Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Recovering Your Computer Using Windows RE

When you install Windows 7, a Window RE partition is created automatically for your computer. You can use Windows RE to repair the computer by following these steps:

1. During startup, press F8 to access the Advanced Boot Options screen. If the computer has multiple operating systems, you'll see the Windows Boot Manager screen; select the operating system to use and then press F8.
2. On the Advanced Boot Options menu, use the arrow keys to select Repair Your Computer, and then press Enter.
3. The computer will load the Windows RE. If the Windows RE fails to load, see the following section, "Safeguarding Your Computer from a Corrupted Windows RE", for more recovery information.
4. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, select a language and keyboard layout, and then click Next.
5. To access recovery options, you need to log on using a local administrator account. Select the local administrator to log on as, type the password for this account, and then click OK.
6. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, note the location of the operating system, and then choose a recovery option:

   Startup Repair
   Launches the Startup Repair tool to repair problems that are preventing Windows from starting.
   
   System Restore
   Runs System Restore so that you can restore Windows to an earlier point in time.
   
   System Image Recovery
   Allows you to recover Windows using a system image created previously.
   
   Windows Memory Diagnostics
   Runs Windows Memory Diagnostics so that you can check for memory problems.
   
   Command Prompt
   Opens a command prompt so you can work with the commands and tools available in the recovery environment.

When you cannot recover Windows any other way, your final recovery option is to reinstall Windows 7. Before you do this, try to repair the computer by using Startup Repair and System Restore. If these repair techniques do not work, you should try to recover the computer using a system image.