 Perhaps you have been poking around your Windows 7 computer and came across this thing that’s called System Recovery Options. Or, perhaps more likely, you have come up with a problem that is verging on a disaster where something on your system isn’t working correctly and that name seems like something that could be useful. In either case you have hit on something that contains a variety of software programs built into Windows 7 to help with some aspect of disaster recovery of a computer system that isn’t working correctly. These set of tools are installed on the hard drive of a Windows 7 computer and can also be found on your Windows 7 installation disc. If you’ve created your own System Recovery disk, these can also be placed onto that as well.
Each of the programs that you find on the System Recovery Options has a specific purpose and addresses a specific problem or set of problems. On the System Recovery menu you will typically see the following: Startup Repair, System Restore, System Image Recovery, Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool, Command Prompt. Each of these potentially has a role to play in recovering your Windows 7 system after a disaster. Some of them, like System Image Recovery, need for you to have done some pre-work (such as creating a System Image) in order to be most effective. And, in the case of Command Prompt, may not be suitable for a casual or untrained computer user. The remainder of this article discusses each of these tools and gives a basic introduction to what they each are used for. And, given that System Recovery Options are part of Windows 7, you can find more information on any of these at Microsoft’s website.
The Startup Repair tool is a useful utility that can repair certain vital files that Windows relies on. These files are called “system files” and Startup Repair can diagnose and repair problems. More importantly, Startup Repair may be able to prevent you from having to do a reinstallation of Windows in order to solve problems related to the system files.
The System Restore is used when you’ve made modifications to the system files and now you want to undo them. This can sometimes happen if you install a piece of software and it impacts the system files. On occasion, these impacts may be incompatible with Windows itself and your system will not work. Unless you change settings, installation of software typically creates a “system restore point” which is a point in time to which the System Restore can go back to. Once you use System Restore to go to one of the restore points you cannot undo the restore. A good feature about System Restore is that it does not impact your own files such as those you may have for your email system, music files or pictures/photos.
System Image Recovery is a preventive measure that helps with disaster recovery. If you need to use the System Image Recovery tool you must have created a System Image beforehand. When you create a System Image you make a backup of that part of your hard disk that includes Windows itself along with certain files that you created such as your pictures, you documents, and programs that you have installed. You can use that System Image to get back the contents of your hard drive in the System Image in case that hard drive fails. When you use a System Image to restore your system you don’t get to pick what to recover—the operation basically restores the entire image.
Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool is used to detect problems with your computer’s memory. Memory is a physical component of your computer system and if errors are found when you use the Memory Diagnostic Tool, you may have to replace your system’s memory. You can typically contact technical support for your system to obtain information on how to replace memory. System documentation may also have information on how to replace your system memory.
Command Prompt is typically used by advanced users as part of a comprehensive approach to disaster recovery. If you are an “old-timer” whose PC experience dates back several years, you may recall something called the C: prompt—this is what the Command Prompt provides to you. From the Command Prompt you can issue commands to the system to perform various operations. When using the Command Prompt it is possible to give the system commands that can damage files in large numbers so before using the Command Prompt be sure you know what you are doing.
Each of these Windows software utilities has its place within an overall approach to disaster recovery. Depending on your situation you may need to perform a system restore, or to create a system image for later use. While you may not ever need to use these programs, it is good to be familiar with them and what they do so that you are prepared—just in case disaster should strike.
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