Recovery media is not necessary to recover your computer. You can use Acer Recovery Management to reinstall your Operating System from a hidden partition built into your computer. If you have replaced your original hard drive, you will not have Recovery Management, and will need to install windows using Recovery disks.

Note: During the process, all data stored on your computer will be overwritten. This means all your files, such as email and photos, will be erased. Therefore, we recommend making a backup of all personal data before starting the recovery process..

Use the following steps to start the system recovery:

1. Restart the computer.
2. When the Acer logo appears on the screen, press the left Alt, and the F10 keys.
3. If you are prompted with a Microsoft Windows boot screen, press the Enter key.
4. After the Acer eRecovery Management application has loaded, select your restore type.
5. Read the notice, and then click Next when you are ready.
6. Click Next to begin the restore process. The restore can take anywhere from 10 minutes up to an hour.
7. Once the restore is complete your computer will load Windows and start installing your drivers and software. Your computer may reboot several times during this process. After everything is complete your computer will be like it was when you first purchased it.

If the steps above do not work, you will need to use recovery media to restore your system. If you do not have a set of Acer Recovery Media, you may purchase a set online.