Windows XP: The Last Known Good

[Lisandro]

Windows XP: The Last Known Good

Windows XP includes a recovery feature called the Last Known Good Configuration. The recovery option is extremely useful after installing a device driver that causes Windows not to be able to start. The Last Known Good will start Windows using information stored in the registry for the last successful startup. For example, if you installed a new device driver for your display adapter, Windows will be started using the original drivers used before the update was performed. So the Last Known Good Configuration is useful if you've installed incorrect device drivers. However, it can not be used to start Windows if the problem is due to missing or incorrect device drivers or missing system files. You can access the Last Known Good Configuration by pressing F8 when your computer is starting up. More information about using the Last Known Good Configuration can be found here.

Although typically not recommended, you can disable the creation of the Last Known Good. To do so, locate:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Sotfware\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
and change the value for ReportBootOK to 0.

Credits to Diana Huggins

[shgoh]

cool....but what's the difference between this & system restore?

[igor]

"Last Known Good" concerns registry only.
System Restore backups other files as well.

[shgoh]

i see...

learnt something new today...

[techie101]

shgoh,

Don't we all!  Thanks to Diana for the information and Igor for the clarification.

Truthfully, I didn't know about the "Last Good" feature and I use XP a lot.  That's why MS has the rep it does.  MS makes nothing ease to learn.

Nice to know there are two helpful "restores" available.

Techie.

[MikeBCda]

When I bought my most recent system (last fall), the dealer installed Farstone's Restore-IT which goes system-restore one better.  It in effect creates incremental backups of all files changed (or even deleted) since its previous restore point, not just system files.

If I elect to restore (especially from a quite recent point), it's quite fast, maybe 8 or 10 minutes for the 4 gig or so currently on my drive.  Some months ago I got disgusted with Sun's Java and took it out entirely, only to find there were no alternatives available -- and then a restore from the previous day was much faster than having to re-download and re-install.

[shgoh]

shgoh,

Don't we all!  Thanks to Diana for the information and Igor for the clarification.

Truthfully, I didn't know about the "Last Good" feature and I use XP a lot.  That's why MS has the rep it does.  MS makes nothing ease to learn.

Nice to know there are two helpful "restores" available.

Techie.

yes... ....thanks to diana...technical...igor & you of course....

that's what i like about forums...we learn from each other...but in most cases...i gotta learn from you guys...

[bbfi]

MikeBCda,

Farstone's Restore-IT which goes system-restore one better

Glad to see someone else using it. I bought it as a special promotion when I decided I had enough with Microsoft's unreliable System Restore. Restore points were "magically" erased every once in a while and automatic Restore points were never created. I did research on this and found out that this is a common problem and why there are alternatives like Farstone's Restore-IT. Thank God for that.

One recommendation for Farstone's Restore-IT (and they also mention it as well as MikeBCda in his post). If you do a restore, any new info on the computer (between the time of the created restore point and when you do a restore) including emails, graphics, any type of file will automatically be erased. This program is a TRUE restore program. If you go back, let's say two weeks, your system will be exactly the same as it was two weeks ago. Everything changed in those two weeks will be GONE. Therefore, you need to BACKUP all the files on your computer on a DAILY basis with a good backup program so that you will not be in for a surprise as I was with two days worth of emails that were GONE permanently.

[MikeBCda]

If you do a restore, any new info on the computer (between the time of the created restore point and when you do a restore) including emails, graphics, any type of file will automatically be erased.

Good point, bbfi, I forgot to include that rather critical info -- thanks for covering my butt.  

So far, knock wood, I haven't lost anything serious on the odd occasion I've restored -- my setup (and I think it's the default) is to create a new restore point the first time I start or restart on any calendar day (i.e., midnight-to-midnight).  At worst I might be missing an avast update or two -- but of course since my system's backtracked, avast then recognizes that there's a "new" one available again.

My only minor complaint about it is that when you're booting up, its status displays replace the usual POST info.  So I haven't a clue how to get into the CMOS if I ever have to.

[.: Mac :.]

So I haven't a clue how to get into the CMOS if I ever have to.

F11 on a windows machine I think.  But I am ususally wrong about windows  

[MikeBCda]

So I haven't a clue how to get into the CMOS if I ever have to.

F11 on a windows machine I think.  But I am ususally wrong about windows  

Thanks Mac, I'll make a note of that somewhere.  Admittedly considering this system is at least a couple of generations newer than what I'm used to, I probably don't want to mess around in CMOS if I can help it -- I'd be the equivalent of a newbie "playing" with RegEdit.  But I might need to change boot sequence someday, for instance, and on most systems the CMOS is the only way to do that.

[Max M.Wachtel III]

Another way to get to CMOS is to hold down a couple of keyboard keys.I restarted the other day and there was a book on the keyboard and when it started I got a error message "keyboard failure press del to enter setup"
lol-max

[bob3160]

Your right Max.
Hold the ( Delete ) key down while rebooting . Remember, HOLD IT DOWN.   Not like tapping the F8 Key to get to Safe mode.