Hello lwilson,
Thank you for your question.
Unfortunately, Windows 2000 Professional does not have a restore
feature as you will find in ME or XP. To fully restore a complete
system with all applications and settings, you would have had to use
either the built-in Backup program, or a better third-party backup and
have saved your system to tape, CD-R or DVD. There are also utilities
that save the registry and make that easy to restore and I am
particulalry fond of a program called "Lifesaver" for automated
registry backups and easy restores:
http://www.lifesaverbackup.com/
Now, Windows 2000 does offer a few utilties to may help depending on
the problem you are encountering. You can go back to a last known good
configuration if a recently installed hardware driver is causing a
problem. From the Windows 2000 Help Files:
"To start Windows 2000 using the last known good configuration
1. Click Options, and then click Print to print these instructions.
They will not be available after you shut down your computer in step
2.
2. Click Start, and then click Shut Down.
3. Click Restart, and then click OK.
4. When you see the message Please select the operating system to start, press F8.
5. Use the arrow keys to highlight Last Known Good Configuration, and
then press ENTER.
NUM LOCK must be off before the arrow keys on the numeric keypad will function.
6. Use the arrow keys to highlight an operating system, and then press ENTER.
Notes
Choosing Last Known Good Configuration provides a way to recover from
problems such as a newly added driver that may be incorrect for your
hardware. It does not solve problems caused by corrupted or missing
drivers or files.
When you choose Last Known Good Configuration, Windows 2000 restores
information in registry key HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet only. Any
changes you have made in other registry keys remain."
If you have created an Emergency Repair Disc:
" To use emergency repair on a system that will not start
You can use the Windows 2000 emergency repair feature to fix problems
that may be preventing you from starting your computer. This includes
problems with your registry, system files, partition boot sector, and
startup environment. However, you may not be able to use the emergency
repair process to fix your system unless you have created an Emergency
Repair Disk (ERD), which you can create using the Backup utility. If
you haven't created an ERD, you can still attempt to use the emergency
repair process to fix your computer, but the emergency repair process
may not be able to fix your problems.
The following steps provide a general overview of the emergency repair process:
Start your computer from the Windows 2000 Setup disks or the CD
You can start your system using either the Windows 2000 Setup disks or
the Windows 2000 CD. However, you can only use the CD to start your
computer if your computer hardware and BIOS support this
functionality.
Choose the repair option during setup
After your computer starts, the Setup program will start. During Setup
you will be asked whether you want to continue installing the Windows
2000 operating system. You must press ENTER to continue. This will
start the installation process, which allows you to repair your
system. During this process you can choose whether you want to install
a fresh version of Windows 2000, or whether you want to repair an
existing installation of Windows 2000. To repair a damaged or corrupt
system, you should press R. You will then be asked whether you want to
repair your system using the Recovery Console or the emergency repair
process. You should press R if you want to repair your system using
the emergency repair process.
Choose the type of repair
You can choose either the fast repair option, which is the easiest and
doesn't require any user interaction, or you can choose the manual
repair option, which requires user interaction. The fast repair option
will attempt to repair problems related to the registry, system files,
the partition boot sector on your boot volume, and your startup
environment (if you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system). The
manual repair option lets you choose whether you want to repair system
files, partition boot sector problems, or startup environment
problems, but it doesn't let you repair problems with your registry.
For example, using the manual repair option, you can attempt to repair
only your system files if you know your partition boot sector and your
startup environment are both intact.
Notes
The manual repair option should only be used by advanced users or administrators.
The fast repair option will use a backup copy of the registry that was
created when Setup was first run on your system. If you choose this
option, you may lose settings or preferences you have created since
Setup was first run.
If you want to manually repair individual registry files or replace
your entire registry, you can use the Recovery Console. However, this
is recommended for advanced users only.
Start the repair process
To start the repair process, you should have the 1.44 MB ERD that you
created in the Backup utility, and the original Windows 2000
installation CD. If you do not have an ERD, the emergency repair
process can attempt to locate your Windows 2000 installation and start
repairing your system, but it may not be able to do so.
Note
If the emergency repair process can't fix your system, you can try
using the Recovery Console or you can try reinstalling Windows 2000.
See Related Topics for more information.
Restart your computer
If the emergency repair process was successful, your computer will
automatically restart and you should have a working system.
Additional information on the repair process is available. If you are
using Windows 2000 Professional, see the Windows 2000 Professional
Getting Started online book or the Windows 2000 Professional Getting
Started book that came with your Windows 2000 CD. If you are using
Windows 2000 Server, see the Disaster Recovery How to section.
Important
The repair process relies on information that is saved in the
systemroot\repair folder. You must not change or delete this folder."
See your Help file under "emergency repair process" for more details
and for the method to create an ERD.
The Help files further note:
"Repair overview
Windows 2000 has several features that allow you to repair a system
that will not start or will not load Windows 2000. These features are
useful if some of your system files become corrupted or are
accidentally erased, or if you have installed software or device
drivers that cause your system to not work properly.
Safe mode
Safe mode lets you start your system with a minimal set of device
drivers and services. For example, if newly installed device drivers
or software are preventing your computer from starting, you may be
able to start you computer in safe mode and then remove the software
or device drivers from your system. Safe mode will not work in all
circumstances, especially if your system files are corrupted or
missing or your hard disk is damaged or has failed. For information
about the safe mode options, see Safe mode startup options.
Windows 2000 Recovery Console
The Recovery Console feature provides you with a command-line
interface that will let you repair system problems using a limited set
of command-line commands. For example, you could use the Recovery
Console to enable and disable services, repair a corrupted master boot
record, or copy system files from a floppy disk or a CD-ROM. This
feature gives you maximum control over the repair process and should
be used only by advanced users and administrators.
Emergency Repair Process
The Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) feature helps you repair problems with
system files, your startup environment (if you have a dual-boot or
multiple-boot system), and the partition boot sector on your boot
volume. Before you use the Emergency Repair Disk feature to repair
your system you must create an Emergency Repair Disk. You can do this
using the Backup utility. Even if you have not created an Emergency
Repair Disk you can still try to use the Emergency Repair Disk
process; however, any changes you have made to your system, such as
Service Pack updates, may be lost and may need to be reinstalled.
You can also reinstall Windows 2000 over a damaged Windows 2000
system. This may be time-consuming, but is useful if the emergency
repair process does not solve your problem. If you reinstall your
system you may lose changes that have been made to your system, such
as Service Pack upgrades, and you will need to reinstall those
upgrades."
The reinstall option actually should leave your programs and data
intact. You may lose system settings and Operating System updates and
Service POacks, but the odds are good it will save your system and
restore a working operating system.
Searching for articles that might be helpful for you should you choose
to reinstall Windows 2000, I found the following at PC World:
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,111652,00.asp
Answer Line: How to Reinstall Windows Without Losing Your Data
It's a big job, but it can cure Windows' creeping decrepitude; plus,
sudden reboots revisited.
Skipping ahead to the Windows 2000 section:
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,111652,pg,3,00.asp
"Windows 2000 and XP CDs
Boot your computer with your Windows CD-ROM inserted. When you get the
'Press any key to boot from CD' message, do so. (If you don't see that
message before Windows starts, restart Windows, press the key you're
prompted to enter for your PC Setup program, and change the boot order
so your CD drive is first.)
At the 'Welcome to Setup' screen, press Enter. The R (repair) option
takes you to the Recovery Module, which is useful if Windows won't
boot, but it's no help with a reinstallation. Soon you'll be told that
there's already a Windows installation on the computer. Press r for a
repair reinstall or Esc to begin a complete, destructive one. For a
complete restore, select your C: partition and press Enter. When you
get the warning that says an operating system is on that partition,
press c. When you are asked your partition preference, select Leave
the current file system intact (no changes). When you're told that a
Windows folder (or Winnt folder for Windows 2000) already exists,
press l ('ell') to delete it and create a new one. Follow the series
of prompts. When the installation program asks for your name, enter
temp..."
Read the rest of the instructions, but a "Repair" may be well worth a
try before having to totally reinstall your operating system and
applications.
You might also wish to read the brief article on Windows 2000 repair
at WinXP Central:
http://www.winxpcentral.com/windows2000/emer-repair.php
Search Strategy:
Windows 2000 restore
reinstall windows 2000
"how to" OR steps +reinstall Windows 2000
repair Windows 2000
I trust my research has provided you with a variety of options that
may be helpful in recovering or repairing your Windows 2000
installation. If a link above should fail to work or anything require
further explanation or research, please do post a Request for
Clarification prior to rating the answer and closing the question and
I will be pleased to assist further.
Regards,
-=clouseau=- |
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