Laptops Re-installing Vista queries

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Boot_Comp

Contributor
Do we always have to re-install Vista on a laptop from the recovery discs provided? Or can we use a normal purchased Vista DVD to install from?

Has anyone here tried re-installing Vista on their laptops from a Vista DVD (not the OEM recovery disk)?

What exactly is this recovery disk that comes with a laptop when we buy it? (Does it allow re-install from scratch with partitioning? etc.)
 
Boot_Comp said:
Do we always have to re-install Vista on a laptop from the recovery discs provided? Or can we use a normal purchased Vista DVD to install from?

Has anyone here tried re-installing Vista on their laptops from a Vista DVD (not the OEM recovery disk)?

What exactly is this recovery disk that comes with a laptop when we buy it? (Does it allow re-install from scratch with partitioning? etc.)
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Well, you can of course install from your own disk if you want, but then ur original OEM license is wasted (i assume of course that ur buying another copy of vista here :P). You will need drivers downloaded of course.

The recovery disk/partition is an image of the OS as it came to you when you bought the laptop. SO you will need to redo most of the program uninstalls/cleanup which you needed to do the first time you got the laptop.

Best option: Do that once, do a thorough cleanup removing useless software. Then once its setup the way you like it take an image with something like Acronis. You can then restore that image whenever required. :D

As for partitions, before recovery, do all the resizing using some program, most recovery disks only restore to C:, so if you have resized it to 20Gbs, the restore will happen to that partition only (assuming of course the data recovered fits into that partition, else ur in trouble ) :)
 
techie_007 said:
Well, you can of course install from your own disk if you want, but then ur original OEM license is wasted (i assume of course that ur buying another copy of vista here :P). You will need drivers downloaded of course.
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I haven't used vista before but I assume that we would only need the license when we activate in online (right)?
So can't we use the disk for installation only? and the OEM product key for this activation?
 
Boot_Comp said:
I haven't used vista before but I assume that we would only need the license when we activate in online (right)?

So can't we use the disk for installation only? and the OEM product key for this activation?
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hmmm...should be possible actually, but me not 100% on this, never tried :ashamed: But I would say try it out n see, or maybe some more googling?

Off hand, it should work. Just try it once. If it doesnt, just use the recovery disk :)
 
i have tried it , and it works. Only thing is u need to enter your oem key of vista and need to activate it online or via phone.

tried it on a dell inspiron 1525.
 
Boot_Comp said:
Ok so then the first thing to do would be to get the recovery disk. :)

Do these come with the laptop or have to be ordered separately?
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Recovery discs usually come with the lappy. Else you might have a recovery partition instead to restore from directly. + a program to burn the recovery discs to dvds as well. Check with your particular lappy :)
 
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