System Builder Tip: Laptops - Make a Factory Default DVD Set for Recovery

We have been selling a good number of Acer laptops, and now that Toshiba has caught up with the Core 2 technology, and Toshibas.

Lately, to save a few bucks, manufacturers of laptops have been putting recovery images on a partition that is only accessible via the Make Backup CD/DVD Utility.

If the laptop's hard drive dies before that utility has been run to create the backup disks, one has a real problem.

When we receive a new laptop model, we always run through a prep process including updating the operating system and any applications that are installed on it.

We now also run the CD/DVD backup utility to create a set of factory default DVD images for that model. In the process, we always make sure to never check the, "Do not show this again" option.

We then remind our client to make a set of factory default disks as soon as they get it to the office or home.

We picked up a couple of extra large 14" x 14" CD wallets that we keep all of our recovery disks in.

The DVD Recovery disks we make are notarized with the system manufacturer, model number, and last 5 or 6 digits of the serial number. That way I can quickly look up who the disks belong to when we get a laptop for hard drive warranty.

It always helps to be prepared. One never knows when one will hear, "I don't know what happen to those disks," or, "what disks?"

Doing this has paid for itself.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists