Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My computer crashed,might have been standard failure,power surge..
Or virus that caused it,im not sure.
How would i go about Reformatting the drives so they are useable?
My computer was used and didnt come with XP disc or restore Disc..
Is this possible?
Could you define crashed? what happens when you power it on. Include error text if any.
What brand is it? Most OEM computers come with partition that will allow you to restore it to how it was sent from the factory and you may not need a disc to do it.
Lastly before doing that and assuming its just a issue with the OS I'd suggest downloading a live linux OS like Knoppix so you can access your files and backup what you want before reformatting.
I haven't used it myself but have heard good things about Ubuntu, you could just dump Windows all together:
You would need a copy of the same version of XP that shipped with your computer in order to use the product key on the sticker, and a copy of the hardware drivers. Everything else is optional.
There are plenty of utilities you can burn to a cd or usb drive for booting up and doing various tasks like formatting, memory tests, copying files, etc. But they won't reinstall your OS. You really need to get a Windows CD, maybe just buy one or something.
My computer crashed,might have been standard failure,power surge..
Or virus that caused it,im not sure.
How would i go about Reformatting the drives so they are useable?
My computer was used and didnt come with XP disc or restore Disc..
Is this possible?
Are you still with us? I see you logged in yesterday, do you have another computer? If so, we can tell you how to slave your hard drive from the computer that crashed to the other one so you can back up your files.
Since you said it didn't come with a restore disk or XP disk, my guess is you might have a Compaq or HP computer.
If that's the case, post the model number & brand so that we can find you the instructions for restoring it. The Compaq's & HP's (if it applies) keeps everything on another partition & if all else fails, you should be able to order CD's for under $20.
The other option is buying an OEM Windows XP CD for under $100, which is what I'd do. I'm not a Linux/Ubantu person but can point you to a place that can help with that.
For manufacturer licenses.. all you need is a OEM copy of your cd.. the big one out there is XP Home but some have Pro/Media Center.. (harder to find) you can technically buy or make a backup from your neighbor after all your backing up software you already own..
[quote=Roselvr;6268342]Are you still with us? I see you logged in yesterday, do you have another computer? If so, we can tell you how to slave your hard drive from the computer that crashed to the other one so you can back up your files.
It didnt come with a restore disc because i bought it used and it..
Didnt have one with it.
Its an Emachine 2.6GHZ 2 hard drives 80G total and 256Ram PCI vidcard.
All my hardware failed before it crashed like i was losing data.
The DVD-R didnt even work as the drivers/software was gone.
Virus or Power surge might have corrupted the hard-drive?
I have almost given up on this computer but i really dont have the cash..
To buy another one.I will look into buying a restore disc from Emachines.
If i got it running again i would have alot of fun re-installing everything lol
Since you said it didn't come with a restore disk or XP disk, my guess is you might have a Compaq or HP computer.
If that's the case, post the model number & brand so that we can find you the instructions for restoring it. The Compaq's & HP's (if it applies) keeps everything on another partition & if all else fails, you should be able to order CD's for under $20.
Sorry for hijacking here. I have a Compaq/ (Hp) Laptop that I bought in 2007. It didnt come with any of the cds, and now I am having issues. It runs Vista and I would like to do a system restore back to original incase I have downloaded a nasty. Can some one pls advise on how I can access the partitians to restore? I am not super good with these things but appreciate a reply. My issue is the screen just goes black and I need to restart, then some times it wont restart for a day or so!! Pls help.
Post the model number. Compaq's usually store everything on the drive. You can usually make your own restore CD's from a program in the start menu
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
