I too faced a similar issue once and then read the manual on Acer Website and then when i used to face problems with my Windows XP Home partition, I used to either reinstall Windows from previous back-ups or reinstall it fresh by pressing Alt+F10 keys. I purchased that laptop in 2006 and recently i had to discard Windows XP completely as the HDD is not working properly owing to overheating. The HDD of my laptop is 40GB and cannot be replaced unless it is available. A technician saw my laptop and told me to service its parts and put oil to make the HDD work properly without heating up. Recently, owing to much of such problems i removed Windows XP and installed Ubuntu 14.04. It runs smooth and does not require forced shutdowns through manual power offs.by.
The hotkey combination to recover ACER ASPIRE 3000 SERIES is usually ALT+F10 combination. You have to click both simultaneously while re-booting your laptop so that you can enter recovery section before Windows load. Its all given in the manual section of your laptop. The hidden partition can be erased, but it is the HEART of such laptops, so do not try to be extra smart unless you know what you are doing. The hidden partition contains recovery software called NORTON GHOST ( in my laptop it was present), how ever it may differ as per configuration and price. I removed my Windows XP completely substituting with UBUNTU Desktop 14.04 because Linux is more stable and less vulnerable to virus attacks.
Please do not go for UBUNTU if you do not need and if you do not know how to use it. Try to upgrade your RAM in your laptop so as to allow it to run faster. If you need any more suggestions then contact www.acer.com. Computer always created a recovery partition in the hard disk. Which can not be format.so you need to read your manual that is came with your acer computer and then you need to follow that on your computer. It will fix your computer.
If you don't have manual then i am giving you an idea. You just need to follow that idea. Then it will make your job easier.You need to go to BIOS.and select Boot option (sometimes you will get this option on power also).once you will select boot option then you will get an option, once you will reach there then you will able to see an option for restore you need to click on that then it will restore your computer. Recovery Partition is easy to delete or format and when you make the Recovery Disk/USB you also rec a notice this portion is not longer available for use and recommends you click yes to delete it. Most of a 1 time use.
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So recovery the space. This does not removed theauto recovery back to via Hotkeys. Highly recommend you read the USER Manual. On how to make your Recovery Disk/USB. And if your using Windows 8 or higher, any version of Recovery for will work. This has been tested on HP, Dell and Acers. The key is in the Bios, so it properly selects the version of OS and installs it.
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Several manufactures have added small minor changes to 'How to Restore via Recovery Disk/USB.'