backup info. please

[wotuwant]

Amd Athlon 64 processor 3000+ , 1.0 ram . 80Gb internal hd . Radeon 9250 . Windows 2000xp professional sp2 . WD elements 500 Gb external hd .
We did not receive any recovery disks with our custom made computer in August 2006 ; bought from a shop that was recommended to us . This gentleman has left the country I should add .
You may have guessed that we were computer illiterate then , know a little bit more now . We did not have a barcode on the tower either but have got that with a bit of research .
Our question to you is this , how can we backup our OS ( legal we think as we do get updates ) and possible backup our the pre installed software . Our fear is what would happen if the dreaded crash happened . Now there are well known software companies out there & they can charge but being pensioners our monies are a bit tight these days so would appreciate a freeware solution .
JHC
Finally I should add that our personal docs. , photo images and music are safely onto the external hd .

[jbennet]

welcome

um basically you cant. not much you can do without a cd.

also,

a) "Windows 2000xp professional sp2 " doesnt exist.
b) its almost certainly a pirate as there is no reason for 99% of users to pay $100 more to get the professional version

Do you have a COA?

[Godsp3ed]

Since you bought it in 2006, assuming you have Windows XP SP2...
You cannot backup your OS once already installed...You need to have the Disc which you received when you bought the pc, considering the pre-installed software you mentioned as 'Drivers'(graphic, sound, network), for them too you need a disc or they can be downloaded from the net..It is highly recommended to have a copy of these else you'd be helpless in a condition when your OS won't start and formatting would be the only option..