Since you built it your never find a restore CD for many reasons. First the OS install is from the usual Windows CD/DVD (depends on version because XP fit on CD and later versions are on DVD.)
So when you change an OS you know your old OS and files are most likely going away.
Since you knew that you would repeat your OS install like you did when you built the PC then restore your apps and files because you knew they were going away.
Bob
Hey guys,
I think I may have a very serious issue on my hands! Earlier this week, I attempted to install Windows 8 on my computer. Everything checked out and the "compatibility" tool said I met all of the requirements. I start the install and everything was going well until it froze on the "getting ready" screen. The computer restarted and now I can't even access my old OS. It starts up and goes right into the install and then will stop and say "Comp. shut down unexpectedly, computer needs to restart to finish install." and this happens over and over again. I tried to copy an ISO on to a USB and boot from there to try to start the install over, but that didn't work. For some reason, it will not boot from the USB drive and I made sure I set up the BIOS for it to boot from the drive, but the screen just sits there with a cursor blinking. I don't have a restore CD since I built this computer myself. Can anyone give me some advice?

Chowhound
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