Windows Vista introduced the Recovery Environment to the world of Windows, and Windows 7 has brought it back with even more improvements. Windows 7's Recovery Environment (also known as System Recovery Options) lives up to its predecessor, adding additional refinements and features. To learn how Recovery Environment makes fixing a balky Windows 7 installation easy, keep reading.

What is the Recovery Environment?

Windows 7's Recovery Environment enables users to perform a variety of system and data recovery tasks on a system that won't boot normally, including:

• Fixing boot-level startup problems (Startup Repair)
• Returning your system to a previous configuration (System Restore)
• Recovering your computer with a previously-created system image (System Image Recovery)
• Checking for defective memory (Windows Memory Diagnostic)
• Running command-prompt programs (Command Prompt)

In the following sections, we'll help you use each of these options so if (let's be optimistic here) you ever are faced with a system that won't start, you'll be ready.

Starting the Recovery Environment: Two Methods

Unlike Windows Vista, which did not include an option to start the Recovery Environment (RE) from the Advanced Boot Options menu in standard installations, Windows 7 installs an option to launch RE on this menu. To see the Advanced Boot Options menu, press F8 after restarting your computer.

Note that Windows 7 places the Repair Your Computer option, which starts Recovery Environment, at the top of the list of options.

But, what if your computer has lost the Recovery Environment files? Are you out of luck? Thankfully, no. On page 2 of our Windows 7 Feature Focus article on Windows 7 Backup and Restore, you learned how to create a System Repair disc. You can use the System Repair disc to start Recovery Environment, and I strongly recommend that you make one. You need a blank CD or DVD.  Update: Yes, you can also use your Windows 7 DVD as a System Repair disc (hat tip to reader Pentium 0 - see comments - for the reminder).

Starting Recovery Environment from the Advanced Boot Options (F8) Menu

After you select Repair Your Computer from the Advanced Boot Options menu, here's what happens next: 

1. Confirm your keyboard input method (and language, if you have installed multiple-language support). Click Next to continue.

2. Log into your installation. To enable access to the command prompt, select your user name from the pulldown menu:

3. Enter your password.

4. Click OK to continue.

5. The Recovery Environment (aka System Recovery Options) menu opens.