Another way to think about it is to perform a clean install of the operating system, so that you are working with a bare bones version of the OS. The difference between a clean install and restoring to factory settings is the fact that the former does not include any junk third party software.
Alternatively, performing a system restore reverts the OS to a previous state, which is not exactly like a clean install, but could help you get your system working properly. Lastly, there is a repair install, which basically replaces all of the Windows system files, but keeps your data intact. Windows and all apps will be wiped, but your data will be kept. My recommendation is to perform a clean install, which is better than restoring the factory image that you either get on DVD or that is located on a hidden partition in the hard drive.
System Restore is a built-in tool in Windows that allows you to roll back the system to a previous state. It will also uninstall any applications that you might have installed after the restore point was created. You can read my previous post on how to restore your computer using the System Restore feature.
If system restore is disabled, you can read my post on how to enable system restore again. If you have one of these, you can access the recovery partition from within Windows or during startup. Just follow the links above for detailed instructions. Your last and final options for restoring Windows to factory settings is to perform a clean install or repair install. Depending on your version of Windows, the process will be different. If you need to fix corrupted or missing Windows system files without losing any data, it is recommended you try a repair install of XP scroll down to the bottom of the article.
If you have the original DVD, then we can start the process from within Windows. Go to the Control Panel and click on Recovery. Go ahead and put in the disc and the reinstall process will begin. Also, the source and destination computers should both use retail versions of Windows or the same OEM version of Windows. The best practice is to install Windows on the destination computer by using the same installation media that you used to install Windows on the source computer. Uninstall third-party filter drivers on the source computer before you perform the backup.
These kinds of drivers can cause problems when the backup is restored to a different computer. For domain controllers, the locations of the Active Directory directory service database, Active Directory log files, FRS database, and FRS log files must also be identical for the source and destination computers.
If you remove any hardware on the destination computer that is not required to complete the restore process, you increase the probability of a successful restore operation. For example, physically remove or disable all except one network adapter. Install or enable the additional adapters after you restart the operating system after the restore operation. For Windows computers, hotfix or Windows Service Pack 4 must be installed on the source computer before you back up data.
These items must also be installed on the destination computer before you restore the backup. Windows Server and Windows XP have no hotfix or service pack level requirements for this kind of restore operation. A user does not have to bring the destination computer up to the same service pack and hotfix level for Windows Server or for Windows XP. If you do not do this, you will receive the following error message:. For more information about the error message that you receive when you restore a Windows Server Service Pack 1-based backup on a Windows Server based computer, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:.
For client and member server computers, follow these steps to back up the Windows Vista or Windows Server installation and restore it to a different computer.
Note A member server is any server that is not a domain controller. Note The following requirements must be met to move Windows Vista or Windows Server to a different computer.
Startup hard disk capacity should be larger or the same size. Even if it is smaller by a single byte, BMR will be blocked. You can make the backup on one kind of hard disk and recover on another kind of hard disk.
You should make sure that your RAID setup on the destination computer does not interfere with the boot order of the hard disks. The operating system architecture and processor architecture must match. The three architectures, x86, x64, and IA, support the following scenarios:. Backup of an x86 operating system version: This backup can be restored to an x86 processor computer or to an x64 processor computer. Backup of an x64 operating system version: This backup can be restored only to an x64 processor computer.
Additionally, the architecture of WinRE or the Setup CD should match the architecture of the operating system that is being recovered. For example, you would use an x86 version WinRE CD to restore an x86 operating system on an x86 computer. You can treat AMD or Intel processors as being the same if they follow the same architecture. The backup of AMD x64 computer's operating system can be recovered on to an Intel x64 computer, or vice a versa.
Recovery to Startup disk only: The recovery process will restore the backup to the first hard disk in the BIOS boot order. You cannot change to another hard disk to restore the operating system. On the source computer, log on by using the administrator account, and then stop all noncritical services and services that you typically stop before you perform a backup.
This may include any service that puts locks on files. This includes antivirus, disk scanning, and indexing services. This value is located in the following registry subkey:. On the source computer, create a complete backup of the computer. Note If you back up the computer to a hard disk, you will have to either move that disk to the destination server, or you will have to share that hard disk over the network if it is possible to do so.
In the Which file types do you want to backup window, select all the check boxes, and then click Next. You must use an installation disc that contains Windows Vista Service Pack 1 because the release version of Windows Vista does not support this scenario. Select the operating system that you want to repair. If you are restoring to a blank hard disk, no operating systems are listed. Restart the computer, and then verify that it is functioning correctly.
For more information about how to use the netdom tool, see the Netdom article on the Microsoft website. If the trust relationship test fails and indicates a failed security channel, you can run the netdom command on the destination computer to reset the channel. The netdom command is also available in the Support Tools. To reset the security channel, use the following netdom command:.
To recover a Windows Server installation, follow the steps in the following Microsoft TechNet article:. Backing Up Your Server. For client and member server computers, follow these steps to back up the Windows installation and restore it to a different computer. A member server is any server that is not a domain controller. On the source computer, use Windows Backup to back up the system drive, the system drive subfolders, and the system state.
On the destination computer, perform a new installation of Windows by using the same operating system version as the source computer. Make sure that you install the operating system in the same drive and path that was used on the source computer. After the new installation is complete, log on to the destination computer as Administrator. By using Disk Management, create, format, and assign drive letters to any additional volumes that may be required to hold a system state component.
Make sure that all drive letters match those of the source computer. Disk space for volumes on the destination computer should be as least as large as corresponding volumes on the source. The Boot. Click Start , click Run , type ntbackup, and then click OK. On the Tools menu, click Options , click the Restore tab, and then click Always replace the file on my computer. Restore the system state from the backup that you performed earlier.
Make sure that you select the option to restore to the original location. Note To have access to all removable media tape or magneto-optical disk from the source computer after the restore operation is complete, you must click Restore Removable Storage Database under the Advanced button before you start the restore operation.
Windows XP System Restore is a very powerful feature that can save you lots of time and frustration. Remark : Windows XP System Restore is pretty powerful, but it is not a replacement for a backup program.
It doesn't make backup copies of your files, you still need to do this yourself. It does save important information about Windows system files, registry settings, and settings for different users on your pc.
That makes Windows XP System Restore a pretty clever tool, providing capabilities to get your digital life back on track when something goes terribly wrong. When Windows XP System Restore is activated on your pc we'll see how to do that in a minute , it creates system restore points automatically :. Suppose you want to install a piece of free software that came with a box of breakfast cereals. Generally not the best idea to keep your computer in good shape, so you manually create a system restore point before the install.
Click the option "Create a Restore Point" and click next. The wizard wants a name for your restore point. Don't enter the date here, because Windows keeps track of Restore Point dates automatically. Rather enter something descriptive like "Pre-breakfast cereal software point". The wizard may take some time to complete the operation but soon you will see the "Restore Point Created" screen.
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