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General discussion

HP compaq presario RR790AA-ABA SR2150NX

Jan 30, 2010 1:58PM PST

I hated windows vista (alot). So I had a friend,(who is a Tech) reformat back to xp service pack 3. Ok, so I really messed up, I cant disk clean (cant do alot of things because I dont have a pro xp installation disk to put in. I mean now I am starting to hate pc's period.
here's the kicker-I lost my "make your recovery" disks, plus wiped out my back- up drive. My so called friend the tech is no where to be found, what can i do without spending money i dont have (i am also handicapped) Please give me some good advice. My last computer was a slimline and after 8 months it burned up on me because of a flaw in the design( too late for warranty)
AM I CURSED???????? PLEASE HELP

Discussion is locked

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So we have no Windows.
Jan 30, 2010 2:11PM PST
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One thing you can do ...
Feb 1, 2011 3:32AM PST

is install the Recovery Console as a boot option.

I know you indicate you do not have the installation CD but don't give up. I used the process explained in the following link to make use of ComboFix to add the Recovery Console to several Netbooks. It involved reading the link then downloading ComboFix to your desktop and the Microsoft setup boot disks from Microsoft to your desktop. Since you have XP Pro SP3 be sure you download the XP Pro SP2 (they don't have them for SP3) file. I advise you to NOT run the Combofix scan, just use it to add the Recovery Console.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/combofix/how-to-use-combofix

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warranty and recovery disks
Feb 9, 2011 8:30AM PST

Sorry about your problems, seems your tech friend was a hobbyist, and not really a tech. Actually sounds like a bootleg XP OS.

HP Compaq has a 1 yr warranty.
Recovery DVD can be purchased for about $20.