system restore windows xp

[emmag6981]

hi, pretty new pc owner. bought pc from "friend" lots of bad stuff on it, few problems. want to totally restore the system and start from scratch. i do not have a boot disk or system restore windows cd. do i need to download the boot disk from this site. where do i get one and will it totally wipe my system? i do want this! sorry for sounding so dumb!
thanks

[TJolly]

Hi emmag6981 and welcome to cth.

What problems are you having?

If this is an 'off the shelf' computer then you will need the restore discs provided by the manufacturer or a copy of windows xp.

[emmag6981]

hi, thanks for your quick response.
i think the guy b4 us bought it from a shop but when we got it from him there was no xp disk or boot disk. can i download one of these from this site or directly from microsoft?

[TJolly]

Hi emmag6981

You can visit any computer shop and purchase a copy of winxp. You can't download a free copy of xp if that's what you are after.

What problems are you having?

[emmag6981]

there is some explicit material on the pc and i cant get rid of it. other programmes have been installed that i cant get rid of even tho i have went thru the control panel and add/remove programs but still cannot get rid of them. the scanner and printer are not working either and i have tried 2 reinstall the software with little success.
why can i not just use a book disk to restore the system to its original state, or restore fatory settings?

[TJolly]

Hi emmag6981

From what you are saying your factory restore is in a hidden partition on your hdd. You will have to contact the computer manufacturer and obtain the boot disc for that particular model. Who is the manufacturer and what model is the computer?

Have you run an av program and anti-spyware programs?

You could also try system restore and roll back to a point when everything was ok. If such a point exists.

[Murray S.]

Howdy and welcome to CTH:

A boot disk doesn't restore your system.. In fact, depending on the command, it wipes it out completely!!!

Follow TJolly's advice and and try to get a Recovey/Restore cd from the manufacturer or, you will have to purchase your own WinXP cd and restore the system that way!!

Murray

[emmag6981]

ok thanks very much, i will try and get the disk from the manufacturer + let u know how i get on

[horza]

Actually, if I were you, i'd look into trying to find a local small computer reseller, and purchase an OEM copy of XP. Then reformat the hard drive, considering thats about all that will truly fix the problem from what you're saying. I know there is a small time company around here that sells an OEM copy of XP for about $150, and www.newegg.com will sell it to you for about $140, as long as you buy something that is hardware, such as a IDE cable or something like that, you may be able to purchase something for about $0.99 and then qualify for the OEM package.

[emmag6981]

ok, the pc is a packard bell with windows xp. i do not have any recovery disks.
what does a boot disk do? i would like to erase everything put on 2 the pc by its previous owner and everything i have put on 2, which is very little and can be reinstalled easily. how do i do this without the recovery/boot disks? is there no way i can do it without buying windows xp from a shop which is very expensive?
thanks

[TJolly]

Hi emmag6981

Please read the post by Murray S for what a boot disk does.

Originally Posted by emmag6981

is there no way i can do it without buying windows xp from a shop which is very expensive?
thanks

You either have to purchase a copy of WinXP or contact P/Bell with the model and serial number and they will send you the recovery discs for a nominal charge, usually around £25.