Windows 7 - System Repair Disc - Create

Brink

How to Create a Windows 7 System Repair Disc

Information

This will show you how to create a Windows 7 system repair disc to be able to use to boot to system recovery options to help recover your Windows 7 installation if you don't have a Windows installation disc, can't find your Windows installation disc, or can't access the recovery options provided by your computer manufacturer.

A system repair disc is not able to install Windows 7.

Note

If you are unable to boot your Windows 7 to create a Windows 7 System Repair Disc, then you could create it on another computer to use on your computer.

Warning

A system repair disc is not the same as a OEM factory recovery/restore disc.
You cannot do a repair install or install Windows 7 with a system repair disc.
A system repair disc can only be used to repair Windows 7 through the system recovery options.
32-bit System Repair Disc can only be created on a 32-bit Windows 7.
64-bit System Repair Disc can only be created on a 64-bit Windows 7.
32-bit System Repair Disc can only be used to repair a 32-bit Windows 7.
64-bit System Repair Disc can only be used to repair a 64-bit Windows 7.

EXAMPLE: System Recovery Options
NOTE: Using the System Repair Disc that you have created below, you can boot to the system recovery options screen below.

Here's How:

1. Open the Start Menu, then type recdisc.exe in the search box and press Enter.
A) Go to step 3.

OR

2. Open the Control Panel (All Items view), and click on the Backup and Restore icon.
A) Click on the Create a System repair disc link in the left blue pane. (See screenshot below)

3. Insert a blank unformatted CD or DVD into your CD/DVD drive and click on the Create disc button. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If you are prompted to insert a Windows installation disc, it means that the files needed to create the system repair disc cannot be found on your computer. Insert a Windows 7 installation disc.

4. It will now start creating the System Repair Disc. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If a AutoPlay window pops up, just close it.

5. When it's finished, click on the Close button. (See screenshot below)

6. Click on OK. (See screenshot below)

7. Remove and label your new Windows 7 System Repair Disc from the CD/DVD drive.

Tip

If you would like to create a bootable System Repair USB flash drive with this Windows 7 System Repair Disc (DVD), then you could use OPTION ONE in the tutorial below to do so.

USB Windows 7 Installation Key Drive - Create

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

Mark · 01-15-2009

Very nice, thank you Shawn.

echrada · 01-15-2009

Thanks just made mine.

Brink · 01-15-2009

You're welcome MR GRiM and Echrada.

Brink · 07-19-2009

Hello Rakcs,

Unfortunately this method will only let you create one using a DVD. However, you can create a Windows 7 installation USB key to use to do the same thing with instead from your Windows 7 ISO file.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Oblomow58 · 08-30-2009

Hi all,

I have a bunch of questions on that repair disk issue.

Does that procedure include 3rd party disk drivers (like the Intel storage management drivers for RAID) include into that repair disk.

Is it necessary to produce one DVD per installation or is it a universal approach, where I can produce the repair DVD just once?

In WinXP it was possible to do something similar by entering
WinNT32 -cmdcons and you got a second instance of the OS for repair tasks - that was very useful some times (disable freshly installed hardware services which prevent XP from boot).

Is there a similar option in Windows 7?

Or is it possible to
manally generate the Repair DVD,
transfer that content to a VHD-File
and
enable that VHD as a addition boot option in BCDedit

Actually I run the Ultimate RTM x64 from MSDN so VHD-boot is allowed

Thanks for your comments and advices

Oblomow

Brink · 08-30-2009

Hello Oblomow,

This only creates a repair disc that boots to the System Recovery Options screen to allow you to only repair any Windows 7 on any computer with. It does not install Windows 7, but you can use the command prompt option to run commands though.

igorotak · 09-17-2009

nice tutorial, thanks for sharing

Brink · 09-17-2009

You're welcome Igorotak. Thank you.

Eneswar · 09-18-2009

Thank you for this!

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