Windows Vista SP1 lets you create a recovery disc

Filed under: OS Updates, Security, Windows, Microsoft, Beta

Windows Vista SP1 lets you create a recovery disc

by Brad Linder Sep 30th 2007

Now that a few thousand beta testers have got their grubby paws on Window Vista SP1, a few more details are leaking out. One feature we hadn't heard about until now is a new utility for creating a Windows recovery disc. This isn't the same as a system restore disc you get from your computer manufacturer that will restore your system to its factory default settings. Instead, it's a disc that helps you boot into a basic version of Windows to repair problems with the operating system.

There have always been ways to create a recovery disc, but they've required jumping through a few hoops. You could probably argue that if the instructions were too complicated, you probably shouldn't be messing around with a restore disc in the first place. But even advanced users like to save some time every once in a while.

Vista SP1 makes the process about as simple as possible. Select "All Programs," from the Start Menu, then select "Maintenance," and then "Create a Recovery Disc." That's pretty much it. And since the whole thing only takes a few hundred MP, you can easily burn a CD in just a few minutes.

Once you have a disc, you'll be able to boot directly into the Windows Recovery Environment if anything happens to your PC. This will let you perform startup repairs, system restores, restore your entire PC from a backup image, check for memory problems, or pull up a command prompt.

Tags: recovery, system-restore, vista, vista-sp1, windows-recovery, windows-recovery-disc, windows-vista

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Onshot417 said 9:27AM on 9-30-2007

still nothing comes close to a ghost image weekly backup:)

Shibathedog said 1:11PM on 9-30-2007

Does ghost work with Vista? Didn't know that. I remember for awhile you couldn't ghost XP without having to reactivate and all this garbage I assumed Vista was still in that stage.

Peter said 2:43PM on 9-30-2007

Shibathedog - I don't know for sure about the reactivation thing, but Ghost 12 works very well with Vista.

Since the system would be activated when you Ghost it and activation is triggered by hardware changes, if you were restoring to the same machine I don't see why it would need to reactivate.

RP said 8:23AM on 10-01-2007

I loved Ghost 9, but new versions scare me.

If my IDE boot disk dies, and I replace it with a new SATA drive, will Ghost's restore work, or will their Activation stop me?

What if I want to upgrade my system to a new CPU/Motherboard -- will Ghost Activation stop me?

These are things I've done many times in the last 5 years.

With Ghost 9, I could trust that I would have access to *MY* data. Now I can't trust Ghost. They may decide, "sorry, you can't have your data back!" That's unacceptable.

The last thing I need is *more* stress when a harddrive fails.

naanicrazyboy said 10:04AM on 10-01-2007

Does ghost work with Vista? Didn't know that. I remember for awhile you couldn't ghost
XP without having to reactivate and all this garbage I assumed Vista was still in that stage.

Richard Frisch said 9:49AM on 10-07-2007

Acronis TrueImage 11 also works quite well with Vista.

farias said 8:56AM on 10-09-2007

gostaria de experimentar o windows vista sp1

Dan said 6:25PM on 11-15-2007

Windows Vista still needs lots of work. Windows XP is stable enough for many users but still needs lots of security work. Windows Vista has security but lacks backwards compatibility and needs work integrating Internet Explorer with websites. I crash with Data Execution errors in Vista that does not happen with Windows XP. My favorite Windows operating system is 98 Second Edition and you can see it is fairly safe according to Chris Quirke, MVP and the secunia.com website. You just need to use the search box and compare 98SE to Windows XP Home and/or Professional. I am seriously now considering using Ubuntu Linux since even Apple faces some problems.

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