One caveat to what you've said - many computer vendors today are not including a copy of the OS on a CD by default when you buy a computer today - instead they have a "hidden" partition on the drive with a disk image. When you want to "reformat and reinstall" you just run the recovery disk (comes under different names, depending on the company) which writes the disk image over your current hard drive contents, effectively restoring your computer to the day you got it. As with your comments, this still does erase all data and drive contents, so should not be done unless you've backed up first.
Advanced users sometimes do this exact same thing but with a disk image utility (Norton Ghost, e.g.) after they've got their computer set up with all the applications the way they like it. Then, next time they feel a need to reformat and reinstall, all they have to do is use the disk image utility to copy the disk image over and their system is back to the way it was the day they made the image...including all software applications and windows customization settings they made before the image.
Posted by: Ross at May 7, 2007 11:03 AM
Hi, thanks for posting this, let's say you had a very expensive alienware desktop and it starting having problems. I'm a procrastinator so I usually deal with some major problems with my comps. Anyways it finally got to the point where I couldn't even use this computer it wouldn't even start up. I wanted to reformat+reinstall A year ago but when I tried with the WINDOWS XP cd ... when it came to entering the registry key I couldn't because my house keeper threw it away.
So that leads me to where I am now, a year or more later..... don't know where the XP cd is. I did download a program just now that finds out ur Registry Key. So... now I have that but no CD.. I'm going to take your advice call alienware ask them for the windows xp cd or the restore one.
Any words of advice for me? I didn't turn this computer on in over a year till 2 days ago and it worked but got the same blue screen errors and all of that stuff. I got rid of an lsass.exe error by reading someones posts. But my computer is still majorly messed up and i'm 100% i need to reformat+reinstall XP.
Posted by: charles at June 24, 2007 3:59 PM
No original CD but key number is known via sticker on machine,
Can a friends copy of XP be used for the re installatiion using my key. ?
Posted by: John at March 15, 2008 4:30 AM
quote>>Advanced users sometimes do this exact same thing but with a disk image utility (Norton Ghost, e.g.) after they've got their computer set up with all the applications the way they like it. Then, next time they feel a need to reformat and reinstall, all they have to do is use the disk image utility to copy the disk image over and their system is back to the way it was the day they made the image...including all software applications and windows customization settings they made before the image.
Posted by: tracyanne at March 30, 2008 12:14 AM
Go to My Comuter > Drive C > look for a folder named 1386. Open it and look for a file called wnnt32.exe. This is the Windows installation file. It will wipe your computer of everything and reinstall Windows.
Posted by: Laura at November 20, 2008 9:22 PM
Leo HELP! I am not all that computer savy for starters.Okay I was given a laptop with business windows or something on it.I am sure they wiped it clean before they gave it to me.But I cant get past the first screen because it wants a password.What do I do ? I dont have the password or a disk or anything.Its just an old laptop not real old though still usuable that I got for free.
Assuming you don't want anything currently on that machine, just get a copy of Windows and install it from scratch.
- Leo 22-Nov-2008
Posted by: Miss Angie at November 21, 2008 8:16 PM
Hello Leo. Thanks so much for info you put on site. I have a friend that has a pc with an illegal copy of windows xp on it and I unknowly went to update and then it didnt pass the validation tool so is now froze. I do have a legal copy of xp to install but I'm not sure how to get it to function outside of a hard reboot with windows cd in drive. Any suggestions very much appreciated. Pat
Posted by: Pat at December 5, 2008 9:55 PM
Hi Leo. If I reinstall window XP, does it also reformat the hard drive at the same time? If so, I don't have to reformat the hard drive first and then reinstall window XP. Am I correct?
You should be given the option to reformat as part of the installation process.
- Leo 01-Apr-2009
Posted by: Holly Cow at March 31, 2009 11:10 AM
I am trying to install Window XP and it is setting it up, my product key number on the package is not taking. I install up to 39 minutes of my cd, then I reboot it again and it comes up with installing the product key which is not taking it on the package. Is there a way I can install Windows without the product key numbers and part of the window is display? I can not get to My Computer, just the setup window. Please help
Posted by: Patricia at August 18, 2009 9:33 PM
Hello Leo! I recently reformatted and reinstalled Windows XP on my laptop. However, upon getting it back up and running and on the Internet, I noticed that my hard drive is almost full. There's no sign of anything still on the hard drive, and it has a capacity of 60 GB and almost all of it is being used. Did I miss something? Thanks.
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One caveat to what you've said - many computer vendors today are not including a copy of the OS on a CD by default when you buy a computer today - instead they have a "hidden" partition on the drive with a disk image. When you want to "reformat and reinstall" you just run the recovery disk (comes under different names, depending on the company) which writes the disk image over your current hard drive contents, effectively restoring your computer to the day you got it. As with your comments, this still does erase all data and drive contents, so should not be done unless you've backed up first.
Advanced users sometimes do this exact same thing but with a disk image utility (Norton Ghost, e.g.) after they've got their computer set up with all the applications the way they like it. Then, next time they feel a need to reformat and reinstall, all they have to do is use the disk image utility to copy the disk image over and their system is back to the way it was the day they made the image...including all software applications and windows customization settings they made before the image.
Posted by: Ross at May 7, 2007 11:03 AMHi, thanks for posting this, let's say you had a very expensive alienware desktop and it starting having problems. I'm a procrastinator so I usually deal with some major problems with my comps. Anyways it finally got to the point where I couldn't even use this computer it wouldn't even start up. I wanted to reformat+reinstall A year ago but when I tried with the WINDOWS XP cd ... when it came to entering the registry key I couldn't because my house keeper threw it away.
So that leads me to where I am now, a year or more later..... don't know where the XP cd is. I did download a program just now that finds out ur Registry Key. So... now I have that but no CD.. I'm going to take your advice call alienware ask them for the windows xp cd or the restore one.
Any words of advice for me? I didn't turn this computer on in over a year till 2 days ago and it worked but got the same blue screen errors and all of that stuff. I got rid of an lsass.exe error by reading someones posts. But my computer is still majorly messed up and i'm 100% i need to reformat+reinstall XP.
Posted by: charles at June 24, 2007 3:59 PMNo original CD but key number is known via sticker on machine,
Can a friends copy of XP be used for the re installatiion using my key. ?
Posted by: John at March 15, 2008 4:30 AMquote>>Advanced users sometimes do this exact same thing but with a disk image utility (Norton Ghost, e.g.) after they've got their computer set up with all the applications the way they like it. Then, next time they feel a need to reformat and reinstall, all they have to do is use the disk image utility to copy the disk image over and their system is back to the way it was the day they made the image...including all software applications and windows customization settings they made before the image.
Posted by: tracyanne at March 30, 2008 12:14 AMGo to My Comuter > Drive C > look for a folder named 1386. Open it and look for a file called wnnt32.exe. This is the Windows installation file. It will wipe your computer of everything and reinstall Windows.
Posted by: Laura at November 20, 2008 9:22 PMLeo HELP! I am not all that computer savy for starters.Okay I was given a laptop with business windows or something on it.I am sure they wiped it clean before they gave it to me.But I cant get past the first screen because it wants a password.What do I do ? I dont have the password or a disk or anything.Its just an old laptop not real old though still usuable that I got for free.
22-Nov-2008
Hello Leo. Thanks so much for info you put on site. I have a friend that has a pc with an illegal copy of windows xp on it and I unknowly went to update and then it didnt pass the validation tool so is now froze. I do have a legal copy of xp to install but I'm not sure how to get it to function outside of a hard reboot with windows cd in drive. Any suggestions very much appreciated. Pat
Posted by: Pat at December 5, 2008 9:55 PMHi Leo. If I reinstall window XP, does it also reformat the hard drive at the same time? If so, I don't have to reformat the hard drive first and then reinstall window XP. Am I correct?
01-Apr-2009
I am trying to install Window XP and it is setting it up, my product key number on the package is not taking. I install up to 39 minutes of my cd, then I reboot it again and it comes up with installing the product key which is not taking it on the package. Is there a way I can install Windows without the product key numbers and part of the window is display? I can not get to My Computer, just the setup window. Please help
Posted by: Patricia at August 18, 2009 9:33 PMHello Leo! I recently reformatted and reinstalled Windows XP on my laptop. However, upon getting it back up and running and on the Internet, I noticed that my hard drive is almost full. There's no sign of anything still on the hard drive, and it has a capacity of 60 GB and almost all of it is being used. Did I miss something? Thanks.
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