- #10: More Intuitive Control Panel Categories
- #9: Better Notifications If Your System Has a Problem
- #8: Better Network Management and Troubleshooting
- #7: More Powerful Taskbar
- #6: Integrated Windows Media Center
- #5: Better File and System Backup
- #4: Better Management of Devices and Printers
- #3: Device Stage
- #2: Better File Management with Libraries
- #1: Easier Recovery from System Failure
- How to Stay with Windows XP and Move Up to Windows 7
#1: Easier Recovery from System Failure
If you can't boot your Windows XP system, you know you could be in for a long, frustrating session with Recovery Console. While Recovery Console looks like the regular command prompt you can launch from within Windows XP, it has only a few of the commands available from the command prompt, and includes no automated system repair functions. And, to make matters worse, if you don't install Recovery Console as a boot option before your system goes sour, you'll need to hunt down your Windows XP disc, download bootable Windows XP floppy disc images, or start your system with a third-party boot disc like BartPE before you can start solving system problems.
Windows 7 provides a better way with its System Recovery Options (Recovery Environment) boot option. You can start System Recovery Options from the hard disk or from a bootable DVD, and it provides five ways to solve problems:
- Use Startup Repair to fix problems that prevent the system from bootingautomatically.
- Use System Restore to return your system to a working configuration.
- Restore a working system image previously created with Backup and Restore Center with System Image Recovery.
- Test system memory with Windows Memory Diagnostic.
- Run your favorite data copying, diagnostics, or network commands from the Command Prompt. You can even use Command Prompt to format CDs and DVDs for file copying.
Figure 10 Windows 7's System Recovery Options menu provides a quintet of powerful system repair and recovery tools.