How Do I Do a System Recovery on Windows XP?
- 1). Click "Start" and select Help and Support. Click the System Restore link. If no link is visible, type "System Restore" in the search box and press "Enter."
- 2). Click "Restore to a Previous State" and then click "Next." Choose the most recent date before you started having problems with your Windows XP computer. Click "Next" to begin the restoration.
- 3). Wait while your computer is restored to an earlier state. This will remove any software or drivers that were installed between the System Restore point and the present. None of the data you created since that time will be affected. If your computer still has problems you can use System Restore again to roll back to an earlier date.
- 1). Insert your Windows XP installation CD into the CD-ROM drive of your computer. Restart your computer and select the options necessary to boot from the CD. (Check with your manufacturer for instructions specific to your computer.)
- 2). Wait for Windows Setup to load. Then press "R" to open the Recovery Console option. Enter your administrator password, if you have one; otherwise press "Enter." You will be presented with a text-based command prompt system.
- 3). Type "chkdsk /p /r" without quotes, then press "Enter" to perform the Check Disk procedure and recover any bad sectors on the hard drive. Type "fixboot C:" without quotes, then press "Enter" to repair the boot sector of your hard drive. These are the two most common recovery options and repair most problems with Windows XP installations. More options are available if necessary for your system (see Resources). However, use caution, since you can delete some or all of the data on your computer from this command prompt.