How to Restore Windows XP Home
Unfortunately operating systems, like many other things, aren't indestructible. While Windows XP Home is generally considered to be a very stable operating system, some users will have to restore it at some point during their use of the OS. Fortunately, restoring the operating system to either an earlier state or even the factory state isn't complicated.
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Instructions
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1
Reboot your computer. If you've never rebooted before, you can do it by simply going to "Start," "Shutdown" and "Restart."
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2
Press "F8" right after the manufacturer screen appears after rebooting, but before Windows XP Home starts to boot. This should take you to a menu, where you can select to boot in Windows normally or boot in Safe Mode. Select to boot in Safe Mode by using the arrow keys to highlight the option and hitting "Enter."
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Log in as the administrator on the machine when prompted to in Safe Mode. You'll know if you've booted into the correct account when you see the desktop after it's loaded. If you see all your desktop icons, then you've booted into the right account.
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4
Go to "Start, "Programs," "Accessories," "System Tools" and "System Restore." This will open the System Restore Program, which you may be able to use to restore Windows XP Home, assuming the problem with your operating system is not too severe.
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Select "Restore my computer to an earlier time." From there, simply click on the restore point date that the computer was last functioning correctly on and then click "Next" on the "Confirm System Restore Page."
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6
Log on as an administrator after the computer has successfully rebooted from the System Restore. If everything is functioning correctly, then you've successfully restored Windows XP Home. If not, proceed to step 7.
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7
Insert your Windows XP Home Recovery Disk and reboot the computer.
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8
Hit the "Enter" key to boot from the Windows XP Home Recovery Disk when prompted.
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9
Press the "R" key when asked what you would like to do in Set-Up. You'll now be asked what version of Windows to recover, and unless you have more than one version on your computer, you'll simply enter "1" and then press "R" again to start the recovery.
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Wait for the recovery to complete and then reboot the computer. The computer should now boot up and function correctly.
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Tips & Warnings
Try the System Restore before Recovery. In the case of most operating system problems, an easily reversible System Restore resolves issues, so it's best to try this first. If that doesn't work, a Recovery--which is less reversible and may result in data loss--is advisable.
Never shut down the computer while it is in the process of System Restore or Recovery. Doing so can and usually does result in data loss and a corrupt copy of Windows XP Home.
