With the final steps, you should be able to get your laptop to a very recent state. Surely not the last one, as that was problematic, but a recent one. If it doesn't work, you can try another, just by copying the files from the c:\windows\repair folder and proceeding from there.
I use Acronis True Image and find it quite good. Has kept me free from trouble 3 or 4 times. It's particularly recommended if you have an external disk to backup to, but can be used even if you have a single disk.