New PC purchase no OS backup disc!

[FourWheelDrift]

My sister has just rang me, they have bought a new PC but from what she has in the box there isn't a backup operating system restore disc (she and I know there won't be a genuine MS XP disc), but surely there should be a disc to restore the PC to it's original state if something goes wrong. I remember one PC seller getting into trouble by not supplying software with their PC's a few years back.

Will there be something on the PC that they have to do to create their own backup?

[pdV6]

Probably a set of files on the HDD somewhere.

[FourWheelDrift]

Right, thanks I'll let her know

(I'm going to go round anyway as I need to fix their old HD up as a slave anyway so I'll have a look)

[mr_yogi]

Yes this is what many manufactuers are doing now

They make a partition on the hard disk and keep the original system on it. When the PC goes Tit's up after a couple of failed boots it'll (hopefully) offer to rebuild the PC from the backup partition.

However what happens if the Hard disk failes and it's out of warrantee? you buy a new hard disk but have no OS, or how about if you want to try out linux?

My girlfriend bought a Dell laptop before christmas and this was the same, although it did have an application to burn your own winodws XP cd with it. Now I just need to give Dell a call and ask what the CD key will be for it

[malman]

dell laptops usually have the key on a sticker on the bottom of the laptop where its really difficult to read when you need to type it in and you've forgotten to note it down first

[mr_yogi]

Thanks i'll have to take a look

[omohat]

My Sony laptop came without any OS backup discs, just a recovery partition on the HDD. However, it did have instructions on how to create your own recovery discs using the recovery partition so that was the first thing I did. That in turn meant I could reformat the drive and reclaim the lost space.

[mcflurry]

All for the sake of a couple of 20pence discs