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What To Do When Windows Vista Crashes: Page 10 of 10

Conclusion

I can't close this article without a word about System Restore, an underutilized but invaluable resource in Vista, as it was in Windows XP. System Restore is the scourge of AIM viruses unintentionally downloaded by your children, as well as malware which has burrowed its way onto your PC from Web sites you shouldn't have been visiting in the first place.

Finally, if all else fails (and if you haven't done the DVD image-backup process I described above), you always can reinstall Vista from scratch.

I'll have more tricks in an upcoming article, which will continue my focus on what to do about Vista installations that are either dead or tilting toward terminal instability. If you have any unique crashes you've encountered, or tips you'd like to share, please e-mail me at [email protected].

Additonal Resources

  • Information on Boot Configuration Data
  • Microsoft Knowledge Base: Boot Configuration Data file is missing required information
  • Microsoft Knowledge Base: How to use the Bootrec.exe tool