Windows XP CD

I just recently bought a new PC that came with Windows XP installed from the factory. Problem is there is no Windows XP CD if I have any problems. My neighbor just had a startup problem with her PC and she has the same problem - No Windows XP CD came wit
h her PC either. Is this standard practice now? What to do? Apparently there is no way to make a Windows XP startup disk either since the CD is bootable. Any suggestions?

Read the User's Guide that came with your new computer. Many PC
manufacturer's use a "hidden partition" to store information to reinstall
the Windows XP operating system or to repair it. If you want the actual
Restore CD, contact your computer manufacturer and request one.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Kimbo" wrote in message:
...

|I just recently bought a new PC that came with Windows XP installed from the factory. Problem is there is no
Windows XP CD if I have any problems. My neighbor just had a startup problem with her PC and she has the same
problem - No Windows XP CD came with her PC either. Is this standard practice now? What to do? Apparently
there is no way to make a Windows XP startup disk either since the CD is bootable. Any suggestions?

This is standard practise with many original equipment manufacturer's now.
In some cases you can buy a recovery disc from the supplier you purchased
your pc from. Alternatively, there may be a seperate partition on the drive
which hold the recovery files.
I recently purchsed an EMachine from PC World (I live in the UK) and was
very surprised to open the box and find recovery cd's inside. At least one
supplier is prepared to help the customer!
You might find it worth telephoning the company you purchased the pc off to
see if they do supply recovery disks freel of charge. Personally, when
buying a new pc, i would ask if the recovery disk is supplied free of
charge. If it wasn't then i would take my business elsewhere. We pay enough
for pc hardware and software without being ripped off by having to pay for
recovery disks.

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
www.freelanceit.glowinternet.net

"Kimbo" wrote in message
...
I just recently bought a new PC that came with Windows XP installed from
the factory. Problem is there is no Windows XP CD if I have any problems.
My neighbor just had a startup problem with her PC and she has the same
problem - No Windows XP CD came with her PC either. Is this standard
practice now? What to do? Apparently there is no way to make a Windows XP
startup disk either since the CD is bootable. Any suggestions?

That is odd. I had always thought when you buy a PC, if there is an OS
installed it is figured into the cost and therefore, if nothing else, a
'restore CD' like HP uses was included. I am sure Microsoft allows huge
customers like HP to provide something less than a full install disc, but
what about the people who put together machines and sell the same OS
repeatedly, witholding the disc. That would seem dishonest.. Or, at the
least, a bad business practice. I am not familiar with what Microsofts'
rules are, but i would not buy a machine built by an OEM without the disc.
But then, I built the machine i have now.

"Carey Frisch [MVP]" wrote in message
...
Read the User's Guide that came with your new computer. Many PC
manufacturer's use a "hidden partition" to store information to reinstall
the Windows XP operating system or to repair it. If you want the actual
Restore CD, contact your computer manufacturer and request one.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------

"Kimbo" wrote in message:
...

|I just recently bought a new PC that came with Windows XP installed from
the factory. Problem is there is no
Windows XP CD if I have any problems. My neighbor just had a startup
problem with her PC and she has the same
problem - No Windows XP CD came with her PC either. Is this standard
practice now? What to do? Apparently
there is no way to make a Windows XP startup disk either since the CD is
bootable. Any suggestions?

Kimbo wrote:
I just recently bought a new PC that came with Windows XP installed
from the factory. Problem is there is no Windows XP CD if I have any
problems. My neighbor just had a startup problem with her PC and
she has the same problem - No Windows XP CD came with her PC
either. Is this standard practice now? What to do? Apparently
there is no way to make a Windows XP startup disk either since the
CD is bootable. Any suggestions?

Carey Frisch wrote:
Read the User's Guide that came with your new computer. Many PC
manufacturer's use a "hidden partition" to store information to
reinstall the Windows XP operating system or to repair it. If you
want the actual Restore CD, contact your computer manufacturer and
request one.

Sandman wrote:
That is odd. I had always thought when you buy a PC, if there is an OS
installed it is figured into the cost and therefore, if nothing else,
a 'restore CD' like HP uses was included. I am sure Microsoft allows
huge customers like HP to provide something less than a full install
disc, but what about the people who put together machines and sell
the same OS repeatedly, witholding the disc. That would seem
dishonest.. Or, at the least, a bad business practice. I am not
familiar with what Microsofts' rules are, but i would not buy a
machine built by an OEM without the disc. But then, I built the
machine i have now.

Sandman,

As Carey points out, this practice is not unusual. The OEM is only required
to provide the end-user with a method to restore the machine to its state
when they got it originally. They can do this with a image on a CD/DVD, an
image on a partition hidden on the drive, with installation CDs that are
like those you would purchase at a retail store or any other creative thing
that comes to mind that saves them money.

This is why when you purchase a computer from someone, one of your questions
should be "What happens if I have to redo the computer - what method do I
follow - what restoration media do I receive?"

For many it is good business practice, obviously, because people are either
not knowledgeable enough to ask these questions or they never have to use
any restoration methods. Sony laptops, for example, do come with a image on
the drive and an application you run to burn these files to CDs in case of
an emergency.. The problem is that many people never run these applications,
never create the CDs and they end up messing up something then having to pay
Sony $273.76 to fix it (or someone else more or less.) That is a failure on
their part, either to read the manual, do what they read and/or ask the
right questions in my opinion.

Yes - I have always made it my practice to over-inform the customer, but
like most things, people hear what they want, do what they want and if they
let themselves get rolled over - perhaps they deserved it in some way
(especially since in most of the cases, it is because they did not follow
some simple procedure they are supposed to when they get the machine - like
creating the restoration CDs, backing up their private data periodically,
etc.)

In other words - RTFM and Ask Questions before you have a problem.

--
- Shenan -
--

A recent trend (for HP/Compaq) is to only offer the user a choice of
creating a set of back-up CDs or a DVD if the machine has a DVD writer.
There is no hidden partition and no supplied Recover set. Of course, many
buyers do not make a recovery set, and when their machine experiences
problems, they become upset because there is no way to restore their
machine, short of paying HP/Compaq for a restore set that should have come
with the computer in the first place.

Bobby

"Carey Frisch [MVP]" wrote in message
...
Read the User's Guide that came with your new computer. Many PC
manufacturer's use a "hidden partition" to store information to reinstall
the Windows XP operating system or to repair it. If you want the actual
Restore CD, contact your computer manufacturer and request one.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Kimbo" wrote in message:
...

|I just recently bought a new PC that came with Windows XP installed from
the factory. Problem is there is no
Windows XP CD if I have any problems. My neighbor just had a startup
problem with her PC and she has the same
problem - No Windows XP CD came with her PC either. Is this standard
practice now? What to do? Apparently
there is no way to make a Windows XP startup disk either since the CD is
bootable. Any suggestions?

If I have Xp installed is there any way to make a boot disc? I know in Win
98 there was an option to mate a floppy boot disc...

ian wrote:
If I have Xp installed is there any way to make a boot disc? I know
in Win 98 there was an option to mate a floppy boot disc...


Yeah - same thing as Windows 98 when you format a diskette - but if you
formatted NTFS, the boot disk doesn't do you as much good.

Boot with the Windows XP CD gives you all the tools you SHOULD need to
recover a normal damaged installation.

--
- Shenan -
--