[dezmon97]

I have been trying to factory restore my Gateway NV53 becuase i'm pretty sure it has a virus. My main problem is that my laptop won't go past the Windows logo or in any safe mode without restarting. When i go to "repair your computer" the screen stops at the blue screen just before the menu for the recovery options pops up. I have also tried to used the disk but it stayed on the same screen for hours so i assumed it didn't work. I also can't call gateway because my warranty expired. Is there another way to factory restore?

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From the Gateway FAQ for you r laptop:

Q: How do I reinstall the Operating System on the computer?

A: Select models have the ability to have the operating system reinstalled from a hidden drive built into the computer. To start the system recovery:

Restart the computer.
When the Gateway logo appears on the screen, press the Alt and F10 keys repeatedly.
When prompted with a boot screen, hit the Enter key.
After the system recovery program has loaded, follow the prompts to reinstall the operating system.

If the ability to reinstall from the previous method is not available or fails during the recovery, recovery of the operating system will need to be from Recovery Media.

Insert the disk labeled System CD into the computer's disk drive and restart the computer.
When the Gateway logo appears on the screen, press the F12 key repeatedly.
Select either CDROM or DVD as the boot device, this may vary depending on the system.
When prompted for the Recovery CD, remove the System CD and insert the Recovery CD.

Note: If there are multiple Recovery CDs, please insert the first Recovery CD.

After the system recovery program has loaded follow the prompts to reinstall the operating system.

Note: If you do not have a set of Gateway Recovery Media you may purchase recovery media online.

Did you create Recovery Media for your laptop?

[Ztruker]

From the Gateway FAQ for you r laptop:

Q: How do I reinstall the Operating System on the computer?

A: Select models have the ability to have the operating system reinstalled from a hidden drive built into the computer. To start the system recovery:

Restart the computer.
When the Gateway logo appears on the screen, press the Alt and F10 keys repeatedly.
When prompted with a boot screen, hit the Enter key.
After the system recovery program has loaded, follow the prompts to reinstall the operating system.

If the ability to reinstall from the previous method is not available or fails during the recovery, recovery of the operating system will need to be from Recovery Media.

Insert the disk labeled System CD into the computer's disk drive and restart the computer.
When the Gateway logo appears on the screen, press the F12 key repeatedly.
Select either CDROM or DVD as the boot device, this may vary depending on the system.
When prompted for the Recovery CD, remove the System CD and insert the Recovery CD.

Note: If there are multiple Recovery CDs, please insert the first Recovery CD.

After the system recovery program has loaded follow the prompts to reinstall the operating system.

Note: If you do not have a set of Gateway Recovery Media you may purchase recovery media online.

Did you create Recovery Media for your laptop?

[dezmon97]

No and the only disk i have is the operating system disk but that didn't really work. I am trying the alt + f10 method and it has been running for almost 2 days but the screen still says "please wait a moment...."

[Ztruker]

How far did the Alt+F10 recovery get? Did it even get started?

What do you mean when you say the only disk i have is the operating system disk but that didn't really work? Did it install correctly but the computer did not work right? If so you probably needed to download and install missing device drivers.

[dezmon97]

I am not sure where it starts but all i did was press alt + f10 and press enter and now it just says "please wait a moment" as if it is going to do something but it hasn't gone any further in 3 days

And the disk didnt install at all. It didnt work. It said it was starting recovery but it never progressed past that.

[Ztruker]

You can order new Recovery media from Gateway here: Recovery Media Purchase Program

Are you running Vista or Windows 7?
Which version?
32 or 64 bit?


You can download both legally from the internet.

If you do not have a Windows Vista installation DVD, you can download a legal copy with SP1 integrated from here:

Download Official Windows Vista RTM with SP1 Setup Files (32-bit and 64-bit).

Only Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1 (32-bit or x86) download is available, but if, during the install, you do not enter the product key when initially prompted for it (which you must have to use the download), then you will be prompted to select the version of Vista you want to install.

• Windows Vista Home Basic
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• Windows Vista Business
• Windows Vista Ultimate

There is no .iso to download, you download 3 files for X86 or X64. You activate Vista once it's installed.

X86:

• X14-63542.exe
• boot.wim
• install.wim (this is the bigest one)

X64:

• X14-63543.exe
• boot.wim
• install.wim (this is the biggest one)

Then as is stated on the site,

If you want to create a setup disc for clean installation, run the EXE file and it'll extract the required setup files in a folder which can be used to create a setup disc using a freeware given here.

Here is what I did, you can use the X86 version if that is what you need:

Downloaded the Vista X64 files.

install.wim
boot.wim
X14-63453.exe

Double clicked on X14-63453.exe. It extracted all the files into a Vista sub-folder.

Downloaded Windows Bootable Image Creator zip then extracted the files to a folder.

Open the folder and run WBICreator.exe
Click Next
Select OS Type: Windows Vista
CD/DVD Label: VistaX64
Setup Location: The Vista folder created when you double clicked on X14-63453.exe.
Output Path: Somewhere with enough free space to hold the .iso file that will be created (3,837,112KB).
Click GO.

When done a VistaX64.iso file will be created in the Output Path you chose.

You can use the .iso as input to a burner program like ImgBurn to create a Vista Install DVD, or you can use it as Input to Universal USB Installer – Easy as 1 2 3 to create a Vista install flash drive.

I created and tested a flash drive and it worked great.

Remember, use X86 if that is the version of Vista you currently have.

If you do not have a Windows 7 installation DVD, you can download a legal copy with SP1 integrated from here: Official Windows 7 SP1 ISO from Digital River.
Make sure you get the same version you have, Home Premium, Pro or Ultimate and 32 or 64 bit. Note that Basic or Starter is not available.

I recommend using ImgBurn at 4X speed (or the slowest available) to create the DVD from the downloaded .iso file.

You can do this on any computer capable of burning a DVD.

For techies or folks who work on computers: Create Windows 7 Universal ISO With All Editions Selection On Install with ei.cfg Removal Utility.
This will fit on a 6GB flash drive or can be burned to a DVD.

[dezmon97]

Thanks, that worked. And do i have to buy a product key?

Edited by dezmon97, 10 November 2012 - 01:08 PM.

[Ztruker]

There should be a key on the COA sticker on your computer, unless you upgraded from Vista to Windows 7. Then you would need to buy a key.