Chapter 1: Recovering Your System www.gateway.com36System recovery optionsMost computer problems can be solved by following the information in“Troubleshooting” on page 131 or at the Web address shown on your systemlabel. Problem solving may also involve re-installing some or all of thecomputer’s software (also called recovering or restoring your system). Gatewayprovides everything you need to recover your system under most conditions.A backup copy of your operating system is provided on a CD or DVD, and abackup copy of your factory-installed drivers and applications is saved on ahidden area of your hard drive.We recommend that you make a backup of your factory-installed software assoon as you get your new Gateway system.■ “Drivers and applications recovery” on page 36 tells you how to record(burn) the Drivers and Applications Recovery discs. Using a recovery discthat you have recorded is only one of several ways you can restore yoursystem to working order. Recovery discs let you recover your device driversand software that came pre-installed on your computer.If you are still having problems even after you follow troubleshooting steps, youcan use Microsoft System Restore to roll back your system to a previouscondition when drivers and programs worked correctly.■ “Recovering your system using Microsoft System Restore” on page 42describes how to return your system to a previous working condition.If you are still experiencing problems, you may need to reinstall specificsoftware, such as a device driver.■ “Recovering specific files and software” on page 41 describes how toinstall 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 factorysettings.■ “Recovering your system from the hard drive” on page 43 tells how tocompletely reinstall the original factory software.Drivers and applications recoveryYour computer’s hard drive contains everything you need to completely restoreyour system, including Windows XP, device drivers, and other programs. You canalso restore device drivers or programs by using Drivers and ApplicationsRecovery discs, which you create. You can immediately create the recovery discs(recommended), or you can wait until later.For more information on creating recovery discs, see “Creating drivers andapplications recovery discs” on page 37.For more information on using your network to store and create recovery discs,see:■ “Copying drivers and applications recovery files to a network” on page 39■ “Creating discs from recovery files on a network” on page 40
