Windows 7 - Creating a System Repair Disk

I must be missing something here. What is the need for creating a System Repair disk other than convenience when the same functions appear to be on the system installation CD? I created a system image and a a repair disk. Then I deleted a whole bunch of files from the system on purpose and, of course, my RC wouldn't work. I booted the installation cd and restored the system image and all was well. I repeated the process except I booted the repair disk and again all was well.

I guess my question is why did I need to create the repair disk when the installation cd did the job?

Like I said, I must be missing something.

Would appreciate some insight.

Thank you very much.

Hi, What happens if you have no operating disk, and you need to get into, and repair the OS.
You see everyone won't be as lucky as you and have an installation disk, I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Well, I guess I would be in the deep you know what. I can't imagine not having an installation disk but I guess it is possible on some machines that are sold without them. Until machines come on the market with Win 7 installed, you would have to have had a installation disk of some sort to install Win 7. When such machines are sold it would seem to me that doing a restore from the restore partition would allow you use the system image. That would be inconvenient and I guess that is why I asked about other than the convenience factor.

Anyway, I just wondered. I will keep a repair disk handy.

Thanks again.

One of the advantages of having installed so many iso images during all of the beta became apparent today. I really messed up my system this morning by trying to replace the start orb. Somehow it messed up explorer.exe. I went to do a system restore and it said it didn't have any restore points. I use ERUNT and have it set to save the registry hives every morning. Having my trusty technet installation disk on a usb thumb drive, I popped it in and booted from the usb. Told it to do a repair to get to the option for a cmd prompt. Ran my ERDNT.exe and restored this mornings back up. Back in business. I'll now be keeping the usb thumb drive with my laptop all the time. What a life-saver!

That's good news, By the way I used to have a horse like yours

Those quarterhorses are good!

I also keep the Technet installation disk (modified slightly to allow me to choose the version I want to install), on a bootable flash card with my laptop for emergency repairs. A little more convenient and faster than the DVD.

Plus I have room for some more programs on the drive, such as Acronis TIH & Disk Director. I was wondering if putting those on that flash drive would in any way render the Win 7 install disk inoperable?

I don't think they would hurt anything unless they are bootable as well. I have the installation disk on an 8gb flash drive. I think I'll buy a 4gb drive and use it for the installation disk exclusively.

A system repair disc means you don't have to cart around your original installation disc.

I know the system repair disc lets you readily restore backup images you may have. Not sure if the original install disc does it as easily.

Having done it both ways I do think the System Repair Disk is slightly easier.