If youre like most PC users, you probably got Windows 7 with a new PC or laptop. And if youre like 99% of the population, you get your new machines from one of the major manufacturers. Dell, Acer, HP, Toshiba, Lenovo; who all have one thing in common: they dont give you a real Windows 7 installation disc with your purchase. Instead, they bundle what they call a recovery disc (thats if youre lucky otherwise youll have a recovery partition instead) with your machine and leave it at that.
It doesnt matter that you just paid a thousand dollars for a machine that comes with a valid Windows 7 license your computer manufacturer just dont want to spend the money (or perhaps take on the responsibility) of giving you a Windows 7 installation DVD to accompany your expensive purchase.
The problem is, with Windows 7, the installation media serves more than one purpose. Its not just a way to get Windows installed, its also the only way of recovering a borked installation. The Windows 7 DVD has a complete recovery center that provides you with the option of recovering your system via automated recovery (searches for problems and attempts to fix them automatically), rolling-back to a system restore point, recovering a full PC backup, or accessing a command-line recovery console for advanced recovery purposes.
Thankfully, Microsoft seems to have realized this problem, and have thankfully made a recovery disc for this purpose. It contains the contents of the Windows 7 DVDs recovery center, as weve come to refer to it. It cannot be used to install or reinstall Windows 7, and just serves as a Windows PE interface to recovering your PC. Technically, one could re-create this installation media with freely-downloadable media from Microsoft (namely the Microsoft WAIK kit, a multi-gigabyte download); but its damn-decent of Microsoft to make this available to Windows users who might not be capable of creating such a thing on their own. You can make your own copy from Windows 7 Ultimate Edition, but now you have an easier alternative.
What it does: The Windows 7 Recovery Disc can be used to access a system recovery menu, giving you options of using System Restore, Complete PC Backup, automated system repair, and a command-line prompt for manual advanced recovery.
What it doesnt do: You cannot use the Windows 7 Recovery Disc to re-install Windows it only fixes (not replaces!) Windows.
Why you need it: If you bought your PC from a major retailer, you didnt get this CD with your hefty purchase.
Windows Vista Recovery Discs
If youre like most PC users, you probably got Windows Vista with a new PC or laptop. And if youre like 99% of the population, you get your new machines from one of the major manufacturers. Dell, Acer, HP, Toshiba, Lenovo, they all have one thing in common: they dont give you a real Windows Vista installation disc with your purchase. Instead, they bundle what they call a recovery disc (thats if youre lucky otherwise youll have a recovery partition instead) with your machine and leave it at that.
It doesnt matter that you just paid a thousand dollars for a machine that comes with a valid Windows Vista license your computer manufacturer just dont want to spend the money (or perhaps take on the responsibility) of giving you a Windows Vista installation DVD to accompany your expensive purchase.
The problem is, with Windows Vista, the installation media serves more than one purpose. Its not just a way to get Windows installed, its also the only way of recovering a borked installation. The Windows Vista DVD has a recovery center that provides you with the option of recovering your system via automated recovery (searches for problems and attempts to fix them automatically), rolling-back to a system restore point, recovering a full PC backup, or accessing a command-line recovery console for advanced recovery purposes.
Microsoft seems to have realized this problem, and have thankfully made a recovery disc for this purpose. It contains the contents of the Windows Vista DVDs recovery center, as weve come to refer to it. It cannot be used to install or reinstall Windows Vista, and just serves as a Windows PE interface to recovering your PC. Technically, one could re-create this installation media with freely-downloadable media from Microsoft (namely the Microsoft WAIK kit, a multi-gigabyte download); but its damn-decent of Microsoft to make this available to Windows users who might not be capable of creating such a thing on their own.
For your convenience Ive supplied both the 32x/86x and 64x version of each recovery disc and Portable PowerISO v4.7 to burn them.
INFO:
If youre like most PC users, you probably got Windows 7 with a new PC or laptop. And if youre like 99% of the population, you get your new machines from one of the major manufacturers. Dell, Acer, HP, Toshiba, Lenovo; who all have one thing in common: they dont give you a real Windows 7 installation disc with your purchase. Instead, they bundle what they call a recovery disc (thats if youre lucky otherwise youll have a recovery partition instead) with your machine and leave it at that.
It doesnt matter that you just paid a thousand dollars for a machine that comes with a valid Windows 7 license your computer manufacturer just dont want to spend the money (or perhaps take on the responsibility) of giving you a Windows 7 installation DVD to accompany your expensive purchase.
The problem is, with Windows 7, the installation media serves more than one purpose. Its not just a way to get Windows installed, its also the only way of recovering a borked installation. The Windows 7 DVD has a complete recovery center that provides you with the option of recovering your system via automated recovery (searches for problems and attempts to fix them automatically), rolling-back to a system restore point, recovering a full PC backup, or accessing a command-line recovery console for advanced recovery purposes.
Thankfully, Microsoft seems to have realized this problem, and have thankfully made a recovery disc for this purpose. It contains the contents of the Windows 7 DVDs recovery center, as weve come to refer to it. It cannot be used to install or reinstall Windows 7, and just serves as a Windows PE interface to recovering your PC. Technically, one could re-create this installation media with freely-downloadable media from Microsoft (namely the Microsoft WAIK kit, a multi-gigabyte download); but its damn-decent of Microsoft to make this available to Windows users who might not be capable of creating such a thing on their own. You can make your own copy from Windows 7 Ultimate Edition, but now you have an easier alternative.
What it does: The Windows 7 Recovery Disc can be used to access a system recovery menu, giving you options of using System Restore, Complete PC Backup, automated system repair, and a command-line prompt for manual advanced recovery.
What it doesnt do: You cannot use the Windows 7 Recovery Disc to re-install Windows it only fixes (not replaces!) Windows.
Why you need it: If you bought your PC from a major retailer, you didnt get this CD with your hefty purchase.
Windows Vista Recovery Discs
If youre like most PC users, you probably got Windows Vista with a new PC or laptop. And if youre like 99% of the population, you get your new machines from one of the major manufacturers. Dell, Acer, HP, Toshiba, Lenovo, they all have one thing in common: they dont give you a real Windows Vista installation disc with your purchase. Instead, they bundle what they call a recovery disc (thats if youre lucky otherwise youll have a recovery partition instead) with your machine and leave it at that.
It doesnt matter that you just paid a thousand dollars for a machine that comes with a valid Windows Vista license your computer manufacturer just dont want to spend the money (or perhaps take on the responsibility) of giving you a Windows Vista installation DVD to accompany your expensive purchase.
The problem is, with Windows Vista, the installation media serves more than one purpose. Its not just a way to get Windows installed, its also the only way of recovering a borked installation. The Windows Vista DVD has a recovery center that provides you with the option of recovering your system via automated recovery (searches for problems and attempts to fix them automatically), rolling-back to a system restore point, recovering a full PC backup, or accessing a command-line recovery console for advanced recovery purposes.
Microsoft seems to have realized this problem, and have thankfully made a recovery disc for this purpose. It contains the contents of the Windows Vista DVDs recovery center, as weve come to refer to it. It cannot be used to install or reinstall Windows Vista, and just serves as a Windows PE interface to recovering your PC. Technically, one could re-create this installation media with freely-downloadable media from Microsoft (namely the Microsoft WAIK kit, a multi-gigabyte download); but its damn-decent of Microsoft to make this available to Windows users who might not be capable of creating such a thing on their own.
For your convenience Ive supplied both the 32x/86x and 64x version of each recovery disc and Portable PowerISO v4.7 to burn them.
http://www.fileserve.com/file/Ab2Cc3d
http://www.fileserve.com/file/8PTdRSk
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