- #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.
![](/content/images/art_soper_10win7xp/elementLinks/thsoper_fig10.jpg)
Figure 10 Windows 7's System Recovery Options menu provides a quintet of powerful system repair and recovery tools.