System Recovery

[Guest]

Hi,
I will try to make this brief and right to the question.
Here's what I did. I clicked on the system recovery on my HP computer, which
has it stored on the computer. I clicked yes to recover it. ( Not What I
Meant To Do ).
It started to shut down and restart to do the recovery. I saw about 3 lines,
and immediatly panicked and pulled the plug from the computer.

My question is ::: When I plug it back in, is it still going to be doing the
recovery or did it already do and finish the recovery ?
Is there any thing I can do to stop the recovery, if it did ?

I got myself in this jam, as I wanted to save the recovery program to CD
disc, for a future backup to have, as HP did not give me CD's, if a problem
should happen.
I didn't know it was immediatly going to start this recovery. I thought it
would just open the hidden recovery and I could send it to my Cd Rom to copy
it.

Can someone please give me advice on this, as I'm NOT going to plug it back
in yet.
To be honest, I'm scared to even look, if I did plug it in.

I will just take the cover off, clean the dust in the interior, on my knees
and say a prayer to it. ;-))

Thanks For any Advice In Advance.
Mikki

 

[Ted Zieglar]

HP designed the recovery procedure -- that's whom you'd have to ask. Windows
XP does not come with this function.

To be sure that you will not lose your data files (documents, spreadsheets,
pictures, music, etc.) you can remove your hard drive and put it into
another computer as a slave drive. Use the Windows XP installation in the
second computer to copy the files from your hard drive to the new computer,
or burn them to a CD. If you have been using EFS encryption be sure to copy
the encryption key.

 

[Guest]

HP designed the recovery procedure -- that's whom you'd have to ask. Windows
XP does not come with this function.

To be sure that you will not lose your data files (documents, spreadsheets,
pictures, music, etc.) you can remove your hard drive and put it into
another computer as a slave drive. Use the Windows XP installation in the
second computer to copy the files from your hard drive to the new computer,
or burn them to a CD. If you have been using EFS encryption be sure to copy
the encryption key.

 

[Guest]

Sorry
I just wrote back, in reply to Ted but somehow,I got signed out by the
newsgroup and lost my reply. I guess, I type to slow. I'll try this again.

I was hoping for a quick fix, for my stupid mistake.An escape key, system
restore or some other way to stop the recovery, if it is still there when I
plug it back in.
I don't know what I've caused by pulling the plug if anything.

I also came here to ask the question, as I know if I call HP support, they
would want to charge me, just to ask the question.


Thank You for your advice Ted.
I'm not advanced enough to transfer the hard drive to another computer.
So I think I'm going to just plug it in and take my losses.
Thank You
Mikki

 

[Ted Zieglar]

Mikki: You're facing the possibility that you will permanently lose
everything on your hard disk. Isn't that worth the cost of a call to HP? Or
the cost of having a technician extract your files?

 

[Guest]

Ted,
Yes, you are correct and I think I'm just in a panic and instead of throwing
the computer out the window, I want to jump out instead, for my stupidity.
I haven't plugged it in yet. I just gave the interior fans and all, a good
cleaning.

I think I got confused on your 1st reply with using the Windows XP
installation.
I do have another XP computer but it doesn't have the CD Drive burner on it.
I could have a computer tech that I know, do this for me.

I'm going to call HP and or go their web-site, leave the computer unplugged
for now, take a deep breath and walk away for a few.

Thank You For Your Help.
Mikki

 

[Ted Zieglar]

A deep breath and a good walk are wonderful ways to get a fresh perspective.
A glass of Pinot Grigio can also be helpful.

 

[JoAnn Parker]

I not only want to thank you all for the great advise. I mostly want to
thank you all for this posting has given me a much needed laugh.

Thank you all

JoAnn

 

[Guest]

Ted,
I wanted to give you an update, concerning my problem.
I took a deep breath, walked into the other room, grabbed a beer and found
my owners manual to this HP computer and in there, I read ::: The system
recovery program does NOT affect your data files.
Still unsure...I called my computer tech. and asked his opinion on this mess
I've created. He told me the same advice as you did.
So ...I sat here, with your advice, my computer tech's advice and two more
walks of fresh air with two more beers included. ;-)) and possibly three
new perspectives on my problem

Your Advice.. Remove your hard drive and put it into another computer as a
slave drive. Use the Windows installation in the second computer to copy the
files from your hard drive to the new computer, or burn them to a CD.

Computer Tech's Advice.. Same as yours Above ....

My Own Advice.. ( after 3 beers ) Just Plug It In !!!

After 3 beers, I'm brave now and looking to take on anything this computer
flashes and dishes out to me. " I'm the winner here " although, originally,
I was the Loser that caused this computer, all it's troubles.

So I plug it in ....and NOTHING !!! or I should say, EVERYTHING !!!

The system recovery did nothing and I still have everything.

WhoooooooooHooooooo ;-))
I'm a happy computer camper now.....but.....

Here's a few questions................................ ???

How did I get Lucky ???

Why didn't the system recovery, erase everything ???

Did I pull the plug out, at just the right time ???

Why didn't I jump out that window ???
Do you think the computer is asking the same thing ???

Would your Pignot Grigio have given me the bravery
to....................................... " Just Plug It In " ???
;-))

Ted,
I do know one thing, as it states in your signature "Backup is a computer
user's best friend "
I'm going to back everything up and never go into that system recovery.
I will use the system recovery, only to install a fresh factory install of
Windows XP, after everything is backed up.

Thank You For Your Advice ;-))
Best Regards
Mikki

 

[Carol2]

I don't know about the rest, but you have stated in the 1st paragraph,
below, that you read from your owner's manual: "The system recovery
program does NOT affect your data files." To me, that means that HP
Recovery will re-install Windows over top of itself......leaving your
data files alone, provided they are in My Documents folder.
Anyway....glad you came out of this scrape with all your files still
in-tact. 8^)

Carol2

 

[Ted Zieglar]

Glad I could be around to help you.

So-called recovery procedures are created by individual computer
manufacturers -- there's no standard recovery procedure. So each
manufacturer can design a recovery procedure or procedures as they like.
Typically - but not always, obviously - these procedures permanently erase
your hard disk and reinstall the software that was on your computer when it
left the factory. It appears that HP has designed a different recovery
procedure. (I'm not familiar with HP computers.)

About pulling out the plug at the right time: Consider yourself very lucky.
In this case, I guess you had no other choice. But don't think of pulling
the plug as any kind of recovery procedure. When you leave your hard disk in
an incomplete state there's a very good chance it will be unusable or even
unbootable.

Now would be a very good time to learn about backing up. When you follow a
comprehensive backup routine you have incredible inner peace. I believe that
if more people backed up, the overall level of frustration would decrease to
such an extent that world peace could be realistically attainable.
Especially after a few brewskis ;-)