Chapter 15 - A+

recovery drive

A Windows 10/8 bootable USB flash drive that can be used to recover the system when startup fails; the drive can be created using the Recovery applet in Control Panel. The drive can hold an OEM recovery partition copied from the hard drive.

startup repair

A Windows 10/8/7 utility that restores many of the Windows files needed for a successful boot.

refresh

A Windows 8 technique to recover from a corrupted Windows installation using a custom refresh image, a recovery partition, or the Windows setup DVD. Depending on the health of the system, the user settings, data, and Windows 8 apps might be restored from backup near the end of the refresh operation.

bcdedit

A Windows command used to manually edit the BCD.

bootsect

A Windows command used to repair a dual-boot system.

bootrec

A Windows command used to repair the BCD and boot sectors.

blue screen of death (BSOD)

A Windows error that occurs in kernel mode, is displayed against a blue screen, and causes the system to halt. The error might be caused by problems with devices, device drivers, or a corrupted Windows installation. Also called a stop error.

Windows 8 reset

A clean installation of Windows 8 that first formats the Windows volume. If an OEM recovery partition is present, the system is reset to its factory state. If no recovery partition is present, the installation is performed from a Windows 8 setup DVD.

system repair disc

A disc you can create in Windows 10/7 to launch Windows RE. The disc is not available in Windows 8.

Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE)

A lean operating system installed on the Windows 10/8/7 setup DVD and on the Windows volume that can be used to troubleshoot problems when Windows refuses to start.

repair upgrade

A nondestructive installation of Windows 10 over an existing Windows installation; the upgrade can repair the existing installation.

recovery partition

A partition on a hard drive that contains a recovery utility and installation files.

hard boot

A restart of the computer by turning off the power or pressing the Reset button. Also called a cold boot.

POST (power-on self test)

A self-diagnostic program used to perform a simple test of the CPU, RAM, and various I/O devices. The POST is performed by startup BIOS/UEFI when the computer is first turned on.

BCD (Boot Configuration Data)

A small Windows database that is structured the same as a registry file and contains configuration information about how Windows is started. The file is stored in the Boot directory of the hidden system partition.

Last Known Good Configuration

In Windows 7, registry settings and device drivers that were in effect when the computer last booted successfully. These settings are saved and can be restored during the startup process to recover from errors during the last boot.

Windows Boot Loader

One of two programs that manage the loading of Windows 10/8/7. The program file (winload.exe or winload.efi) is stored in C:WindowsSystem32, and it loads and starts essential Windows processes.

wpeinit

The Windows command that initializes Windows PE and enables networking. Also see Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE).

booting

The process of starting up a computer and loading an operating system.

soft boot

To restart a computer without turning off the power; for example, in Windows 10/8, press Win+X, point to Shut down or sign out, and click Restart. Also called warm boot.