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

 

[bucks13]

Yes it enabled me to see that my system drive wasn't permanently damaged as I thought it had been. I was able to shut down and disconnect my system drive and reconnect the new drive I was trying to install windows 7 onto (that's what started this whole mess).

Now I have a different set of questions I'll post to the install forum. Thank you again for your help.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome.

 

[vlvlove42]

For some reason I can seem to get the Advanced Boot Options to come up when I restart my computer and I am pressing F8...

Also, I've tried using System Restore but its not allowing me to go to the next step.

 

[Brink]

Hello vlvlove,

Are you tapping F8 every other second while it's rebooting?

What screen are you getting instead?

What's it doing instead of letting you go to the next step (??) while doing a system restore?

Basically, I just need more details with any error messages that you may be getting.

 

[vlvlove42]

No, I tap F8 once or twice.

And the message says that there has been no restore points created on the computers system disk.

 

[Brink]

The timing to tap F8 is pretty hard to hit, but you should be able to tap it off and on every second until the Advance Boot Options screens loads. However, without any restore points, it would be pointless to do anyways since you would not be able to do a system restore without them.

 

[vlvlove42]

But I have done a system restore before, so wouldn't that mean I have a restore point?

 

[Brink]

Since that was the message you got was "there has been no restore points created on the computers system disk", then you wouldn't have any restore points on your C: drive.

Unfortunately, restore points do not last forever like say a system image backup. When you did that last system restore, it could have restored your system back to a point before you had any restore points created. If none have been created since then, then you would not have any available.

Touching on your user profile error, if you created a new administrator account as a test, does it work properly for you without getting the error?

 

[vlvlove42]

Yes, as far as I can tell it works fine.

 

[Brink]

In that case, you might consider using the new user account instead. You could copy what you want from the old account into the new account, and delete the old account after you are sure the new one checks out.

 

[vlvlove42]

Yeah, that seems to be my best option.

Thank you so much for your patience and help! :D

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome.

 

[ITmiracle]

My apologies for the necropost, but my screen shot looks very different from what you have here. I am hesitant, very hesitant to hit 'next' on the system recovery options as I am thinking this might be a part of the virus. Do you have any words of advise or assistance? Thank you!

 

[Brink]

Hello ITmiracle, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Could you post a screenshot of this window? We'll be happy to take a look at it.

 

[baitmn]

I hope to try this life saving article, thanks for posting Brink

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Baitmn. I hope that you'll never need to use it.

 

[Sjtlucky7]

Hi,

i am having the problem of booting my samsung laptop and getting the "windows fail to load because the system registry file is missing" message - I have followed the steps above using the samsung recovery 2 disc but I am not getting the "repair your computer" option on stage 4, at the is stage it is asking me to select the operating system to install and then the licence agreement.

Any idea how I get to the repair computer option after exiting from here instead of doing a brand new install?


Thanks

 

[Brink]

Hello Sjtlucky, and welcome to Vista Forums.

You might see if you may be able to do a system restore at boot using a restore point (if available) dated before you had this issue to see if it may be able to fix this.

 

[Sjtlucky7]

Hello Sjtlucky, and welcome to Vista Forums.

You might see if you may be able to do a system restore at boot using a restore point (if available) dated before you had this issue to see if it may be able to fix this.

Thanks for the welcome.

I've tried to follow the steps but can only get an option to restore to the computers birthday or to factory settings - the problem seems to be when I use the system recovery disc it gets as far as prompting for language etc but then wants to reinstall vista rather then offer the repair computer option? This also seems to prevent me getting to the system restore menu.

 

[Brink]

It sounds like you may be using a factory recovery disc instead.

You might see if downloading an official Vista Home Premium ISO file at the link below, then create a Vista installation DVD/USB to boot from may work better for you.

Microsoft: Vista Direct Download Links