!Important! You should backup your new computer (or your old one!)

Question

As a Geek Squad Ask an Agent representive, I recieve plenty of calls. One of the questions I invariably have to ask is 'Do you have your recovery DVD's?' and the answer is always 'No.. doesn't the computer come with them?'
Macintosh computers (that's Apple) *do* in most cases come with OS recovery DVD's. PC's - which include popular brands such as ASUS, Dell, HP, Toshiba, etc - do NOT come with OS Recovery DVD's (in most cases).
What are Recovery DVD's?
Recovery DVD's are a copy of your system's OS, or Operating System. In most cases, this is Windows 7. You'll notice you have a sticker on the side, back or bottom of your PC/Laptop with your licence key. You don't need this, but this states you own the copy of Windows 7, so you're free to back it up for your machine.
The backup proccess also makes a copy of most of the programs you install on the machine. If you have a lot of programs, MP3's, or video files already installed, it'll use more DVD's.
For instructions on how to backup, refer to this Microsoft Document:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Back-up-your-files
If you don't understand this, refer to this:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/4241/how-to-create-a-system-image-in-windows-7/
I would recommend an external hard drive for backup, *and* a between 4 to 7 DVD's for a 'doomsday' situation - such as cases where the recovery external hard drive is corrupt or has been infected by a virus. This rarely happens, but always be prepared!
If you take the hour or so it takes to complete the backup proccess, you will avoid the following scenarios:
1. Paying money if there is a problem with your PC's software that causes it to freeze or crash. You can just go back to a 'restore point'.
2. Paying money to remove virus's. Hey, you have a backup. Just use the recovery DVD to wipe the computer and reload it with an uninfected copy from that backup you made two days ago.
3. Your computer or hard drive fails. Hey, you have a backup. When your machine is repaired, restore from backup and you've lost nothing.
4. Someone comes and messes up your computer. Say, your 'computer genius nephew'. Restore to a previous day, and it's as if he had never come over!
5. Random freezes and blue screens. Restore to FACTORY DEFAULT - if you create a system image when you first started the computer or near that time, you can restore to that point using the DVD's rather then the external hard drive. If the blue screens and freezes continue, it's much more likely to be a hardware problem then a software problem, which means you should bring it into the nearest Best Buy for a hardware diagnosis and possible warranty repair.
The most important reason for spending this time to back up is PEACE OF MIND.
Still confused? Call 1-800-GEEK-SQUAD.
(Remember, this is not an offical Best Buy message, it is only my opinion)
I am a Bestbuy employee who volunteers on these boards on my own time. I am not paid for posting here, and you should understand that my opinions are exactly that - opinions. I do not represent Bestbuy in any way.
: Open Mailbox

Answer 1

Additionally, some HP computers do not have recovery partitions, or those recovery partitions may become corrupt/unusable. Therefore, creating a DVD recovery set is always the best option. To see if you have a recovery partition, navigate to START/COMPUTER and view if you have a secondary hard drive (labeled other then C:, usually D that is named 'Recovery, SYSTEM FILES' or similar.
I am a Bestbuy employee who volunteers on these boards on my own time. I am not paid for posting here, and you should understand that my opinions are exactly that - opinions. I do not represent Bestbuy in any way.
: Open Mailbox