System Recovery Options

How to Boot to the System Recovery Options in Windows 7​

   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 Windows 7.

   Note

The System Recovery Options menu is on the Windows 7 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.

OPTION ONE

Using an OEM Recovery Partition

NOTE: This is if your computer did not come with a Windows 7 installation DVD, and has pre-installed recovery options (recovery partition) instead.
1. Start or Restart the computer.

2. Boot into the Advanced Boot Options screen.
A) Select Repair your computer and press Enter.
3. Select your keyboard language preferences and click on Next. (See screeshot below).

4. Select your user name and type in the password, and then click on OK.

5. Go to step 6 in OPTION TWO below.

OPTION TWO

Using a Windows 7 Installation or System Repair Disc

1. Insert the Windows 7 installation disc, slipstream Windows 7 SP1 installation disc, or System Repair Disc into the CD/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.

2. If prompted, press any key to boot from the Windows 7 installation DVD. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: You will only have about 8 seconds to press this key.

3. Select your language preferences and click on Next. (See screeshot below).

4. Click on Repair your computer. (See screenshot below)

5. Select which operating system you want to restore and the click on Next. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If Windows 7 is not listed here, or it is blank, then it is ok. Click on Next anyway.




6. Select the system recovery option you want to do. (See screenshot below)

• Startup Repair
• System Restore
• System Image Recovery
• Windows Memory Diagnostic
• Command Prompt

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Boot to the Advanced Boot Options in Windows 7
• How to Start Windows 7 in Safe Mode
• How to Run a Startup Repair in Windows 7
• How to Do a System Restore in Windows 7
• How to Do a System Image Recovery in Windows 7
• How to Run the Memory Diagnostics Tool in Windows 7
• How to Open a Command Prompt at Startup in Windows 7
• How to Create a Windows 7 System Repair Disc
• How to See Windows 7 Reliability and Problem History with Reliability Monitor
• How to Run Disk Check in Windows 7
• How to Do a Repair Install to Fix Windows 7
• How to Create a System Recovery Shortcut in Windows 7
• How to Load SATA Drivers in Windows System Recovery Options
• How to Enable the Built-in Administrator Account from WinRE
• How to Recover from an Infinitely Looping Startup Repair Loop without Reinstalling Windows
• How to Use the Bootrec.exe Tool in Windows Recovery Environment

 

[Brink]

Hello Jerakl, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Do you mean when you are trying to do a Startup Repair or..... ??

If so, then you might see if this below may be able to help.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/139576-startup-repair-infinite-loop-recovery.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[WindowsAider]

Hello, I was wondering if this guide would be suitable for my problem.

I am using Windows 7 home premium 64bit and my problem is that my computer does not get past the windows is starting screen (where the logo of windows 7 appears) and if i start up system repair it gets up to the blue background screen but then nothing pops up, rarely the system start up repair loading bar does show up but that never finishes (it keeps saying Attempting repairs.... ... Repairing disk errors. This might take over an hour to complete) , i kept waiting for about 12 hours and it still didnt finish. Now what im wondering is that if i use this method of yours will it get me to the area in screen shot in step 6. without removing my personal data? I would like to remove some files/pictures off my computer before reinstalling windows and i know how to use CMD to do that but i cannot get to that screen normally, so getting to the area in step 6 would really help me.

Thanks a ton guys for taking the time to read this. (By the way, just incase your wondering why i posted this on this thread, it was because i think that this might be the right tutorial to getting to CMD without losing my personal data).

Too long didn't read/ understand: Will this tutorial of yours delete personal data (simply going to that screen in the step 6 screen shot, not reinstalling windows)?

 

[Brink]

Hello WindowsAider, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Most likely it will just try to run a Startup Repair again when it detects the same issue, and never reach the "System Recovery Options" screen at step 6.

You might see if you may be able to remove the HDD, connect it to another computer, and copy what you want off it before reinstalling Windows.

If that is not an option, then you could also create an Ubuntu Live CD on another computer to use on yours to try and back what you want.

Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer - How-To Geek

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[WindowsAider]

Hello WindowsAider, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Most likely it will just try to run a Startup Repair again when it detects the same issue, and never reach the "System Recovery Options" screen at step 6.

You might see if you may be able to remove the HDD, connect it to another computer, and copy what you want off it before reinstalling Windows.

If that is not an option, then you could also create an Ubuntu Live CD on another computer to use on yours to try and back what you want.

Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer - How-To Geek

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Thanks so much! This is alot of help! I've been so frustrated with this problem for the last few days but this solves it! *Super fast reply by the way, i was expecting to wait a day or two before a response*

I'll try to do this (the Ubuntu thing) in a day or two and post up the results!

Thanks Again!

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome.

 

[WindowsAider]

You're most welcome.

Would you happen to be knowledgeable on Ubuntu because my Hard drive error varies from the one shown in the tutorial

 

[Brink]

Sorry, but I'm not familiar with Ubuntu at all.

You might create another thread for this with some screenshots to see what everyone may be able to do to help though.

 

[WindowsAider]

Sorry, but I'm not familiar with Ubuntu at all.

You might create another thread for this with some screenshots to see what everyone may be able to do to help though.

I posted the error codes along with my problem on Ubuntu forums but so far there is no Brink like person at all on there forum . Is there any other way to save my files before i reinstall a fresh windows? Besides transferring my hard drive to another computer (it seems to difficult and like if i mess up it would ruin my computer)

 

[Brink]

Actually, connecting your HDD to another computer would probably be an easier way to try and copy your data off of it.

 

[Night Hawk]

An external usb enclosure can be ordered cheap at many places. If you are not able to install the drive internally on another system.

If you already have an external or other spare drive a number of distros like Linux Mint, Puppy, Knoppix Live, and some others work the same way as far as booting live from disk or usb flash drive in order to access and recover files. I can coach you through the creatiion as well as data recovery when using the other OS easy enough.

Some time back I made up a guide here for how to create a live data recovery stick using ubuntu as the distro selected. We could pick things there about this on the old thread if needed. http://www.sevenforums.com/chillout-room/11844-using-other-os-usb-rescue-device.html Ubuntu is a small light weight distro similar to Puppy Linux and why that was selected. Here I've been making up recovery sticks with some others at times.

The first thing however may be looking over some of the other guides for troubleshooting startup problems however. With a 7 dvd booting live the command prompts options for repair as well as the Startup repair started live could be all you need however. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/681-startup-repair.html

I have to wonder if the method used for solving the Startup Repair Infinite Loop Recovery would be more of a help while running the Startup Repair -Run 3 Separate Times would be the usual recommend in seeing the repair tool complete the task.

 

[WindowsAider]

Hello again guys, thanks for all the help Night Hawk and Brink but it seems my hard drive has failed and thats whats causing windows to not load. I ran ubuntu and tried that guide you gave me Brink but it didn't work, after several hours of googling and asking questions i found that my hard drive was failing. In Ubunto on one of the thing it says

 The disk has bad sector. This means physical damage on the disk* *surface caused by detioration, manufacturing faults or other reason.* The reliability of the disk may stay stable or degrade fast. We suggest * *making a full backup urgently by running 'ntfscolone --rescue ...

and several times after i typed a certain thing into unbuntu terminal it said, volume is corrupt. You should run chkdsk. Now my only other question is if there is any other way to save the few personal files i need on my hard drive. Will using a hard drive usb adapter for my hard drive on to another computer work or will it not because the hard drive is failing? Is there any way at all i can save my files?

 

[Night Hawk]

You may suffer the loss of files in part if not all of them. That will be one thing you may run into. There are a large number of partition table repair tools and data recovery programs out there but usually one you have to pay for to see actual results.

The alternative would be bringing the drive along with several blank dvds or a spare to a data recovery service and expect a nice tab there for the service. The first option of course can run upto $70-US for one of the better recovery programs while a few open source programs are found as well. Just be prepared to see files and folders renamed and numbered with some of those however like Data Recovery Doctor

One program offers a free as well as option to buy you can look over at Partition Recovery Software for Fat & NTFS
EaseUS is a more familiar program to many offering another free partition recovery program as well.

Since the bad sector formed after the drive was OSed the partition table being corrupted will stall things to an extent while a repair tool may make it possible to get more from the drive. The problem is sometimes you may end up trying out several programs to see results especially if the drive is too far gone.

 

[adelejukerberg]

Nice Picture Brink!

Hay Brink! Nice piece of writing. I want to know how do you get all this stuff!

 

[Brink]

I get it through years of testing, and trial and error.

 

[u23sjw]

Hello!

This is my first post and I beg you to please forgive ignorance.

I'm following Method Two from the first page. I complete Step 5 but, instead of getting the menu of choices of Step 6, it automatically jumps to a Startup Repair. This lasted for three days. This morning, I woke to find the screen had returned to that shown on Step 3.

So, I clicked on 'Repair your computer' again and went through Step 5 again. However, just like the last time, a Startup Repair automatically started again. I can't seem to get to Step 6.

Are there are any recommendations for what I should do now? Do I have any options? Will I have to wait another three days for this System Repair?

Any help that anyone can offer me, I would be extremely grateful.

Thank you.

 

[Brink]

Hello u23sjw, and welcome to Seven Forums.

This is normal for it to automatically run a Startup Repair if an issue with startup has been detected in an attempt to try and fix it.

Since it is in a Startup Repair loop, you might see if the tutorial below may be able to help.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/139576-startup-repair-infinite-loop-recovery.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Krafter]

No CD :/

Well I down't have a Installation disk but I have an ISO of one in my documents folder in the broken computer. Can somebody show me how to use that if it's possible?

 

[LittleJay]

Tutorial search - Windows 7 Forums

See if you can find some help in one of these tutorials.

 

[Brink]

Well I down't have a Installation disk but I have an ISO of one in my documents folder in the broken computer. Can somebody show me how to use that if it's possible?

Hello Krafter, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You could use the program in the tutorial below to create a bootable Windows 7 installation DVD or USB flash drive with your ISO file. You could then boot from the DVD/USB for the System Recovery Options.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31541-windows-7-usb-dvd-download-tool.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Night Hawk]

It depends on what he meant by "broken computer"? He would likely need to transfer the iso onto another system in order to burn to disk or create a USB Install Key