Resetting my computer to factory defaults

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
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G

Guest

my system needs to be completely wiped clean due to
several problems. is there any way I can re-set my system
back to the way it was when I bought it and still not
lose my music, pictures, ect.?? Any and all help is
greatly appreciated
CS
 
Hi, CS.

You'll have to make up your mind. :^{
my system needs to be completely wiped clean
Click to expand...

Which means your pictures, etc., will be gone.
is there any way I can re-set my system
back to the way it was when I bought it
Click to expand...

When you bought it, your pictures were not on it, so if you put it back to
the way you bought it, your pictures will be gone.

HOW DID you buy it? Was WinXP pre-installed? Were your picture programs
(not your pictures themselves) included, or did you install those later?

We don't know what your computer was like when you bought it. Heck, you
didn't even tell us the make and model of your computer.
still not
lose my music, pictures, ect.??
Click to expand...

IF you have a full WinXP CD-ROM, you should be able to do an "in-place
upgrade" of WinXP. ( This will reinstall WinXP itself, but preserve your
installed applications and data - and most of your tweaks. This is not
intended as a timesaver; it will take as long as a fresh install, and you
will need to visit Windows Update as soon as your firewall and antivirus are
working again.

See: How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q315341

We can help you more if you tell us more about your computer and what you
choose to do.

RC
 
thanks for the help, here is some additional info because
I don't think I can do an in-place upgrade because I don
not have the windows XP disc. XP came installed on my
computer when I bought it new from retail. was I supposed
to get an XP with it as well? regardless, I have a HP
pavilion laptop that is about one year old. if that helps
any great, and if not let me know what else you need to
know and I will get it to you. Thanks for the help,
CS
 
Hi, CS.

We know a little more about your computer now: HP Pavilion laptop, one year
old, with WinXP pre-installed - and with no WinXP CD-ROM. Chances are, the
model number is printed right there in front of you and all you need to do
is type it into your message, but you didn't do that, so we still don't
know. :>( You probably also got a manual that would answer most of your
questions. I've never had an HP, so I don't know many of the details about
them, but thousands of readers world-wide will see your post and some of
them will know.

Many of us bought WinXP in a box at Best Buy or some other retail outlet and
installed it on the computer that we already owned. This is a "retail"
version of WinXP.

Original Equipment Manufacturers buy WinXP directly from Microsoft - at
volume discounts - and customize it to fit the hardware they are making and
selling. Microsoft can't control all the changes the OEM makes to WinXP, so
part of the deal is that each OEM assumes the responsibility for supporting
its own customers. Dell customizes WinXP to fit their computers; HP makes
it fit their Pavilions and other models; local computer assemblers buy a
"generic" OEM version and install it on computers they sell.

Microsoft knows what is in the Retail version of WinXP and they support it;
each OEM must support its own customized versions. HP is supposed to
furnish you a full WinXP CD-ROM, but I'm not sure how you get that if you
did not get it originally with your computer.

I hope someone here can tell you how to do an in-place upgrade on your
computer.

RC
 
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