Repairing Windows XP - Part 1

Microsoft's latest and greatest may well be the most stable, but it isn't infallible. In the first of a new series, Dave Cook explains the options available to you when things go pear shaped

Windows XP is easily Microsoft's most stable operating system to date. Yet that will be small comfort if you need to write a 10,000 word essay before morning - and all you can see is a blank screen.

The good news is that Windows XP includes a number of recovery features. Most are fairly easy to administer, though finding which option is best for any given task largely depends on the type of problem or failure encountered.

Most repair options covered in this series apply to both Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional. We'll warn you beforehand if the fix applies to one edition only. Note also that in cases where the computer holds more than one user account, most repair options require you to be logged on with administrative privileges.

Driver Misery

We'll kick off with that perennial chestnut, device driver misery. Suppose, for instance, that your modem has stopped talking to AOL ever since you updated its driver. To make matters worse, you have just discovered that there is no recent backup to fall back on.

But wait a minute, what about the Device Driver Rollback option? Available from the Device Manager, Device Driver Rollback is a quick and painless way to re-install your last driver. To do so, click Start, Control Panel, and click System. Select the Hardware tab, and click Device Manager.

Alternatively, if you're using Classic view, click Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, and Computer Management. Then go to the left pane and click Device Manager.

From the Device Manager window, right-click the device for which you want to reinstall the previous driver version. Click Properties, and then click the Driver tab. To revert back to your old device driver, click Roll Back Driver, and follow the onscreen instructions.

Time Machine

But what if driver rollback doesn't work? Easy - use System Restore instead. This feature restores system and application settings back to those that were in effect at a certain point in time specified by you.

System Restore can be a real life saver. It's loaded by default when installing Windows XP and is normally turned on and configured to start creating restore points for each logical drive automatically - every 24 hours, in fact. To set or adjust restore point settings, click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and click System Restore.

You can use System Restore when you suspect important system or application settings have been changed. If applications have been installed, updated, or removed, for instance. Or when files other than data files have been added or deleted.

If you suspect a program or Windows component is causing problems, the simplest method of recovery is to use the Add Or Remove Programs option instead. The applet for this feature can be found in the Control Panel. Simply open it, select the guilty application or component, and then click the Remove button to get rid of it.

Can't Load, Won't Load

The recovery options we've covered thus far assume you can load Windows XP to fix the problem. But what happens if Windows XP won't even start?

Thankfully, Microsoft has provided us with numerous recovery options. Next time we'll check out one of the quickest and easiest fixes to initiate, the aptly named Last Known Good Configuration.

Repairing XP - Part 2

 

Dave Cook