Using the Rescue and Recovery workspace
The Rescue and Recovery workspace resides in a protected, hidden area of your hard disk drive that operates independently from the Windows operating system. This enables you to perform recovery operations even if you cannot start the Windows operating system. You can perform the following recovery operations from the Rescue and Recovery workspace:
•Rescue files from your hard disk drive or from a backup: The Rescue and Recovery workspace enables you to locate files on your hard disk drive and transfer them to a network drive or other recordable media, such as a USB device or a disc. This solution is available even if you did not back up your files or if changes were made to the files since your last backup operation. You can also rescue individual files from a Rescue and Recovery backup located on your local hard disk drive, a USB device, or a network drive.
•Restore your hard disk drive from a Rescue and Recovery backup: If you have backed up your hard disk drive using the Rescue and Recovery program, you can restore the hard disk drive from a Rescue and Recovery backup, even if you cannot start the Windows operating system.
•Restore your hard disk drive to the factory default state: The Rescue and Recovery workspace enables you to restore the complete contents of your hard disk drive to the factory default state. If you have multiple partitions on your hard disk drive, you have the option to restore the C: partition and leave the other partitions intact. Because the Rescue and Recovery workspace operates independently from the Windows operating system, you can restore the hard disk drive to the factory default state even if you cannot start the Windows operating system.
Attention: If you restore the hard disk drive from a Rescue and Recovery backup or restore the hard disk drive to the factory default settings, 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 of 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.Make sure the computer is turned off.
2.Turn on your computer. When you see the logo screen, press Enter, and then press F11 to enter the Rescue and Recovery workspace.
3.If you have 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 50.
4.Do one of the following:
•To rescue files from your hard disk drive, click Rescue files and follow the instructions on the screen.
•To restore your hard disk drive from a Rescue and Recovery backup or to restore your hard disk drive to the factory default settings, click Full Restore and follow the instructions on the screen.
For more information about the features of the Rescue and Recovery workspace, click Help.
Note: After restoring your hard disk drive to the factory default state, you might have to reinstall device drivers for some devices. See “Installing or reinstalling device drivers” on page 50.
Creating and using a rescue medium
With a rescue medium, such as a disc or a USB hard disk drive, you can recover the computer from failures that prevent you from gaining access to the Rescue and Recovery workspace on your hard disk drive.