FAQs

• Common questions
• How does Reimage actually work?

  The general idea of how Reimage works is identifying how your own operating system works as opposed to a brand new and functioning operating system installation works with all of your own custom configuration. Your own system is mirrored against a vast repository of system services, files, registry values, dynamic link libraries and other components of a fresh windows installation within our own database - everything is checked and cross checked. Malicious and known types of worms and viruses are being tagged for termination during this process as well and your own data is flagged for protection. In the end, there is an execution phase which works per the previous checkup and delivers what the repair has deemed necessary for your operating system.

• My computer hasn't shown an improvement, what now?

  Sometimes there is a need to execute reimage again while your machine is under Safe-mode with networking - you will need to undo repairs by clicking on the desktop link created in order to undo the last repair and re-enable your license key, otherwise you will receive a message "license key invalid" while repairing. Most importantly, you should remember that while running Reimage, the safest bet for best results would be to disable any other program running and scanning files in the background for Reimage to have access to certain areas of your operating system that need inspection.

• Reimage seems frozen while It was operating on my machine - what now?

  Remember to disable any Antivirus software or proactive defense mechanism to insure optimal results in cases such as freezing with Reimage.

• Error messages on startup, still not resolved - what now?

  Sometimes viruses and worms place themselves on your startup execution list and automatic process fails to detect the now orphaned links, these links remain intact and are looked upon for execution - considering the files they link to no longer exist on your machine (and are orphaned). As Reimage took care of these malicious programs, you get an error saying they can't be found. In these cases, please contact support and they will assist you utilizing a remote session to solve this issue permanently.

• How long will my PC Repair last?

  Your reimage PC repair brought your operating system back to as-new again. Just like when you purchased your PC, everything has been re-arranged in an optimal way. After time, virus damage may occur again, partial downloads will stack up, temporary files and orphaned links will slow your seek time, and some files may become damaged again. You can reduce the effects of long time erosion to your operating system by periodically performing self-maintenance on your computer - this can be done in several ways:
  By defragging your hard drive, to rearrange how your file system structures bytes on your physical hard drive. Delete temporary, unwanted and unneeded files from your system to free up space; and for example reduce the time it takes your machine to scan your entire computer for viruses, or speed up indexing services. Scanning your hard drive with your built in "Scan Disk" option (within windows) to detect abnormalities on your hard drive. Always update your machine with latest update patches and drivers from your components vendors.
  If you have freezing and crashing, or your computer becomes too cumbersome to operate, or complicated to maintain yourself, then feel free to run our free scan again to assist you in detecting problems.

• General questions
• How does Reimage PC repair work?

  Reimage PC repair is a web service that rapidly diagnoses operating system problems. Reimage surgically implements repairs by accessing a huge web repository of 25 million "spare" systems files and registry objects.

• How does Reimage differ from other PC repair/registry repair software?

  Reimage has exclusive access to a dynamically updated web repository of fresh system components - used as "spare" parts for the repair.
  No other PC repair/registry repair software on the market offers this.

• Setup
• What do I need in order to launch Reimage?

  To avoid a frustratingly slow repair process, we recommend a minimum of 384MB of RAM on the PC under repair and a high speed internet access. In cases your PC has numerous pop ups, viruses or home page hijackers it is highly recommended runing Reimage in safe mode with networking. It will run faster and improve repair quality.
  In order to run under "Safe Mode" you should boot your PC while clicking the F8 key.
  Select the "Safe Mode With Networking" menu option and start a Reimage repair.

• Which operating systems does Reimage support?

  Find Below is a detailed list of the Windows Operating Systems that are supported by Reimage. If you have a version which is supported by Reimage and still aren't able to repair, please contact support by clicking here.

• Can I use Reimage for Linux/Mac ?

  We don't currently provide support for operating systems outside of Microsoft product range, which includes Apple based Operating systems or any Linux Distributions.

• Can I try using OS compatibility mode? (In other operatings systems such as Windows 7)

  Reimage detects your operating system in order to know which spare parts should be used when repairing.
  If you 'fool' Reimage Repair that you are running a different OS, spare parts for and inaccurate OS will be used to repair your PC and this might damage your machine.

• Repair Process
• What to do if I cannot run Reimage due to numerous pop ups, viruses and home page hijackers?

  Reboot the PC and run Reimage in safe mode with networking (click the F8 key while PC is loading). It will run faster and smoother.

• How fast is Reimage?

  Depends on RAM, Hard Disk and line speed. Repair often takes around 40 minutes.

• Can Reimage help me diagnose hardware problems?

  Almost... The elimination of so many software problems will allow you to isolate and diagnose many hardware failures.

• Does the repair process harm the applications already installed?

  No. In very rare cases where an installed application has already been harmed by malicious software, you might need to reinstall that specific application.

• Seamless Switch to Safe-Mode when Repair Errors Occur in Normal Mode

  Reimage has now developed and released new feature that automatically launches the customer's computer into the Safe Mode function in order to complete a repair that is unable to continue in Normal Mode. Safe Mode is a diagnostic mode of a computer's Operating System, and is intended to allow repairs to be made within an operating system. This new feature has been specifically developed to easily handle the switch from Normal Mode to Safe Mode by a simple click of a button, allowing the repair process to continue automatically.
  
  1. How it works: In some instances where a certain error prevents Reimage from continuing repairs under normal windows operation, you will be presented with an option to restart repairs under safe-mode with networking. By using safe-mode with networking, your computer will reboot and repairs will restart automatically from the beginning as there will be a need to re-analyze your machine, under safe-mode environment.
  
  2. If error(s) occurs and the automation did not appear : If you can't continue the repairs, and the automatic window did not appear, then you need to launch safe-mode with networking manually - to do so follow these steps:
  
    1. Restart your computer
    2. While restarting, press the F8 key
  
  Repairs will restart from the beginning and re-analyze your machine for repair.
  
  3. My computer hasn’t shown an improvement, what now ?
  If you need to run the repair again in safe-mode, then see section 2 above on how to launch safe mode with networking manually.

• Free Scan Results
• Reimage has detected my hard drive is compressed, what can I do about it?

  A Compressed hard drive is very nice if you want to maximize the space on your disk, but a drawback is that all disk storage operations take more time. With a very fast CPU in your system, this might not be a problem, but if you want to maximize your PC performance you do not use disk compression. To turn off Windows compression on a disk, right-click the drive and select Properties in the popup menu. In the disk properties dialog, uncheck the Compress drive to save space checkbox and click OK.

• Reimage has detected that my system has a low amount of system memory (RAM), what can be done?

  Try to keep your startup application to a minimum as with low amount of RAM every bit of system memory is important and wasting the majority of it on startup application could and probably would decrease your systems performance. As such it would be wise to add more memory to your PC. A total amount of 1GB of RAM should be enough for most Windows home users.

• My hard drive has exhibited extremely low speed, what can I do about it?

  There could be several reasons for this to occur, most of them natively originate from hardware issues but some can be solved by modifying the motherboard hard drive controller transfer rate. Sometimes it is set to an outdated transfer mode called PIO (Up to 16MB/Sec) which is much slower than UDMA which starts from 16MB/sec and currently surpasses over 100Mb/sec.
  To re-enable the typical, or faster, transfer mode for an affected device:
  1. Double-click Administrative Tools, and then click Computer Management.
  2. Click System Tools, and then click Device Manager.
  3. Expand the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers node.
  4. Double-click the controller for which you want to restore the typical DMA transfer mode.
  5. Click the Driver tab.
  6. Click Uninstall.
  7. When the process completes, restart your computer. When Windows restarts, the hard disk controller is re-enumerated and the transfer mode is reset to the default value for each device that is connected to the controller. For a more extensive guide on the matter, please refer to MS KB here: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=817472

• There seems to be an indication of prior damage to my hard drive, what can be done in the matter?

  As with every hardware component always assume physical damage is a possibility, sometimes there are indications of bad sectors on a hard drive which can be solved by running a sector recovery scan utilizing windows check disk software, this process may take up to several hours depending on the size of the hard drive and the extent of damage on the drive.
  To run the check disk utility simply click Start button > run > (type in the following) chkdsk /r > click yes when prompt to schedule a test next reboot remember this will take a while so it is preferable you'd do it at night before you go to sleep...

• Reimage has fixed my cryptographic service! what is cryptographic services?

  Provides three management services: Catalog Database Service, which confirms the signatures of Windows files; Protected Root Service, which adds and removes Trusted Root Certification Authority certificates from this computer; and Key Service, which helps enroll this computer for certificates. If this service is stopped, these management services will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

• How is my PC's stability level measured?

  Reimage measures your PC's stability by analyzing the Windows application log for applications that crashed frequently within the last 4 months or since your last Reimage repair, whichever is most recent.

• Purchase
• And if I don't like the repair made?

  If for some reason you are not satisfied with the repair - Email support@reimage.com and they will help you with any residual problem.
  If your PC was not fixed and your refund request was made within 30 days from the date of purchase in question - you will be asked to reverse the repair ("Undo") and immediately receive a full refund!
  Please note: The 1-click "Undo" process is mandatory for receiving your refund. OR In order to receive a refund, you must "Undo" the repairs made. This is a simple 1-click process.

• I had a successful repair. But now, weeks after, my PC is unstable again. How come?

  Your computer changes every time you use it. Depending on your activities, this could be due to any number of things: unfinished updates and installations, accidentally deleting necessary files, a new program that you downloaded, an email attachment you opened, a new game you tried to play. The best way to avoid many problems is to do periodic but consistent maintenance on your computer. Click here to see the list of maintenance tips for after a Reimage repair. If you are experiencing a major computer problem such as a blue screen, frequent crashes and freezing, then you may have to run the repair again. See FAQ question "How often should I use the Reimage repair" for more information.

• How often should I use the Reimage repair?

  It is important to remember that the Reimage repair is an extensive repair of your operating system. Once used, your operating system is returned to a working state. Over time and with ordinary PC use, you may need to use the repair again, and if used too frequently the effects may be lessened.
  
  However, if you are experiencing any one of the problems that brought you to use Reimage in the first place, i.e. crashing, freezing, blue screens of death, etc., then feel free to run the Reimage repair again.

• Does the license key ever expire?

  Yes, an unused license key expires one year from date of purchase.

• How will I be charged when I purchase the license key ?

  There is a one-time charge for the total amount that you will see on your credit card. Once you pay, you will receive your license key that you can use for one year. There is no recurring charge or automatic renewal of the license key. If you would like to renew the license key after one year, you may do so by clicking on the Renew Now button in the bottom left side of the program screen. This link will be available starting from 30 days before the key expires.

• How can I renew my license key?

  You can renew your license key when prompted to do so by clicking on the link in the Status box at the bottom left side of the program. A renew notice will start 30 days before expiration with a Renew Now button. Click on the button to purchase and renew your license key for another year. You will also receive an email reminder 30 days and 15 days before the license expires with a link to renew the license key.

• Handling Viruses
• Does the repair process disable viruses?

  Reimage deactivates viruses and makes sure they will not be executed again after reboot. Reimage also repairs the damage they may cause. However, viruses may remain in non-system areas on the PC, so it is highly recommended to run good antivirus application after the repair in order to clean the hard disk.

• Do I need to scan the PC with an antivirus after completing the repair?

  Yes. Reimage is not an antivirus application. It will fix the operating system and terminate the startup of harmful objects, but hidden malicious files may still reside in other parts of the PC hard disk. That's why we recommend that you scan the entire PC for viruses immediately after completing the repair and the PC reboot.

• After the Repair
• How can I undo a repair already completed by Reimage?

  Go to Start, find Reimage in the menu and then click on Uninstall.
  Select Revert Repairs and go through the process. Restart your PC when prompted.

• And if I don't like the repair made?

  If for some reason you are not satisfied with the repairs made - Email support@reimage.com and they will help you with any residue problem.
  If your PC was not fixed and your refund request was made within 30 days from date of purchase - you will receive a full refund!

• Why do I sometimes get pop-up warnings from my antivirus software during and after the repair?

  During the repair process, Reimage makes many file changes in your PC. It may also remove melicious applcations into a virus vault. That's simply part of the repair. Norton security and other antivirus applications may detect these changes and since they are not aware of the repair your PC has gone through - they generates these warnings.
  You must accept all your antivirus notifications and proceed. This will only occur during the repair.

• Why I am asked to download MS windows update after a repair?

  Reimage finalizes a repair by building a fresh operating system in good physical shape. This repaired OS may not necessarily be up to date with MS latest updates. That's why after reboot you will frequently be asked to download some updates to bring you up to date with the latest MS recommendations. It is OK to reject these updates, but it is always recommended install them.

• My anti-virus scanner found viruses on my PC after the repair. Why is that?

  Upon virus detection, Reimage disables the viruses found and quarantines them in a specific quarantine folder. The viruses are deactivated.

• My registry cleaner/optimizer found errors on my PC after the repair. Why is that?

  Assuming your registry cleaner is legitimate and does not overinflate the number of errors on your system (a common "scare tactic"), this may be happening because your cleaner/optimizer program is associating a date change of your files as a problem. When files are replaced with a fresh, clean copy in our repository, the date attached to the file is different.

• Security and privacy
• Can Reimage collect information about me or my PC?

  Reimage collects information which is used in the repair process of your computer. We do not make copies of your programs or data files on your computer to perform the Service, nor do we sell this information to third parties. • The technical information collected from the scan process is used to improve our services and sites. This technical data is not associated with your personal information. Technical data is collected separately and used for improvements of the product and usage statistics that may be published in marketing materials. • Personal information is collected on an opt-in basis only. and will only be used in the way described when providing the information. You may provide us your email and name in order to receive your license key, support, or sign up for news. We will only use your personal information in the way that we described at the time of collection, including when you provide your information to download the free scan. We will not subsequently change the way your personal information is used without your consent. Reimage adheres to TRUSTe's strict privacy policy. Please feel free to read our full privacy policy.

• Support
• What is a Support Case?

  A support ticket that escalates into a technical issue and needs an engineer to resolve is considered a Support Case. If your support ticket escalates into a support case, you will be informed, and contacted for the next repair steps. When you purchase the repair license, you receive 2 free support cases. Please note that our repair encompasses the Windows Operating System only, and does not include third party software. Please read the list of what we don’t fix here.

• What is a Support Ticket?

  A support ticket is opened each time you contact the support department. You can contact our Support Department as many times as needed, with as many questions as you have, 24/7. You may find it convenient to use our simple web wizard that will help you answer questions automatically, and give you an immediate answer to your questions. We recommend customers use the wizard first in order to get more immediate answers.