| CREATE WINDOWS 7 INSTALLATION DISCS |
When you first buy a computer (desktop or laptop) these days it will more than likely not come supplied with any Windows 7 Installation DVDs - The Installation DVDs
that allow you to recover/restore your copy of Windows 7 should anything go wrong with it. Years ago it was standard practise for computer manufacturers to supply
the installation dvds with your computer purchase, but these days they expect you to create your own set of Windows 7 Installation DVDs; for whatever reason(s).
There are a number of ways to create a set of Windows 7 Installation DVDs but you will probably be given one way only; Either - 1) Create them via backup/restore
software placed on your computer by the computer manufacturer or 2) Create them via a boot-up option when you first switch on the computer. The latter normally
involves pressing the F11 (or CTRL and F11) keyboard key(s) and then selecting a REPAIR MY COMPUTER option. In this section though I will be exampling the Packard
Bell backup/restore software option whereby I will create five Windows 7 Installation DVDs - These examples are applicable to this method on other computers.
On the Packard Bell TS11HR laptop model, and other Packard Bell laptop/netbook models I have seen, a notification area message requester appears (Fig 1.0 below)
when Windows 7 has been initially set up by the user (you). In other words, after you have given yourself a User Name, Registered/Activated your copy of Windows 7
and waited for the desktop to appear for the first time.
When you see that kind of message requester simply click on its link to continue. In this example, on the CREATE PACKARD BELL FACTORY... link. The message requester
might not appear straight away, and might only appear after a few reboots/restarts of the computer, but if you never see it try looking on the START Menu for some
kind of manufacturer's backup/restore/recovery factory software (Fig 1.1 below). How it appears and where it is depends on the computer model.
In the above example the START Menu shows both a backup/restore software (Packard Bell MyBackup) and a recovery software (Packard Bell Recovery Management). In this case it is the latter software link you would need to click on. It launches the Packard Bell Recovery Management window, as does clicking on the above mentioned notification area message requester.
Fig 1.2 above shows what clicking on the notification area message requester does. It scans your computer for a suitable DVD Recorder/Burner before proceeding to the Installation Wizard (Fig 1.4 below) whereas clicking on the START Menu link (Fig 1.1 above) does not do that scanning until you click on the CREATE FACTORY DEFAULT DISC link on the actual Packard Bell Recovery Management window (Fig 1.3 below).
Regardless of how you get to the actual Packard Bell Recovery Management window, and more precisely get past the "dvd recorder detection" step, you will end up on the first step (window) of the actual Installation Wizard (the program that will guide you through the dvd burning/recording process). At this point you need to make sure a blank dvd is inside your dvd burner/recorder before clicking on the START button (below) to begin burning/recording the first dvd. In this example I need a total of 5 Blank DVDs.
As you begin burning the first dvd you get some idea of how long this whole process will take. To burn (record) one dvd might take 5 to 10 Minutes, but then each dvd needs its burnt (copied) data verified to make sure it was burnt (recorded) properly.
When the data for the first dvd has been burnt (copied) properly, copied from your computer to the dvd, you will receive a "Finished / Success" message requester. Simply click on its OK button, insert another blank dvd if necessary, and then let the burning process continuing by burning the next (second) dvd. Keep doing this until you have all of your dvds burnt. In my case, until five dvds are burnt. As said, this can take a while. My burning session took about 90 Minutes to complete.
So to clarify. The above procedure creates 5 DVDs, collectively known as a Windows 7 Installation Disc, that contain a copy of Windows 7, its Settings and Activation
Details (information about the Windows 7 Product Key (Serial Number) and my registration settings) whereby I can then re-install Windows 7 using those 5 DVDs should
anything bad happen to my computer (such as my copy of Windows 7 being corrupted/broken).
In addition to the above the Packard Bell Recovery Management software also allows you to create a Drivers & Applications DVD. It will contain the computer's
Hardware Drivers (i.e. webcam, graphics, audio and video software) and Software Applications (i.e. burning, webcam, photo and video softwares/programs).
Although your particular computer/model may of verified the dvd burning process, this does not mean any or all of the dvds will be any good and fully working. You will only know how good/reliable each and all of the dvds are when you actually come to needing them for reinstallation/repair purposes. Meaning, nothing is 100% guaranteed/verified with computers and data. So my advice to you is make a copy of your Windows 7 Installation DVDs, either manually with a dedicated burning software or by doing do the above procedure again, just in case!!
Luckily the Packard Bell TS11HR laptop, and similar models/computers, allows you to repeat the above burning process again and again. I have seen computers that
only allow one copy of the Windows 7 Installation DVDs to be burnt before the option is then removed from the computer. So always check with the computer shop and
manufacturer's website about these matters before buying a computer. E-mail them if necessary.
Regardless of the just said, it is very important to create your Windows 7 Installation DVDs because it could cost you in the long run otherwise. A new Windows 7
dvd/license (product key/serial number) currently costs over £100. That's quite a lot of money to pay for the sake of you not taking the time (even two hours) to
create your Windows 7 Installation DVDs.
To clarify the above. In the case of the Packard Bell TS11HR laptop, if Windows 7 needs reinstalling you can reinstall it using the Packard Bell Recovery Management software (using the RESTORE link in the top-left corner of the window) or by using the REPAIR MY COMPUTER option when the laptop first boots-up/starts. This is because both methods get a backup copy of your good/working Windows 7 from a hidden, protected, part of the C:\ Hard Drive (from a special/hidden/protected storage area within the C:\ Hard Drive).
When that hidden partition becomes corrupted/broken/unrecognisable, for whatever reason(s), you no longer have a good/working backup copy of Windows 7 on your computer that the above methods/softwares can fallback on and use. Hence why you are prompted to burn that good/working backup copy of Windows 7 in the form of a set of Windows 7 Installation DVDs as soon as possible. They are needed when all else fails in other words!
If you need to download the Packard Bell TS11HR laptop Drivers, Documentation, Applications and Patches (if available) you can visit the Packard Bell Support / Download Center.
Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.
