XP OEM - no discs. How do I create a windows image?

[charlesr]

My PC came with OEM Xp pro but no disc. Is this normal? It was the same with my wife's laptop, except that allowed me to burn 8 CDs to restore it to the original settings if anything went wrong (i.e. easy windows install), but it's an IBM thing.

Should I be able to do something similar on my PC? If anything goes wrong with the HD, I'm screwed without the original windows disc surely? Why the hell don't they supply one with OEM?

[$c8t@]

what make and model is it?

very well maybe a hidden partiton with recovery image on.

[charlesr]

I've found the recovery image in a partition, but that doesn't help me if the HD dies. However, after a bit more sleuthing:

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

Let's you build a windows bootable CD, much like Knoppix!

http://www.runtime.org/dixml.htm

Let's you make drive images. This app can be run from the the PE boot CD above.

Sorted.

[charlesr]

\o/

Just tried it. You can browse all the files, install stuff (including a drive image), run networking, remote desktop, ultravnc etc. There's a plugin for Ghost, although the dixml linked above sounds like a better bet because you don't need Ghost because it stores the image as xml rather than proprietory. There's even a firefox browser plugin.

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/plugins/

[wod]

get a copy of xp oem pro and use the key off the sticker on side of the pc

[sj33]

Most of the time, you won't have a Windows disc, nor be entitled to a backup, since they only paid for Windows to be preinstalled.

[charlesr]

get a copy of xp oem pro and use the key off the sticker on side of the pc

I may well do that, although after figuring out the above, the clean install will be a last resort.

[randombs]

there's a high chance it won't work with that though, as the laptop will probably have xp pro corporate edition (no need for activation), in which case the oem pro cd won't recognise the corp key.

all the dodgy xp pro's on the net are corp, so you can probably see where i'm heading with this*

*although technically isn't it ok as the license you're using is a proper one?