i wanted to boot my laptop so that everything in the hard drive can be erased. so that my laptop can be like new but the problem is that i never got a boot cd like all the computers do. what can i do? i got an hp pavilion dv1000 with windows xp
You can have windows XP make a Boot disk, but before you do You will need to make sure you have a few things before you start. 1)- A setup disk for windows AND your serial key to re-install windows after formatting. Without the setup disk you wont be able to install XP, And without your serial key , windows wont install either. There is a freeware program called Jellybean , that you can use to recover your serial , If your sticker is not on the back of the computer.( It is supposed to be , but I have seen many occasions where it was removed or simply wasn't there, 2)- You need you drivers for your system, Most can be obtained through the Internet, but its much faster and convenient , If you have there already downloaded And burnt to disk , or stored on a flash drive, for install after A clean format of the computer, You can get your drivers from here: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=435618&lang=en&os=228 Normally your Windows install CD will operate as a boot disk, Just place the cd-rom in your drive , and boot the computer with it there, while booting, a menu will appear. (Press any key to boot from disk). After pressing any key , the windows setup will start, And you can format and fresh install from that point, Assuming you have the drivers and information I posted above. Below I will post how to make a Boot disk under XP, But if you don't have the windows install CD , You CANT format your computer, because the boot CD only allows the computer to boot, it WILL NOT repair or install windows, For that you will need an original XP setup disk", Or the setup disks for your computer provided from your manufacturer, If you dint have either I would suggest contacting you computer manufacturer to get a new one. Best of luck, How to make a windows boot disk will be posted below, Again , without the fore-mentioned programs, It wont do you much good. Good luck For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/2ca4f65f-a63d-4a73-9d35-15b32d6cdc321033.mspx (http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/2ca4f65f-a63d-4a73-9d35-15b32d6cdc321033.mspx)
