How to access Recovery Partition (No Disc)

[ambs]

Hello!
I need to reinstall Windows Vista on my Dell Vostro. Somewhere along the way, I lost the recovery discs. But, there is a recovery partition on the computer. I have tried F8, F2, and CTRL+F12, none of these allowed me to access any kind of recovery options (or repair your computer). I have done a lot of reading and googling looking for a solution, but I have reached a dead end. Can anyone offer advice as to what is the easiest and most cost efficient way to get this accomplished?
Thank you in advance for your help!

[Geek-9pm]

Welcome to CH.
On first post it is important to provide as much info as possible. Recovery partition methods vary by manufacturer.  So we need to know the make and model of you computer. Is it a laptop? Is it a Toshiba? It makes a difference.

The recovery discs for Windows 7 and 8 will attempt to repair the present installation and patch over any bad places in the system. But it does not install additional material the comes for the OEM (Original Equipment Mmaker). That material, if present, is in the recovery partition.
What I mean to say is that the recovery partition is not a standard module of Windows. It is an option offered by the OEM.

If you have made radical changes to the computer system, the recovery partition might not be available. It is a non-standard partition. Also, extensive damage to the system may make it hard to use the recovery partition. You have to check with the OEM.

Also, the version of Windows makes a difference. My remarks above apply to methods used by the OEM. Now here is some more information specific to Windows Vista. But I have not tried it and do not know if it works in all cases.
http://daily-grind.net/solved-cant-access-my-recovery-partition-i-dont-have-any-recovery-cds/
The author speculates that it should always work. But he did not prove it.

... To make matters worse I didn’t have the recovery DVDs for the laptop. Thankfully, after hours of Goggling and a lot of swearing and frustration I came across a method in an article. This method should be useful for ALL machines with recovery partitions….

Maybe that will help. 

[ambs]

As I mentioned in my initial post, I have a Dell Vostro running Windows Vista.

I will look at the link as you advised.

I just want a fresh install of Vista.

Thanks.

[Salmon Trout]

I have tried F8, F2, and CTRL+F12

Have you tried CTRL + F11, or F11?

[soybean]

See whether you can use this method: To Restore Your Computer From Within Windows

[ambs]

Hello Salmon Trout! I tried CTRL+F11 and F11 as you advised. Neither one of them worked for me.

Hello Soybean! I read the article at the link you suggested, and my computer is so ancient that it is not compatible with the Dell Recovery Manager.

Thank you both for your help! I have spoken with Dell's customer service and cannot get anywhere. I think I'll just have to forget about it.

[Geek-9pm]

Don't give up.
One can get a CD from Dell to install Vista on a Dell. Provided that the PC had been bought with Vista, the Dell OEM version of Vista is only for Dell machines that came with a Vita license.
Of course any attempt to use the OEM CD for non-licensed PCs is a violation of the license and may fail to work right.
I personally have used OEM CDs from Dell for emergency use on my Dell machines that did not come with a CD or DVD. Such disc are sold by Dell at a fraction of the cost of a retail disc, because they are for machines that already have a license.

[vembutech]

Hi,

Check the below URL in-order to troubleshoot this issue;

https://neosmart.net/wiki/dell-recovery-partition/

[ambs]

Hello everyone!
I am super pleased to say that I contacted Dell again and they sent me replacement backup discs for free as a one time courtesy! I almost fell over because the machine is obviously out of warranty at this point. I had to be persistent though, getting the right department on the phone was quite a task.
Thank you all for your help!