Hi everyone,

I had a hand me down computer and after having various problems with it such as regular programs and software removed from their original place (from calculator and notepad removed from the accessories tab under START to no sysrestore or EventViewer software.) I have decided to completely clean off my computer and put on the original software.

I already received the system restore CD from HP and I have all the disks and backups for personal files. I accidently removed all of the original Windows software and so I will probably have to reinstall WindowsXP. However, I do not have the original CD for the computer...

QUESTIONS 1: is there a way to get a replacement from Windows for the software I already have on the computer?

Once I have that in order I will need to figure out how to completely clean off my hard drive and restore the system to its original state, and then I can just upgrade it using device manager and such.

QUESTIONS 2: What is the easiest way for me to completely clean off my harddrive?

keep in mind I accidently removed all of the installation information from my computer so I cannot uninstall anything manually. The files and programs still remain on my computer and they work, but I cannot upgrade anything. (my Add/Remove Programs section is completely blank.)

QUESTION 3: How do I use the system restore CD? I think I insert it then shut the computer down and power it up, but I am not sure.

QUESTION 4: Is this kind of software USER friendly?

QUESTION 5: What sort of things should I look out for or take into consideration when setting up the original Windows Systems configurations?

Thanks a lot and hopefully I can get this done by the new year!

Hi Devin,

Answer Q1:
Not without a version of Windows Setup either on CD, in some cases the recovery CD (not likely to be found on HP Recovery CD's), if you have a folder c:\i386 or c:\windows\options\cabs? If so, it's just a simple matter of pointing to these locations when you try to re-install them through Add / Remove Programs > Add/Remove Windows Components to the left.

Answer Q2:
The installation information is important for removing any unwanted software, as this will tell you exactly where these files and registry keys were installed to. There is no way to *cleanly* remove software without it. We can get rid of a good portion of the software by deleting their folders from the c:\program files\ folder, but there's no telling what other files have been stored in other locations. The cleanest way to remove all of this software as well as any other rubbish that may be on the PC is to use your recovery CD.

Answer Q3:
That's exactly how you use it. They do vary between PC's, however, you'll normally have an option of full or partial recovery. I would suggest full, which will take your PC back to factory settings with a clean (formatted) disk. The recovery wizard will guide you through the rest, but is mostly done automatically.

Answer Q4:
USER friendly software? Any software which is easy for the user to use. Most GUI (Graphical User Interface) is considered User Friendly. DOS for example, which is not graphical in nature, and requires you to have some knowledge of commands in order to use, is not considered user friendly.

Answer Q5:
Really not sure what you mean by this one

There should be no need to mess with the system configuration once the recovery CD is used, unless there is a specific need. Once the recovery CD is used, your PC will be restored to factory settings, which is good enough for most users unless there is a specific need to change them. For example, if you were on a corporate network, you may wish set a "static IP address" for your PC. I'm assuming this is just a normal home pc.

Thanks a lot that basically takes care of my questions and concerns.

Marked as Answered