System Recovery Options

How to Boot to the System Recovery Options in Vista​

   Information

This will show you how to boot to the System Recovery Options screen to select the Startup Repair, System Restore, Complete PC Restore, Memory Diagnostic Tool, or Command Prompt option to use on Vista.

   Note

The System Recovery Options menu is on the Vista installation disc. If your computer manufacturer (OEM) has preinstalled recovery options, the menu might also be installed on your hard disk as a recovery partition. If your computer does not include the System Recovery Options menu, your computer manufacturer (OEM) might have customized or replaced the tool. Check the information that came with your computer or go to the manufacturer's website.

METHOD ONE

Using a OEM Recovery Partition

NOTE: This is if your computer did not come with a Vista installation DVD, and has pre-installed recovery options (recovery partition) instead.

1. Start or Restart the computer.​

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2. Boot into the Advanced Boot Options screen.​

A) Select Repair your computer and press Enter.​

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3. Select your language preferences and click on Next. (See screeshot below).​

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4. Select a user name and type in the password, and then click on OK.​

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5. Go to and follow steps 5 and 6 in METHOD TWO below.​

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METHOD TWO

Using a Retail Vista Installation DVD

1. Insert the Vista installation disc, or your Recovery Disc, into the CD or DVD drive and restart the computer.​

WARNING: Check to make sure that you set the BIOS to have the CD or DVD drive listed first in the boot order.​

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2. If prompted, press any key to boot from the Vista installation DVD. (See screenshot below)​

NOTE: You will only have about 8 seconds to press this key.​

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3. Select your language preferences and click on Next. (See screeshot below).​

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4. Click on Repair your computer. (See screenshot below)​

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5. Select which operating system you want to restore and the click on Next. (See screenshot below)​

NOTE: If Vista is not listed here, or it is blank, then it is ok. Click on Next anyway.​

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6. Select the system recovery option you want to do. (See screenshot below)​

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• Startup Repair
• System Restore
• Windows Complete PC Backup
• Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
• Command Prompt

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That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Do a Startup Repair in Vista
• How to Do a System Restore in Vista
• How to Restore the Complete Computer from a Complete Backup and Restore Image in Vista
• How to Start the Memory Diagnostics Tool in Vista
• How to Open a Command Prompt at Startup in Vista

 

[Brink]

You may be able to boot to the Advanced Boot Options screen instead, then select "Repair your computer", and select "System Restore" from the System Recovery Options screen.

 

[SIW2]

Hi Mwb,

If Shawn's suggestion is not able to fix the problem , I understand HP send out copies of their recovery discs free (maybe a postage charge). It's worth contacting your local HP service centre and requesting them.

While you are waiting for the discs, you could try marking the
recovery partition as active - you should then boot straight into the HP recovery process.

You could use Disk Management to do this, but would have no way of setting the Vista drive back to active if needed.

May be a good idea to download a bootable iso, burn it to cd with an isoburner (don't format the cd - just close autoplay if it pops up).

There are a couple here that will be useful

You can directly download a partition program and isoburner from this page:

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/163304-dual-boot-using-free-partitioning-software.html

and the Vista recovery cd iso ( torrent download) from here

Windows Vista Recovery Disc Download — The NeoSmart Files

Hope it helps

SIW2

 

[SIW2]

This might help,

It mentions compaq as well

Restore the PC to its original condition with the HP Recovery Manager if Windows Vista is not accessible.

If the PC cannot launch into Windows, it may still be possible to use the HP Recovery Manager on the hard drive to restore the computer to its original operating condition by first pressing the Power button to start the PC, and then pressing the F11 key to start the HP Recovery Manager.

NOTE: Depending on the BIOS version, your computer may display multiple prompts during startup including F11 to start System Recovery. Pressing the F11 key on a computer with an HP factory image will start System Recovery even if the prompt is not displayed.

* If the HP Recovery Manager can access the hard drive, a prompt is displayed to backup the user files before beginning the recovery. Follow any on-screen instructions.
* If the HP Recovery Manager cannot access the hard drive to fix any system errors, use the set of recovery discs to recover the hard drive to its original condition.


HP Notebook PCs -  Using HP Backup and Recovery Manager 

 

[MWB]

You may be able to boot to the Advanced Boot Options screen instead, then select "Repair your computer", and select "System Restore" from the System Recovery Options screen.

Hi Shawn

Thanks for on-going support and aplogies fo rmy delay in replying but I got married on Saturday and this and the honeymoon took up some of my time.

I tried this option but without success but have now received recovery discs from HP in amazingly quick time so I will use these and hopefully also minimise any changes to or reloading of my current system set up.

MANY THANKS
Mark

 

[MWB]

Hi Mwb,

If Shawn's suggestion is not able to fix the problem , I understand HP send out copies of their recovery discs free (maybe a postage charge). It's worth contacting your local HP service centre and requesting them.

While you are waiting for the discs, you could try marking the
recovery partition as active - you should then boot straight into the HP recovery process.

You could use Disk Management to do this, but would have no way of setting the Vista drive back to active if needed.

May be a good idea to download a bootable iso, burn it to cd with an isoburner (don't format the cd - just close autoplay if it pops up).

There are a couple here that will be useful

You can directly download a partition program and isoburner from this page:

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/163304-dual-boot-using-free-partitioning-software.html

and the Vista recovery cd iso ( torrent download) from here

Windows Vista Recovery Disc Download — The NeoSmart Files

Hope it helps

SIW2

THANKS SIW2

HP discs are now with me and I will attempt the recovery later today.

MUCH OBLIGED!!

 

[Brink]

Congratulations Mark on getting married. I hope you two have a great and everlasting marriage.

Shawn

 

[Lori Cobb]

I have had to reinstall the operating system twice within 11 months. Most recently was Monday - needless to say anything that wasn't backed up is gone far far far away never to return.:sa: Anyway, the problem both times had something to do with the boot records. I made every disc I was told to at the very beginning when I purchased the computer, i.e. Bootable Hardware Diagnostic Disc (silly me thought this was an actual bootable disc), HP Recovery Disc, Backup of Imagine Drive D "Factory Imagine", and External Drive Backup. I tried each and every disc trying to repair the boot files so that I wouldn't have to reinstall to factory condition, but nothing worked and it kept telling me to restore to factory condition - so at 4:00 a.m. I gave in and did just that. My question is, HOW CAN I KEEP THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN??? Please if you have any answers I would be in your debt forever. Oh I have Vista Home Premium, I think, I know its not the home basic one.

 

[Brink]

Hello Lori, and welcome to Vista Forums.

You can create a recovery disc that can be used to try and repair Vista at boot by running a Startup Repair from the System Recovery Options screen. However, this will not always repair Vista if it is damaged (corrupted) beyond repair.

The best thing to do is to keep good file backups of anything you do not want to lose, or a good drive image backup to restore the whole drive or partition. It's best to keep these backups on a separate hard drive, but a separate partition will do in a pinch. A good free backup program to use is Macrium Reflect free edition.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Lori Cobb]

I failed to tell you what a wonderful site this is, I stumbled on it last night while googling and am so glad that I did.

Thank you for your response, I have been reading the forum regarding creating a recovery disc and was going to attempt that but I wanted your advise for. I don't even know you but from reading your responses I believe you are extremely knowledgeable and I trust your advise. Thank you again. I'm sure I'll be talking to you again soon. Have a great day.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Lori. I'll be around here somewhere if you need anymore help.

 

[Lori Cobb]

Hey Brink I just got to thinking (which sometimes for me is dangerous) could the boot records have been bad from the very start and since I had made all the required disks, Bootable Hardware Diagnostic Disk, HP Recover Disc, Backup of Imagine Drive D "Factory Imagine", and External Drive Backup, within the 2 weeks prior to having to reinstall the OS the first time using those disks, if that is the case then I am installing corrupted boot files and this problem will NEVER go away. Is there a way to check to see if the boot files are correct? or if some are corrupted, without waiting for it to happen again? Does any of this make any sense to you? LOL - I hope I haven't confused you. Oh and by the way, I have already taken your suggestion and made a recovery disk and have safely filed it away. Thanks for your help with that problem. Now if you don't mind helping with this problem I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again.
Lori

 

[Brink]

Running the Startup Repair would tell you if there was something wrong the boot files, and may be able to repair it if it is able to. Unfortunately there really is not a way to check until it happens next, or if you restore a drive image and still happens.

 

[Lori Cobb]

Do you suggest that I run the start up repair AFTER I back up everything?

 

[Brink]

Yes, I would backup anything that you do not want to lose to be safe.

 

[Lori Cobb]

Running the start up repair when there seems to be nothing wrong (at the moment), is ok and safe to do to just find out if the boot files are not corrupt? I'm sorry if I'm asking stupid questions, but I just don't want to muck it up I've spend the entire week trying to figure out why the boot files failed for the second time in less than a year. Thank you for all your help and I look forward to hearing back from you. I promise I'll try to quit bugging you, at least for tonite. Thanks again.

 

[Brink]

No problem Lori.

Yes, running the Startup Repair should not cause any problems for you, but a good backup is always the safe thing to do.

 

[bucks13]

Hi,

This has been hugely helpful in moving me along in the process to try and recover (repair actually) from an HP ERROR 100c issue.

However, I just got to step 5, finally after running repair twice, and I am faced with the following and I am scared I will choose the wrong one.


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System Recovery Options
Select an operating system to repair and click next. Only Windows Vista operating systems are listed and can be repaired.

Operating System Partition Size Location
HP Recovery Manager 12762MB (Unknown) FACTORY_IMAGE
Windows Vista ™ Home Premium (recovered) 597715MB (D HP
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My problem now is that I don't know which of the 2 operating systems I should choose.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again.

 

[Brink]

Hello Bucks, and welcome to Vista Forums.

You would want to select the one below. The first one is your factory recovery partition, and you would not want to do anything to it.

Windows Vista ™ Home Premium (recovered) 597715MB D: HP

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[bucks13]

Great. Thank you so much for your quick response.

So, weirdly enough, after selecting the one you suggested, it said something like "startup repair couldn't find anything wrong".

So I hit restart and it rebooted - I just entered my user profile and for some reason there's a message at the bottom of the screen about Installing Device Driver Software.

Now it says that it is finished loading the drivers for the HDD and the DVD drive and that I need to restart.

Any idea what that's about? Will it be OK to restart?

Thanks again. This tutorial was a huge help.

 

[Brink]

Sometimes it may take running startup repair a few times for it to fix it. This may have been the case. ???

Either way, I'm happy to hear that it's working properly for you.