I have a desktop computer with windows xp installed but no recovery disc with it?

Question

What I want to do is to install windows vista on top of it, or if possible format windows xp, so that I can install a fresh copy of vista onto it, any suggestions, or links you can point me to to try and solve this

Answer 1

Before you try installing Vista, I'd advise that you download the following program, 'Vista Upgrade Advisor', from Microsoft, to see whether your computer is capable of running it. Not all hardware, nor software, is compatible with Vista.

Answer 2

if your pc came with xp installed on it but with no cd, then press start, all programs and look for a program called recovery cd maker (or something like that). this is installed on most xp pc's, especially hewlett pcakard, compaq, when you find it you will need to run it and follow the instructions, this will make you an exact copy of what was bundled on your pc from new, once made, place it in your rom drive and reboot and follow the instructions. it will format you drive and re-install xp, BEWARE though, you will loose all pics, music,video and saved documents unless you back them up. as for vista, i would not bother, unless you buy a pc thats bundled with it or build one from new with vista compatible parts you will be met with all sort of problems. run the vista upgrade advisor available from microsoft befor attempting it, you will also find out what programs if any will and wont run under vista. good luck

Answer 3

Going by what people on answers are saying wait 12 months before going to vista.

are there vista drivers for your devices?

in XP windows help files serach for the following:
1. 310994
which is the boot disk article
2. XP recovery disk - gives a lot of info - outlines the system restore, safe mode boot, recovery console, and automatic boot repair that i have never heard of ( expand the +)

also
Partition the Hard drive – reasons
========================
Firstly C drive is compulsory for the Operating System (XP) (Vista), and you install all your programs on C drive.

D drive is made for YOUR files.

What you do is MOVE my documents to D drive.

When you download music, videos, pictures from your camera or make any MS Office documents or save emails, you save it on D drive.

The reason for this is to do with
1. Hard drive failure - usually a failed hard drive will not boot, but can often be seen when hooked up as a slave.
So when you get your new hard drive up and running, you can copy D drive from your old to your new. You haven’t lost anything.

2. Virus. Normally virus are programmed to infect C drive. If you get a bad virus all that has to be done is format the C drive partition then re install you OS and programs from disks.
You haven’t lost your personal stuff because its on D drive.

3. Scanning your C drive for virus or spyware. These malware programs live on C drive. It is not necessary to scan D drive. It is a lot quicker to scan a small partition than a large hard drive.


Now you can see the above is compromised by the fact that programs get updates and lots of programs are installed from the net. Therefore if you had to wipe out C drive it be hard to get it back to how it was.
To remedy this we use Norton Ghost to image C drive and store the Image on D drive.
(Vista requires a different version of Ghost).

If you get a bad virus you just use the Ghost disk to boot up on, then copy the image stored on D drive back over C drive.
It takes less than 30 mins to rebuild C drive.
Also you may have this running on say a 250 gig HDD, and it fails. You buy a new 400 gig HDD and install both into you computer, the failed one as a slave.
Using the ghost disk to boot up on, you partition the 400 C drive to 50 gig and the remaining to D drive. Then you repack C drive from the image. Then Copy your old D drive files to your new one. In a time of less than 1 hour and it’s all running. The image loads all the drivers, OS everything.

Then you update new images of C drive every few months so that the one stored on D drive is not to out of date.


On XP and Vista you create C drive to a maximum of 50 gig. It doesn’t need to be any bigger, even 40 gig is heaps. However if you have a HDD less than 100 gig then limit C drive to 30 gig. Even 30 gig is heaps, so don’t make C drive to big as you will not use it,

Answer 4

Start computer in BIOS mode by pressing delete on start up. Change boot sequence to boot from CD first and insert Vista CD. Vista will then format hard drive and install at the same time.

Answer 5

Select the CD-Rom as the first boot device. You can so this by Pressing F10 when your computer starts. In the setup find the tab named boot sequence and select the CD ROM as the first bot device.Save and exit. When the computer will start again a screen will appear with the message "Press any key to boot from CD.....".Windows XP Set up will start. Install a new copy of windows. Format C Drive using NTFS file System(Quick). The windows will be installed automatically afterwards. You just have to give the serial number.

Answer 6

If your pc is capable of running vista it should install straight over xp. Do you have a Vista disk? If so, what happens when you try to install it?

Answer 7

There should be a option to totally wipe the harddrive if you do that when you install vista it will be the only thing on your computer.

Answer 8

You sure you want Vista? I've heard nothing but bad things about it. A few of my mates have it and they can't get their programs to work anymore.

Answer 9

DON'T !
it'll never work right!
get a pre installed vista pc,you WILL regret trying to upgrade.

Answer 10

if it older than 2006 then it has its own reboot cd installed on the computer/laptop press either f11 f12 or f10 on startup