Attention: If you restore the hard disk drive from a Rescue and Recovery backup
or restore the hard disk drive to the factory contents, all files on the primary hard
disk drive partition (usually drive C) will be deleted in the recovery process. If
possible, make copies of important files. If you are unable to start the Windows
operating system, you can use the Rescue files feature in the Rescue and Recovery
workspace to copy files from your hard disk drive to other media.
To start the Rescue and Recovery workspace, do the following:
1. Turn off your computer.
2. Restart your computer.
3. Repeatedly press and release the F11 key.
4. When you hear beeps or see a logo screen, release the F11 key.
5. If you set a Rescue and Recovery password, type your password when
prompted. The Rescue and Recovery workspace opens after a short delay.
Note: If the Rescue and Recovery workspace fails to open, see “Solving
recovery problems” on page 57.
6. Do one of the of the following:
v To rescue files from your hard disk drive or from a backup, click Rescue
files; then, follow the instructions on the screen.
v To restore your hard disk drive from a Rescue and Recovery backup or to
restore your hard disk drive to the factory contents, click Restore your
system; then follow the instructions on the screen.
v For information about other features of the Rescue and Recovery workspace,
click Help.
Notes:
1. After restoring a hard disk drive to the original factory contents, you might
have to reinstall device drivers for some devices. See “Recovering or installing
device drivers” on page 56.
2. Some computers come with Microsoft Office or Microsoft Works preinstalled. If
you need to recover or reinstall your Microsoft Office or Microsoft Works
applications, you must use the Microsoft Office CD or Microsoft Works CD. These
CDs are provided only with computers that come with Microsoft Office or
Microsoft Works preinstalled.
Creating and using rescue media
Rescue media such as a CD, DVD, or USB hard disk drive enables you to recover
from failures that prevent you from gaining access to the Rescue and Recovery
workspace on your hard disk drive.
Note: The recovery operations you can perform using rescue media vary
depending on the operating system. The rescue disc can be started in any
type of CD drive or DVD drive. Rescue media also contains a PC-Doctor
diagnostics program, which enables you to run diagnostics from the rescue
media.
To create rescue media, do the following:
1. Click Start → All Programs → ThinkVantage → Create Recovery Media.
2. In the Rescue Media area, select the type of rescue media you want to create.
You can create rescue media using a CD, DVD, USB hard disk drive, or a
secondary internal hard disk drive.
54 User Guide