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I did not create recovery discs with my HP Windows Vista Home Premium computer.
Is there a website I could securely download these files and create the discs? Or another way I could delete every file and restore my system to the point where it's like I just bought it?

answers.yahoo.com

'You'll need to obtain a Windows Vista disc... During install, use the Windows Product Key from the label on your computer case when prompted.

'You can order the disks from the HP site...
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&docname=c00810334&dlc=en

Or see if you have a recovery partition...

Try this one first, if it doesn't fix it try the next two...
1. Reboot, and repeatedly press F10 at the HP logo until the recovery screen appears.
2. When the recovery screen appears, press "Next" and then "Yes" to perform a non-destructive recovery (all data saved). After the recovery is finished, the laptop will reboot.

Or to perform a destructive recovery, (***This will erase all your unsaved data!***)
Click "Advanced" and then "Yes".
After the recovery is finished, the laptop will reboot.

Or
Reboot, and repeatedly press F11. Follow on screen prompts.

© arou42

'HP will sell you the recovery disk for about 15 USD

'Nope, that is why you have to make those recover disks... The vendor is putting the onus on you to make a recovery set so they don't have to, to maximize their profit margins...
You cannot download those, at least not without paying your vendor for them....

Otherwise, you may have to go out and buy another copy of Windows...

'if you dont have your Original install cd's yer screwed you'll have to take it to best buy for a reformat
I have done mine many times but I Do have the original cd's

'You can try to do a system restore to the first time you started the computer. This would bring it back to when you first turned on the computer. Hope this helps.

'When you first turn on the computer, when it's showing that blue (or sometimes black) screen that says "HP" in the center, it should say something like "Press F10 for system recovery" or "F10 - System Recovery". If it doesn't, try pressing and holding down either F10 or F12, and see if that will bring up the receovery manager.

Note that this will only work if your computer still has its original hard drive, the recovery partition is still on the hard drive, and the drive is intact. If that is not the case, you'll need to contact HP for recovery media.

Also, be very certain you backup all your data before doing this - when you restore your factory image, it will delete everything you've done on that computer - programs you installed, images/documents you've saved, bookmarks, etc.

'While I usually recommend press and hold F11 or F10, depending on which bios the HP runs; the answer above is correct. All HPs and Compaq PCs originally come with a recovery partition on the HDD. So, if the HDD is the original one that came with the machine, and you haven't removed that information from that partition, then this will allow you to load the recovery information and restore the machine back to the factory software.

'Go to HP's website and see if the recovery disk is available for download (Gateway does that). Also some computers, if they don't supply a Vista recovery disk, they have the files on the disk somewhere.

Failing all of that, you could borrow a Vista disk, as the other guy said, and install it with your code. You will also have to download the drivers for your motherboard, sound, video, Internet adapter, etc. etc. You'll also want to go to update,microsoft.com and get all the upgrades.

When you get your computer all set up again--Vista, drivers, upgrades, applications, etc.--then download a program like Macrium Reflect (free version) or GParted and make a full backup on DVDs or a USB drive. Then you can restore the computer to that point at any time in the future. I do this every few months anyway.

'There should be a factory install partition on your boot drive.

How to access it and restore your machine is dependent upon the maker of the machine, read the manual for your machine either on paper or online.

Note by restoring to factory install, you'll lose all your files, programs etc., so these will have to be either backed up or replaced with new versions (get your serial numbers first) as you want everything to be fresh, no hangover malware tagging along.

After restoring to factory, you'll have to run all Windows updates until there are no more.

Also install anti-virus, uninstall any factory installed and install the free Microsoft Security Essentials.

Use free PCDecrapifier to clean trialware etc., junk off.

Use free CCleaner to clean and optimize your fresh install.

Use System Restore in Windows to make revertible states of the OS.

If Vista Pro and above, you can make System Restore images of your entire boot drive to DVD's so you don't have to do the tedious factory restore, update and install program route again.

'You can system restore first time