TRAVELMATE 7750G-6494 Problem using Acer's restore-to-factory-condition disc set

Travelmate7750G

I have the disc set from Acer to restore my TRAVELMATE 7750G-6494 to factory condition. The discs say Acer, but the enclosed printed instructions have Acer, Gateway, and emachines logos. The instructions are for a variety of their models. There are three restore options:

The first restore option says: "Restore Operating System to Factory Defaults. All data on C: drive will be deleted."

The second says: "Restore only the Operating System to the factory defaults. Files from your user accounts will be transferred to C:\Backup. This option will not remove persistent viruses or malware."

The third restore option says: "Restore your computer to factory default status. All data in the hidden partition and on the system partition will be restored. Before restoring, please delete any data on the hard disk.'

I selected the first restore option. It said the label of the C: drive would be Acer, and the partition size would be 450.7 GB. TRAVELMATE 7750G-6494 laptops shipped with a 500 GB HD. I don't recall how much of that I allocated to the XP Virtual Machine.

Per the instructions, the first disc used was the System disc. When it finished, the disc drawer opened and I was prompted to insert Recovery Disc 1 of 3. After Recovery Disc 1 finished, I was prompted to insert Recovery Disc 2 of 3. After Recovery Disc 3 of 3 finished, I got a dialog labeled Notice. The message was:

Restore failed - Error code = 0x241 WIMApplyImage cannot apply image: Windows cannot verify the digital signature for this file. A recent hardware or software change might have installed a file that is signed incorrectly or damaged, or that might be [top of next line visible but unreadable since there is no scroll bar]. The Notice dialog was OK-Only, so I clicked OK. Then I got Please wait.... followed by a screen titled Windows Boot Manager with the following message:

Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:

1. Insert your Windows installation disc and restart your computer.
2. Choose your language settings and then click "Next."
3. Click "Repair your computer.
   If you do not have the disc, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance.

The "recent hardware or software change" was: running the 3 Recovery Discs. After selecting English, there is no "Repair your computer" option, only the 3 options above (not counting Exit). I want to run the third restore option, but that's the one that says, "Before restoring, please delete any data on the hard disk." I was able to get into Safe Mode prior to running the Recovery Discs, but having done so, no matter what I do, I get that Windows Boot Manager message, and can't get passed it. If I select the third restore option and click Next, it says, "Please remove all files from your hard disk before starting. This function will not work if there are any files on the hard disk." Therefore, I need an external disc that can delete all files from a hard disc on a computer that can only display that Windows Boot Manager message. Does anyone have such a disc or know where I can get one?

[Edited the thread to add model name to the title]

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/692945/problem-using-acers-restore-to-factory-condition-disc-set

This is a Windows7 laptop from before 2015 that is no longer supported by Acer or Microsoft. Best to try and clean install Windows 8.1 and not use the W7 installation/repair DVDs. I recommend migrating to a modern 2023 budget laptop with Windows11 Home.

Travelmate7750G

I intend to buy a Windows 11 computer, smaller, lighter, and more portable. I will use the Windows 11 for accessing the Internet, for newer software, and when away from home, as the Travelmate is too big and heavy. However, my Travelmate is 17-inch and was running the software I use most, very well, and I'd like to be able to use it and also have it as backup, in case a problem develops with the Windows 11 computer.

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1234085#Comment_1234085

Using a phased-out and broken W7 laptop to fix a problem with a brand new Windows11 PC? How do you envisage that? 😀

billsey

My first question is, if it was running correctly before, why are you trying to do a restore? If it was having troubles before it'd be better to diagnose those first. Typically a restore like this is only used when you want to wipe everything for resale or when the drive fails and you don't have a backup. Since this computer is so old I'm betting resale isn't much of an option. Were you having problems with the OS or apps? Perhaps the drive was failing and that's the reason the restore also fails?

Travelmate7750G

I like how when Purow posts a reply, the section to which he is replying shows up in a rectangle below the user name, and date of the text to which he is replying, in lime green. Please tell me how to do that.

Re "Using a phased-out and broken W7 laptop to fix a problem with a brand new Windows11 PC? How do you envisage that?" I wrot,e "I intend to buy a Windows 11 computer." It's not broken. Similarly, the Travelmate is not broken. It was a corrupted system file issue, not a hardware issue. When I set it back to how it left the Acer factory and reinstall the software I need on it, the Travelmate will be great for working on my data files at home. I always have a backup computer in case my newest computer is out of service. Moreover, the Windows 11 computer will have a smaller screen and might not have a numeric keypad. Although without my Travelmate now, I am still able to work on my data files on my current backup computer. I'd like to get the Travelmate working again as my current backup computer might not outlive me.

billsey

Just insert a link to the message and the forum software will do that for you.

So it sounds from your latest message that the Travelmate isn't actually working, and that's the reason to try the restore? In what way is it not working? We likely need to get it working again before trying to reset…

Travelmate7750G

Re "Just insert a link to the message and the forum software will do that for you."

How do I insert a link to a message in an Acer forum thread. For example, how would I insert a link billsey's 2:37PM when replying to it? Also, if replying to his second paragraph, could the link be to that paragraph, or could it only be to the entire message?