Guide to Windows XP Recovery Features
Table of Contents
Introduction
Computers over time tend to start displaying problems. Whether
that be the operating system not booting, programs not working, or random errors
and crashes. To help alleviate these problems Windows XP comes with 6 methods
that enable us to recover from these situations. These do not work in all cases,
but a lot of headaches can be avoided by learning how these methods work. In
this tutorial we will give a general overview of each of these methods so that
you can administer your computer more efficiently.
Automated System Recovery (ASR)
Automated System Recovery (ASR) is an advanced feature integrated
into the Microsoft Backup utility that will allows you to recover the Windows
XP operating state in the case of a catastrophic system or hardware failure.
By using this feature you can restore windows to a previous state from when
you ran the ASR backup routine. This type of backup will first save your system
settings on a floppy disk and then make a backup of the files you specify on
your computer. You can then use this ASR floppy to restore your system settings
when you reinstall Windows XP.
Driver Rollback
Driver rollback is a feature that allows you to rollback a driver
to a previously installed version. This is especially useful when you install
a new driver for a piece of hardware installed on your machine and you start
to have problems either with that piece of hardware or other devices/applications
on your computer. If such a situation occurs you can use Driver Rollback to
rollback to the previous driver that was installed before you upgraded it.
To access the Driver Rollback feature you should double click
on the System icon in your Control Panel. Then click on the Hardware tab and
then click on the Device Manager button. This will bring up the Device Manager
window where you can double-click on the piece of hardware that you had previously
updated to enter it's properties. Once you are in the particular device's properties
sheet, you should click on the Driver tab. Under this tab you will see a button
labeled Driver Rollback. If you click on this button, it will ask for confirmation
that you want to rollback the driver. Agree to this and follow the default prompts.
If you try to rollback a device whose drivers have never been
updated, Windows will tell you so.
Last Known Good Configuration
Every time you load Windows XP successfully Windows saves certain
registry keys and applications settings on your computer. Then if you you ever
boot your computer and for some reason Windows fails to load correctly, you
can use the Last Known Good configuration to boot Windows to the last known
good settings
To use this saved configuration when booting Windows, press the
F8 key as Windows starts, and then select the Last Known Good configuration
option. Your computer will then load Windows using these previously saved settings.
System File Checker
Windows XP comes with a utility that will scan Windows
system files on your computer and replace them if they seem to have modified
or deleted. This is an important tool as there are many viruses and malware
that
will intentionally
delete certain Windows system files. The System File Checker uses different
arguments to change its behavior and are described below:
/SCANNOW - You would use this argument to make
the SFC tool immediately check your computer for missing or changed system
files.
/SCANONCE - You would use this argument to make the SFC tool check
your computer for missing or changed system files on the next reboot.
/SCANBOOT - You would use this argument to make
the SFC tool check your computer for missing or changed system
files every time it boots up.
For most situations, you can just type: sfc /scannow to
immediately have it run and check for the altered/deleted files.
Microsoft Backup Utility
Windows XP includes a backup utility that allows you to backup
and restore data on your hard drives. Using this utility you can backup and
restore personal data that you specify when you create the backup. Regular backups
of your data is suggested to avoid losing that data in the case of a failure.
The Microsoft Backup utility can be found in System Tools under Accessories
in your Programs menu.
System Restore
System Restore is a feature of Windows XP that allows you to restore
your computer to a previous known working state in the event of a problem. This
is done without loss of personal files or data such as word processing documents,
spreadsheets, music, images, etc. This feature is enabled by default and runs
in the background making backups after certain events happen on your computer.
System restore functions are only available to an administrator of the computer,
therefore if you are not an administrator, you will not be able to follow this
tutorial.
System Restore protects your computer by creating backups of vital system configurations
and files. These backups are known as restore points. These restore points are
created before certain events take place in order to give you a recourse in
case something goes wrong during that event.
If you would like to learn more about this feature you can read this tutorial:
Windows
XP System Restore Guide
Windows File Protection
Windows File Protection protects certain files that are essential
for the operating of your computer and Windows from being overwritten, deleted,
or changed. WFP creates backups of these files that it deems are essential into
a directory named %SYSTEMROOT%\system32\dllcache. When WFP notices one of these
files being modified in any way, it will restore that file with a copy found
in the dllcache folder.
Conclusion
Windows XP comes with many features that will allow you to backup
settings on your computer in case of catastrophic failure as well as prevent
files being modified by malicious programs. It is important to understand how
to use these programs to the best of your ability in order to have a secure
working environment.
As always if you have any comments, questions or suggestions about
this tutorial please do not hesitate to tell us in the computer help forums.
--
Lawrence Abrams
Bleeping Computer Windows XP Basic Concepts Series
BleepingComputer.com: Computer Support & Tutorials
for the beginning computer user.
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