Help Urgently Need

**Paul Clarke** · 05-22-2008, 03:41 PM

Hi Guys,

A Computer "Whizz Kid" recently fixed my computer (which wasn't broken) and it is now not working. He deleted Vista Home Premium which came loaded on the machine with no hard copy and installed the business edition.

Yesterday, my computer informed me that my Trial Period had run out so I had to spend €400 which I didn't have (I am on Permenant disability pension and that is nearly 2 weeks income for me)buying Vista Home Premium.

I have managed to load home premium alongside (Thankfully in error) the business edition where all my programmes reside, most of which, I no longer have the software for. I can view the files in business and also have them all backed up onto CD but obviously the programmes won't run as they havn't been installed under home premium. (Confused yet?)

What I want to do is to get rid of the business edition altogether if possible, run my installed (under business edition) programmes through newly installed windows vista home premium, and if possible get rid of some of the partitions Mr Whizz Kidd Thought I needed. Saving work onto my T drive is becoming confusing as I use flash cards a lot.

If anyone can help me, I will post a picture of me eating a windows CD wearing my mothers dress (I am a 43 year old man) while I have needles stuck in my face. It is currently 6:20 am here and as I started yesterday morning I have gone beyond the end of my tether. ANY help would be greatly appreciated

Paul

**tfit** · 05-22-2008, 08:05 PM

Do you have a restore cd?

**Paul Clarke** · 05-22-2008, 10:32 PM

Nope,

My new system was to be so fail safe I didn;t need one. He disabled id it!

Paul

**tfit** · 05-23-2008, 07:17 AM

Paul,

Go back to the store/person where you bought the pc. As far as I know it's by law that software must be supplied. Maybe not a full version, but at least a restore cd.

**kuau** · 05-29-2008, 09:37 PM

I would copy everything to an external hard drive (don't forget your mail & address book), then repartition & reformat the hard drive, then do a clean install of Vista Home Premium, then reinstall all your programs and copy your data back. Just like new.

Then I would contact Microsoft and the computer store and/or computer manufacturer and try to get reimbursed for the 2nd copy of Vista HP.

**kuau** · 05-31-2008, 03:27 AM

Dear Paul:

I forgot to mention that the programs installed under the Business version cannot be run from the HP version without being reinstalled under the HP version even if you copy the /Program Files/ over, because during the install, lots of drivers and dll's etc were copied to the /Windows/system and /system32 directories of the Business version which would not be available to the HP version. So I still say a clean install is the best way to go. It may sound like more work, but I guarantee you it will take less time in the end than dealing with all the headaches you will have if you try to take shortcuts.

As soon as you get it all set up, turn off the Vista UAC (User Access Control) or that is enough to drive you crazy all by itself! Good luck.

e

**Minos** · 06-07-2008, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by tfit

Paul,

Go back to the store/person where you bought the pc. As far as I know it's by law that software must be supplied. Maybe not a full version, but at least a restore cd.

False. I used to sell PCs. I can tell you right now that at LEAST 95% of retail PCs do NOT come with restore CDs. Best case scenario is you get a CD with the crap preloaded software, maybe some drivers, but no OS.

The common trend is to put all that ever important restore information into a partition on the harddrive. Unless the user creates his own restore disk, if that partition dies...they are up a creek as the saying goes.