factory restore on a compaq computer

[geetarbill]

I deleted the partitions on a compaq computer and now the factory restore discs (Windows ME) will not work. Is there a way to get around this without buying a full version of Windows?

[tkyoshi]

Is it a newer computer?

Some of the new computers have rapid restore where the image is on a separate partition (which you said you might have deleted).

What does the recovery say to you? If you don't have the full image CD's or can't find them and you deleted the partition, give Compaq/HP a call and tell them nicely you need a Recovery Image CD. They'll gladly send one one to you usually free of charge (unless you're rude and ****y :p).

[geetarbill]

It's an older Compaq with a 700 MHz celeron. It has a factory restore disc but it won't work since I deleted the previous partitions. I'll give compaq a call, thanks.

[JeremyWeisser]

Well the discs should still work even if you have deleted your partitions. What you can try is using a Windows 95 or 98 boot disc and use the FDISK utility to create a new partition.

[dreamsINdigital]

I have a Compaq (from like only 2 years ago), and I have a partition where the Windows restore image is stored also. If you delete it, I think your screwed. You can't really do anything with the Recovery CD without the partition, the CD doesn't really have anything on it, it is just used to access the partition. Yea, call Compaq and see what they say.

Good Luck.

[tkyoshi]

  DiGiTaL DrEaMeR said:

I have a Compaq (from like only 2 years ago), and I have a partition where the Windows restore image is stored also. If you delete it, I think your screwed. You can't really do anything with the Recovery CD without the partition, the CD doesn't really have anything on it, it is just used to access the partition. Yea, call Compaq and see what they say.

Good Luck.

Yup, you're right.

The Recovery CD is just a bootable CD and doesn't contain anything else. The CD's they send you will probably be a pack of 2 or 3 discs depending on what shipped with your comp.

When you do a recovery with the full discs it will obviously take longer and it will go though the OEM Audit mode for a bit as well. After it will create the images on the partition again, you can go ahead and delete that partition again if you want that space back since you have the image cd's.

[geetarbill]

The funny thing about this is I was gonna do a clean install of Win XP Home using a Win XP upgrade disc and when it asked for a previous version of Windows cd I was hoping the Recovery CD would suffice, lol, I was wrong. I had already deleted those partition and there was nothing I could do about it. I used a full version of Win XP Pro when it asked for a disc showing that I had a full version of some kind of Windows OS. Technically there was a previous version of windows there that was paid for so microsoft isn't really getting getting cheated but I'm going to get those disk images anyway. Thanks for the help.