[vox-tech] [OT] windows XP CD won't boot

[Michael Dunham]

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>You could make a boot floppy.  Here's a rediculously, humongously, and
>superfluously long URL:
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>http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e8fe6868-6e4f-471c-b455-bd5afee126d8&displaylang=en
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>-Mark
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Most new Windows based machines do not come with a full distribution 
CD.  Instead, the partition is divided with a backup install image on 
the hard disk.  The CDROM only provides access to the restore routine to 
bring the machine back to the factory install.  This was a step taken to 
allow machine builders to put on custom installs with the proper drivers 
in place AND to make the CDROM itself useless for installs on other 
machines (not that anyone would do such a thing - I mean you do own the  
license, but only for the machine you bought with it :-( ).  If your 
reformat wiped the drive and reset the partitions, you have no backup 
image and no XP distribution to reinstall. If it did not, you should be 
able to reach it with the CDROM. I suspect you wiped the disk.  If you 
still have your warranty, serial number and a record of payment for the 
machine, most companies will send you a new image CD with a reinstall 
routine. Other than that, you will have to buy one and start again - or 
go to a open source OS...

Can I sell you some free software?

Mike