Using Application Recovery (Windows 9x, Me, and XP)

Using Application Recovery (Windows 9x, Me, and XP)

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In this document:
Restoring software and drivers in Windows XP

XP Permission errors occur

Restoring software and drivers in Windows 98 and Me

Restoring whole directories and files from recovery discs (only for Windows Me and earlier)

Finding the driver name for your hardware

Related support



This document applies to HP desktop PCs that shipped with Windows 95, 98, Me, and XP.

This document explains how to restore an original software program or driver using the HP application recovery process.


Figure 1: Application Recovery Utility screenshots



Restoring software and drivers in Windows XP
Perform the following steps, in order, to restore software or drivers using the Application Recovery software:



NOTE: The screenshots and start menu paths for your computer may appear different than those shown in the procedures below. However, the graphics are similar to what is shown on all HP desktop computers that came with Windows XP and are still helpful.

Application installation

Driver installation


Application installation


To reinstall any preinstalled software application, first uninstall the application if it is still installed. To do so, follow the instructions below:


Click on Start, Control Panel, and Add or Remove Programs.

Select the software application to be uninstalled, and then click on the Remove button.

A window will appear asking for confirmation to remove the application. Click on OK.

Click on End.

Reboot the system by clicking on Start, Turn off computer, and then Restart.



Once the software application has been uninstalled, install it by using Application Recovery. To do so, follow the instructions below:


Click Start, All programs, and then Hewlett-Packard or Compaq.



NOTE: If the folder Hewlett-Packard or Compaq does not appear, skip to the next step.

Then, click on any of the folders below (just one of them will be available depending on the model of your computer):


HP Pavilion PC Tools,
Compaq Presario PC Tools,
PC Help and Tools, or
PC Recovery Tools.


Figure 2: EXAMPLE of one possible start path.



Click HP or Compaq Application Recovery.

Select Application Installation field and click on Next.


Figure 3: Application and Driver Recovery window



Select the name of the software that is going to be installed and click on Install.


Figure 4: List of applications



Once the installation is finished, click OK and then Quit.

Restart the computer. The software application has been restored.



Driver installation


To reinstall any driver that originally came with your computer, first make sure that the driver is available in Application Recovery as follows:


Click on Start, All programs, and then Hewlett-Packard or Compaq.



NOTE: If the Hewlett-Packard or Compaq folder does not appear, skip to the next step.

Then, click on any of the folders below (just one of them will be available depending on the model of your computer):


HP Pavilion PC Tools,
Compaq Presario PC Tools,
PC Help and Tools, or
PC Recovery Tools.


Figure 5: EXAMPLE of one possible start path.



Click HP or Compaq Application Recovery.

Select Driver Installation and click Next.


Figure 6: Application and Driver Recovery window



View the list of available drivers to make sure that the name of the driver that you want to restore is available. Close the window by clicking Cancel once you have verified the name.


Figure 7: List of drivers





Next, remove the currently installed driver in Device manager as follows:


Click Start, right-click My Computer and then select Properties.

Click the Hardware tab and then the Device Manager button.

Double-click the section that contains the driver that is going to be reinstalled and delete the entry that applies to that driver. To do so, right-click on the entry and select the Uninstall option.


Figure 8: Device Manager





NOTE: A warning may appear. Click OK to continue.

Once the uninstallation is finished, click on OK and restart the computer.



Once the driver has been uninstalled, install the new driver as follows:


Open Application Recovery again.

Select Driver Installation and click Next.

Select the driver name and click Install.


Figure 9: List of drivers



Once the installation is finished, click on OK and Quit.

Restart the computer. The driver is restored.



XP Permission errors occur
After trying to open Application Recovery, a permission error appears. Windows XP requires administrator rights in order to backup files or run the recovery process from within Windows XP. If logged on as a guest, the recovery process does not start. Perform the following steps to log on with administrative rights:


Click Start, then select Log Off.

Select Switch User.

If using Windows XP Professional, continue to then next step.

If using Windows XP Home Edition, select a logon name that has administrative rights (usually Owner or the first name that was created). If no logon with administrative rights is available, Restart the PC in Safe Mode. For more information on how to start the PC in Safe Mode, refer to Starting Windows XP in Safe Mode .

Select Log on as Administrator.



Restoring software and drivers in Windows 98 and Me
Perform the following steps to restore a single program or device driver:


Start Windows and place the last recovery disc into the top CD/DVD drive.

A Driver and Application Recovery window appears.

Click either the Applications or Device Drivers tab depending on what is to be recovered.

Select a program or driver from the list.

Click OK. The driver or program automatically restores to its original state.

An Application Recovery screen appears after the software is fully recovered.

Click Continue to recover another application, click Restart to restart the computer, or click Quit to end.



Restoring whole directories and files from recovery discs (only for Windows Me and earlier)
Sometimes, it may be necessary to only recover files and folders from a specific directory (like when a folder is accidentally deleted). It is not necessary to perform an entire system recovery to replace only a few files or folders. Instead, use selective recovery options to restore all the files in a directory or path.


Put the recovery disc into the top drive and restart the computer. If the HP Pavilion came with two recovery discs, use the second disc.

Continue past the initial recovery welcome/warning screen(s). If the first two numbers of the HP Pavilion's model number are 50, 51, 53, 70, 71, 72, 73, or 74, press F10 after the Warning screen. If a selective recovery does not appear, then try pressing and holding the Ctrl or Alt key before pressing F10.

Select Selective Recovery from the Advanced Options or Options menu and press Enter.

Type C:\*.* in the given field to recover all original files to their path on the hard drive. Type a deeper path to restore only those files in a specified directory, for example:C:\Progra~1\Maxis\*.*



Finding the driver name for your hardware
If you are having trouble matching the name of the software driver to the hardware that needs it, use the following steps to find the correct software name for a hardware component:


In Windows XP, click Start, right-click the My Computer icon.

In Windows 98 and Me, right-click the My Computer icon from the Windows Desktop.

In Windows XP, click Properties, then click the Hardware tab. In Windows 98 or Me, click Properties from the menu that appears.

Click Device Manager.

Click View Devices By Type and read the list of devices.

Click the plus sign (+) next to the device type that you are looking for.

Figure 10: Device Manager



Write down the listings that appear underneath.

Use the name that you wrote down to select the proper device driver when restoring a driver.