Hi my computer is running quite crappy ive has it about 4 years and i think its time to reinstall and start from scratch to speed it up again. Anyway recently i reinstalled a mates windows fron disc which was very easy i must say couple of clicks follow the instructions ur done. But my comp has no disc. When i bought it they told me the disc was actually on a seperate hard drive (D ehich i see in "MY Computer" So anyway is it as easy to reinstall windows fron this seperate drive? Do i just tap "R" at startup? I have the product key stuck to the top of my machine so any advise of links would be very helpfull cheers.
In your case, you're going to have to do a system restore (as opposed to a fresh install). Normally, this would involve using a system restore disc but in your case the restore image was saved to a separate partition; d: drive on your computer. You should have an application somewhere on your system that will walk you through the process of performing a restore. It varies slightly depending on your manufacturer. You can dig through the different menus or simply tell us your computer make and model and we'll help you out. As for the restore process, it's really simple. After it's finished, your computer should be the same as it was when you first got it. Of course, you'll have to install all of the Windows updates that have come out since the restore image was created. Also, as you should already know, everything on your drive will be wiped out. Remember to back up anything that you might need.
Yes i have a d: drive in which the Windows stuff is kept here is a pic of whats in the folder. Also i had a quick look for a restore programme but cant find one the only one i found was the old system restore which only goes back to the start of this month. Anyway really i wanna completly gut my system and completly reinstall windows if possible. Also yeah i just bought a 500gb external HDD to back up my stuff. Last thing my P.C is a Compaq Presario s4500k cheers m8y
It sounds like you need to perform the following steps listed on the link below. http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=uk&dlc=en&product=351075&rule=41074&lang=en&docname=bph08097
Cheers i see now but it says also you dont need to have the cd's if you dont want ( i will of course ). Does this option here look like the right one to gut my p.c? Also when i reinstall windows will my broardband just kick back in when i open explorer? Or will i have to set up my internet connection again?
The Compaq System Recovery is what you're looking for. As for your Internet, if you're going through a router, your computer should automatically recognize it. You may want to check your IP address to make sure you're getting a dynamic IP. If you have a static IP address, then write down all the information so you can re-enter it (IP Address, Subnet Mask, Gateway, and DNS).