# 'Restore' disk! AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [January 13, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299 "2004-01-13T20:32:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/1 "2004-01-13T20:32:58Z")
Fuckbollocks!
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Please do not make illegal copies of this CD
Restore Disk
It’s a fucking RESTORE disk, thanks for printing that information in the very smallest, faintest typeface possible.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHUUUHHH!
All I wanted to do was run the recovery console, so I booted from the Windows CD (like it says in the knowledgebase), to be met with “Creating Partition”… Formatting Partition… Installing Windows XP.
Arsecakes!
It isn’t a proper Windows CD at all, it’s a Restore Disk.
OK, OK, calm down - fortunately I have most excellent backups of all important documents and work, but sheesh MS; would it have killed you to have put a prompt in there? Something like “Hey, you’re about to wipe your whole damn machine and waste half a day putting it all back together, are you SURE you want to do something that stupid?”
Buggershag!
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/2 "2004-01-13T21:24:18Z")
I’m sorry to point out the obvious, but why did you think you could get hardware+MS at the same price as off the shelf MS software?
Apologies, I think I’m gearing up to another ‘I wish I could use Linux’ rant…
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/3 "2004-01-13T21:40:58Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan]
I’m sorry to point out the obvious, but why did you think you could get hardware+MS at the same price as off the shelf MS software?
[QUOTE]
I don’t believe I did think such a thing; my gripe is merely that what appeared to be an install disk and manual was actually a restore disk and plunged straight into the install process without any prompt.
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/4 "2004-01-13T22:26:18Z")
Fair enough…
I’m amazed the rescue disc doesn’t give big warnings about deleting data.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/5 "2004-01-13T23:58:33Z")
Not half as amazed as I was, let me tell you.
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/6 "2004-01-14T00:02:54Z")
Hang on…
you created a partition…
you formatted a partition…
You installed XP…
And there wasn’t a single warning about existing data?
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/7 "2004-01-14T00:37:28Z")
Quite - there was no chance for interaction at all (except a message from the BIOS asking me to hit \ if I wanted to boot from CD). I don’t suppose it would have done it if I’d inserted the CD while Windows was running (in fact I’m sure it wouldn’t, but start the machine up with the CD in the drive and you’re fucked.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/8 "2004-01-14T00:40:38Z")
And it was (or looked like) a proper MS install process, not one of these bizarre disk-mirror restores that you get with some branded PCs.
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### Author:  [@Lady\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Ice)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2004, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/9 "2004-01-14T04:06:12Z")
And this is **soooooo** the only reason I am not looking forward to my new computer in about a month. I’m going to have to give up my 98se and go to XP.
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### Author:  [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2004, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/10 "2004-01-14T07:10:37Z")
I feel your pain… 😃
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### Author:  [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/11 "2004-01-15T03:10:59Z")
Hi Mangetout
When you booted from the CD, were you given these choices:
To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.
To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.
To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.
By choosing “Enter”… you should have come to the next screen that gave you the choice to repair. (Pressing R)
Was that choice not available to you?
Sometimes it’s not. Just curious.
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### Author:  [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/12 "2004-01-15T03:14:26Z")
I’m such a :wally :smack:
I meant to include [Billy’s Words of Wisdom.](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q312369)
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### Author:  [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/13 "2004-01-15T04:26:42Z")
Aaaarrrrggghhhh!
Destroy that evil restore disc immediately! Microwave it’s sorry brains out.
I don’t want that thing or it’s sordid ilk to have _any_ chance of getting anywhere near my cluttered office. I’m glad you have decent backups.
I’d shit a brick if that happened to me.
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### Author:  [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/14 "2004-01-15T04:57:48Z")
When my WinXP machine was hopelessly fornicated, I searched for a while for how to force a restore from my backups. Not sure which files you backed up **Mangetout** , but check out [this old post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4219796&postcount=16) to read how I did it (after much Googling and gnashing of Pringles). As for WinXP’s ability to right itself:
When it’s good, it’s **great**.
When it’s bad, I would rather drive a rancid orca corpse with a cluster of Exocet missiles up its ass and rollerskates on both pectoral fins around the D.C. Beltway in freezing rain during rush hour than try to troubleshoot it.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/15 "2004-01-15T09:02:27Z")
> [@Daizy](#):
>
> Hi Mangetout
> When you booted from the CD, were you given these choices:
>
> To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.
>
> To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.
>
> To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.
>
> By choosing “Enter”… you should have come to the next screen that gave you the choice to repair. (Pressing R)
>
> Was that choice not available to you?
>
> Sometimes it’s not. Just curious.
Nope - the only choice I got was offered by the BIOS and it was “Do you want to boot from CDROM?”; the next thing on the screen was “Creating partition” and it was all downhill from there - there wasn’t even a cancel option until after the Windows setup files had been copied over.
Evil is what it is.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/16 "2004-01-15T09:05:25Z")
> [@Jurph](#):
>
> When my WinXP machine was hopelessly fornicated, I searched for a while for how to force a restore from my backups. Not sure which files you backed up **Mangetout** , but check out [this old post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4219796&postcount=16) to read how I did it (after much Googling and gnashing of Pringles).
Thanks for this… but the backup comprised documents and business data only (which was a good thing)
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### Author:  [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/17 "2004-01-15T09:17:23Z")
Just to be perfectly clear…was this a restore disc from a particular computer manufacturer (i.e. Dell, HP, etc) or is this a Microsoft disc? Sounds like some idiot OEM’s idea of a “helpful” disc to throw in with your PC, considering that most of them start the troubleshooting process with “format your hard drive.”
[lumberg]Mmmm, yeah…I’m gonna need you to reinstall the operating system. And why don’t you go ahead and format that hard disk while you’re at it. Thaaanks.[/lumberg]
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/18 "2004-01-15T12:38:14Z")
Oh, it is certainly an OEM recovery CD\* it says so on the label, but only in teeny tiny writing - the most prominent label text says “Windows XP Operaing System - Professional Edition”; it was shrink wrapped with a Microsoft XP Pro manual.
\*Except that it isn’t one of those where some third-party backup utility restores the hard drive from a shadow copy, it was a proper MS install (with the timed countdown screen etc) - it’s just that the whole process was automated without a single prompt.
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### Author:  [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/19 "2004-01-15T18:45:24Z")
It’s Windows. It’s Microsoft. It’s XP. Their copy of their operating system is more important that your data. Their restore and update technology knows better than you ever could. User interaction is not welcomed.
You should count yourself lucky you’re allowed to use it once the install is finished. If it had the choice it would lock you out and spend its days connected as a drone to the MSN hive.
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### Author:  [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2004, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restore-disk-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrse/224299/20 "2004-01-16T09:12:04Z")
> [@Futile Gesture](#):
>
> It’s Windows. It’s Microsoft. It’s XP. Their copy of their operating system is more important that your data. Their restore and update technology knows better than you ever could.
Oh, please. I guess you missed the part where he mentioned it’s an **OEM** CD, not Microsoft’s?
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