Recovery disk and boot disk

  • Thread starter Thread starter Allan
  • Start date Start date
A

Allan

I have a HP with windows XP home. There was a place that
said I could make a recovery copy. So I did. It took 6
cd's to do it and said I could only do it once. Also found
a plave here that said make a boot disk, which I did to a
cd. The question I have, and this may seem dumb to alot of
you who know alot about computers, but I dont, are these
disks going to be helpful to me if my system crashes or
something? I know it will not save all the data I have in
my system, but just the startup and things like that. Is
there anything I need to do in case my system crashes.
Windows XP came with the computer so I do not a have a
copy of windows XP. Any help I would like as I am trying
to learn all of this and also prevent the worste from
happening. Thank you.
Allan
 
I have a HP with windows XP home. There was a place that
said I could make a recovery copy. So I did. It took 6
cd's to do it and said I could only do it once. Also found
a plave here that said make a boot disk, which I did to a
cd. The question I have, and this may seem dumb to alot of
you who know alot about computers, but I dont, are these
disks going to be helpful to me if my system crashes or
something? I know it will not save all the data I have in
my system, but just the startup and things like that. Is
there anything I need to do in case my system crashes.
Windows XP came with the computer so I do not a have a
copy of windows XP. Any help I would like as I am trying
to learn all of this and also prevent the worste from
happening. Thank you.
Allan
Click to expand...

Allan, I don't have a Gateway computer so I can only guess what that 6CD
option was for. It sounds like its purpose was to create recovery CDs
particular to your Gateway computer and the hardware it originally shipped
with. Recovery/restore programs vary from one manufacturer to another. They
can vary from one model to another. The directions are seldom the same as
those for a standard retail XP CD.

Suggest that you check your Gateway documentation (paper, on your hard
drive and online at the Gateway site). Look for information on what exactly
is in the 6 CD set. Info on when to use it. Directions on how to use it.
These directions are specific for your system. It's good that you're trying
to find out that information now (before it's ever needed and I hope that
you never need it), but I think that you need to head towards your Gateway
resources to find the answers.
 
Sharon don't see very well tonight.
Then again she might work for Gateway


HP has a recovery partition on your hard drive that will recover your XP in
the event of a crash. I suspect the 6 cd's made an image of your hard drive
.. It should boot from the image cd and restore that image to the hard drive
in case of failure.
 
Sharon don't see very well tonight.
Then again she might work for Gateway
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks for the catch New User. Appreciate it!
Same story, different mfr.


Sharon F
MS MVP - Windows XP
 
Sharon:
Not quite the same story:

Gateway ships their computers with a bootable OEM verson of Windows of
on CD. If your hard drive fails, you put in a new hard drive, boot from the
OEM Windows CD, and install a fresh version of Windows. Notice that there
is only one CD involved here. If you wish to install other software that
Gateway ships with their computers, that software is on other CDs with the
Gateway Logo. If you don't want to install Gateway proprietary software,
you don't have to.

HP ships their computers with a "recovery" CD that allows you to access
a hidden partion where HP keeps its restore files (Windows OS as well as all
of the proprietary junk that HP loads onto their systems). In the event of
a hard drive failure, the hidden partition is also gone. If you have made
the six CD Recovery Set (that you can only do once), you can put in a new
hard drive and use the 6 Recovery CDs to re-create your system (including
the hidden partition and the installation of all the junk software) on the
new hard drive. If you have not made a Recovery CD set, you have to contact
HP and spend twenty bucks (plus shipping) to have them ship you a six-cd
set.

Hope this helps,
steve
 
On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:47:40 -0800, "joust in jest" <joust in
Sharon:
Not quite the same story:

Gateway ships their computers with a bootable OEM verson of Windows of
on CD. If your hard drive fails, you put in a new hard drive, boot from the
OEM Windows CD, and install a fresh version of Windows. Notice that there
is only one CD involved here. If you wish to install other software that
Gateway ships with their computers, that software is on other CDs with the
Gateway Logo. If you don't want to install Gateway proprietary software,
you don't have to.

HP ships their computers with a "recovery" CD that allows you to access
a hidden partion where HP keeps its restore files (Windows OS as well as all
of the proprietary junk that HP loads onto their systems). In the event of
a hard drive failure, the hidden partition is also gone. If you have made
the six CD Recovery Set (that you can only do once), you can put in a new
hard drive and use the 6 Recovery CDs to re-create your system (including
the hidden partition and the installation of all the junk software) on the
new hard drive. If you have not made a Recovery CD set, you have to contact
HP and spend twenty bucks (plus shipping) to have them ship you a six-cd
set.

Hope this helps,
steve
Click to expand...

Sounds like an okay recovery package from Gateway. Compared to HP, it
is like night and day. Now build my desktops and even with the OEM
systems that I've had in the past, I stripped them down, installed
Windows clean. Then added the stuff that I wanted.


Sharon F
MS MVP - Windows XP
 
Back
Top