System Recovery Disc

System Recovery Disc

The System Recovery Options menu contains several tools, such as Startup Repair, that can help you recover Windows from a serious error. This set of tools is on your computer’s hard disk and on the Windows installation disc.

To open the System Recovery Options menu on your computer, do the following:

1. Remove all floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs from your computer and then restart your computer using the computer’s power button.

2. Do one of the following:

. If your computer has a single operating system installed, press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts. You need to press F8 before the Windows logo appears. If the Windows logo appears, you need to try again by waiting until the Windows logon prompt appears and then shutting down and restarting your computer.

. If your computer has more than one operating system, use the

arrow keys to highlight the operating system you want to repair and then press and hold F8.

3. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Repair your computer and then press Enter. (If Repair your computer

isn’t listed as an option, your computer doesn’t include preinstalled recovery options, or your network administrator has turned them off.)

4. Select a keyboard layout and then click Next.

5. On the System Recovery Options menu, click a tool to open it, as shown in Figure 16.10.

CHAPTER 16: Backups and System Recovery

FIGURE 16.10 System Recovery Options.

If your computer’s system is severely damaged and you cannot access the System Recovery Options menu on your computer, you can access it using the Windows 7 installation disc or a system repair disc you created earlier. To use this method, you need to restart (boot) your computer using the disc.

1. Insert the repair disc.

2. Restart your computer using the computer’s power button and boot the repair disc. You might need to press a key to boot from the disc and might have to configure your BIOS to boot from the disc.

3. Choose your language settings and then click Next.

4. If you are using the Windows installation disc, click Repair your computer.

5. Select the Windows installation you want to repair and then click Next.

6. On the System Recovery Options menu, click a tool to open it.

A System recovery disc is used to boot your computer if you must recover Windows from a serious error or to restore your computer.

To create a system repair disc in Windows 7, do the following:

1. Click Start, All Programs, Maintenance, Create a System Repair Disc.

2. Insert a CD/DVD into the drive and click Create disc.

Looking at Events

The options in the system repair include . Startup Repair: Fixes certain problems, such as missing or damaged

system files that might prevent Windows from starting correctly. . System Restore: Restores your computer’s system files to an earlier

point in time without affecting your files, such as email, documents, or photos. If you use System Restore from the System Recovery Options menu, you cannot undo the restore operation. However, you can run System Restore again and choose a different restore point, if one exists.

. System Image Recovery: You need to have created a system image beforehand to use this option. A system image is a personalized backup of the partition that contains Windows and includes programs and user data, such as documents, pictures, and music.

. Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool: Scans your computer’s memory for errors.

. Command Prompt: Advanced users can use Command Prompt to per- form recovery-related operations and also run other command-line tools for diagnosing and troubleshooting problems.