Automatic error recovery in data processing systems

An error recovery technique is disclosed, suitable for use for the automatic installation of software to a client data processing system from a connected server data processing system. The installation process is made up of a plurality of operations executing on the client, for example format client disk drive, 318, load DOS, 324, and so on. Monitoring the successful completion of each of these operations on the client is watchdog timer code which preferably takes the form of device driver software received, 308, from the server system early in the installation process. At the beginning of each operation, a preselected time value is written, 316, to a counter in the watchdog timer, this time value representing a time period which is greater than the time normally taken for the respective operation to complete. If the counter expires before the operation is complete (if for example the server system or network fails), the client invokes an error recovery procedure which may for example involve rebooting, 342, the client.