IBM Aptiva Handbook page 128

Your Aptiva comes with preinstalled system and program
files. If you accidentally erase any of these files, or if some of
these files become corrupted when you install a new
program, you can recover them. To recover lost or corrupted
files that were installed at the factory, you need the Aptiva
Product Recovery and Diagnostics CD-ROM that came with
your computer.
The preinstalled software is licensed, not sold. The licenses
to preinstalled software allow you to make a backup copy to
prevent accidental loss or destruction of the software.
To protect your personal data and any special system
configuration, you should make regular backups of your data
and configuration files. You will need these backup copies if
you ever need to recover your system. In some cases, the
recovery process formats the hard drive, erasing all the files
there, and then installs new copies of the system and
program files on the clean drive.
It's a good idea to duplicate the directory structure that is on
your hard drive when you make backup copies of files.
Otherwise, you need to keep notes about where your files
belong on the hard drive. If you ever have to recover your
system, you will need to copy your personal data and
configuration files back to their original hard drive location.
10-22 Chapter 10: Diagnosing and recovering from problems
To recover the factory installed system and program files,
follow these steps:
1.
Make sure your computer is turned on.
2.
Insert the Product Recovery and Diagnostics CD-ROM
into your CD-ROM drive.
3.
Shut down the operating system and turn off your
computer. Wait for the power light to turn off.
4.
Turn on your computer.
5.
When you see the Configuration/Setup Utility menu:
a.
Use the cursor movement keys to select Full
Recovery or Custom Recovery.
b.
Follow the instructions on the screen and read the
messages carefully until the recovery completes.
Full Recovery will format your hard drive. If you choose
this option, all data on your hard drive will be erased. if
Warning! you have data that is not backed up to diskette or
another hard drive, exit from this program and make a
backup of your data.