I'm about to throw my laptop out the window due to it's slowness and resilient viruses.

I have decided to back-up my photos and just reformat it.

Only problem is I don't have a copy of Windows, it came already loaded onto my computer.
Is there any way I can get a cheap copy?
I don't want the new-fan-dangled Windows 7, just something that works (I currently have XP)

Do I have to buy it from a computer store or is there somewhere else I can get it from?

What brand of computer is it, as a lot of modern machines come with a recovery partition that has a copy of the system stored on the hard drive.
This is normally accessed on boot up.

Thanks Ben,

It's an Asus Laptop, I don't know the model or anything sorry.

How would I go about finding out if the partition is there?

Here's a few bits that might help:
I have a ASUS laptop but I will like to restore the system back to the factory default.? - Yahoo! Answers (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081122065457AA1Pr0l)
How to access recovery partition on Asus laptop. - MajorGeeks Support Forums (http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=96388)

Thanks Ben you're a gem, I'll give it a go later tonight!

ARGH! After 2 solid hours trying to reload Windows I'm still at a loss.

I found the product key for Windows on a sticker underneath my laptop so I'd say I do have it on a partition, I just have no idea how to reload it.
I have tried every way you posted and ways I found on Google with no luck.

Shaz, What are the specs on that machine? I ask because you may want to reconsider going to Win 7. I loaded Win 7 on an old IBM Thinkpad I have. It has a single core Pentium M processor running at 1.8 Ghz and 1G of Ram. Win 7 runs sweet on that machine.

Most computers today come with a restore partition. When my kids were in college we restored their computers every summer, just because they loaded so much junk from the school networks during the school year.

At bootup - you should be able to hit an "F" key to bring up the restore menue. On the ASUS usually "F8". It is sometimes hard to hit the F key just at the right time to get to the menu.

Once the menu comes up, you should be able to select restore from it. Pretty simple, but it does take a while.

Be advised! Back up your personal data you want to keep. The restore will wipe the drive and put it back to "out of the box" conditions. I can almost guarantee it will be loads faster since all of the spyware, malware, tracking cookies, etc. will be gone.

Does this make any sense to you Scott or am I looking at the wrong thing?


********************** Computer Info ************************

Logged in user: COMP
Computer Model: A8J
Computer Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
OS Name: Microsoft Windows XP Professional|C:\WINDOWS|\Device\Harddisk0\Partitio n1
OS Version: 5.1.2600
System Type: X86-based PC
Total Physical Memory: 2559 MB
Windows Directory: C:\WINDOWS
BIOS Version: Default System BIOS
CPU: Genuine Intel(R) CPU T2400 @ 1.83GHz
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600
Resolution: 1280 x 800 x 4294967296 colors

Thanks kg5ie, I have tried all of the F keys and none of them brought up an option to do a system restore.

I did find an option to restore to a certain date but I want to do a complete wipe, not just restore it to how it was a few months ago.

I have restarted my computer so many times tonight.

This is directly from the ASUS website in their support section:

Use the hidden partition, reserved for recovery purpose, in the hard disk to restore your computer to the factory settings.



"Restart your computer. Press F9 key immediately when the ASUS logo appears. This will start the recovery procedure, including the installation of all the drivers and utilities. Follow the instructions. Your computer will be restored to the factory settings."

Yep, you have 2G of Ram on a dual core 32 bit processor. I think Win 7 will make that machine perform much better than it did under XP.

Not all PCs have a Recovery partition. I was dealing with a Dell Inspiron yesterday that didn't. So, unless your machine came with a Recovery disk I think your best bet is to get an upgrade copy of Win 7 Home Premium. And do a fresh install.

This is directly from the ASUS website in their support section:


That's assuming ASUS put a recovery partition on it. The machine has an older processor so its several years old. I agree Shaz should try F9, but if it was there it would be shown during the POST.

I'll give the F9 thing one more shot then I think I will give up on that.

How much does Windows 7 cost roughly? I will definitely look into it.

Thanks everyone.

I think the upgrade is about $79 USD. Not sure of the down under equivalent

That's no-where near as much as I thought, thanks!

One last question... sorry
If the budget doesn't allow Windows 7 (pay day is Tuesday so I will know then) is it illegal to borrow a copy of XP from someone?
I think my fiancés mother might have a copy but I don't want to use it if it will get me in trouble.

is it illegal to borrow a copy of XP from someone?

Yes and no. Windows is licensed to one machine only. However, since you do have a license and if you use that license key, you can use someone else's disk.

Thank you again Scott, you've been a great help!

Yes and no. Windows is licensed to one machine only. However, since you do have a license and if you use that license key, you can use someone else's disk.I'll second that.. just make sure which version of windows XP you are using to install is the same as your key is for as it is only good for the version yours came with. (Example - Home, Professional, Corporate) Don't forget to go to the manufacturares website to upload up to date drivers afterwards. That's the hard part.

It MAY require a call to Microsoft for activation however... you are typically allowed 3 reinstalls per license. (on same hardware only not 3 different machines)

I like Windows 7, but it won't work on all older machines. I have several Dells that just don't have Win 7 drivers (or Win Vista either) for things like onboard sound, even though they are reasonibly powerful machines. (2.8 ghz cpu's)

I had issues with Dell drivers (graphics), so I went to the part manufactures site and they worked a dream..

Before you go through the pain and heartbreak of restoring the drive, have you:

1) De-fragged your drive, this will not lose any data files.

2) Scanned your drive using an app called RegCure?

Personally, the very last thing I would want to do is re-format the drive.

Yeah... drivers are a major PITA when rebuilding a computer from scratch for the average computer user... if you don't have or can't acess the recovery partition many manufacturers use.

Sorry guys, probably should have updated this thread earlier!

I did a reformat.

The only thing I really wanted to keep was my folder with all my photos and videos in it, other than that there was a lot of useless programs that the guy who built it put on there.

I got a copy of Windows XP Professional and just reloaded it on my computer.
I had to get into the BIOS and change the order things started up in so the DVD drive loaded first... THAT was scary for me but I did it!

Everything seems to be running smoothly now apart from my sound, but I have yet to tinker with that to fix it.

I am still seriously considering Windows 7, a friend of mine can get it cheaper because he is a student (not much but hey, a discount is a discount)

Thank you to everyone for your help!

PS - when I loaded it on it never asked for my key!
I don't know if that's because I didn't do an actual reformat reformat, I just loaded the disk over the top and it deleted everything itself.

So I spent ages holding my laptop over my head writing the key down for nothing (my screen is stuck open lol) :rolleyes:

EDIT - Finally found the sound card drivers online, yay.