The bottom line is that you need the code on the OS on a disc to maximize
your options of repairing Vista. Perhaps with some cosmic justification
along have come the torrents, and now if little Suzie at Iowa State
complains to you that her OEM recovery disc does not work, and she did not
back up in anyway what so ever, and she has a take home final that means her
grade in the course, you can get little Suzie fixed. In my experience
Little Suzie cannot run around on a deadline procuring said DVD, and doesn't
have $300 bucks or so to purchase one. But little Suzie can be empowered to
fix her OS successfully, and go on to complete her final exam, via a
phenomenon called a "torrent" where with a couple mouse clicks little Suzie
can procure a Vista Ultimate, easily burn it to an iso with a free and
formidiable burning program, and live relatively happily ever after
goshdarnit.
Little Suzie can see the torrent from where she sits, goshdarnit.
According to the aforementioned links by Curious, MSFT did not "do the
right thing" during Vista according to PC World's editor. A lot of people
didn't buy Vista. Now they're spending hundreds of millions with a new ad
campaign dubbed "recessionista chic with ole Lauren, who is lookin' for a
laptop on a budget."
http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/165113.asp
In this particular link you proffered, it seems that it is not MSFT that
offered the disc but Neosmart, because MSFT withdrew their offer of anything
on a disc viable that fixesVista without the purchase of a genuine Vista
DVD. There have of course always been the F8 Windows Advanced Options menu
and most of us make that available when we suggest fixes.
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/fil...scription.html
"Editor's Review of Vista Recovery Disc
It looked like Microsoft was finally going to do the right thing. Beta
versions of Vista SP1 came with a modern equivalent of the old Windows Boot
Floppy--a Start Menu option called "Create a Recovery Disc" that burned a
Windows PE-based emergency CD. Alas, Microsoft removed that feature before
SP1 shipped, but not before NeoSmart turned the disc into an .iso file and
made it available on their site.
Running on the Vista version of Windows PE, the Recovery Disc is basically a
Vista installation disc minus the install files. It even has an "Install
now" button that asks for a Product Key before failing. You're better off
clicking the Repair your computer button. Among its Vista-only options are a
tool for diagnosing and fixing startup problems, a version of System Restore
that uses restore points on the hard drive, the restore portions of Vista's
backup program, and a memory diagnostic tool.
Note: This link takes you to an external Web site, where you can download
the latest version of the software.
--Lincoln Spector
Your second link references the Windows Advanced Options menu which is of
course, not a disc, has always been available, and in thousands of fixes,
works less well with less efficacy although it can be helpful, particularly
if the user increases their odds of success by trying all of the Safe Modes
their plus Last Known Good Configuration.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windo...ns-51027.shtml
CH
"Curious" wrote in message
...
I think there is confusion here between OEM Vendor supplied restore to
factory shipping configuration "Recovery Disk(s)" which would be better
off being called Restore or Rebuild disks and a "Recovery disk" available
for the OS which might better off being called a Repair Disk.
The following links may help in sorting out the confusion.
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/fil...scription.html
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windo...ns-51027.shtml
"Malke" wrote in message
...
Chad Harris wrote:
Unomas--
It isn't that the Recovery disc "corrupted." Let me say it as plainly
as
I can.
If you do a double blind multicentered study, the way medical trials are
often done, the resut is that OEM recovery discs do not work. MSFT has
known this for 15 years and so have their OEM partners. When they name
them
recovery discs, they are pushing a myth. When a recovery disc works,
you
are extremely lucky. In general, the concept of a recovery disc for
actual efficacy at repairing is a cruel joke that has been promulgated
for
years.
(snip)
This has not been my experience nor that of my colleagues in doing many
hundreds of restore-to-factory-condition jobs on many different brands of
computers. The recovery disks work fine as long as there are no hardware
issues and the correct recovery disks are used.
Windows 7 is irrelevant to the OP's question.
Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ