hp recovery help

i just bought an -hp pavilion a317x- from a friend for my sister... and it was all full of spyware, and crap like that. so i decided to format and install windows xp with sp2 included...

now it doesn't seem to be working so good, and it tells me some files are missing.

so now i want to use the recovery function (wich i should have used in the first place)... but i didn't make the recovery disks, and i can't find the hp-recovery toolkit (wich would help me make the disks)

i do have all the recovery files on a partition on the hard drive, but i don't know how to use them.

anyof you know to make the recovery disks, or if theres a way to do it w/o the disks???

HP usually stores its recovery stuff on a hidden parition on the hard drive itself.. If this partition is still active, you can still use it by performing the instructions below: (From the HP Web site)


Disconnect all peripherals (like the Personal Media Drive or USB thumb drives) and internal non-preinstalled IDE devices from the PC. Do not disconnect the monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Turn on the PC.

Just after the first screen appears (the logo screen), press the F10 key repeatedly until a recovery menu appears.



Select the following procedure :

To perform a destructive recovery, click Advanced, (select Destructive Recovery) and then click Next.

CAUTION: A destructive recovery will format the hard drive. This will delete all the information on the hard drive and reinstall Windows XP and the original software that came with the computer.

Read and respond to each window and screen that appears.

After the System Recovery is complete, the PC restarts and continues into Windows setup. Complete the setup screens and wait until the computer finishes the setup.

NOTE: It may take a long time to complete Windows setup. This time varies and may take over an hour, depending on the amount of files that were stored in the user account folders (Like My Documents and the Desktop).

When you can access the Windows desktop, immediately enable the Firewall, download important updates, and set a restore point. For more information, refer to Things To Do After Performing a System Recovery in Windows XP .
Re-install applications that you added after puchasing the PC, and any files you need from backup.

However, if you are unable to do the above, youve most likely ruined your hidden parition. You can then order recovery cds from the link below:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...cname=bph07143