How To Repair And Restore Crashed Operating Systems

For systems builders, few things are as frustrating as a system that has crashed and just won't boot up again. The so-called Blue Screen of Death stares back at you mockingly, adding insult to injury.

Here's what you'll need to get a system back up and running after a hard crash:

• CCleaner: Useful for cleaning up cache, temporary files and other junk on hard drives.
• Ultimate Boot CD: Packed with utilities and applications for diagnosis and repair.
• Knoppix Live CD: A fully functional OS that's useful for data recovery and troubleshooting when a hard drive doesn't work.
• CD burner and burning software: To burn .iso files and create some boot disks.
• Memtest86: This software tests a system's RAM chips.
• PC Inspector File Recovery: Free software for data recovery.
• Taking Precautions
• To prevent crashes, always make backups; create a list of all systems applications and utilities that are no longer used; defrag hard disks regularly; and clean up old temp files and cache.
• If a system simply won't boot or keeps throwing the Blue Screen of Death in your face, you can power down the machine by hitting the power button, then give the machine 15 to 20 seconds to sit before powering it back up. If, in the course of a standard startup, the system fails to successfully boot XP, power the system down and try again. The next reboot will present you with three options: Boot using Safe Mode; boot using Last Known Good Configuration (try this one); and boot normally. If that doesn't work, tap the F8 key while you reboot yet again; this will bring you to the Safe Mode menu.
• XP Installation Repair

• If an installation of Windows XP is detected on the hard drive when you start from a Windows XP install disk, you'll be prompted to perform a completely fresh install over the top of the old OS, or you can try to repair the existing installation.
• Choosing the Repair option will bring you into the Recovery Console, which supports moving, copying and renaming files; formatting the hard drive; re-installing critical OS files; fixing a Master Boot Record gone bad; and repairing the file-system boot sector.
• Boot Disks And Salvage Critical Data
• To use a boot disk, enter the BIOS while the system first powers up by hitting F2.
• Depending on the system's BIOS, the hard drive is usually set by default as the first place the system looks for an OS. Instead, depending on the type of boot disk you're using, set either the floppy drive or the CD-ROM drive as the first item in the boot sequence. Next, save your changes to the BIOS. Then reboot.
• To recover critical data, use PC Inspector File Recovery, freeware from Convar Deutschland that recognizes the partitions created on each hard drive and recovers deleted or damaged data. Or try SpinRite 6 from Gibson Research.
• Troubleshooting
• System crashes are mostly caused by hard drives, RAM and power supplies. Before you replace hardware or go crazy troubleshooting, give the system a once-over: Make sure all connections are tight, the power supply is firmly plugged in, and all cards and RAM boards are seated properly.
• Full OS Reinstall Shortcuts
• This tends to be a last resort. One alternative is to use an application such as Norton Ghost to create a "clone" of the hard drive. Another way is to pull some of the system's configuration settings from an old restore point on the machine. For help, go to Digitalwebcast.com.
• PETER HAGOPIAN is a Philadelphia-based freelance writer who has covered technology for more than a decade.