My brother bought an HP computer a while ago and he's finally gotten sick of all the crap that came installed on it. The easiest way to fix this would be a clean install of just Windows XP Home, but of course the computer didn't come with it. It just came with a partition with the necessary files to reinstall if necessary. He also created some recovery discs incase that partition is damaged. Is there any way to get the necessary files to make an unattended disc from these two sources? It appears he can't access the partition (encryption or something) and the recovery discs (around 6 I think) are a mess of files.

This is my first post so feel free to shun me if I broke any rules, etc.

the partition is most likely hidden, not encrypted.

I thought by license, OEMs had provide a WindowsXP disk? without any of their junk on it.

I believe that all those recovery disks are, is either a "ghost" image type partition (where is just copies the files over, and everything is back to square one) it is some sort os sysprepped.

I got no idea how to just get WindowsXP out of that without tinkering withit my self.

But i also don't believe you broke any rules

(But this is just another reason to build your own PC and then buy the software)

You're probably right about all that so this may no longer be unattended territory, but my brother must have a license and key for Windows XP Home. So it there a way to get a legal copy of Windows XP Home without a license and key (i.e. just the software)? Would calling up HP do any good?

couldn't hurt to request a copy of the disk that probally should have been included in the first place.

Recover the HP with the supplied disk, then search for "I386" on local drive. This folder is normally copied to the local drive as "source" so there is no need for the disk incase you install new hardware or software. The I386 folder contains all the filesl you need to build unattended WinXP home disk.

Alanoll: I tried calling HP in regards to that (for a client of mine), and they said that they don't ship CD's for the machines which use an on hard drive system.

The bastards!

yes, truly bastards.

guess I'll go Dell next time, wait....i build my own systems. Guess they don't make a few hundred off me.

Alanoll: I tried calling HP in regards to that (for a client of mine), and they said that they don't ship CD's for the machines which use an on hard drive system.

The bastards!

I too had this problem with HP. But you can use a XP home OEM cd, as that is what your CD-key is good for.

Yeah, obviously you can do that. However, unless you've got a friend with a legitimate copy, and can make a copy of it, you're most likely still going to have to pay for the copy

Try and get hold of a Windows XP Home CD off someone and use the CD key you're using now to install it.

Thanks, everyone. I think I may have access to a XP Home CD so that should work just fine. Let me reiterate that this is my brother's HP computer. I know better and build my own. I would have built one for him but he is an instant gratification sort of guy. Again, thanks for all the input.

I also hav a hp computer with recovery disks in hard drive. But after I installed windows xp pro in different pertition and wiped out old C:\ drive the recovery partition wouldn't work. Its a bootable partition and I think based on windows pe.

You can mount this boot drive manually by adding this command in your boot.ini file:

"C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons"

where C:\ is your recovery partition( change it with you own computers recovery partition).

So, I think if you can burn the whole partition in 1:1 format in dvd with nero or any partition recovery program and make it bootable with BOOTSECT.DAT then you can use the dvd as your recovery disk.

Also they give you an OEM serial number( look at the back panel of your pc case). i think you can use it install OEM version windows xp.

Alanoll: I tried calling HP in regards to that (for a client of mine), and they said that they don't ship CD's for the machines which use an on hard drive system.

The bastards!

that isn't right and I know from experience. I called them due to an "issue" happened to my Hard Drive partition and it won't load or anything. I called them at midnight when I discovered this and I talked to the woman and she must have done a typo because she gave them to me for free when I was supose to have to pay over $30 canadian. It arrived 3 days later from Fedex. It's an 8 disk set with Xp Home on it and everything for my computer so i'm happy, lol. I haven't used them yet though.

(O ya, the "issue" that I never told them was that I left my Lindows setup disk in the computer cause i forgot I burnt it and when i restarted my computer and walked away it tried to install it self OVER my recovery partition, lol)

that isn't right and I know from experience. I called them due to an "issue"   happened to my Hard Drive partition and it won't load or anything. I called them at midnight when I discovered this and I talked to the woman and she must have done a typo because she gave them to me for free when I was supose to have to pay over $30 canadian. It arrived 3 days later from Fedex. It's an 8 disk set with Xp Home on it and everything for my computer so i'm happy, lol. I haven't used them yet though.

(O ya, the "issue" that I never told them was that I left my Lindows setup disk in the computer cause i forgot I burnt it and when i restarted my computer and walked away it tried to install it self OVER my recovery partition, lol)

Perhaps HP Canada have a different policy than HP Australia. I've repeatedly tried to get recovery CD's for machines which have these stupid HDD recovery partitions, but have been denied each time.

that isn't right and I know from experience. I called them due to an "issue"   happened to my Hard Drive partition and it won't load or anything. I called them at midnight when I discovered this and I talked to the woman and she must have done a typo because she gave them to me for free when I was supose to have to pay over $30 canadian. It arrived 3 days later from Fedex. It's an 8 disk set with Xp Home on it and everything for my computer so i'm happy, lol. I haven't used them yet though.

(O ya, the "issue" that I never told them was that I left my Lindows setup disk in the computer cause i forgot I burnt it and when i restarted my computer and walked away it tried to install it self OVER my recovery partition, lol)

Perhaps HP Canada have a different policy than HP Australia. I've repeatedly tried to get recovery CD's for machines which have these stupid HDD recovery partitions, but have been denied each time.

that's odd