Re: Computer problem, need help

On Wed, 8 Oct 2008 13:13:07 -0700 (PDT), mg <mgkelson@xxxxxxxxx>

I think you are overlooking some problems with the restore utilities
provided to computer buyers:

PROBLEMS WITH FACTORY REINSTALL DISC
If you reinstall from a factory disc, it wipes out any updates you
have installed on your OS drive. It also wipes out any additional
programs or drivers that you have installed since you bought the
computer. In addition, it wipes out any data, including music and
pictures that you might have on your hard drive. Factory restore discs
that rely on a separate partition on the hard drive obviously won't
work if the hard drive has been corrupted or quits working.

Your argument isn't valid without mentioning the failure mode while
defining the three levels of backup and recovery. First a user file
has been corrupted, use backup and restore. Second, a system file is
faulty, use system restore and possible backup and restore if the
system fault corrupted user data. Third, the manufactures image or
whatever was added before the first system checkpoint is faulty. Use
restore manager. If factory restore is on the hard disk, it's
probably there because the disks are mirrored, but if one is paranoid,
one can create a restore disk. I suspect that other than during the
first week of operation, a restore of the manufactures images
shouldn't happen, but if it does, it's due to incompetent diagnosis or
user error. System restore doesn't impact user files and the system
creates system only files early and often. I'm not going to explain
the theory behind checkpoints after fix or update install but it's at
the heart of all software recovery programs.

PROBLEMS WITH MICROSOFT'S RESTORE UTILITY
(1) The Microsoft restore utility only operates if you can get the
computer to boot.
(2) Microsoft's restore utility only goes back a limited period of
time. If the problem dates back beyond that you will not be able to
fix the problem.
(3) Sometimes Microsoft's restore utility doesn't work even if the
checkpoint is still available.
(4) I have had one case where Microsoft's restore utility actually
trashed the data on my hard drive.

1) I suggest f11 or a boot disc, but again it all depends on defining
the failure mode. If it's totally unresponsive, there's a hardware
problem and a different strategy is used.
2) That's why I suggest periodically doing a manual create system
restore disc. Currently I have thirty restores without the need to
save one. Again, the problem escaped attention through thirty updates
or restores?
3) The failure mode must first be defined before the strategy can be
faulted.
4) I have no idea, what did the MS technicians say. You did create a
trouble report, didn't you?

Finally, MS doesn't send their software and hardware technicians
through school and then give them on the job training just to be
second guessed by an amateur like you. If the strategy is faulty,
explain it to them, don't pretend that you are an expert in this area.
I was twenty years ago, but I don't tell MS how to do their job, I'm
just glad that they haven't got stuck in the past.

Glenn
.

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