sort of a transitional thing to save space and money. Sorta like the not having floppy drives anymore. Eventually most laptops won't have them. But if you really wanna/gotta have a real burner, USB plugins are less than $20 with free shipping nowadays. 8^) 

 

Jack E/NJ

henman

After trying total mounter it must of had bugs because when I started trying to use it, it locked up so bad that task manager couldn't even shut it down so after rebooting I tried Virtual CD under a trial use of which only once is all I need and only managed to get the drivers and Utilities backup. Next I created a bootable USB With an OEM version of Win 7 Starter I downloaded where my Acer product keys work on, formated only the main partition and installed. When installation was finished I installed all of the drivers, ePower Management, eRecovery Management, Adobe, etc., leaving out Norton. When I was finished the Acer Logo and background where you sign in using a password was gone and also in eRecovery, the driver feature didn't work with the notice that the driver package wasn't installed. Also since I have never used the recovery disk feature from when I purchased this Netbook new due to the external burner being required I never noticed the hard drive nag saying the hard drive isn't configured for this function. After the reinstallation, I still get the error. There were only two settings in the BIOS before I reinstalled and setting it to the second choice caused the blue screen of death and a rapid reboot after the start ing of windows so I went back in and set it back. Other than going through the miserable task of upgrading the RAM, I know of nothing that was ever set or changed regarding this so called hard drive setting. Right now I'm restoring  using the Alt. F10 method due to the drivers for eRecovery not being installed and will be deleteing bloatware when it reboots. Now as for the Recovery disk, and the driver utility disk they are for sale on Acer for $19.00 so since I cant get a proper recovery (other than cloning the hard drive) this is probably a wise investment. I used Win RAR to open the ISO and all I deleted was the Norton before I transfered it to my Win 7 USB and of course after seeing eRecovery was in there I find it VERY disapointing that Acer will not provide a newer version of eRecovery as a download because if you watch the Youtube Videos showing how to do the eRecovery, they are showing a newer version using a flash drive instead of a CD if you have to do a recovery this methode. Just like my RAM, Acer will not provide a 2 GB module or stick, just one. I guess they feel keeping a product running lousy is the proper thing to do!! This mindset most certainly needs improvement! Obviously whoever came up with this mentality was never self employed (I was for 14 years).

JackE

So are you getting the stick recovery version at https://store.acer.com/en-us/extended/recovery/ ? As for the RAM, your bios can certainly handle a 2GB sodimm for about $12 with free shipping from Amazon. No guarantees, but like my netbook, it'll probably also recognize a 4GB module with no sweat for about $20. I'm probably gonna try an 8GB module in mine when prices come down a bit more. Good luck. Jack E/NJ  

henman

Because Acer didn't mention what kind it had I did the grim task of carefully pulling it apart as per the Youtube video and took it over to a friend of mine who has a hoard of ram from repairing computers etc. So we looked to see what kind it was and then proceded to "plug and pray" until we found a 2 gig that made it happy. 

I just did the Alt.  F10 and my System Recovery is now happy with the hard drive settings and both the driver utility and system both complain about no burner. Also System recovery is demandingI use 3 disks which is a surprise compared to the Acer 2 disk set for BOTH system and driver/utility recovery and other than all of the updates from Microsoft, and what I have removed such as Mcafee which is expired, Microsoft Office Home/Student which is a 60 day trial anyway it still wants 3 disks for the system. I guess since it is still unused and empty and just installed I could probably do a Alt.F10 again and do the Virtual CD trick again or go ahead and recover 3 disk images. At least it is working now.

JackE

>>>friend of mine who has a hoard of ram>>>we found a 2 gig that made it happy>>>At least it is working now.>>>

 

Congrats! Does your friend have a 4GB module to try to make it even happier? 8^ Jack E/NJ

henman

4 GIGS? Correct me if I'm wrong but does this AO533 support only 2 GB? I think I read it only supports 2 but perhaps I'm wrong unless with the early BIOS versions only support 2? Also regarding the 3 discs called for? If one did a restore and immedietly did a make recovery disk procedure, would it be the same as the one for system and one for driver/utilities that Acer supplies? Otherwise the eRecovery would give me a total of 4 disks (3 system, and 1 Driver/Utility)

henman

With the RAM i would say I'm SOL with 4gb

https://www.cnet.com/products/acer-aspire-one-533-13dkk-10-1-atom-n455-windows-7-starter-1-gb-ram-250-gb-hdd-series/specs/

But seems to me there is software from Microsoft as a free download that turns an SD card or a flash drive into RAM or should I say virtual ram.

 

henman

This might be a solution

https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/2442620/usb-and-sd-storage-media-readyboost-with-a-sd-card-or-a-flash-drive

Some figure a memory card or USB might not survive thatlong but a worst case senario is it will crash the system until you reboot and that is the same thing that would happen while this was being used and the flash drive or SD card was in use and was pulled or popped out. No big deal unless something was important that you were working on at that time

JackE

As noted earlier, ****advertised**** RAM supported is 2GB like on my Aspire One netbook. However, the early BIOSes actually support 4GB. And maybe even 8GB. I think this is because at the time the machines were mfrd in 2009/2010, the largest 204-pin SODIMMs commonly available were only 2GB. In 2017, 4GB modules almost grow on trees. 8GB are readily available but cost $50. Rather than fool around with slow virtual RAMdrive flash memory, I suggest you bite the bullet and spend $25 with free shipping on a Kingston 4GB module like I did to see if it works for you like it did for me. Or if you're a really big spender, maybe you could try the 8GB module for $50 and let me know if it also works. Then if 8GB works for you, I might try to bump my netbook from 4GB to 8GB too. 8^)

 

Also, I guess I'm not quite sure why you want to get the Acer erecovery CD/DVD disks, when the Acer erecovery USB sticks are now available? Are they out of stock for the USB recovery media?

 

Jack E/NJ

henman

USB? I gave the numbers of my AO533 and the disk set was all that showed up for $19.95 (so I thought!)

https://store.acer.com/en-ca/extended/recovery/

They give the option of either/or and I didn't see that. Thanks for pointing that out and perhaps that I'm blind in one eye and can't see out of the other as the case may be.

As for the RAM I have 4 GB installed on my Desktop PC (Athlon 4800+ dual core Toledo Socket 939) with Win 7 Ult. 32 and with Ultimate it indicates  3 GB.     I just booted up my Dell Dimension 4600 and I have Starter in this box with 3GB. In the system properties window,  it indicates

3.00 (2.00 GB usable)

If you have this AO533 with 4 and like you said it works with the earlier BIOS (mine is the last of 2010 and there is one? more version from 2011)  My Aspire shows Manufacture Date 1006.   Windows 32 bit versions were notorious for not recognizing more than 2 GB in the earlier versions. 

Are you running Win 7 Starter? 

Now back to my recovered eRecovery showing 9.25 GB and calling for 3 disks just for the operating sysem, more than likely they are using a dual layer or should I say an extra capacity like what purchased Movies have, but anyway that is before I re read as you mentioned to see a USB option as well for $19.95. I got it backed up as a 9.25 GB file with Virtual CD anyway. Ah what the heck! I will break down and buy an external burner. As it is today I got an IBM thinkpad 1829-D4U with a docking station at the local charity thrift shop all working for $10.00 with XP on it with very similar CPU specs as my Aspire and it can support 2GB of RAM so perhaps we will throw 7 into it and see what it does. It had the BIOS locked with a password including the operating system so I pulled it apart, disconnected the battery to clear the CMOS, reassembled it and flipped in an XP CD to get it running to determine what I need for drivers (and back them up just in case)As it is, it has a 14 inch screen which is bigger than the entire Aspire AO533. 

JackE

Yeah, I think mine also had a 2010 mfr date, a transitional time for BIOSes and 32 & 64 bit starter & home premium models. All I can say is that mine was delivered with a Nanya 2GB DDR3 1333MHz ram chip, the advertised max, running home premium. So I ordered the 4GB Kingston flavor from Amazon (19.95 at the time with free shipping) to see if it would work. It did. Worked well enough that it let me run it as VMWare host to WinXP, Win95, Win98SE & SuSE Linux guests. I did this cuz I still have some older hardware (like a really nice but obsolete Logitech pagescanner) that only work on these older OSes. Jack E/NJ   

henman

Since yours had 2GB and mine had 1GB, Mine also has an Intel 1.66 Atom Procesor. What does yours have? The 2 GB really made a difference And I often wonder how well mine would handle home premium. All I have is Starter and Ultimate (32/64)

JackE

AMD C60 on mine. If Ultimate 64 runs on your atom, I think home premium 64 should run OK too with 2GB. Whether or not 4GB or even 8GB will work really depends on your BIOS. Maybe it'll recognize it. Maybe it won't. The gamble is now gonna cost $25 to find out instead of the $20 I paid a few years ago. Jack E/NJ    

henman

Don't know, I never tried but perhaps I will give it a shot. As it is I did a lot of searching after finding out yours has an AMD C60 so yours is slightly newer than mine. As it is I found Hackintoshed AO532 and AO533 because intel is required there. Also they show one running on Win10 apparently very well I might add and it runs more efficient than 7 or XP supposedly but I have an AMD II running Win 10 64 Professional but will have to get used to it because it makes a computer too APPY IMHO. I will give the 64 bit a shot to see if it will install on it but of course drivers are a concern because with my Starter, Windows did not find all of the drivers right away but Acer utilities and drivers I saved had to be installed manually when I first tried Starter from a USB and ALT F10 used a utility to install the drivers. A lot of the tests with Mac and Win 10 were with 1 and 2 GB but I would assume 1 or 2 would be a bit small for 64 bit if this Atom AO533 will even accept it. My Dull Dementia 4600 runs Mac very well according to videos on Youtube making me curious about that. And finally I saw an Aspire One running Linpus very well so when I get an external drive I will try it. Some complain about it but if it is more GUI I could learn on it. The CLI pisses me off because of having to search for and remember commands when they are required.