Restore Vista from XP?

[Jamie Collins]

I'm trying to sort out a notebook someone gave me.

The manufacturer's support site suggests it shipped with Vista pre-
installed. It currently boots to XP.

The folder C:\Windows.old (size = 9GB) is present. I have the disks
for neither Vista nor XP

Is it possible to restore Vista using C:\Windows.old? Is it advisable
to try considering I have no OS disks?

Thanks.

 

[RalfG]

I'm trying to sort out a notebook someone gave me.

The manufacturer's support site suggests it shipped with Vista pre-
installed. It currently boots to XP.

The folder C:\Windows.old (size = 9GB) is present. I have the disks
for neither Vista nor XP

Is it possible to restore Vista using C:\Windows.old? Is it advisable
to try considering I have no OS disks?

Thanks.

Is there no Microsoft authenticity sticker on the computer, with OEM OS
serial number? That would be mandatory for a pre-installed OS supplied
without re-installation discs. You didn't mention what brand computer but
the common practice is to put the original OS and software in a recovery
partition on the harddrive. The partition is sometimes hidden, sometimes
not, but if it exists and hasn't been damaged by the previous owners it is
usually accessible via key-strokes during boot-up. If there isn't a notice
on-screen during boot for which key(s) to press then the manufacturer's
support site should have manuals or other documents outlining the correct
method to perform a recovery. Failing that, you might be able to purchase
recovery discs with the original OS and software from the computer
manufacturer. Can be a lot cheaper than buying the OS at retail.