How To Access Startup Repair Windows 7

How to Repair a Faulty Windows Installation Without Reformatting

Corrupted arrangement files don't accept to ruin your mean solar day

Zippo will put a crimp in your computing style quite similar a Windows mistake. Although Microsoft's OS has gotten exponentially more stable over the years, information technology's still very possible for Windows system files to go decadent, which can cause your organization to deadening down, freeze, or (in the worst instance) decline to load your operating system at all.

When you see a Windows error, your showtime instinct may be to back up your data, grab the ol' installation deejay, and weep silently as you press the Reformat push button. We're here to tell you lot in that location'due south another manner. Still back up your information, of form, but past following this guide, you might well be able to repair your Windows install without dropping the nuke.

Note: Though these guides are written for Windows 7, a very similar process will piece of work for Vista or XP.

Method ane: Repair Windows Even If Y'all Can't Get To Your Desktop

The first method will permit you to repair corrupt system files, fifty-fifty if the trouble is and so astringent that you can't kick all the way to your desktop. For this method, you'll need a Windows installation DVD, and then track down yours or borrow one from a friend—it doesn't matter if the DVD's version matches your license, as long every bit it'south the right chip count.

Footstep one: Insert the Install Disc and Reboot

If your system won't boot into Windows, y'all'll need to boot from somewhere else—in this case, the installation DVD. Your computer should exist set up to boot from your optical drive before your hard bulldoze, but if it's not, yous tin can always modify the boot priority in the BIOS. When the arrangement starts upwardly, make certain y'all press a key when prompted to boot from the Windows installation disc. When you practice, yous'll see the familiar Windows installation linguistic communication-pick screen (paradigm below).

Step ii: Get to the Control Prompt

The recovery tool we're going to use is run from the command prompt, which can (thankfully) exist accessed through the Windows installation disc. To get there, don't click Install Now in the centre of the screen, merely instead click Repair Your Figurer in the lower left. Click Next on the first menu that pops up.

The side by side carte du jour will accept two radio buttons. Make sure the first one is selected, and notation that in the text box, your System bulldoze might not have the bulldoze letter C. If that's the case, make a notation of the drive letter used. Click Next, and on the post-obit screen (image to a higher place), select the lesser choice, marked Command Prompt.

Step 3: Scan Your Organisation

Finally you're set up to scan your arrangement files for errors. To practice that simply run the post-obit command:

sfc /scannow /offbootdir=[DRIVELETTER]:\ /offwindir=[DRIVELETTER]:\windows

Substitute the drive letter you noted earlier for [DRIVELETTER]. There should be no square brackets in the command (image below).

Windows will now attempt to find and repair any errors in your system files. If the scan finds errors, you may demand to repeat the steps in this guide until it finds no more errors. To restart your computer, enter the leave command, then click the Restart push button. When yous're prepare to endeavour booting into Windows again, remove the install disc and restart 1 final fourth dimension.

Method 2: Reinstall Windows Without Losing Any Information

If you lot are nevertheless able to become to your desktop, you lot've got boosted options. You tin still apply the command prompt to scan equally in the previous method, simply there'south another fashion that may be more thorough: reinstall Windows.

Wait, didn't we say you lot wouldn't have to reformat? We did, and you don't. It'south possible to do an in-place, nondestructive reinstall of Windows, which volition restore all your arrangement files to pristine condition without dissentious any of your personal data or installed programs. All yous'll need is a Windows install DVD and your Windows CD key. Hopefully yous notwithstanding take your key written down somewhere, but if yous don't, y'all're not out of luck. You tin use a program like ProduKey, available for free, to quickly recover your Windows production key from the registry.

Important: Earlier continuing this process, note that it can cause problems with your installed programs, so don't do it just for fun, and make certain to support your of import data and create a restore point before continuing.

Step 1: Practise Some Prep Work

Before you can become started, there's one of import consideration: Y'all can't repair a Windows 7 SP1 install with a pre-SP1 install disc. The ideal solution is to borrow a newer install disc with SP1 included (or download it, if you have admission to a TechNet account), but it's also possible to uninstall SP1. To do this, open up the Control Panel, select Uninstall a Program, and then choose the option to view updates (image below). You can right-click the Service Pack update to uninstall information technology.

Pace 2: Insert the Install Disc

We're in one case again using the Windows install disc, simply this time we're non going to boot from it. Just insert the disc, and when the autorun menu pops upward, choose to run setup.exe. Once more, you'll observe yourself staring at the Windows vii install screen. This time, practise click the Install now button (image below).

Pace 3: Reinstall Windows

Finally, it's time to go down to business organisation. After the installer gets by the Copying Temporary Files… screen, you'll be asked about getting updates for installation files. Go alee and do this, as long as your computer's network connection is still working.

When the installer asks what sort of installation you'd like to perform (image beneath), ignore your natural instinct to choose Custom, and instead click Upgrade. Sure, you're not technically upgrading from one version of Windows to some other, only nosotros do want to practice the kind of nondestructive install that the update option performs. Think of it as upgrading from a broken version to a not-cleaved version, if you must.

After that, all that's left is to sit through the usual Windows 7 installation process, with its multiple reboots and endless progress bars. When it's washed, you'll have to reactivate Windows by entering the product key that you found or wrote downwards earlier.

All that's left to do is to let Windows install whatever security updates or service packs that it'southward missing, and reboot. All your system files should now be fully restored!