reinstall windows on computer - confusion.

[heyyo]

i purchased a computer from someone and it came with xp. It never came with the xp disk and when i spoke to the guy i got it from he said xp is built in to the computer and to re-install it at the boot up i press f10??? is this correct as i dont want to do this if it wrecks something up...i have no serial or anythin?

[marky]

it can be machines are different some come with disks some dont, some the o/s is on a partision on the hard drive without more detail i wouldnt like to say

[Flubflow]

Some brand name computer have a hard disk partition set aside especially for the recovery of the operating system. On such OEM preinstalls there may or may not be a Certificate of Authenticity sticker with the serial number on it stuck on the computer somewhere.
There are various freeware ultilities out there going by names such as "viewkeyXP" etc that claim to unencrypt and display what your original serial number is (edit: beware of viruses, download only from a reputable source).

[AndrewJ]

Personally it is likely to be full of OEM related rubbish which bloats the bloated XP already.

I would go out and buy a copy of Windows Xp Home, this will cost you but means you likely would get a cleaner installation.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatal...ystems_20.html

Xp home is £61.39 including VAT.

Run that from boot from cd, run a format to ntfs, set it all up and then you should be plain sailing, any drivers you need for sound etc. www.google.com is your friend.

If per-chance you do hit major problems with a driver, if you can get online drop a post in this section and I am sure someone will be here to help.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by heyyo

i purchased a computer from someone and it came with xp. It never came with the xp disk and when i spoke to the guy i got it from he said xp is built in to the computer and to re-install it at the boot up i press f10??? is this correct as i dont want to do this if it wrecks something up...i have no serial or anythin?

XP will be on a hidden partition (as people have said) which is ok to a point but if the hard drive shows signs of failling or suffers a sudden loss of data you will be buggered. Personally I would buy a copy of XP or find the product key it was installed with (if it's OEM it's normally on the case or on a CD somewhere) and then source a copy of the correct version of XP to install with it (could be problematic with OEM versions).
Normally F10 will lead you into a utility area where you can troubleshoot the system or re-install windows. Without that partition you are going to lose your drivers and any software that has been slipstreamed into the installation.

[Gareth]

I wouldn't necessarily go and buy a new copy of XP - instead I would borrow a friend's version, make a copy of that, and use your own serial key (found on a sticker somewhere on your case). It's the license that is important to you, not the physical media, so just use a copy of a friend's disc to do the install.

You'll still be able to install patches, as you'll be using your legit license key.
__________________

...actually Paul's got a point. As it's an OEM version, your license might be tied to that particular branded version of XP. I dunno... never used an OEM-specific version of XP, to be honest.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by Gareth

I wouldn't necessarily go and buy a new copy of XP - instead I would borrow a friend's version, make a copy of that, and use your own serial key (found on a sticker somewhere on your case). It's the license that is important to you, not the physical media, so just use a copy of a friend's disc to do the install.

You'll still be able to install patches, as you'll be using your legit license key.

Unless his friends version is the same version of XP that his product key is for he will still be stuffed Like I said in my previous post

or find the product key it was installed with (if it's OEM it's normally on the case or on a CD somewhere) and then source a copy of the correct version of XP to install with it

Edit:
LOL damn you mighty edit button

[cookie_365]

If you don't have the info on the serial number anywhere Belarc Advisor will be able to tell you as much info as there is (as well as loads of other stuff)

In Control Panel, go to Administrative Tools, Computer Management, then in the explorer-type window choose Storage, Disk Management, and click on the entry for your hard disk.

If the panel at the bottom shows two partitions (eg a 2.5GB or so marked FAT32 or EISA plus the actual C: drive) then chances are the smaller one is another partition with an 'image' of the original XP instal.

Depending on how its set up, chances are that F10 will take you into a screen where you can do a restore of just the XP image without effecting installed programs/My Documents etc (though personally I'd still back up to an external drive first ) or a whole 'back to the original setup' restore.

Of course, you'll then have to reinstall SP2, all the windows hotfixes since the PC left the assembly line, etc.

[nffc]

What make/model is it?