How to fix an XP laptop?

December 2, 2006 11:42 AM

I am a mac, and I (think I) screwed up my gf's HP laptop, there's...

So here I am using XP and looking for a paper I created on her laptop and all I could find was the shortcut. I did the HP System Restore, which stated nothing would be erased or deleted.

After completing the restore process, the laptop booted up with all of the welcome screens and set-up questions like it was new. I immediately turned it off and started the query of the hive mind.

How can I with limited proficiency, return her computer to its previous state. I really would like to not involve her in the process if I can help it.

posted by bach to computers & internet (11 comments total)

It's possible that the system restore merely 'reset' settings and whatnot internal to Windows, but you *will* have to involve your girlfriend to ensure that nothing valuable was erased.

As for your paper, you should have (a) used the Windows' search function for the name you saved it under, (b) checked the Recycle Bin, (c) asked the fricking owner of the machine where it could have disappeared to before doing the PC equivalent of minor surgery... which is what Windows System Restore is.
posted by The Confessor at 12:04 PM on December 2, 2006

It's possible that it re-installed the operating system and left the rest of the file system alone. In which case, those screens would pop up (windows is booting for the first time on a fresh install) but her files would still be there. Either way, the damage is done. There is no harm in letting it continue to load unless it was formatted and the information overwritten was SO critical that it warrants getting the drive shipped out for data recovery ($$$).

Let it load, see if her/your username still works, check all applications for functionality (a registry rewrite would screw up your previously installed apps), make it look like it used to and admit what you did. Lies in a relationship can only end badly.
posted by datacenter refugee at 12:06 PM on December 2, 2006

I think you need to start referring to the owner of the HP as "former gf".

Right click on the start button, hit explore and go directory by directory looking for the file.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 12:08 PM on December 2, 2006 [1 favorite]

Yeah, look at it this way, if you did do a full restore that wiped it out, well, turning it off now won't make any different. You wiped it and the only possible way to get anything back is to leave it off and sent it to a data recovery company and spend $1000 to get the data back.

My guess is that datacenter is right. You've probably just completed a restore-in-place and all of her data will hopefully be there. Applications... uh, probably not so much.

May as well finish up the initial boot and see what happened.
posted by smallerdemon at 12:52 PM on December 2, 2006

"After the System Recovery is complete, the PC restarts and continues into Windows setup. Complete the setup screens and wait until the PC finishes the setup.
NOTE: It may take a long time to complete Windows setup. This time varies and may take over several hours. Recovery times are most affected by using recovery discs that were ordered from HP and/or the amount of files that were stored in the user account folders (for example, My Documents and the Desktop)."
I found it on this page.
You have reset her machine to it's original (new) state.
Hopefully most of her stuff is still there, you will have to tell her.
posted by lee at 12:59 PM on December 2, 2006

Wait! If I'm understanding you correctly, you did a system restore and now would like to get it back to how it was before you did the restore, no?

Well, you can just go back to the system restore utility and undo the last restore!

Oh...wait a minute. I just re-read your post. Did you really mean an HP system restore, not a Windows system restore? Okay, well I'm not even sure what that is, but I'll post this anyway just in case you misspoke, er, mistyped.
posted by SampleSize at 2:09 PM on December 2, 2006

Do you mean Windows system restore? That definitely does not delete files and it tells you so. I think you did that, not some HP variant specific.
posted by A189Nut at 2:10 PM on December 2, 2006

"I am a mac" - Hi, I'm a PC.

I'm just wondering why on earth you thought a system restore would help you find the paper? You found the shortcut...did you try...opening it? It's a shortcut to the file. If that didn't work, you should have waited for her until messing around with it anymore, if you are that uncomfortable on a pc. I assume you wouldn't let your girlfriend reinstall your OS without asking.

She's going to know, and the mature thing to do is tell her upfront, rather than wait for her to get pissed at all the new incorrect settings and possibly missing programs.
posted by jesirose at 2:19 PM on December 2, 2006

Alas, I believe I completed an HP restore, and even though HP said that it would not remove any user data...it did. I am going to tell her. I just hoped that I could fix the problem and tell her *after* I recovered the data. Thanks for your help.
posted by bach at 6:38 PM on December 2, 2006

This is why companies should just give people the fucking Windows CD rather than devote a hard drive partition to the "reinstall" program. Dell, HP, all of them - just give people the goddamn OS they paid for. Starting from scratch, a Windows repair/reinstall won't touch your personal data unless you tell it to. The crap fucking "system restore" disks that come with most computers just boot to a hidden partition and copy a boot image to the hard drive, trashing anything there in the process.
posted by caution live frogs at 8:39 PM on December 2, 2006

Update.

Found the locked folder that HP placed all of the GF's data in and unlocked it. All she has to do is re-install the programs. I spent a few hours sleeping on the "idiot's couch." For now all is well with the world. Thanks for your help.
posted by bach at 6:53 PM on December 5, 2006