Windows xp recovery utility. How to restore windows xp system

Or an update, and whoever uses the phrase “Put on top”, as soon as they call you names, let’s figure out what kind of action this is, and we’ll also look at other options for restoring Windows XP.

Those who need a regular system recovery can go to the end of the article, or read more complete information. We also have an excellent article on what to do if it is impossible to boot Windows XP completely, you can read -

Our topic is called correctly System Restore via Menu Windows installations XP or Restoring a damaged copy of Windows XP, by the way, sometimes a virus helps: send an SMS when your operating system blocked by malware. And in cases when the operating system does not boot and nothing helps: neither the recovery console, nor loading the last known good configuration, nor the boot floppy disk, nor recovery points. It is not advisable to reinstall due to the many necessary and not necessary programs, mail settings, Skype, Opera and so on.

Windows XP System Restore

The advantage of the system through the installation menu is that all your operating system settings and installed programs are saved, and personal files located on the partition with the operating system will remain intact. We start everything the same way as during a normal Windows XP installation: set the disk drive as the first boot device in the BIOS, insert the installation disk into it Windows program XP, the usual process of installing the operating system begins, we wait patiently.

• Note: If your system boots but is unstable, you can update directly from the operating system; this method is given at the end of the article.

Let's start installing Windows XP, press enter

License agreement

"To try to restore the selected copy of XP, press "R"

We are trying to restore and press (R) On the forum, a user was asked that he did not find such a menu, this happens if a non-original build of the Windows XP operating system was used. In general, I would recommend that you use clean builds of Windows.

Windows XP System Restore through the installation menu it takes the same amount of time as installation.

If you don’t succeed, try reading other articles on our site, it will be entirely devoted to troubleshooting problems and malfunctions of operating systems of the Windows family.

How to carry out the same operation directly from a running operating system. Paste installation disk from Windows XP to the drive, right-click and select Autorun

Installing Windows XP

Update (recommended), and then everything is as with a normal installation.

Well, for the newbies, let’s go over standard recovery systems.

System Restore works as a service to save important system settings.

Restore points are created every 24 hours, if you have this service turned on, many people have it turned off due to saving resources, I think on modern computers it can be turned on during active use personal computer it can help you a lot; when you change any setting, a backup copy and a recovery checkpoint are created.

Inclusion System Restore
We enable system recovery and perform the following steps:

1. 
   Uncheck the box next to Disable System Restore (or Disable System Restore on all drives) and click OK.

Disabling System Restore
Disable System Restore and perform the following steps:

1. From the Start menu, right-click My Computer and select Properties.
2. Go to the System Restore tab.
   Check the box next to Disable System Restore (or Disable System Restore on all drives) and click OK.
   To confirm whether to disable System Restore, click Yes.

It’s unpleasant, but sometimes it happens that Windows doesn’t boot :)

And then the question arises: How to restore Windows XP without reinstalling the system?

I’ll say right away that this is 98% possible, BUT! My personal opinion is that if you have all the drivers and a couple of Office programs installed, then it’s better to reinstall Windows, and if not, then we’ll look at how to restore Windows without losing data in 4 ways:

Method No. 1

The easiest way to restore Windows, but personally it worked for me 2 times out of 9. But in the beginning I always use it. You need a disk with a windows distribution kit or a special one with a recovery console (reanimator, etc.) In this case, all data and programs will remain safe!!!

We boot from the disk and wait for the first menu: You are greeted by the installation program, which offers the second item: “To restore Windows XP” using the recovery console, press R = restore. (See the first picture below)

Press R, the recovery console will load and a message will appear

Which copy of Windows should I sign in to?

If you have one system, press 1 and Enter

A message will appear:

Enter administrator password

Enter the password, if there is none, just Enter

“C:\Windows” appears on the screen

Now we will enter the commands. The first thing we write fixboot. This command writes a new boot sector. To the question Do you want to write a new boot sector, enter y (Latin, which means yes) and Enter.

After the message that a new boot sector has been written, enter fixmbr. A warning will appear that there is an invalid master boot record, but even here we can safely enter y.

We wait for the message about successful recording to appear and enter the third command

chkdsk /r- error checking and recovery hard drive. This may take a long time. After a successful message, enter exit and reboot.

I hope it worked out for you, if not, don’t despair, let’s move on!!!

Method No. 2

Restore Windows using the disk you installed it from. I emphasize, exactly from that very disc! Otherwise it may not work (it happened to me once).

So, we insert this disk, boot up and on the first menu select Windows installation (press enter), and not the recovery console (R), as in the first method.

Then you will read license agreement and on the second menu, if you have Windows Xp installed, the installation program will offer to restore it. Agree with this by pressing the R key. The following procedure resembles a normal system installation. Also enter license key, select the time zone, etc. This is similar in time to installing a new system, but all drivers, data and programs will remain intact. You have restored Windows XP .

You do not have the disk from which your Windows was installed, then

How to restore windows XP Method No. 3

This method helps restore Windows XP if System Restore has not been disabled. If you don’t know whether it was turned on, you can see by booting from any Live CD (for those who don’t know, these are disks that allow you to boot a computer without or with non-working Windows, and easily move and copy files - you can’t go on without it) . After loading (it takes a long time to load - 3-5 minutes) we have working Linux on our computer. We launch Midnight Commander (similar to a regular total commander) and go to the /win folder, in it we see the usual disks of our computer. Go to C:\System Volume Information. The idea of ​​the method- replace registry files with the latest backup copy from this folder. To do this, we find in it the most recently created folder of the form PR0 (you may have another one). There should be a snapshot folder in it - it contains a copy of the registry. Find REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM there and copy it to WINDOWS\system32\config. Rename REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM to system. That's it, Windows XP has been restored! Reboot and try. If it doesn’t help, then we do the same with the remaining registry branches from the snapshot folder.

But if some “bad” person disabled the system restore function, then what? Then we do this (I succeeded - it was too much trouble to reinstall a bunch of programs and look for firewood for the old box, but I only did it once).

Method No. 4

Again you need a LiveCD and play with the registry. The fact is that there is a folder C:\WINDOWS\repair where a clean copy of the registry is stored. Here you need to extract the registry files from it into the config folder, but first copy the entire registry from WINDOWS\system32\config to some folder, for example C:\Kopy. Then we copy everything from the C:\WINDOWS\repair folder and, if necessary, replace it into the WINDOWS\system32\config folder. At this point I rebooted (I recommend you do the same) and Windows was already working for me. But almost all programs were not installed. Again we boot from the LiveCD and copy from our saved registry (folder C:\Kopy) to the WINDOWS\system32\config folder files only, I don’t remember the names exactly, but there is software there. After rebooting I got it completely working Windows XP with all programs, licenses and desktop wallpaper.

Good luck. Finally, I’ll note who has file system NTFS, and not FAT32, then Windows crashes much less often.

Please RATE this article with 1 - 5 stars:

When you need to roll back the operating system to the moment when there were no failures in its operation, the best solution Windows xp seems to be restored. It is possible to perform a similar procedure due to the created restore points. A restore point allows you to record the state in which the OS was at a specific point in time. Typically they are created in automatic mode the OS itself, but the user can create his own at any time. The main advantage that Windows xp recovery has is the ability to a short time return the system to a working state without having to reinstall it. Restore points can be described as snapshots of the system that are recorded on the hard drive from time to time. The process of their creation itself is carried out according to the selected schedule or when certain events occur (say, when a new program was installed on the computer).

How to restore Windows XP without reinstalling: option 1

• If this is your first time encountering the problem of how to restore Windows XP, then the first thing you should do is use the classic method, which can return your OS to a working state in a short time. First, you need to boot your computer in safe mode. To do this, you need to turn it on. After waiting for the BIOS to load and the information about motherboard, press the F8 key.
• After this, a list of different download options will appear on the screen. We are interested in " safe mode". After selecting it, the following may happen: the system will boot successfully or nothing will happen. In the first case, be prepared for the fact that the desktop will have a slightly different appearance. When using this mode Only the main elements are loaded. The screen resolution will be set to 800x600. The desktop itself will look ugly, since in this case the drivers will be partially activated or completely disabled.
• You need to click on the "Start" menu, where we go along this path: "All Programs" - "Accessories" - "System Tools" - "System Restore".
• A window will open asking you to select a restore point. If you don't have one, you won't be able to decide this problem using this method. It is precisely in this regard that it is recommended to create data recovery points from time to time.

How to restore Windows XP without reinstalling: option 2

• When performing a Windows restore, it may happen that the OS will boot, but there will be no restore points. In this case, you should use the disk on which the Windows XP distribution is located, and one special built-in mini-utility.
• To run it, open the Run dialog box. Next, on your keyboard you need to press the key combination “Windows” + R. After this, you need to insert the OS disk into the drive and enter the following command “sfc /scannow”. After completing this action, all your damaged or missing files will be restored.

How to restore Windows XP without reinstalling: option 3

• If the system has not booted, then we can conclude that certain boot files are damaged. You should try to return them to working condition. The command line will help us solve this problem.
• You must boot from disk first. Once in the BIOS, you should select the drive as the first boot device, or you can simply press F2 at the system boot stage. In some cases it does not work, then press f12. Such differences are due to the BIOS version. There you can see the key and Boot menu.
• When you log into the console, you should try to repair the damaged boot. ini. The Bootcfg team will help us with this. If you have questions about its use, just type Bootcfg /?, after which you will be given help on this function.
• It happens that the NTLDR file, which ensures the correct loading of the OS, is damaged. In this case, you should enter the fixboot command.
• If errors are detected on the hard drive, then in this case you should use the chkdsk command.

If you cannot restore Windows XP without reinstalling, then this article is just for you. Below we will describe various methods that allow you to do this “operation” without losses.

without reinstallation: option 2

If you were still able to boot, but there is no recovery point, then you need to try to restore the files using a disk with the Windows XP distribution kit (exactly the same build that you have installed) and one special built-in mini-utility.

To run it, you need to open the “Run” dialog box. Press "Windows"+R on your keyboard. Insert the disk and then enter “sfc /scannow”. As a result of this, all your corrupted or missing files will be recreated.

How to restore Windows XP without reinstalling: option 3

If your OS does not boot, then it means some boot files damaged. We need to try to revive them. This can be done using command line.

Booting from disk. In the BIOS, set the drive as the first boot device, or press F2 when loading the system. It happens that f12. Depends on the BIOS version. The key and the Boot menu will be indicated there.

Once you are in the console, you can try to revive the boot.ini file using the Bootcfg command. If you find it difficult to use it, then enter Bootcfg /?, and then you will get help on this function.

If the NTLDR file, which is responsible for booting, has been corrupted, then you must use the fixboot command.

If there are problems with the hard drive, then the chkdsk command will come to your aid.

How to restore Windows XP without reinstalling: last chance

If everything is bad, it means you cannot start the computer. Because the system cannot work, you cannot use the “sfc” utility. But there is another way.

Again, we will need a disk with Windows. Let's go into the installation. Don’t be alarmed right away, since we are talking about restoring the OS without reinstalling.

We accept the agreement and so on. Next, the installer will scan HDD for the presence of other operating systems. If your old Windows is found (it will be undefined only if the programs on the disk and on the computer are different), then you will be prompted to install a new copy or restore the old one.

What will happen in this case? All your data will be overwritten Windows folders, as well as those system files, which are located in the root directory. That is, everything most necessary and necessary for the stable functioning and operation of the system will be in perfect order.

In addition, your program folder, desktop, etc. will not change. This is very convenient, but it takes the same amount of time as installation, if you do not take into account the installation time software, drivers and more.

Changes in the registry, problems with drivers, exposure to malware - this is far from full list problems faced by Windows XP owners. The solution to such situations may be to search for the source of the problem, study registry errors, check parameters, system settings etc., but more simple solution will restore the Windows XP system. The process can be carried out using standard OS programs or additional software.

Using standard programs

To restore and subsequently launch the OS, several different programs:

• – software for checking and starting the system recovery process.
• Windows Backup Utility is a program for archiving data on a disk.
• System File Checker - the program checks system files and, if necessary, restores them from disk.

The first two programs can be easily found using the Start menu in the Utilities tab. Latest program located in system folder Windows.

As for, it performs several functions at once:

• Monitors changes in the registry.
• Checks changes that appeared after installing various updates.
• Monitors system files.
• Saves all necessary data on disk.

The principle of the program is that before major system changes it creates checkpoints to which you can return if necessary. Such points can also be created manually.

In this case, the user may encounter certain difficulties, since the system divides all files into two groups: important and unimportant. Therefore, after starting the recovery process, you can detect the loss of some previously installed applications and loss of some files. In addition, this option has other disadvantages, including the appearance of duplicate files, the use of additional random access memory, disk fragmentation, which slows down the computer, etc. The archive also has a low file compression rate and, therefore, they take up a lot of space on the disk. Alternatively, you can use other changes and free programs for archiving.

As for Windows Backup Utility, it is also far from ideal. The main problem is that it can actually be used as an archiver, but the resulting archives have a special format that other archiver programs do not recognize.

Ways to improve the quality of system recovery

Restoring Windows XP using standard programs has obvious drawbacks. However, with a few steps, the process can be made more efficient and effective. The user is given the following options:

• Dividing data into two types: system and user.
• Hard drive partitioning.

Since various problems can arise due to the system dividing files into important and unimportant, an excellent way out of the situation would be to distribute these files manually. In this case, system files should be stored on drive C, while all personal files should be moved to drive D. This step will make it easier to check and start the Windows XP recovery process, since only one partition will be involved. In this case, the procedure will take a little time, and all user data will be intact.

Disk partitioning will also help simplify checking and starting recovery. For these purposes can be used special programs, such as Acronis Disk Director Suite10 or Partition Magic. The ideal solution would be to partition the disk before installing Windows XP or saving important data on the computer. If the procedure is carried out later, then before starting you need to make sure that all system files and important data are saved on external storage. Run the staking program Windows disk XP, preferably under the supervision of a person who has experience and knowledge in the field of operating system recovery.

Using additional programs

Restoring Windows XP can be done using additional software. Available to user great amount programs that usually have several standard functions:

System Restore is one of the most effective methods solutions to a variety of problems that arise when working with the OS. For the process can be used as standard means operating system and additional software.