DIY Complete System Recovery
Issue: The dang OS just isn't working right, and it's time to reinstall it from scratch
Fix: System Recovery
What this does: On most newer models of pc's there is a separate partition (usually the D drive) called System Recovery. What that is, is a complete recovery "disk" saved on your hard drive. When you run it, it will reformat your hard drive to the way it was the day you bought it.
How: When you first turn on the computer, you'll see the brief pop-ups saying BIOS, setup, etc. For a very brief moment you should see the command, "PRESS F11 FOR SYSTEM RECOVERY"; just do that. There will be (depending on manufacturer) 2 choices after this, a "Destructive" or "Non-Destructive" recovery. Destructive will reset everything, including saved pictures, music, documents - they will be gone, forever! Backup everything you want saved before doing that onto a flash drive or some other type of removable media. The "Non-Destructive" method attempts to save all of your files (pics, music, docs, etc) in a backup folder on the C drive; it then reformats and reinstalls the OS; you should still back up anything you want saved off the PC before doing this, in case it fails.
Note, you will still need to reinstall any programs (Quickbooks, Word, OOO, WoW, etc) no matter which method you choose; be sure to have those handy for afterwards. You'll need 1-2 hours for the entire process, and don't forget to do your Windows Updates (again).
Fix: System Recovery
What this does: On most newer models of pc's there is a separate partition (usually the D drive) called System Recovery. What that is, is a complete recovery "disk" saved on your hard drive. When you run it, it will reformat your hard drive to the way it was the day you bought it.
How: When you first turn on the computer, you'll see the brief pop-ups saying BIOS, setup, etc. For a very brief moment you should see the command, "PRESS F11 FOR SYSTEM RECOVERY"; just do that. There will be (depending on manufacturer) 2 choices after this, a "Destructive" or "Non-Destructive" recovery. Destructive will reset everything, including saved pictures, music, documents - they will be gone, forever! Backup everything you want saved before doing that onto a flash drive or some other type of removable media. The "Non-Destructive" method attempts to save all of your files (pics, music, docs, etc) in a backup folder on the C drive; it then reformats and reinstalls the OS; you should still back up anything you want saved off the PC before doing this, in case it fails.
Note, you will still need to reinstall any programs (Quickbooks, Word, OOO, WoW, etc) no matter which method you choose; be sure to have those handy for afterwards. You'll need 1-2 hours for the entire process, and don't forget to do your Windows Updates (again).
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