I was just wanting to know how I could reset my Dell Vostro A860 back to factory settings without the disk for free. Wanted to have it just like I had just bought it brand new...Is there anyway I could get some help with that please???

Check your hard disc drives in my computer to see if there is a recovery partition.

http://www.tech-faq.com/reset-dell-bios-password.htmltry this dean kelly :)

This tutorial is about how to reset Dell password without losing any data. Usually, when we realize losing laptop password, the best way is using password reset disk if you have created it before.

The MOST efficient way if you don't have a password reset disk, try to find Windows Password Key to reset your account
password to blank without knowing the current password

Hello,

Here is the primary way to restore your notebook to factory setting:

1 Turn on the computer.

2 As the computer starts, press on the keyboard until the Advanced Boot Options menu appears on the screen.
Note: You must press before the Windows logo appears on the screen. If you press after the Windows logo appears on the screen, the Advanced Boot Options menu will not appear on the screen. If you do not see the Advanced Boot Options menu, restart the computer, and then repeat this step until you see the menu on the screen.
3 Press the on the keyboard to select Repair Your Computer on the Advanced Boot Options menu, and then press .

4 Specify the language settings that you want, and then click Next.

5 Log in as a user who has administrative credentials, and then click OK.

6 Click Dell Factory Image Restore.

7 In the Dell Factory Image Restore window, click Next.

8 Click to select the Yes, reformat hard drive and restore system software to factory condition check box.

9 Click Next.
The computer is restored to the default factory configuration.

10 When the restore operation is completed, click Finish to restart the computer.
The software is now installed as it was when the computer was first received.
If you have tried this and you still can get your system to restore, your may restore partition may be corrupt, you may also have a virus that is preventing you access to the restore files. Run an AV agent and retry your retore. If you still have the system disc that came with your notebook, you should be able to use them to restore the unit back to factory setting. Good Luck C2Solutions

Hi,
you can download all the driver for your Dell vostro A860 notebook from here follow this link to download the drivers,
http://www.getpcmemory.com/drivers/dell-vostro-a860-download-dell-vostro-a860-notebook-windows-xp-drivers/

this will solve your laptop driver problem
Thank you for using Fixya.

Regards
Manish

1 Ensure all Data is backed up, all data will be deleted.
2 Please also ensure that all USB storage devices are removed before starting the recovery process
3 Restart machine
4 When your unit switches back on, wait for the ACER screen then hold down alt & tap f10 repeatedly..
5 Please wait a moment until prompted, -How would you like to restore?-
6 Please select –Restore system to factory default-
7 Enter your defined password or enter six zeros ‘000000’
8 Click ok
9 Please wait until process completed, this will take 45min – 1hour
ALL personal information on the C: Drive I.E photos, programs, music and documents will be wiped when the above steps are taken.
Files located on the D: Drive will be safe from the procedure.

If you have the recovery/restore disk then insert the cd on your computer. Shutdown and restart your computer. This will reset all the datas of your computer.

click start, go to computer, right click the dvd icon and select format, format as a data disk and try burning again..
if the back of the dvd-r has two shades then its already been used and can't be used again.

Resetting a Dell Vostro to the factory settings allows the user to restore the Dell Vostro to the original operating condition as if it was just taken out of the box. Dell system includes a restore utility called 'Dell Symantec System Restore' to reset or restore your Dell system to factory setting.

Step 1: Before reset any Dell Vostro laptop, backup your all important data and programs, otherwise you may lose it. It is recommended to use an external storage device for your entire data backup, so that you couldn't lose it in any sudden occurring issue...

Step 2: Remove any other unnecessary external drive and restart your Dell Inspiron laptop.

Step 3: Press 'F8' key continue until 'Advanced Boot Options' wouldn't be appear.

Step 4: Use your keyboard arrow key to select 'Repair Your Computer' from the list and hit 'Enter'.

Step 5: Now click 'Next' and login as the administrator account.

Step 6: Click 'Dell Factory Image Recovery and Data Safe options', select your language option and click 'Next'.

Step 7: Click the check box 'Yes, reformat hard drive and restore system software to factory condition' and click 'Next' to start Dell Vostro reset process...

This process will erase all your previous changes that have been made to the Dell Vostro laptop and reset the configuration settings to factory setting.

Feel free to get technical assistance for all type of Dell laptops(Vostro, Latitude,Inspiron...etc..) at http://www.vtechsquad.com/dell-support/

You could have a partially defective hard drive and could fail permanently at any time.
Try reseating the hard drive and if you manage to get the laptop up and running, I would suggest you back up your data before the hard drive fails.