Protection from Disk Crashes


Tutorial Home >Operating Systems >Windows 9x >Windows System Backup >How do I protect my Windows system from disk crashes?
Tutorial Home >Operating Systems >Windows 2000 >Windows System Backup >How do I protect my Windows system from disk crashes?
Tutorial Home >Operating Systems >Windows 9x >Windows System Backup >Backup Basics >Protection from Disk Crashes
Tutorial Home >Operating Systems >Windows 2000 >Windows System Backup >Backup Basics >Protection from Disk Crashes

  Step 1:  Crashing the Disk

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Hard disk crashes are usually caused by physical shock: being bumped while running. They can also be caused by power failures, dust, or physical wear.
  Step 2:  Trying to Start

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With your hard disk disabled, it is only possible to boot your system from a floppy disk. You can start Windows with the installation CD and a startup floppy. That means you can get Microsoft Backup to run, to get your main system disk restored from backup files. That is why Microsoft Backup is recommended. Even if you've found a better software package for backups, you'll want to make sure it can be started from a startup floppy and installation CD.
  Step 3:  Run BIOS Disk Test

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If your hard disk ever crashes, you may be able to start a CMOS BIOS disk test, by pressing certain keyboard keys during an attempted startup, or by running a startup floppy from your computer's manufacturer. If you can do this, it may tell you whether your disk is permanently broken, or still usable.
  Step 4:  Run Hard Disk Software

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You may have a startup floppy from the manufacturer of your hard disk, which you can use to start your computer and run a test program. If you don't have a floppy, visit the manufacturer's web site to find out how to get one. Running the BIOS diagnostic tool, and the disk manufacturer's test program, will help you find out if the disk needs to be reformatted or replaced, before you can start to rebuild.
  Step 5:  Protecting by Backup

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Once you have restored your system with a working hard drive, and gotten Windows started, you can either reinstall Windows or restore your system disk from a full system backup. But that backup must be either a mirrored disk, a Microsoft Backup file, or a save set in another backup program that you can start from DOS mode or from a floppy disk. For the details of the restore sequence, see the tutorials "Restore files or system."