12: Using Disaster Recovery Tools in Software

Print UPC-A Supplement 5 in Software 12: Using Disaster Recovery Tools

You have the following choices from the System Recovery Options menu:

Startup Repair The Startup Repair option will scan your system for missing or damaged system files that prevent Windows from starting It attempts to repair any problems that if finds It does not recover data files or repair hardware errors System Restore You can use this option to apply restore points to restore your computer s system files to an earlier time For example, if an update to the operating system or a driver prevented you from starting your computer, you could use System Restore from this menu to undo the change by applying a restore point from before the update Remember that System Restore does not restore any data Windows Complete PC Restore If you ve created backup images using the Windows Complete PC Backup tool, you can restore the image from here If possible, you should try to recover all of your data before applying the image All data on the hard drive will be erased when the previous image is installed It will restore the operating system, applications, and any data that existed on the hard drive when the image was created Windows Memory Diagnostic tool This will scan your computer for memory errors Windows often detects memory errors and will give you an indication of a possible error that you can verify with this tool Command Prompt The command prompt allows you to run command-line tools for diagnosing and troubleshooting problems

NOTE If you ve worked with previous editions of Windows, you may be wondering about the Recovery Console The Recovery Console has been replaced by the Command Prompt within the System Recovery Options menu in Windows Vista

Occasionally, installing an application or device driver causes your system to misbehave You can use System Restore to restore your system to a previous state System restore only affects system files not data such as documents or e-mail EXAM TIP You should be aware of the different ways restore points are created and how to use System Restore to apply restore points Restore points are only created on drives larger than 1GB and with at least 300 MB of free space Restore points are used to save the state of your system files, Registry settings, and program files A restore point contains information about the Registry and other system files and is created automatically when certain events occur You can also manually create system restore points as a precaution before performing a risky operation Restore points are automatically created at the following times:

Daily Before the installation or upgrade of a program Before the installation or upgrade of a device driver

System Restore won t run on hard disks smaller than 1GB, and it requires at least 300 MB of free space It can use as much as 15 percent of the space on each disk that is used to create restore points

You can manually create a restore point anytime you desire As an example, you may be planning on upgrading several different drivers in your system and want to make sure you know exactly where to restore to if things go badly You could manually create the restore point, give it a name that makes sense to you, and then proceed with your upgrades In Exercise 121, you will manually create a restore point Exercise 121: Manually Creating a Restore Point 1 Launch the Backup and Restore Center by clicking Start, and Control Panel In the Control Panel, select the Back Up Your Computer link under System and Maintenance 2 In the Tasks pane of the Backup and Restore Center, select Create a Restore Point or Change Settings If the User Account Control dialog appears, click Continue