Recovery Disc for Windows Vista or Windows 7
When you buy a new PC these days, it is rare to receive a bundled CD-ROM or DVD disc containing the Recovery Disc software that you can use to try to repair or reinstall your operating system in the event of a catastrophe. Here's how to create a Recovery disk that you can use when your computer won't boot up normally from the hard drive...
Create Your Own Windows Recovery Disk
Some computer vendors add the Recovery Disc software to your hard drive, and it appears as an option on the boot menu when you restart your machine. But what if your machine won't boot from the hard drive at all?
Then you need a removable, bootable Recovery Disc. If you did not receive one with your computer, you could contact the manufacturer of your system and buy a Recovery Disc. Yes, you should have received one with your new computer. But some vendors do sell them separately.
Getting one from the vendor is the easy but expensive method. But there is a way to create a recovery disk for free, if you have a computer that is able to burn a CD. (Sorry I didn't mean for that to rhyme...)
Microsoft has made available Recovery Disc image files for Vista and Windows 7, which are hosted online by NeoSmart Technologies. It boggles my mind that Microsoft doesn't host these files on their own server; instead leaving you to wonder if Neosmart is a trustworthy source for creating a CD that will be used to boot your computer.
But never mind that. You will find many Web pages offering "Vista recovery disk downloads" that actually link to the NeoSmart page above. Don't waste any time looking for something different, better or easier. Neosmart is apparently the one and only trusted place to get your recovery disk images.
Your goal is to download the recovery disk image file in ISO format, and burn it to a CD. Yes, if your hard drive is not working then you will have to download and burn the image file using another computer.
Note that the recovery disk cannot be used to (re)install Windows. It's just a stripped down bootable Windows interface that can be used for recovery tasks such as Startup Repair, System Restore, System Image Recovery and a command prompt for the brave of heart.
Downloading the Recovery Disk Image
You will need a Bittorrent client to download the NeoSmart Recovery Disc image file. NeoSmart does not actually store all of the image file on its servers; the bandwidth required to serve the image file to the many people who look for it would be very expensive. Instead, the image file is broken up in bits distributed across many servers that are part of the Bittorrent peer-to-peer file sharing world. A Bittorrent client program such as uTorrent is needed to find all the parts of the image file; download them simultaneously; and assemble them into the complete image file on your computer.
After downloading the ISO image, you'll need to burn it to a CD disc using any burning software that can handle ISO disc images. Ahead Nero is a popular commercial program that can do the job. ISOImageBurner.com is the home of a free ISO Image Burner utility that lacks the bells and whistles of Nero but gets the job done.
Once you have the Recovery Disc, you can insert it in your drive and restart the computer. If your computer's BIOS is configured to boot from the CD drive should the hard drive not be available, then it will do so. If not, you may have to manually tell the BIOS to boot from CD. That's an option on the BIOS Setup menu, which you can reach by holding down the Ctrl key while booting your PC. There, you should be able to set the CD as the primary boot device, or at least ensure it is in the set of devices that the BIOS checks during bootup. Once you have a bootable Windows Vista or Windows 7 Recovery Disc, keep it in a safe place. You never know when you or a friend may need it.
Do you have something to say about Windows Vista or Windows 7 recovery disks? Post your comment of question below...
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Posted by Bob Rankin on February 4, 2010 10:30 PM
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- Recovery Disc for Windows Vista or Windows 7 (Posted: February 4, 2010 10:30 PM)
Source: http://askbobrankin.com/recovery_disc_for_windows_vista_or_windows_7.html
Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved
Most recent comments on "Recovery Disc for Windows Vista or Windows 7"
(See all 13 comments for this article.)Posted by:
Ellen K
05 Feb 2010
Thank you, that's very useful! But do I need to just backup my computer using third-party system restore software, and then restore when problems occur? It is said the program can solve all problems like virus...
http://www.system-tools-software.com/system-restore/index.html
Posted by:
VOXPOP
05 Feb 2010
I recovered my Vista home premium with a recovery disk I created from Paragon software which was much easier than what your article describes..Check it out.
Posted by:
Jack Babcock
05 Feb 2010
In my win 7 program under backup there is both a create a system repair disc, and create a system image..
Why not use these.?
Posted by:
K Paterson
05 Feb 2010
I tried to create a Recovery disk for Vista. I am quite technically savvy and have a 50 page website. But I found this procedure far from easy. For the novice it would be daunting. They have to know whether to download the 32bit or 64 bit ISO, They have to have an ISO burner. They also have to have a Bittorrent. I could get one as long as I sent two SMS messages to get a code to enable the Bittorrent and each would cost cash. I finished up by recommending that it would be simpler to go to Ebay and try to find a reputable seller.
Posted by:
Darcetha Manning
05 Feb 2010
Thank you, Bob Rankin, for your wonderful website!It is about time that someone realized that not everyone who has a computer is a computer technician, who understands computer jargon. You take the time to break computer jargon down into plain, simple English. And you also give clear examples on where we can find stuff for free on the internet. I know you are married, but I just want to say, your wife is lucky to have such a great, patient man like you in her life. By the way, do you have any cute, single younger brothers? LOL. Take care.
Posted by:
steven richards
15 Feb 2010
I burned the DVD's when I got my two computers years ago. I was surprised as to how slow it took to recover the XP computer. Something trash my recovery partition. I just thought ALL manufacturers supplied a recovery option. Both computers are HP(XP(2 DVD's) and Vista(3 DVD's). I wonder if windows 7 requires even more DVD's
Posted by:
wazzat
10 Mar 2010
Iso burning program? Try Imgburn it's fairly simple to use. No excuse on having to learn something new. Somewhere you learned to use the computer. Then try the FREE Macrium Reflect to backup and restore. Here again, here's some learning to do. Plus you've got to download the program and install it. You can get it here- http://download.cnet.com/Macrium-Reflect-Free/3000-2242_4-10845728.html The website has no malware so it's safe to get it there. Or use Microsoft's built in restore program which is not as flexible or dependable. This is advice from a self taught computer user speaking from his own experiences. Let's see- how do you start this thing? what's this button do?
Posted by:
Tom R
10 Mar 2010
Might look at Microsoft's Windows Steady State. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/sharedaccess/default.mspx
Get your machine set up the way you want it and Steady State can return it to that point at any time. I've got a couple of "loaner" machines I use this on. Makes for easy cleanup so it can be loaned to the next customer.
Also you can eliminate dvd's by going to a portable hard drive to store your recovery images in one single .iso file. Just make the portable drive a single use product. In other words put the image on it and set the drive on a shelf until it's needed. Experience has taught me that a label identifying the contents and the date it was created can be useful.
Posted by:
SarahL
10 Mar 2010
Interesting. We just ordered as set of recovery DVDs for a two-year-old HP laptop yesterday, from HP.
To give HP credit, the disks were easy to find, and were reasonably priced ($12.95, free shipping 3 to 5 business days via snail mail)
I would be interested in a simple method to create a bootable USB key; when working on computers, it would be handy to have.
Posted by:
Mike
10 Mar 2010
Is there a Recovery Disk for XP?
If so, would I burn it to a CD or a DVD?