
What are recovery media discs?
When you buy a new computer, often times the computer's hard drive will have a hidden "rescue partition" which you can access through various keystrokes. You would access this partition if you needed to factory reset your computer...get it back to the original condition it was when you brought it home. This is a handy feature, unless the hard drive on your computer crashes making it impossible to access the rescue partition. This is what happened to a client I am helping today, but fortunately for them, when MoreTechSavvy sets up a new computer for a client, I always create recovery discs. This is an option computer manufacturers give you to save your bacon if the hard drive on your computer crashes! When my client told me their hard drive crashed, all I had to do was remove the hard drive from the computer, buy a new one, plug it in, turn on the laptop, put in the first recovery disc and follow instructions. Right now the client's laptop is finishing its installation and the computer will soon be in the exact condition it was when it was purchased new. The copy of Windows will be registered and legal and I will be able to re-install the programs they had on their computer previously.
How are recovery discs made?
Most new computers ask you to make a a backup copy or to create recovery media when you go through the initial Windows setup. My new Windows 8 laptop actually let me put my recovery media on a USB stick instead of DVDs. If I ever have to restore that computer, all I will have to do is plug in the USB stick, turn on the computer and follow the instructions. If your computer does not ask you to create recovery media when you do your initial Windows setup, check the paperwork that came with your computer. If all else fails, Google "create recovery media {name and model of your computer}". Of course, you can always contact MoreTechSavvy for further help!
Avoiding the Worst Case Scenario
Recovery media is like a backup copy of your operating system. It will save you time and money allowing you to start fresh after some sort of disaster (BAD virus, crashed hard drive, etc). Manufacturers used to send these discs out with new computers, but now it's up to you. Like all backup plans, creating recovery media is preparing for a "worst case scenario". If you have a backup, the worst case can be avoided.