CHAPTER 11: Recovering Your System www.gateway.com
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Understanding system recovery options
Most computer problems can be solved by following the information in
“Troubleshooting” on page 159 or at gateway.com. Problem-solving may also
involve re-installing some or all of the computer’s software (also called
recovering or restoring your system). Gateway provides everything you need to
recover your system under most conditions. A backup copy of your operating
system is provided on a CD or DVD, as well as a copy (CD) of your
factory-installed drivers and applications.
We recommend that you make a backup of your factory-installed software as
soon as you get your new Gateway system.
If you are still having problems even after you follow troubleshooting steps, you
can use Microsoft System Restore to roll back your system to a previous
condition when drivers and programs worked correctly.
■ “Recovering your system using Microsoft System Restore” on page 120
describes how to return your system to a previous working condition.
If you are still experiencing problems, you may need to reinstall specific
software, such as a device driver.
■ “Recovering specific files and software” on page 119 describes how to
install specific, factory-installed software and device drivers.
Finally, in order to recover your system you may need to reinstall everything,
including the operating system, so your computer has its original factory
settings.
■ “Recovering your system from the hard drive” on page 121 tells how to
completely reinstall the original factory software.
Recovering your system
Important
If your hard drive has failed and you
cannot restore the software from the
hard drive, contact Gateway Customer
Care for help. For a fee, Customer Care
may be able to provide a set of recovery
discs to restore your computer.
For more help, you can find the Gateway
Customer Care contact information on
the label located on the front or side of
your computer.
If you have problems with your computer and you need to recover your system,
you can restore specific drivers and programs from a set of recovery discs, roll
back your system to a previous condition when drivers and programs were
working correctly, or reinstall everything from the computer’s hard drive.
■ To selectively restore device drivers or programs, see “Recovering specific
files and software” on page 119.
- OR -
■ To recover your system to a previous condition when software and device
drivers were working correctly, see “Recovering your system using
Microsoft System Restore” on page 120.
- OR -
■ To reinstall everything, see “Recovering your system from the hard drive”
on page 121.
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