How to Extract an Operating System From Recovery Discs

1. Plug your computer into a power source if you are recovering a laptop or other portable computer. The recovery process requires a lot of power and time and can run a full battery dry on some models. Desktop computers already have constant power, so there is no need to do anything extra.
2. Check that your keyboard is functioning properly. If you normally only use a mouse or other input device, you will need a keyboard for this action, so plug one in and try typing a few lines to ensure it works.
3. Place your recovery disc, or the first in a series of recovery discs, in your disc drive. If your computer tries to automatically run the disc, press 'Pause' or 'Stop' to prevent it from doing so.
4. Shut down your computer completely using the 'Shut down' or 'Turn Off' function.
5. Turn on your computer and watch the screen carefully. As soon as the first 'splash screen' appears--usually an image of the manufacturer's name or logo--look for instructions to enter the computer's BIOS. This basic input/output system will allow you to change how the computer boots up. The screen may say something like 'Press F12 to Enter Setup' or 'Press F2 to Change Boot Order.'
6. Press the indicated key before the next screen appears. You will only have a few seconds. If no instructions appear or if you miss the opportunity to press the key, shut down the computer and try again. If you still see no instructions, shut down and try restarting while holding down the 'Delete' (or 'Del') key. Alternate keys to try are 'Esc,' the number zero, and any of the function number keys ('F1' through 'F12'). The process of entering the BIOS or boot order setup varies across manufacturers and models.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions to move within the setup screens. You will need to use arrow keys to move the cursor and the 'Enter' key to select. 'Esc' will generally back you out of anything you didn't mean to do. Locate the area where you can change which device the computer looks in first to boot up. This is generally set to the hard drive, often labeled HDD. Use the arrow keys to toggle this to the disc drive where you placed your recovery disc.
8. Follow the on-screen instructions to save changes and exit the BIOS. Your computer may continue to boot normally or it may immediately begin extracting files from the recovery disc. If it does the latter, you are finished. Just follow the on-screen instructions to complete the operating system extraction and installation but do not try to run any other operations on your computer until it is finished. If the computer boots normally, shut it down and restart it again. It will now look in the disc drive and extract the operating system as it boots.