Reinstalling Dell Vista Desktop Computer?

If you have a Dell computer, it would have come with a Dell OEM Windows Vista Reinstallation CD or DVD plus another CD that holds the Device Drivers and whatever Application Software for your system. The product key should be on the COA sticker that is on your Dell computer chassis and its rarely needed if you’re original Dell OS is a Vista. If you have a COA sticker that says Windows XP, then you will need the corresponding Product Key for that CD or DVD.

The Windows OS is not downloadable but the device drivers are. Go to Dell.com and search for drivers for your System using your PCs Service Tag #.

My friend gave me this computer so I didn’t came with nothing else but the computer itsself.

Can you find the Windows COA sticker on the chassis? Do you have the Service Tag #? If you have the latter, I can probably help you out….

nvm, I’m back on and its working. but i don’t get this
this computer has a recovery folder :D 3.66GB Free Of 8. 50 GB

now thats for the reinstall of windows right? Cause this computer is so messed up

Watch out you don’t delete your documents folder, can you not initiate a repair rather than a full reinstall?

After going through this almost annually with Windows, I finally decided to go to Linux (rather, use Linux solely as opposed to dual-booting) for pretty much that reason. Personally, I have two CDs each for WinXP, Win98, and Win95a with the key written on the cases and the discs so I don’t lose them. Of course, I also make sure I have a copy of the latest version of Ubuntu just so that if my system goes tits-up, I don’t need to download it again. Nice thing about Ubuntu is that it’s free (in more ways than one) and you don’t have to do the activation thing. Having an install disc for your OS of choice is not an option; it’s a requirement. The only reason I ever get computers without the install discs is because I already them. If I didn’t, I would never get another computer.

Again, obtaining a Windows install disc is necessary, as is running something like Magic Jellybean finder to obtain teh product key for when (not if, when) you need to reinstall.

There is no legal way to get a key for Windows without coughing up a lot of money, but if you have a product key then you might be able to get the disc elsewhere. One of my Win98 CDs is a replacement copy from Microsoft and the disc itself was only a few dollars shipping and handling. Remember, the reason Windows costs $200 or more isn’t because you are paying for the software or the disc. What you are paying for is the license to use it; the product key.