vista

isobel

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Hi I just bought a laptop with vista installed, but it comes without a backup vista disk, and I am kinda woried in case in the future I get a bad virus that I can't get rid of, and I have to format the drive I have no vista disk to put a new operating system on the laptop. What i would like to know in is there any way I can back up the operating system on my laptop onto a disk, so that I can then install it again? if so how do I get the serial number of the system that is now installed on my laptop, because a new edition of vista probably costs more than that laptop did
 
the key for the OS will be on the underside of the lappy

you can back up using ghost or true image

if its a sony lappy part of the c drive will have a back up on the c drive and software already installed for you to back up onto a dvd
 
acer

it is an acer lappy I am not sure at th moment if it has a dvd writer but I would greatly appreciate some more details about creating a ghost image was thinking if I get an external usb drive would I perhaps be able to put the operating system on that then I guess the next question will be how to run it in after I format the drive
 
no drivers will be loaded for USB until the OS boots

MS will send you a free OS on DVD for you to use your license code

but

if the lappy does not have a dvd drive then you will be in diffs

it must be a old lappy ?
 
brand new

it is a brand new lappy it is just that I am not sure yet what it has got and has not got, so your saying that if i ever have to format my c drive for one reason or another I just enail microsoft and they send a free copy, or am I misreading something also it seems the usb idea is a none starter, I hope I am not being a pain so I need to create a disk image of my operating system, I now have the serial number thanks to you how can I put the operating system either onto another partition drive or put it onto disk
 
if it's brand new then as the dude says you should have a restore disk, funny i was helping some one on here the other week about a restore disk for his laptop and i've went and bloody lost mine.

I have installed vista pro on the lap top and it's went on with no worries all the drivers got loaded with vista like network, graphics etc etc.

Do you know if it's got " the tech guys" software installed on it, there is a way to make an image of your system using it.

but how ever as i say if it's new you should have really got some disks with it.

if you have vista installed on it have a search for backup and restore, some thing i think also comes with vista.

Wouldn't worry to much, i'd get a good firewall and a virus proggy if your really worried.
 
acer and many others dont supply you with the OS discs anymore instead they put them on a 10 gig hidden partion were you can back up your system to disk (in this case using acer ERecovery)

heres how to do it

ftp://ftp.support.acer-euro.com/desktop/empowering_technology/DT%20ET2%20user's%20guide/Acer%20eRecovery%20Management%20english.pdf

also when you back up your hard drive to disks you can now delete the 10 gig hidden partion (only recommend it if you need the extra space)

http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/02/29/delete-and-remove-to-unlock-eisa-hidden-recovery-or-diagnostic-partition-in-vista/


hope this helps
 
good to know....how do you get to the hidden partition...
 
it is a brand new lappy it is just that I am not sure yet what it has got and has not got, so your saying that if i ever have to format my c drive for one reason or another I just enail microsoft and they send a free copy, or am I misreading something also it seems the usb idea is a none starter, I hope I am not being a pain so I need to create a disk image of my operating system, I now have the serial number thanks to you how can I put the operating system either onto another partition drive or put it onto disk

ive also a brand new acer lappy and wat i do to format is press the Ctr and Alt F10 keys on boot up and it starts a recovery/format.acer 5315 ive got.
 
thanx to all of you

thanx to all of you,Timaloy I wne to that link and I have made a copy to the hidden partition so that is good next I must get a blank cd and make a copy to that, it seems straight forward enough
 
control

to get to the hidden partition after you have made a copy just press alt+f10
 
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