If Windows 2000 fails to start, you can use the Windows 2000 emergency repair disk (ERD) you created to perform an emergency repair of your system. After you have installed Windows 2000, you use the Backup utility to create an ERD.

Creating an Emergency Repair Disk

You use the Backup utility to create an emergency repair disk for your system installation. To create the ERD, you would carry out the following steps:

Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.

Backup will open and display the Welcome page, as shown in Figure 12.1.

On the Welcome tab, click the Emergency Repair Disk button.

The Emergency Repair Diskette dialog box appears, prompting you to insert a blank, formatted disk into drive A.

Insert a blank, formatted disk into drive A.

The dialog box also prompts you to back up the registry to the repair directory (see Figure 12.4).

Select the check box labeled Also Backup The Registry To The Repair Directory.

Click OK.

The Backup utility creates an ERD and copies the registry to the repair directory.

A dialog box appears indicating that the ERD was successfully created and prompting you to label the diskette Emergency Repair Disk and note the date.

Remove the diskette, label it, and date it.

Click OK to close the dialog box.

Close the Backup utility.

Figure 12.4 Backing up the registry to the repair directory.

Repairing a Damaged Windows 2000 Installation

If your Windows 2000 installation won't start, you can perform an emergency repair to attempt to repair the damaged Windows 2000 installation. You should have previously created an emergency repair disk (ERD) to repair your system.

If your computer can boot from the CD-ROM drive, insert your Windows 2000 CD-ROM and allow your system to boot from the CD-ROM.

NOTE
If your Intel-based computer does not boot from the CD-ROM drive, insert Setup disk 1 into drive A, and then restart your computer. When prompted insert disks 2, 3, and 4.

After your computer starts, the Setup program will start. You will be asked if you want to continue installing Windows 2000.

Press Enter to continue.

You will be prompted to choose whether you want to continue installing Windows 2000 or repair your current system.

Press R to start repairing your damaged system.

Now you are prompted to choose whether you want to repair your system using the Recovery Console or the emergency repair process.

Press R if you want to use the emergency repair process.

You are prompted to choose the type of repair, Manual or Fast.

NOTE
In most cases you should choose the Fast emergency repair option. It does not require any user intervention and will try to repair problems with the registry. You should only choose Manual if you are very familiar with your system and the files installed on it. Also, the manual emergency repair does not allow you to attempt to repair the registry.

Press F to choose Fast repair.

You are prompted to press Enter if you have the ERD and L if you do not.

Press Enter.

NOTE
If you do not have the ERD, Setup will still attempt to repair your system. However, if you do not have your ERD, Windows 2000 may not be able to locate and repair your installation.

You are prompted to insert your ERD.

Insert the ERD and press Enter.

If you chose the fast repair method, Setup will proceed automatically. It will typically examine your disks, attempt to fix errors, and finally prompt you to remove the ERD floppy disk to allow the machine to attempt to reboot the repaired operating system.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson you learned that if Windows 2000 fails to start, you can use an Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) to try to repair the system. You create an ERD by clicking Emergency Repair Disk on the Welcome tab of the Backup utility. You must create an ERD before the problem arises; it is too late to create an ERD once the system won't boot. Using your ERD and your CD-ROM, you can run an emergency repair and attempt to recover your system.