Vista Recovery Disc Problem

HughMc · #1 July 5th, 2009, 01:28 AM

Hello,

I have been unable to get the Vista Recovery Disc to work.

I have a HP PAvilion PC with no Vista Premium Edition (no CD of course). It was previously working but gives a BSOD everytime I try to boot.

I have downloaded the iso file via utorrent and have burned to CD with Imgburn following the instructions on this site. So far so good.

When I click to 'Repair Your Computer' on the install screen I am asked to select the Operating System. When I select Vista I get an error message:

This version of System Recovery Options is not compatible with the version of Windows you are trying to repair. Try using a recovery disc that is compatible with this version of Windows.

Can anyone throw some light on what the problem might be?

HughMc

kairozamorro · #2 July 5th, 2009, 08:54 AM

Hello HughMC, welcome to NST,

You apparently have a x64 bit edition of Windows Vista and need to download and burn our 64-bit recovery disc instead.

HughMc · #3 July 6th, 2009, 12:29 AM

Hello kairozamorro,

Thanks for your reply.

I did actually download and burn the 64 bit version. As I can't get the pc to boot I am not 100% sure that it is a 64 bit machine, but I think it is.

Just to be sure, I then tried the 32 bit recovery disc but this didn't work either. It didn't even get as far as the 'Repair Your Computer' option - it gave the same BSOD as before.

Any ideas?

Could it be that Vista 'Premium Edition' is installed? Does that make a difference?

Hugh Mc

Terry60 · #4 July 6th, 2009, 12:45 AM

If you got the same error as before, it sounds like your x86 CD didn't burn properly so the boot bypassed it and went back to the HDD.
Try booting the 32 bit version on a different PC to make sure it boots OK on a functioning system.

HughMc · #5 July 6th, 2009, 12:48 AM

...just to say, I'd be happy just to get my pc up and running. All the useful data has already been saved and any programs can be reinstalled, so any solution is welcome.

Hugh Mc

Terry60 · #6 July 6th, 2009, 12:55 PM

Did you verify that the 32 bit disk is OK by booting it elsewhere ?
If it is, and you've saved all your user data anyway, you can always do a factory reset assuming you haven't removed the HP recovery partition.
If you no longer have that partition (if it's there, take the opportunity to make a portable backup, as also detailed in the above link), and neither of our recovery disks will work on your broken PC (but have been verified elsewhere); then your only option will be to borrow a Vista DVD from a friend and use it to reinstall Vista using the serial number from your PC not from the DVD.