XP reinstall...helping a friend

[jpk]

Friend has an old Dell XP machine. He can't find the discs to reinstall the OS. There is a partition on the HD with the OS reinstall. Can I copy that to a DVD then reinstall from the DVD? Tried to do a system restore but it doesn't go back far enough to get to a clean install. If I can re install from a DVD is there anything I need to know? I've not done this before. He's an older guy and on a fixed income. He'd like to get a new computer but he can't afford one since he's on disability.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You can reinstall directly from the hdd partition.

 

[Ketchup]

Depending on what model it is, you may see Blue at the top of the screen right after POST. At this point, you would want to hit F11 or Ctrl + F11. This will take you into the system recovery, which, if you are not familiar with this, will wipe all contents on the drive, and restore the machine to factory-installed software.

 

[jpk]

Thanks everyone. Was able to help my friend w/o having to re install the OS. At least not right now. He had a bunch of malware which I cleaned off and was able to transfer his favorites from AOL's list to IE favorites. I'm trying to get him away from AOL. It would save him a few bucks since he's on a fixed income and on disability. I know now where to look if I need to re install his OS. Much appreciate the help.