Creating an Automated System Recovery Disk

In the event of a major system failure in which you cannot start your Windows XP computer, you could lose important data and waste a lot of time trying to fix your computer. To avoid these disastrous results and prepare for possible problems in the future, you can use the Automated System Recovery Preparation Wizard to help you create a backup of your system files and an Automated System Recovery (ASR) disk to restore your system. The Backup program backs up your system files then asks you to insert a disk to complete the ASR process. The ASR disk doesn't back up your personal data files, so it is a good idea to use the Backup Wizard in addition to creating a separate backup of your personal data files so they can be restored, too. To recover from a system failure using Automated System Recovery, insert the original Windows XP installation CD into your CD drive, restart your computer. (If prompted to press a key in order to start the computer from CD, press the appropriate key.) Next press F2 when prompted during the text-only mode section of setup, insert the ASR floppy disk when prompted, and then follow the on-screen instructions.