You sit up suddenly in a cold sweat, and scream. But you're in bed, and it was just a bad dream. Sighing with relief, you get up, get dressed, go to work, and turn on your PC.
Then you sit up suddenly in a cold sweat, and scream - but this time, it's not a dream. It's a Windows nightmare.
Compared with its predecessors, Windows 7 is remarkably secure and dependable. It's far from perfect, though: an unbootable PC, a nasty piece of malware or a single but important file gone missing can make you lose days or even months of work. And you can't solve every nightmare by waking up.
Here are ways out of six common Windows 7 disasters. I'll tell you how to fix a PC that won't boot, retrieve files from an inaccessible hard drive, stop frequent Blue Screens of Death, restore a forgotten administrator password, remove malware, and find a missing file.
1. Your PC won't boot
If turning on your PC doesn't bring you into Windows, try booting from a Windows 7 DVD or a recovery disc. You may already have the DVD. If Windows 7 didn't come with your computer but you installed it yourself, you have the disc. If you don't have it, you can borrow someone else's disc.
Alternatively you can borrow someone else's Windows 7 computer and use it to create a System Repair Disc (you can also do this on your own PC before it has a problem). To create the disc, click Start, type system repair, select Create a System Repair Disc, and follow the prompts.
If your computer won't boot from the CD, go into its setup screen and change the boot order so that the optical or CD/DVD drive comes before the hard drive. I can't tell you exactly how to do this since it differs from one PC to another. When you first turn on the computer, look for an on-screen message telling you to press a particular key 'for setup'.
If your PC fails before you can enter setup or boot from a CD, you have a hardware problem. If you're not comfortable working inside a PC, take it to a professional.
But let's assume that the CD boots. When it does, follow the prompts. Likely the utility will tell you very soon that there's a problem, and it will ask if you want to fix the problem. You do.
If it doesn't ask you, or if the disc can't fix the issue, you'll see a menu with various options. Startup Repair and System Restore are both worth trying.
NEXT PAGE: You can't access the hard drive
- How-to cure some of the biggest problems
- You can't access the hard drive
- PC Administrator password is missing
- An important file disappears
Comments
Matt said: The upgrade disc is identical to the normal disc your problem occurs with your license number It will not let you register and activate it on a fresh install Easily fixed though install windows 7 on a fresh install and it gives you a set amount of time to enter your serial number when if it fails because you have an upgrade license and are doing a fresh install simply reinstall windows again and it finds the last valid windows 7 install and allows you to use your key
Jwarn said: I agree as wellthis is good article for pushing people in the right direction but You cannot say that it to do with windows 7 probs it is with any pc to be honestI really do not miss being with windows now that I have a Mac and iPod touch and linux when I want to
Ecky said: My nightmare and question is having upgraded two of my PCs one from XP and one from Vista will I be able to rebuild from the upgrade Disc in the event of a failure to bootMy understanding is that it looks for a legal version of XP or Vista to load from an upgrade Windows 7 disc and nowhere does it say it will allow a reload in event of a failureI have of course taken a Disc Image after the upgrades so I am hoping that will suffice in event of your Nightmare ScenarioEcky
Mick said: I agree with Largo Npc if you are having these sorts of problems you should buy yourself a notepad and a pencil
Largo Npc said: These are not really Windows 7 Nightmares are they They are just general computer and Windows issues