Re-Instaling XP

The simple answer is [b]NO![/b]

But on the up side any copy of XP that is the same version will work with your Product Key. As you have Home there should also be a [b]COA[/b] on the side of the case with the Windows Product Key although I find them hard to read there should be one there. If the [b]Certificate Of Authenticity[/b] isn't on the case I would suspect a Pirate installation as a Volume License isn't available for the Home edition.

But you can Beg, Borrow, Steal a XP Home CD and use that to perform a reinstall from or if you are really eager you can create a slipstream install CD though in most cases this is only used to install the OS and necessary drivers for the existing hardware.

There is one other possibility here if you have a IBM, Dell, HP or something similar you may have received the restore CD but just not know about it on several of these systems the Recovery Windows Copy and drivers for the hardware came on a Hidden Partition on the HDD that you generally can not see when Windows is working. If this is the case you can make a slipstreamed copy from that but you have to know exactly what it is you are doing and be very careful.

If you have an off the shelf system you can always buy replacement Restore CD's from the maker by ringing them and quoting the model and serial number of the computer and they will sell you a replacement Restore CD Set.

Col

Depending on the Brand of PC you purchased you might have options. Companies such as HP and Dell have gone away from shipping recovery CD's with their systems and expect you the consumer to do so. For example if you own a HP pc there is an icon that is placed on your desktop that says "Software Recovery" and if you click on it you can either go back to a restore point or make backup disks. But be careful as you can only due this once before the data on the hidden partition is corrupted. I would also suggest that no matter who you bought it from if you just got it that you can contact their tech support for instructiosn on how to make backup disks. Good Luck!

Col (HAL 9000) has provided the answer you seek. You can try and contact the place where you purchased your computer and request the CD's from them. They should have provided them as part of the purchase because you should always be able to recover.

I've recently had to install OSs for computers that were reporting conterfeit Windows installations. One was a Dell, the other an HP. Both had COA on the cases that reported Windows Home, but Professional was actually installed. Both Dell and HP stated that there was a recovery partition on the hard drive, but when the XP Pro was installed, they reformatted the drives to gain that extra space. Provide the manufacturer with the serial number and they can ship out "recovery disks". Dell charged the customer like $15.00 for two CDs, HP charged $12.08 (plus $30 for next day delivery - mission critical computer) and shipped 8 (EIGHT) recovery CDs.