When a computer is not working it can be either because of hardware or software. I have an article "How to know if it is a Hardware or Software Problem."
When a Windows XP/Vista computer is not working, locking up, presenting a BSD, only starting in Safe Mode, etc. Before Restore, Repair, or Recovery are used hardware failure should be ruled out.
Then I use Windows Restore first. If that doesn't fix it next I try Windows Repair, and finally Windows Recovery. This is because with Windows Restore and Windows Repair once you get your system back working you usually do not have to reinstall programs or worry about lost data. But with Windows Recovery you will lose programs and data.
Windows Recovery often takes your computer back to the way it was when it first came from the factory or to when Windows XP or Vista were first installed on the computer.
To recover Windows you will need the correct Windows XP or Vista installation CD and a valid product key. Brand-name desktop or laptop PCs often provide a recovery CD or have an option when the computer is working to create the recovery CD. Brand-name computers have the Windows Product Key on a sticker on the outside of the computer. If you do not have a recovery CD you may be able to get it from the brand name manufacturer. If you bought Windows retail the product key comes with the product. Hopefully you didn't throw it away.
There are ways to recover the Product Key from a working PC. See "How to find your Windows Product Key."
The major PC manufacturers often use an OEM (Original Equiment Manufacturer)copy of Windows. Hence the need for the specific Windows recovery CD for your computer. This CD is not a standard retail Windows CD.
The Product Key is tied to the computer. If a PC came with XP Professional SP2 or Windows XP Home SP2 you will need the matching recovery CD. A disk for Windows XP Home cannot be used to recover a Windows XP Professional computer. The same is true for the different versions of Windows Vist
Step 1
1. If there is important data or irreplaceable programs and files on the computer backup the computer and verify that you have a good backup.
Step 2
2. I recommend a backup program that boots from the computer’s CD drive.
a. A lot of stores sell USB Hard Drives that come with this type of backup software.
b. Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost can create a bootable CD from a working computer.
c. With the bootable CD in the CD drive turn the computer on and follow the directions to boot from the CD drive.
i. See article “How to get a computer to boot from a CD drive.”
d. Follow the backup programs direction to make an image of the hard drive onto a removable disk drive.
Step 3
If Windows is rendered unbootable and you do not have a backup of the programs and data, I advise moving and adding the computer drive to a functioning windows computer and backing up the damaged drive from there. I cannot over emphasize the need for a backup before you do a Windows Recovery or Windows Repair.
Step 4
If the computer has programs or data important to you then only proceed once the computer is backed up.
Step 5
You will need to power on the computer to open the CD drive and insert the Windows CD or the manufacturer's Windows Recovery CD. Then close the CD drive and turn the computer off.
Step 6
Start the computer. It should boot from the Windows CD that you put in the CD drive in Step 5 because most computers are set to boot from the floppy drive, then the CD drive, and finally the hard drive. Sometimes as the computer is booting you will be asked to press a key to boot from the CD drive. If you have problems see my article on "How to boot a computer from the CD drive."
Step 7
Now you have three choices. First you may reinstall Windows over itself by following the directions Windows gives to do that as you progress through the options presented by the Windows CD. Follow the Windows CD directions and reinstall you windows to the existing windows partition and directory. When it is finished you will have to reinstall all of the windows updates. You will need to connect to the Internet and go to Start, All Programs, Windows Updates. Then you will have to check which programs that you had installed still work or not. Of course you will have to reinstall programs and data that do not work.
Step 8
Your second choice is when you find that the CD you boot from simply asks if you want to follow directions and restore the computer to its factory default settings. By following this path your computer will be put back to exactly the way it was when you brought it home from the store. When you turn it on it will act brand new and none of the programs, updates or data you have ever added to the computer will be there. This is a clean recovery and installation.
Step9
Third with an actual Windows CD you will have choices presented as you did with the first option when the computer boots from the CD. As in the first method you wait for the Setup screen to appear. It presents three options: to run the Setup program that installs Windows (this is what you did in the first choice above i.e. Step 7)or to run the Recovery Console to repair Windows, or to quit without doing anything. In this third choice you want to get into the recovery console to try to fix Windows without losing your programs and data. You are using this most difficult method because Windows Restore, Windows Repair, or doing Step 7 above i.e reinstalling Windows over itself did not work.
Step 10
After you choose to go to the recovery console you will have to enter the administrator's or user's password to gain access to the system. If you are using Windows XP Home edition, it installs you, its installer, as the Computer Administrator by default, which is the top-level User Account that allows you to install software and make changes to the system, etc. However, you have to enter User Accounts in the Control Panel to set the password for the Computer Administrator account or no password is required when Windows starts up or to enter the Recovery Console.
Step 11
The Recovery Console itself looks like the standard Windows XP command prompt but you can only use certain commands, some of which are very powerful, so don't use them unless you know what you are doing.
Step 12
When it starts the Recovery Console lists the versions of Windows running on the system and numbers them. There is usually only one and it is number 1. Enter the number 1 and press Enter. If you just press the Enter key you will exit from Recovery Console.
Step 13
Recovery Console provides a MS-DOS type prompt but many MS-DOS commands don't work and the folders you can get to are limited. At the command prompt type: help and enter to get a list of commands.
You can change to the root of drive C: by entering the cd \ command.
If you want to find out the options of any of the commands you now know are available type in that commands name with a /? after it. For example, enter CHKDSK /? to find out what it can do.
Step 14
With some of these tools you may be able to replace a corrupt file in your windows or windows system directory. You might be able to get your system to work and save your current programs and data. But most likely you will use step 7 or step 8 to get a working computer. Then you will need to reinstall all of your programs and data
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