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Sounds like you're saying you lost your Windows install disk?
If that is the case you have a couple options possible...
1. Do you have the license key still? You can go online and LEGALLY download the same version of Windows you have a key for, you simply then burn that to disc and then when installing use your License key.
2. If you lost both the disc and the license key BUT you registered it with Microsoft before losing them then you may be able to contact Micrsoft for assistance in retrieving your key.
3. Otherwise you have to buy a new copy of windows.
You can use the OS installation disc or recovery disc if your computer has one. Insert the disc and re-boot the computer. It should ask you to boot from cd-rom and to press any key. If it does not then you will need to go into the BIOS of the computer and change the boot sequence to cd-rom first. Then when you get the disc to boot do a new installation. This will erase the drive and install the operating system fresh. You will then need to install all of the drivers for the laptop and software. If you have a recovery disc then it should bring it back to the factory state and will have the drivers and software on the disc also. Remember to back-up any pictures or files you do not want to lose if you can. Let me know if you have questions or problems.
hi, this is hard with out the disc for xp, or the one that goes with the system. if you have the key code, and you can get a xp disc,you would be able to clean install of xp, but you would lose the extras and other software that came with the computer,most of those you can download. do not use a dell,hp,or any other brands install disc! unless yours is a direct match. you may try and find an oem xp disc(this is what i would do) and clean install.hope this helps,glen
If you run a repair with the recovery disc you won't lose any info. The only time you'll lose the info is if you run a complete reload. Run the system disc until it gets to the point of finding installed operating systems, at this point instead of deleting the partition, press R and it will reinstall the operating system files only leaving other installed files and programs intact. Keep in mind that many times when this happens, it's a hard drive failure. If it is a hard drive failure, then you will have to replace the hard drive and you will lose the info, sorry.
You will to run the repair with your recovery disc or operating system disc. In order to do this, you will have to enter the boot menu or set the machine to boot from CD before the hard drive. If you run a repair it will keep all the drivers, installed programs, and your files. If you have to do a complete reload, then you will have to download the drivers from the manufacturers site and you will lose any installed programs and files. If the hard drive is bad you are going to lose these anyway.
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