[Rant] Dell backup and recovery stopped working again on my Latitude 10 Essentials tablet

When I first updates to Windows 8.1 Preview, Dell Backup and Recovery stopped working properly. I could not use it to restore the factory backup image. I resolved it by reinstalling Windows from another Windows 8 32bit ISO. I didn't even have to burn it to a disc or make a bootable USB drive. Simply mounting the ISO file as a disc drive (native feature Windows 8) and running the setup sufficed. After that I downloaded and reinstalled Backup and Recovery software and it worked. 

Couple of months ago, I installed Windows 8.1 RTM on the tablet. Since it wasn't released at that time, I had to use the ISO image downloaded from MSDN to install it. But that completely broke the recovery functionality. When I used it, it would go into the Windows recovery environment and halts there. That's the same thing that happened last time too. I didn't worry about that so much at that time. 

But the tablet is too slow for my needs. It also seems to work erroneously at times. Basically, it doesn't seem to like Windows 8.1 that much. In fact, Windows 8.1 seems to run slower than Windows 8 on it. I even updated the firmware and drivers. Didn't improve anything. So I'm thinking of selling this and getting a newer tablet. Which means, I need to restore it to the original state. Which means, I need to get Backup and Recovery working. 

I tried many times to see if it would magically start to work. Nah! Magic and I never go together.

Then I updated the Backup and Recovery software as a new one that supports Windows 8.1 has come out. That's version 1.6.1.1) That didn't do any good either. I reinstalled Windows 8 32bit from an ISO file I downloaded from MSDN to see if it would fix the issue like it did the last time. No, it didn't want to recreate the joy. However, it let me create the recovery flash drive. Last time, it didn't work either. Still, I couldn't get it to work. One USB port isn't enough on the tablet. The keyboard attached to my desktop PC has two USB ports (v1.1 though) but devices plugged into it stops working after a while when plugged into the tablet. No such issue when the keyboard is plugged into the desktop PC though. Maybe the current given through the tablet's USB port isn't enough to drive more than one device, which means getting a non-powered USB hub won't work either. So basically I don't know how to get it to work without a powered USB hub. Do I need to get one of that too??? These tablets are so crippled!

Then I updated to Windows 8.1 from Windows Store. It took many hours for the entire thing to finish. I didn't have to reinstall Dell Backup and Recovery. But after a while something weird happened. Some executable ran in the background and said it is updating the PE environment. It took about 10 minutes to whatever it did. Then I got a message from Backup and Recovery saying that "You seem to have updated to Windows 8.1. If you restore that factory image, you will go back to Windows 8. But if you wanted to make a backup of Windows 8.1, you should upgrade to Backup and Restore Premium". (The exact message is a bit different, but same meaning.) That upgrade costs $40. I didn't to do that. All I wanted was to make it work. After what it did though, I felt it could have fixed the issues. 

So I opened Backup and Recovery and tried to restore to the factory backup. And it worked. Well, I didn't restore it completely. I canceled it before the actual restore process started. But it didn't halt at the Windows Recovery Environment as before. Good!

Next step, find a service that would give me highest money when I sell the tablet.

Windows 8.1 Preview installation experience on my DELL Latitude 10 Essentials tablet (part 1: things going horribly wrong)

First thing I did after waking up today was checking if the Windows 8.1 Preview update was available to download. It sure was and I proceeded to install it on my tablet. The PC was doing a 24hr Prime95 stress test (increased it from 12 to 24) and I couldn't install it in the PC just yet. 

So I searched for the 8.1 update and it took me to this Microsoft website. From there I had to download a small setup program which was required to modify the Windows Store app so that the update shows up on it. When I ran that setup file, it installed few thing and restarted Windows. Before showing the welcome screen, it did some changes to Windows like what it does after Windows Update installs some updates. 

When I came back to the desktop, I was asked to go to the Windows Store to download the 8.1 Preview update. It was there and I continued with the update. It downloaded a rather large update file measuring 2GB, slowly over the Wi-Fi network and started to install it. 

The first thing it did was to check whether the system was compatible. (WTF! They check for compatibility after I've wasted about an hour downloading the update? Which idiot came up with that design?) It found one compatibility issue. It was the Dell Data Access Protection software. Bloatware, it must be. The setup couldn't continue before I uninstalled it and dealt with it. The setup minimized to the system tray until I finished removing that software. 

Ordered the DELL Latitude 10 Essentials 64GB Windows 8 tablet running Atom Clovertrail

Looks like its finally happening. I'm getting a tablet after all. Last night I pulled the trigger and ordered the Latitude 10 Essentials (with kakaku.com free inner case deal) from Dell's online shop. It cost me ¥49,980 for the entire thing. I was looking around for any discounts but didn't manage to find any such promotions for tablets. There was a coupon code for desktops and laptops which would drop the price by ¥10,000 unfortunately it wasn't applicable to tablets. I felt bad when I found out that there was such an offer last year around about the time the tablet was launched. Too bad!

I only made one change to the stock configuration. I wanted the English version of the OS installed on it. TBH, there wasn't anything else to change other than the services and accessories. I didn't buy any accessory other than the free case I was entitled to. I didn't want to go beyond the ¥50,000 mark after all.

I reconsidered getting the standard version of the tablet because of the removable battery but in the end I felt that it wasn't required. I can live with 8hr or so battery life. I would still be using the desktop primarily at home. Not sure if I will carry the tablet with me whenever I go out of the house, knowing that we become human sandwiches inside the trains at rush hour. Eventually I won't care, but at first I will be reluctant to carry the tablet In my backpack.

That inner case that I'm getting extra with the tablet is billed separately so I wonder if it would be shipped separately. Dell being all professional and such, sent me lots of receipts regarding the order. They also sent me how to track the order. That's what I'm gonna do in the next couple of days: track track and track!

It's a small post but just wanted give you all a heads-up about the current situation.

Edit:
Just checked the ETA and it's gonna be 9th of March!!! WTF!!! On their site they are saying that if you are not customizing it, it should be shipped in 1-2 days. The only thing that changed was the language of the OS. That's taking them 10 days??? This is infuriating. I'm already disappointed in Dell. :(

Both the inner case and the tablet are ETAed for 9th of March. :((((((((