How to Create a Vista Boot Disk
By Stephen Bucaro
When a computer won't boot from its hard drive, it's been standard practice to
boot it from a floppy disk which contains files that let you start the computer
in order to troubleshoot and make repairs. This floppy disk was called a boot disk
or a startup disk. The ability to use a boot disk was a security risk,
because anyone with a boot disk could bypass login, start the computer, and
access any files.
Hard disks formatted with NTFS have built-in security features that prevent
using a boot disk to access their files. The boot disk for Windows Vista is
actually the Windows installation disc. It contains the files necessary to start
Windows. If Vista won't start, you can use the installation disc as a boot disc.
The Vista installation disc contains a utility called Startup Repair.
When you run Startup Repair, it automatically scans your computer for the problem
and and tries to fix it. Startup Repair will automatically fix certain problems
that prevent Windows from starting, such as missing or damaged system files.
To use Startup Repair on the Vista installation disc your computer's BIOS
must be configured with the disc drive as the first boot device. If the disc
drive is not the first boot device, you'll need to change your computer's BIOS
settings. This is accomplished by pressing a specific key (e.g. [F1]) at the proper
moment while the computer tries to start in order to access the BIOS configuration
screen. Then follow the instructions on the BIOS configuration screen.
Assuming that the computer is configured to boot from the disc drive, restart
the computer with the installation disc inserted in the drive. When the disc
starts, choose your language settings, then click Next, then Click
Repair your computer. Select the operating system you want to repair, then
click Next. The System Recovery Options menu will appear.
On the System Recovery Options menu, click Startup Repair. Startup Repair
might prompt you to make choices as it tries to fix the problem, and if necessary,
it might restart your computer as it makes repairs.
There are some problems that Startup Repair cannot fix. It cannot fix hardware
failures, such as a failing hard disk or a defective memory module. It cannot
remove a virus. It cannot recover personal files, such as photos or documents
that have been corrupted by a virus or by the problem that caused the system failure.
More Windows Troubleshooting Articles:
• Fix 0Xc0000076 Error in Windows 10
• How to Fix No Sound in Windows 7
• Free Open Source CPU Temperature Monitor
• Is Your Laptop Overheating? - 12 Tips To Prevent Overheating
• How to Fix propsys.dll Error
• How to Restore an HP Computer to Factory Settings
• Stop Hard Disk Thrashing
• Video - Exploring with Process Explorer
• How to Fix KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED Error
• Windows XP's Built-in Help and Support Center
| 
About BTH
User Agreement
Privacy
Site Map
Contact
News Feeds
RSS Feed
Follow @Stephen Bucaro
Windows Troubleshooting
Free PC Technical Support
