Restore XP to original factory settings.

gryphon

We have a pc in the house that runs very slow, the kids over the years so much rubbish, I think that is what the problem is. There is nothing on there that needs to be kept.
I’m looking for a guide to take the pc back to the original factory settings. There is no XP disc, it’s onto a partition on the HD I think, the product key is still stuck to the pc case.
Any ideas where to look.

libra10

I don't know whether your PC is similar but mine (Sony) has a 'recovery utility' found from Start, All programmes. Occasionally I run the programme to take back to factory settings, without needing to install the recovery discs.


By the way my Product key is underneath laptop.

Good luck

Donnie

Is this the guess the make of your PC game?

R4pture_2

There are 2 possibilities with this PC
Some PCs have a set of RECOVERY DISKS
Some have a hidden section on the hard drive called a Recovery Partition.
There are a few ways to activiate the recovery process, mainly depending on the make and age of the PC, also if you have the disks or not.
generally speaking a hard drive based recovery can be stated by tapping either the F2 or F6 key repeatedly once a second from the very second the machine is switched on.
if you have the recovery Cds simply put the first one in and restart the machine.
If you give me a bit more info I can write you a detailed walk though on what to doto "recover" your machine
Unfortunatly I used to do this sort of thing on a daily basis as a job

gryphon

Donnie wrote: »

Is this the guess the make of your PC game?

Sorry didn’t know you had to name the make. It’s a Compaq, not sure of make as I’m working away from home till after the year.

yorksguy11

Im no pc whizz kid but when my compaq runs slow or act up i use the system restore. go to accessories then system tools and system restore. then follow the instructions
it normally works for me,its a bit annoying losing stored items, but if your not bothered try it
good luck

GunJack

OR....use Add/Remove Programs from Control Panel to remove all un-needed junk programs, do a CCleaner scan (cleaner and registry), full virus scan, several anti-spyware scans (e.g. spyware doctor free and spybot S&D - both available from MajorGeeks.com), then finally a disk cleanup and defragment several times.

You'll be suprised at the results possible, especially after a good defragging...you shouldn't need to resort to reformatting the HD, and then keep on top of it by doing the above on a regular basis.

chaddy7604

Donnie wrote: »

Is this the guess the make of your PC game?

Another typical sarcastic post from you

Donnie

chaddy7604 wrote: »

Another typical sarcastic post from you

and you posted for what reason?

At least my post was relevant. Knowing the make of computer can give clues as the the location of the relevant partition.

Let's hope your idiocy doesn't extend into the New Year. :rolleyes: