Can't access Recovery Management

Hi, first the background, I'm using an Acer Aspire V5-431 running Windows 8. It's still under warranty but that's no help as I'm out of the country until October.

So much has stopped working the problem is in giving you the sequence. I tried to contact my son using Skype but found that the tile did not respond when I clicked on to it, nor could I find any trace of Skype elsewhere. My son tried to Skype me but, although I could hear the message tone I was unable to open it.

I then went on to find that several other tiles though not all of them, would not respond. These were Acer Explorer, Calendar, Camera, Photos. I was unable to access the Control Panel or Recovery Management using the Apps Charm, and I was unable to turn off the computer other than by the on/off button.

Use of the mouse seems quite restricted, for example I cannot scroll down a page but have to rely on page up/page down.

A lot of my problems seemed to relate to the Elan Pointing Device which I reset to factory default settings but with no noticeable change.

I am still able to connect to the internet.

As I said, it's still under guarantee but I won't be able to speak to the supplier for another month, which is going to seem like a lifetime!

Thanks in advance for any suggestions, I am open to trying anything. BTW I have copied most things of any importance (except my music) so loss of data would not seem like the end of the world to me.

Regards, John

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intel

re-start you notebook , the press and hold shift key ,

that should bring you to recovery section.

or you can look for acer recovery management in windows.

kilnfield

Should have added to my post that I had searched internet for solutions and had tried several including 'hold ALT and tap continuously on F10', 'turn computer on and off three times then back on a fourth time', and 'turn on while holding shift/or Alt/orCtrl'. None of these took me to recovery, but thanks for replying to me.

Vince53

Kilnfield, I cut and pasted this straight off the Microsoft site:

How to restore, refresh, or reset your PC

Applies to Windows 8,Windows RT

If you're having problems with your PC, you can try to restore, refresh, or reset it. Restoring your PC is a way to undo recent system changes you've made. Refreshing your PC reinstalls Windows and keeps your personal files, settings, and the apps that came with your PC and apps that you installed from Windows Store. Resetting your PC reinstalls Windows but deletes your files, settings, and apps—except for the apps that came with your PC.

If you need to restore your personal files, see How to use File History. If you used Backup and Restore in a previous version of Windows, you can use Windows 7 File Recovery to restore those backups. If you need to restart your PC, see How do I restart (reboot) my PC?

Restore your PC to an earlier point in time

If you think an app or driver that you recently installed caused problems with your PC, you can restore it back to an earlier point in time, called a restore point. System Restore doesn’t change your personal files, but it might remove recently installed apps and drivers.

Note

System Restore isn't available for Windows RT.
Windows automatically creates a restore point when you install new Windows updates if the last restore point is older than 7 days. You can also create a restore point at any time.

To restore your PC using System Restore

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then clickSearch.) Enter Recovery in the search box, tap or click Settings, and then tap or click Recovery.
Tap or click Open System Restore, and follow the prompts.

Refresh your PC without affecting your files

If your PC isn't performing as well as it once did, and you don't know why, you can refresh your PC without deleting any of your personal files or changing your settings.

Note

You might be prompted to insert discs or recovery media that came with your PC. Check the info that came with your PC to see if your PC manufacturer provided these discs or media. In some cases, you might have created them when you first set up your PC.

Warning

The apps that came with your PC or you installed from Windows Store will be reinstalled, but any apps you installed from other websites and DVDs will be removed. Windows puts a list of the removed apps on your desktop after refreshing your PC.

To refresh your PC

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)
Under PC settings, tap or click General.
Under Refresh your PC without affecting your files, tap or click Get started.
Follow the instructions on the screen.

Remove everything and reinstall Windows

If you want to recycle your PC, give it away, or start over with it, you can reset it completely.

Note

You might be prompted to insert discs or recovery media that came with your PC. Check the info that came with your PC to see if your PC manufacturer provided these discs or media. In some cases, you might have created them when you first set up your PC.

Warning

All of your personal files will be deleted and your settings will be reset. Any apps the came with your PC will be reinstalled, but all other apps will be removed.

To reset your PC

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)
Under PC settings, tap or click General.
Under Remove everything and reinstall Windows , tap or click Get started.
Follow the instructions on the screen.
Note
- You'll be prompted to choose whether you want to erase data quickly or thoroughly. If you choose to erase data quickly, some data might be recoverable using special software. If you choose to erase data thoroughly, this will take longer but it makes recovering data far less likely.

kilnfield

Thanks for your suggestions. I have tried clicking on the Recovery app using the Charms bar but absolutely nothing happens. As for the Settings charm followed by the 'change settings' tile, clicking this just returns me to my opening screen. Trying to open any of the management tools just doesn't work, in a couple of cases I have been left with a screen that I can't close. Since opening this post I have lost further access, as in having tried to open MS Money, which I have used since buying the computer, I now have a frozen introduction page and am unable to open any of my accounts.

Thanks again for reading my post and for proposing a solution.

Regards, John

AppsDev

It seems to me that perhaps the mouse has stopped working properly for whatever reason. I am not familiar with this particular model, but I know that some computers have the capability to turn the mouse on and off: could this be the case here?