64 5 - 18 February 2020
(bit.ly/mini494) and Macrium Reflect
Free (bit.ly/macri494) are all excellent
free backup programs that include
this option.
Each backup program will use a
slightly different method for this – just
scour the menus for a rescue or
emergency media creator, then use it to
make a rescue tool from a writable CD,
DVD or memory stick. If disaster strikes
and you can’t reboot your PC normally,
insert the rescue tool and turn on the
PC. Most PCs automatically detect
inserted drives and flash up a message
asking if you want to boot from it.If you don’t see options to boot
from the rescue media, tap a function
key several times as your PC starts.
It may be F2, F8, F12 or even Ctrl+F8.
If you’re not sure, watch out for the
instructions for your PC, which usually
flash up on-screen as your PC starts.
Booting the rescue media lets you
access the backup tool, so you can
restore your PC to how it was before
your problems started.Slow down your boot-up
Newer Windows PCs boot up a lot
faster than older models because
many startup processes are
either skipped or streamlined
to reduce the time it takes to
process them. However, it’s
now harder to select startup
options, such as whether to
boot from the hard drive, USB
or CD, and to access the BIOS
setup utility or other things
your PC may offer. When you
need to access these,
switching to a slow startupH
ow Windows 10 boots up depends
on how it was shut down. If you click
Start, Power, then ‘Shut down’,
Windows logs you out of your account and
hibernates, which saves all the drivers and
services it has loaded. The next time you
boot up, Windows quickly wakes itself
from hibernation so you can log in.
However, if you click Start, Power, then
hold down Shift and click ‘Shut down’,
every program, driver and service quits
and the PC powers off. When you come to
boot it up again, everything reloads. This is
slower but cleaner, because every driver,
app and program is started afresh.
So, you have a choice between a fast
and ‘dirty’ boot (click ‘Shut down’) or a
slow and clean boot (Shift+‘Shut down’).
Clean booting is a better way to restart if
you’re having problems with your PC,
because it flushes out software problems
that may be causing malfunctions.Choose between a clean or ‘dirty’ Windows boot
Recover from catastrophic
Windows failure
We’re so used to switching on our PCs
and leaving Windows to launch and
carry out its startup process unaided
that it’s easy to assume that it will never
fail. Hopefully, it never will, but there’s
always a small possibility that your PC
won’t boot up the next time you want
to use it.
Backup software not only lets you
create a backup of your PC’s hard drive,
but it can also provide tools for creating
a bootable drive from a CD or USB
memory stick. Paragon Backup &
Recovery Community Edition (bit.ly/
para494), MiniTool ShadowMaker Free
Choose between ‘Shut down’ options with the Shift keyCreate recovery media to start your PC when
Windows won’t bootIf you see words that look like
they’ve been typed in a
typewriter, follow the instructions
and type them exactly as they
appear, paying close attention to
spaces and punctuation.Web User Masterclass
Take control of your PC’s boot process
and start Windows the way you want