no install disk blues

[Shadylookin]

I've recently decided I wanted to have a dual boot computer XP and some sort of linux(probably mandrake). Of course this comes with the risk of potentially deleting everything on my harddrive(or so I've been told). This wouldn't be such an unacceptable loss, but my computer didn't come with the XP install disks, instead they came up with this wonderful idea of the recovery partition. In case you don't know what that is, it is a seperate partition on my harddrive that I can access to reinstall XP. Of course that wouldn't do me any good if my harddrive gets errased. So I've got no install CDs and a recovery partition that wouldn't help me should the worst case senario comes up. Microsoft's site didnt' help me since they assume everyone has the CDs. So can anyone give me any help or advice(such as where I can get the CDs)

 

[Thrawn]

Buy them. I've never seen a pc come without windows install cd's. I can't see why you wouldn't have got the cd's when you got the pc either. What brand is it?

 

[Shadylookin]

Buy them. I've never seen a pc come without windows install cd's. I can't see why you wouldn't have got the cd's when you got the pc either. What brand is it?

HP and I don't feel like buying software I already legally own.

 

[Goober]

What? Don't you automatically get the CD? When/where did you buy the computer?

Did you lose the disk? 'Cuase you should have the Windows install CD, its kinda vital.

 

[DaEezT]

Microsoft's site didnt' help me since they assume everyone has the CDs. So can anyone give me any help or advice(such as where I can get the CDs)

There isn't anything you can, it's just part of Microsoft's policy: Software you buy bundled with a PC is only to be used on that PC and to make sure of that you don't get a Install CD because it could be used on another PC. Simple logic eh?
I once saw a guide for making your own Install cd from the recovery CD + partition in a german mag (c't) but that was about 2 years ago and I don't remember the steps at all.
You could try searching for that on google, I'm sure there is a guide like that out there.. somewhere.
THe only alternative is buying a seperate HDD for your linux installation if you wanna be on the safe side.

 

[MarineCorps]

HP and I don't feel like buying software I already legally own.

HP? haha. HP doesn't include the OS CD. For my pos they only CDs that came with it were the drivers for printer and some useless programs. HP is not the best brand to own. I hate their support. For my old PC they claim it has a 3.5" HD when I know for a fact that it is 5.25".

 

[Shadylookin]

ah ha after 2 days of hard work I found the answer hidden on the HP website.

In case anyone has a similar dilema here is what I did.

start, all programs, Hewlett-Packard, hp pavilion pc tools, then click hp pc recovery CD creator and it will run you through the setup(better have a lot of CD-R's lying around though because it took me 8 of them). and now i'm one more step to my dual boot, thanks guys.

 

[IbnSina]

Another option would be to throw an old hard drive (or a new cheap one) into the computer, and build your linux on that. That way, you don't even have to mess up your windows installation.