IT help please!

Seems like you have a Windows XP CD, you can go ahead and format your disk, make sure you have the licence number for that CD. What you have to do.. 1. Insert your Windows XP CD. 2. Go to your Bios, select "boot from CD" 3. Restart your PC, it will prompt you to press any button to boot from CD 4. A screen comes up prompting you to install a fresh copy of windows or reformat, follow the instructions for reformatting. You can also partition your hard disk at this step. It is advisable to do so depending on the size of your hard disk. 5. Let it reformat and just key in licence number when prompted. 6. Just follow the instructions when any comes up. 7. After windows is installed successfully, make sure the first thing you do is install an antivirus program for protection. Good luck!

Well you can absolutely format your system without using your recovery disk but you will loose your windows XP license that's the main problem.. or try to copy your recover disk using nero or other software in other system.. Good Luck..

Hi Paula! I am a big zero as far as the question goes but just dropped in to say 'Hullo'.How are you and your little one/ Does she know to use the computer? In our country, I think chidlren are exposed to computers slightly late.In my son's school days he was introduced to this only after his eighth grade. And of course I was introduced to it only after I became old. Hope someone has come out with some ideas here.We can always count on this forum.to mylot.

I don't know much about this, Paula.. but I'm reading some good advices from other users in your discussion here. From what I normally know, one needs a recovery CD. You can reformat just like that, I suppose, depending on your computer settings, but you might lose important downloads and applications etc.

First of all you are saying the computer is an old one. As far as knowledge goes recovery CDs are meant to restore preinstalled OS, and it works on only that system. If you want to format you will need Windows XP OS cd. Even if you plan to format by any other method, you will still need XP cd for installing the OS. You may also need the motherboard cd for some drivers, as XP may not provided all the necessary drivers and will ask for OEM cd. Hope I have been helpful.

Whenever my Window XP gives me any problem I reinstall windows xp and it while doing so it formats it too. I know only one way and I told you. There might be more ways. another way is to try restore, but it would only work if it was not already disabled.

Hi Paula I can see you have all the answers already lol As for your recovery CD try to clean it and see if that works I really hope you have managed to do the Computer by now

hi paula, I am no computer savvy but when I ask my son to reformat my computer he always use the recovery CD. I think it cannot be done without the CD

Wish I could help, paula, but any advice I would give would probably fry your PC! Just wanted to say hi! It's unusual for us to be online at the same time. That indicates to me just how late its gotten here! Yikes!

Hi Paula, If you wish to reformat the computer you must insert a recovery CD or else things might not work in your favor. If you, on the contrary, want to restore the system then go to the control panel, and proceed towards the setting and there is restore point. I think you rather would like to reformat your daughter's desk top.

Hmmm...seems like your problem is already solved. Thanks for posting your problem here. It's a very big help especially to me who is a computer student. I got a lot of useful information even though I already know how to overwrite an existing OS or Format a computer and the other basics. But seeing things written here is very refreshing since it seems like I am reviewing past lessons. ^^ Have a nice day!

Usually, when I need to reformat, i use diskmagic live cd. http://www.softsea.com/download.php?id=836103331 It works very well on my computer.

The best thing to do is to reformat it using Windows XP installer. Recovery option on Wnidows XP did not work for me, so I end up re-installing XP. You can install XP on a new partition on your hard disk, without affecting your old Windows XP, just make sure you create a new partition on the start menu of Windows XP Installation procedure.