You can't even reset the 32gb w510!!!!!!!!!

dale_cooper
dale_cooper Member Posts: 10 New User

This is an all time absurd move by a manufacturer...

 

I'm trying to return my w510 and I'm unable to remove all personal settings from the tablet because when you go to the native "reset windows 8" within windows 8 > settings > general.....   you get an error meessage that says files are missing (recovery files that acer should put ON the hard drive), please insert media.  How in the heck am I supposed to insert media, the DISCS that you gave me when the device doesn't have an optical drive.

 

Oh you tell me I'm supposed to use a USB connected cd drive.... I don't own one!!!!!!!   HOW IS THERE NOT SELF CONTAINED RECOVERY IN A TABLET.  I WILL NEVER BUY AN ACER PRODUCT BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF TESTING AND THINKING ON THE w510.

Answers

  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder

    To be fair, manufacturers of netbooks, ultrabooks, and tablets have never included an optical drive at least not under a $1500 price point.

     

    and OTOH a USB DVD/CD burner/player is about $25 from Amazon.

     

    OTGH they do not tell you that the USB drive does not have enough 5v power to drive an optical drive, you need to use a self-powered drive or a powered hub so that is another $17.

     

    Just be glad they give you the media at all, I had to pay $20 for a set for a different machine.

     

    Frankly I am having enough trouble having to pay Acer to be a beta tester but I think what the W510 represets was inportant enough for the effort even though I am having trouble convincing others at work just how important it is.

     

    Of course you could return it and by one from HP, Samsung, or Sony. You will pay more and still not get an optical drive. Personally, I think the W510 was the best choice - with the HP you have to buy the sleeve just to get USB abd HDMI ports. OTOH with three sleeves (that Acer does not sell at the moment) it is easy to use at home, at work, and in your car.

  • dale_cooper
    dale_cooper Member Posts: 10 New User
    No... It should be self contained within a partition on the hard drive...easy resets are one of the great features of windows 8. Yet somehow Acer makes it insanely not user friendly.fwiw I actually really liked the concept of the w510 but I'm keeping my nexus 10.

    Also... When I had an Asus x202.... No optical drive but it easily reset within the native windows 8 reset. How does the atom driven Samsung ativ work I wonder. Or the new surface pro. Its just crazy that you get an error message that says files are missing and you need to go buy an optical drive to reset or recover your tablet.
  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder

    Sorry. I assume you bought the 32GB version instead of the 64 to save money. Acer decided the user needed free space more than using 3+ GB needed for a complete on-disk recovery. It would make sense to me for Acer to have provided a write protected 4 GB flash drive than the three DVDs since everything fits, it can be booted, recover, and reinstall all from something that needs noting else.

     

    In fact once I realized it needed FAT32 instead of NTFS (hope that gets fixed soon, WTG needs NTFS). I had no problem creating a recovery flash drive from a $4 (qty 1) USB flash drive. Heck they could have just put it on a bootable SD card and installed that at the factory (are you listening Acer ?)

     

    The real reason is that we are on the bleeding edge of how we think of PCs and when notebooks had optical drives, people wanted physical recovery media. That was then, this is now.

  • cylemmulo
    cylemmulo Member Posts: 54

    Tinkerer

    Ya i had to reset mine and the only way I could do it was to use my external drive and a windows 8 disc.

     

    but honsestly if you are returning it just delete all your important informaiton, they will formate it and reinstall windows at the factory anyways.

  • dale_cooper
    dale_cooper Member Posts: 10 New User

    Yep thats what I did - got pretty much everything off of it.  Still, just crazy.  If there isn't enough space left on the 32gb, they shouldn't even make a 32gb version IMO.  

  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder

    With a 64GB SD card installed, I have plenty of room. Of course I have always separated things into Program and Data drives (C and D). Even sees my terabyte backup drive.

     

    I may install a 128GB drive in the future just to see how it is done now that I have pictures of an open W510 courtesy of Intel. 

  • sopaj96
    sopaj96 Member Posts: 154 Troubleshooter
    I feel you bro... I have the w700 i5 model with 128gb of memory and they didnt include it -_- Now I need to buy an external dvd drive (expensive in sweden) or I need to send it in wich will take some time I guess Smiley Sad I just dont know what on earth they were thinking when they decided this... I mean Dvd drives are not used with tablets... Instead of sending me 10discs ( English,swedish,norwegian -_-) they could just have included a usb stick, that would have been much better... Consedering the price they should have done that... I dont want to waste money on a thing that I will barely use... If someone make a "recovery package" that can be easly downloaded then put on ausb it would be awsome
  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder

    Acer could make an ISO  and a ISO to USB tool available on their support site (heck with permission, anyone could) but it would be 3+ GB. Not many have a T3 pipe available.

     

    There was another thread with instructions on how but basically you just make an ISO of the System DVD disk and load it onto a flash drive partitioned with Fat32. Then just copy the contents of the recovery 1of1 disk and the other disk (do not overwrite any files). All fits on a 4GB flash drive.

     

    Next follow the other threads to change the BIOS setup to boot from the flash drive first.

     

    Even in Sweden all you need is a PC with a DVD drive - XP, Vista, 7, or later, a flash drive, and a few tools available online.

  • sopaj96
    sopaj96 Member Posts: 154 Troubleshooter
    I have an old desktop with a working dvd drive... can I Connect that somehow? Please help me I really need to perform recovery Smiley Happy
  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder

    Sure, just find the thread on making a bootable flash drive. I used an old PC running XP. Must admit I never went past selecting a language since mine was working.

  • roysuk
    roysuk Member Posts: 5 New User

    Could you point me to the correct thread? I can't find it. Looking for a way to do a recovery on my W510 withouth a DVD USB drive.

  • ta68
    ta68 Member Posts: 4 New User

    For clarification, if you use a powered usb optical drive can you restore the w510 with the included disks? 

  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder

    a) only the SYSTEM disk can boot.

    b) I have booted from CD, USB flash, SD, and SSD (external)

  • ta68
    ta68 Member Posts: 4 New User

    Will the "system" disk" reset the unit to factory settings?

  • ta68
    ta68 Member Posts: 4 New User

    Really need to reset this unit to factory settings, do not have a docking station and the instructions found so far are not effective.   Changed the settings in the bios however the unit will not boot to any of the dvd's included.   Anyone have a friendly suggestion???    Can I send it to the factory??Smiley Frustrated

  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder

    Did you change the BIOS bot setting to boot from the CD first ? Only the DVD marked "system" will boot but I had no trouble booting that way and I have a 32GB W510.

  • ta68
    ta68 Member Posts: 4 New User

    First I disabled secure boot check, my boot order is

    1.USB CDROM

    2.USB HDD

    3.Windows boot manager

     

    I'm attempting to use a pportable dvd drive which has the ability to plug 5v from an external power supply, when I use the dvd drive plugged into the 5v power supply I can't seem to get the w510 to power on?   Strange!   I wonder if I can copy the "system" disk to a usb stick and use this as the boot disk?

     

     

  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder

    To create a bootable and signed iso onto a flash drive you need the Microsoft tool from http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool be aware that it won't work if the iso is not valid.

     

    To create a ISO from a DVD you need a third party tool like IMGBURN .

     

    Note: it has been a few months since I did it last but worked then.

  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder

    I found this http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15458-uefi-bootable-usb-flash-drive-create-windows.html and it mentions/provides a link to a downloadable application called Rufus.

     

    Follow the instructions an you can create a UEFI bootable Windows 8 flash drive from a MSDN ISO.

     

    I just tried with a Win8 x86 (32 bit) Windows 8 ISO and it got me into the "Repair or Install" screen on my W510. This should work with a W3 and potentially other "W" MACHINES AS WELL.

     

    Note: the creation process will take about an hour on a desktop.

     

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