System Repair Disk

[gogreen]

I've created a system repair disk. How do I test it--how do I boot with it, just to be sure it'll work? Thanks.

 

[marsmimar]

Insert the repair disk in your CD/DVD drive. Make sure your BIOS is set to boot from that drive as first option. (When you first start your machine you probably see a prompt to use F12 - or some other key - to enter setup. Setup lets you change the boot order.)

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/ss/bootorderchange.htm

Restart your computer and if the repair disk was successfully made you should see a list of options to choose from. Or, you could simply put the disk in your CD/DVD drive, click start > computer > and open the drive. You should see "Files currently on the disc" and they should include boot, sources, and bootmgr.

 

[gogreen]

Did it. It worked. Thanks.

Just to clarify so I understand: When the computer boots from the CD, are the necessary operating system files on the CD (in either the boot or sources folder), and does the computer then use them to start the computer? Is that what's happening?

Thanks again.

 

[marsmimar]

Did it. It worked. Thanks.

Just to clarify so I understand: When the computer boots from the CD, are the necessary operating system files on the CD (in either the boot or sources folder), and does the computer then use them to start the computer? Is that what's happening?

Thanks again.

The repair disk doesn't contain the operating system. It simply lets you access various recovery options.

What are the system recovery options in Windows 7?

For example, if you've created a system image and have it saved to an external hard drive, one of the recovery options is System Image Recovery. By clicking on that option you can access your external drive and reinstall the system image bringing your computer to the exact condition it was in at the time the system image was made. As long as your computer is working where you can access your start menu and the various applications on your hard drive, you may not have to use the repair disk.

Again, as an example, if you can access your start menu you can type Restore in the search box and then click on Backup and Restore under Programs. This will open the backup and restore dialog box where you can click on Recover System Settings > Advanced Recovery Methods > Use A System Image You Created Earlier. This allows you to use the system image on the external hard drive just like the repair disk.

 

[gogreen]

Excellent, very useful information and link. Thanks.

Sorry, but I meant boot disk. I'm using a boot disk. It appears to be working, but how do I confirm that the computer did indeed boot from the optical drive?

Is a "repair disk" the same as a "boot disk"?

Thanks again.

 

[Victek]

Excellent, very useful information and link. Thanks.

Sorry, but I meant boot disk. I'm using a boot disk. It appears to be working, but how do I confirm that the computer did indeed boot from the optical drive?

Is a "repair disk" the same as a "boot disk"?

Thanks again.

Some computers have an "F" key option to bring up a boot menu when the computer is starting up, for instance I believe to bring up the boot menu on Dell computers you hit F12. After bringing up the boot menu you can specifically select the optical drive as the boot device and then observe it being accessed as the system starts up. Also, a boot disk usually brings up a screen with options quite different than the hard disk OS desktop - that's a clear indication that the system booted from the optical drive.

 

[marsmimar]

Excellent, very useful information and link. Thanks.

Sorry, but I meant boot disk. I'm using a boot disk. It appears to be working, but how do I confirm that the computer did indeed boot from the optical drive?

Is a "repair disk" the same as a "boot disk"?

Thanks again.

A boot disk and a repair disk are similar. Microsoft explains it here:

What is a boot disk (startup disk) and why would I need one?

Depending on how / where your boot disk was obtained will determine what else is on the disk. I might be totally wrong here but I believe, starting with Vista and now Win 7, the installation disk also functions as a boot disk. Prior to Vista (XP and earlier) you could create a boot disk on floppies because floppy drives were more likely to be a part of computers as compared to CD/DVD drives. Victek gave a nice summary on how you can tell if the computer booted from the optical drive.

Just my own opinion but I think the best thing you can do is create a system repair disk. Fits nicely on a standard CD. Then make a system image of your computer on an external hard drive (DVDs are hit and miss, get damaged, lost, etc.) As long as you can boot your computer you won't need the repair disk. But if your system gets totally hosed and you can't boot into it, the repair disk and system image will be worth their weight in gold.

 

[SIW2]

If you see the normal desktop apper- then you have booted your regular installation of Windows on the Hard drive.

If you see a blue background with a little window showing startup repair - then you have successfully booted the repair disc.

Excellent, very useful information and link. Thanks.

Sorry, but I meant boot disk. I'm using a boot disk. It appears to be working, but how do I confirm that the computer did indeed boot from the optical drive?

Is a "repair disk" the same as a "boot disk"?

Thanks again.

 

[gogreen]

Thanks, victek and siw2.

I have 2 CDs I'm working with. The first is a Dell Windows 7 boot disk that I made pretty much as soon as I started using a new computer (July 2010). The second is a Macrium recovery disk, which I created when I downloaded Macrium Reflect a few months ago.

The Dell disk produces a black screen with the message, "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD." I press any key, I hear the CD drive whir, and the message, "Windows is loading files" appears. That seems to take forever, and I didn't let that complete. I was satisfied that it was booting from the CD.

The Macrium CD produces a green screen with a Linux message that I missed, which took me to the "image restore wizard." I followed the prompts and arrived at my external hard drive's backup images that I created with Macrium. I'm satisfied that if I needed it, I could restore my computer from the image I had created.

I think both of these CDs work. So what's an ISO file then? And how come I cannot locate it on my computer?

I don't think I really need anything more than the two CDs I have to recover from a serious problem. Or do I?

Thanks.

 

[Victek]

Thanks, victek and siw2.

I have 2 CDs I'm working with. The first is a Dell Windows 7 boot disk that I made pretty much as soon as I started using a new computer (July 2010). The second is a Macrium recovery disk, which I created when I downloaded Macrium Reflect a few months ago.

The Dell disk produces a black screen with the message, "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD." I press any key, I hear the CD drive whir, and the message, "Windows is loading files" appears. That seems to take forever, and I didn't let that complete. I was satisfied that it was booting from the CD.

The Macrium CD produces a green screen with a Linux message that I missed, which took me to the "image restore wizard." I followed the prompts and arrived at my external hard drive's backup images that I created with Macrium. I'm satisfied that if I needed it, I could restore my computer from the image I had created.

I think both of these CDs work. So what's an ISO file then? And how come I cannot locate it on my computer?

I don't think I really need anything more than the two CDs I have to recover from a serious problem. Or do I?

Thanks.

An ".ISO" is a file from which a bootable optical disk can be created. For instance my backup program came with an ISO that I used to burn a boot CD in the event I needed to restore an image. The Macrium Recovery Disk you created may have been made from an ISO that was included in Macrium.

 

[gogreen]

Is there an .iso file on my computer? If there is, where is it? I should be able to see it, since I have no files hidden. Or is an .iso file created as a group of startup files?

 

[mjf]

If you see the normal desktop apper- then you have booted your regular installation of Windows on the Hard drive.

If you see a blue background with a little window showing startup repair - then you have successfully booted the repair disc.

Excellent, very useful information and link. Thanks.

Sorry, but I meant boot disk. I'm using a boot disk. It appears to be working, but how do I confirm that the computer did indeed boot from the optical drive?

Is a "repair disk" the same as a "boot disk"?

Thanks again.

For the OP and me
The system repair disk contains the Winre - I thought this was a (very) small subset of the OS in it's own right? Eg. command line tools like bootrec, bcdedit. When you select Drivers you get a version of Windows explorer etc.

Or does it pull in the tools from the Os HDD?

 

[Victek]

Is there an .iso file on my computer? If there is, where is it? I should be able to see it, since I have no files hidden. Or is an .iso file created as a group of startup files?

For questions specifically about Macrium look here:

Macrium Reflect Disk Imaging and Backup - Support

 

[mjf]

If you see the normal desktop apper- then you have booted your regular installation of Windows on the Hard drive.

If you see a blue background with a little window showing startup repair - then you have successfully booted the repair disc.

Excellent, very useful information and link. Thanks.

Sorry, but I meant boot disk. I'm using a boot disk. It appears to be working, but how do I confirm that the computer did indeed boot from the optical drive?

Is a "repair disk" the same as a "boot disk"?

Thanks again.

For the OP and me
The system repair disk contains the Winre - I thought this was a (very) small subset of the OS in it's own right? Eg. command line tools like bootrec, bcdedit. When you select Drivers you get a version of Windows explorer etc.

Or does it pull in the tools from the Os HDD?

Curiosity got the better of me - disconnected my OS HDD. Yes it is a standalone sub system. Everything on X: eg X:\windows\system32 comes from the repair disk. The system repair disk windows explorer functionality is also standalone.

ADDED COMMENT:
There is a rerun on this answer below by someone else in case you missed it the first time.

 

[gogreen]

So what about an .iso file? Where is it? A search for *.iso came up empty.

 

[DocBrown]

Have you checked out Brink's Tutorial ?

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2083-system-repair-disc-create.html

 

[SIW2]

You wouldn't normally have one on your pc.

Some oem machines include an .iso from which the oem repair discs are created.

Mostly they have .wim files.

You will have a .wim file called winre.wim on your windows partition in a hidden folder called Recovery.

That is the main component of the windows recovery disc.

So what about an .iso file? Where is it? A search for *.iso came up empty.

 

[gogreen]

You wouldn't normally have one on your pc.

Some oem machines include an .iso from which the oem repair discs are created.

Mostly they have .wim files.

You will have a .wim file called winre.wim on your windows partition in a hidden folder called Recovery.

That is the main component of the windows recovery disc.

So what about an .iso file? Where is it? A search for *.iso came up empty.

Thank you for this explanation.

 

[karlsnooks]

The System Repair Disc contains a mini-Win 7, technically a Win 7 Recovery Environment which is a modified Win7Re.wim.

Oh yes, before I go further, SIW2 is THE expert on Recovery Environment and PreExecution Environment.

The System Repair Disc will install a mini-Win 7 in a ram disk which it creates and gives the drive letter X:

The System Repair Disc also turns control over to a special program (technically called a shell). You interface with that shell.

ISO files normally contain the necessary programs to be bootable BUT not always. ISO is referring to an international standards organization format. The specific number is ofter left off and one just says ISO.

Your Win 7 can burn an ISO file to a CD. All you have to do is click on it and the DVD/CD burn program will be started and you will be prompted to insert a CD/DVD.

You can also "mount" an ISO on a virtual drive.

Two popular and excellent programs for this are UltraIso and PowerISO. Both have a free version which does have a couple of restrictions but generally not enough to trouble one.

I use UltraIso. Both of these programs have many useful features if you need to examine, extract, create, manipulate an ISO file.

You can also put a bootable ISO file onto a correctly prepared USB stick.

Here's how to put that System Repair Disc on a USB stick.

WIN 7 SYSTEM REPAIR DISC ON A BOOTABLE USB


Putting a Win 7 System Repair Disc on a bootable USB consists of three steps:
1. Create a System Repair Disc
2. Prepare a USB stick
3. Copy the System Repair Disc to the USB

Step 1. Create a System Repair Disc
START | type System Repair | Enter key | Create Disc button

Step 2. Prepare a USB stick
The stick is prepared by running CMD.EXE as an administrator (also known as an elevated command prompt) and then using DiskPart to prepare the USB stick.

Elevated command prompt = Run CMD.EXE as administrator
· WIN key
· Type CMD.EXE (do not hit Enter key)
· In the Programs list, Right-Click on CMD.EXE
· Click on Run as administrator
· YES button

Use DiskPart to prepare the USB Stick
· type DiskPart, Enter key
· type List disk, Enter key
note the numeral of the disk you want to clean
for example purposes, I’ll be using the numeral 2
· type Select disk 2, Enter key
· type Detail disk, Enter key
this info will let you know if you selected correctly
· type Clean ALL, Enter key
your entire disk is being overwritten with zeros.
This can take a considerable amount of time
· type Create Partition Primary, Enter key
This will create a primary partition
· type Format fs=ntfs, Enter key
This formats the partition using the ntfs format.
· type Assign, Enter key
This assigns the next available volume letter to the volume.
· type Active, Enter key
This marks the current partition as active. Verifies that partition is capable of being a bootable partition.
· type EXIT, Enter key
This exits the DiskPart program.
· type EXIT, Enter key
This exits the command shell.

Step 3. Copy the System Repair Disc to the USB stick
Insert the System Repair Disc in the CD/DVD drive.
Using Windows Explorer, copy the entire contents to the USB stick.


You now have a bootable System Repair Disc on a USB stick.

 

[gogreen]

Wow. It's going to take me a while to digest all this. Thank you!