Emergency measures

Posted on 2 Mar 2006 at 16:27

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Many computers do not come supplied with a standalone installation CD for Windows, instead coming with a 'restore' CD. This is designed to return your computer to the state it was in when you first bought it - complete with any software that was pre-installed. As with a fresh installation, using a restore CD will first wipe everything off your hard drive before putting the new files in place. As such, you should backup any files you don't want to lose if you are able to boot into Windows. If this is not an option, you could remove the hard drive and install it on a second computer to copy the files across. If your hard disk has been split into two or more partitions, it's likely that only data on the C: drive will be lost if you use a restore CD - but check with the PC manufacturer first, just to be on the safe side.

Very little user intervention is needed when using restoration CDs. Start by ensuring that your computer is configured to boot from the CD drive by checking its BIOS settings, and then insert the first restore CD before restarting it. You will then be guided through the process of returning everything to a working state. Note that using this method will not restore any program or settings that have been put in place since buying your computer, only those that were initially installed, so you will have to restore other programs manually.

Conclusion

If you have worked your way through the list of potential solutions above, but still have the same problem with your computer, it's time to take more drastic measures. There are some problems which just can't easily be sorted out. We have exhausted all of the common fixes, so the only option left available is to completely reinstall Windows from scratch. In the majority of cases, you will lose all of the files on your hard drive.

If you have taken the precautionary measure of partitioning your hard drive and storing all of your documents on a separate partition to Windows itself, things are going to be much easier. You can restart your computer with your Windows installation CD inserted and run through the process of deleting the existing installation before reinstalling first the operating system, and then any drivers and applications you need.

Should your documents be stored on the same partition as Windows, you can backup important files if you have access to a second computer. Remove the hard drive from your troublesome computer and install it in a working machine so that the drive can be accessed from within Windows. You can then browse through the contents of the disk and burn valuable files onto CD or DVD. With your backup created, return the drive to the original PC and reinstall Windows from scratch before restoring your backed-up files.