Restoring my OS

[howardtheduck]

I bought a new desktop from gateway via big name retailer a few months ago. It's been running fine but I wanted to strip all the unwanted apps that came with it and just install the windows xp media center that came with it. Not easy. It's just a restore disk. I cant pick and chose what to install and what not. I can only bring it back to factory settings, which include AOL and other crap. Even the recovery partion on my HD is unaccessible. Anyway around this???? THanks for any help!!

 

[LeeJend]

1) Contact gateway and tell them you need a real copy of your OS. They should be willing to send one. There might be a $10-20 processing fee.

Do not tell them why you want it! Make up some story.

2) Or, any XP media center CD should work with your CD key. You will want to slipstream the Gateway hardware drivers onto the CD for an easy install. There should be updated driver files on the gateway site for download. This is perfectly legal since all CD's are the same. The is your liscence and determines funcitonality.

Either way make sure you do not format your recovery partition. You will need it if anything goes wrong.

 

[Shamus MacNoob]

They dont provide a "real copy" they have their own OEM image and thats all you will get from them

Download an OEM torrent and use your cd-key