Due to the nature of the recovery process you should not use FDISK or any other partition management software on your computer.  Doing so may destroy your backup and prevent the recovery from functioning correctly.

How do I restore my computer if Windows® doesn’t start?

To start the recovery, press the F10 key when you first turn on your computer. You might find it easier to tap F10 repeatedly until you see “Starting System Recovery”.

After a short while, you will see an option for “Non-destructive recovery”. This is the default, and restores Windows® and all your pre-installed software without wiping out your data. Click Non-destructive recovery, then Next to continue.

 

If you want to completely erase all your data, click the Advanced button for further options (Note that on newer versions, the Advanced button has been removed so you can see all three options straightaway):

1. System Recovery (No format)
2. System Recovery (Quick Format)

Click the Quick Format option and click Next to completely restore your computer to its factory state.

 How can I make a backup of the pre-installed software?

The Recovery Media Creator recommends you create your recovery media every time you start Windows®, unless you tell it to stop reminding you, dismiss it, or create the media. 

Start into Windows® as usual, then:

Click Start > All Programs > System Recovery > Recovery Media Creator

• You will be presented with a “Welcome” screen. Click Continue.
• You will be shown some information about the creation process. Click Continue and follow the on-screen instructions.
• Click Start Creation to create your System Recovery CD Set.
• The recovery creation software will advise you how many blank CDs/DVDs you will need to create your System Recovery set. A DVD has a much higher capacity than a CD and will require less discs.
• You will then be asked to insert a blank disc into your computer.  Label this CD “Recovery CD 1” and then insert it into your DVD/CD Rewriter drive.
• Once you have inserted your blank disc the process should continue – If it does not, click OK to continue.
• The creation process will continue until you are prompted for a 2^nd CD.  Label this CD “Recovery CD 2” and then insert it into your DVD/CD Rewriter drive.
• Once the disc creation has completed you will see a “Congratulations” screen.  Click OK and the program will exit.
• You have now created a complete set of Recovery disc(s) for your computer.  These discs will allow you to restore your computer in case of any problems with your Windows® XP software. 
• Keep these discs in a safe place.