Technically speaking recovery media and factory backup are same. But as per the post you saw from Dell, recovery media is a backup of factory backup with the files and software you added later. Hence, to be on the safer side, Dell recommends to create a backup of the files and software that have been added later (or not a part of the default configuration). Factory backup contains all the drivers and software as per the PC configuration and that have been preinstalled on your PC. Usually, in case of Windows failure, you can use factory backup media to restore the PC without affecting your personal files and software. In case of hard drive failure, where the hard drive will be replaced, recovery media will be helpful in restoring Windows as well your files and software.
To me a simple question, so I'm hoping for a simple answer. When I first got my laptop I created a recovery USB using DBR. This is a little over 8gb in size, and is named SYSRECOVERY. At that time I did not create a factory backup. Having recently been reading up on things related to restoring a system in the event of hard disk failure etc., I saw that Dell said you should create both a recovery media USB and a factory backup. So I got a new USB and today created a factory backup. Looking at this, it is also called SYSRECOVERY and both have exactly the same list of files and folders and are almost the same size. So just what is the difference between these 2 options (if any)? Or do I now have 2 USBs that will do exactly the same job of restoring my laptop to factory condition? AndIf there is no difference, why does Dell offer both (and advise you to create both)? Thank you
What is the difference between a factory backup and a recovery disk?