Member Avatar for abbeyhill

I have had Windows Vista Home Premium for five or six years. Unfortunately it is behaving very badly and very slowly. I want to re-install but cannot find the original installation disc. I do have the Product Key Code which is labelled on the back of the tower system. The only 2 related discs that I can find are:

P5VDC-TVM TE LDCM6.3 VIA P4M900G Chipset Support CD Rev.31.29 Computing Support M994 (which also states is for Asus Motherboard)

and: P5VDC-TVM TE VIA P4M900G Chipset Support CD Rev.278.01 64-bit Computing Support M1005 (and which also states is for Asus Motherboard)

Can anyone help please?? Thank you..Pam.

  • 4 Contributors
  • 4 Replies
  • 563 Views
  • 2 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by JorgeM

Dani AI

Generated

Short summary and next steps (builds on , and )

If Vista came preinstalled (as says), the fastest, cleanest route is the OEM recovery path: check for an OEM recovery utility in Start, look for a hidden RECOVERY partition with Disk Management, or try the manufacturer recovery key at boot (Asus commonly uses F9 on many models). If that partition and the OEM tool exist you can create recovery media or restore to factory state without the original retail DVD. (learn.microsoft.com)

If the recovery partition is missing or damaged, a matching Vista Home Premium installation DVD (same edition and 32/64-bit) will install and you can activate with the COA key on your tower. Many people borrow a retail or system‑builder Vista DVD for the install; the product key on the case selects the edition. Note that some installs may require phone activation if online activation fails. (learn.microsoft.com)

A caution about making Vista recovery discs: Vista’s built‑in recovery‑disc tools and the old recdisc.exe are unreliable on many builds and creating repair discs from a heavily corrupted install can just reproduce the problem. That’s why backing up user data and making a complete image is worth doing first. (askwoody.com)

Practical checklist you can use now

  • Stop and copy your personal files to an external HDD (don’t rely on the failing DVD run).
  • Make a full disk image (so you can restore if the reinstall fails). Popular free tools for imaging and rescue media include Macrium Reflect; create rescue media before you touch the drive. (howtogeek.com)
  • If you must use an ISO, prefer reputable archives (Internet Archive is commonly used) and verify checksums; then make a bootable USB with Rufus rather than burning multiple DVDs. Use the Vista Home Premium ISO that exactly matches your COA (32/64-bit). Be careful: unofficial ISOs can be tampered with. (microsoft.fandom.com)

Final note: Vista reached end of support in April 2017, so even a successful reinstall will leave the machine unpatched and exposed. Plan to move to a supported OS when practical. (support.microsoft.com)

(If you want, post the exact text on the COA sticker and the model/manufacturer and the replies above can be narrowed to DVD image and recovery‑key steps for that make/model.)

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for chris.stout

*** Side note: Before reinstalling Windows, back up any data you have as reinstalling will erase it. I mention this because I have seen countless people reinstall without backing up only to realize all their carefully collected pictures of lol cats are lost forever. ***

Did Windows come pre-installed on the computer or did you buy it seperately?

If you purchased a copy of Windows seperately, you can borrow a disc from someone else. It just has to be the same architecture (32 or 64 bit) and same distribution chanel (retail, OEM, volume license).

You can also get a hold of Microsoft's department of customer service to order replacement media.

If Windows came pre-installed on your computer, most OEMs have a process for you to create recovery dvds. It's a slightly different procedure depending on the OEM, but the program to do so is usually located in the start menu in a folder with the OEM's name as part of the folder name.

Many OEMs also have recovery partitions on their computers that will restore your OS to the state it was in when you got the computer. To access it, you'd have to press a key as the computer turning on before it starts loading Windows. It'll tell you on the screen what key you need to press to access the recovery program if you have it.

Member Avatar for abbeyhill

Hi! chris.stout - your help has been very much appreciated. Windows came pre-installed and I'm almost 100% sure that I never received the installation CD. I always keep these together in a box file and there is no sign of one! Before your helpful reply I had been attempting to back-up everything through System Restore Back-Up via a DVD before I started on any re-install. It took hours and hours (this computer is unbelievably slow too which didn't help). I stayed up through the night to keep tabs with it and change discs, etc., and it got to the third disc and about 6.30 a.m. the next morning it FAILED. I tried briefly again but could see that it was going to fail again, so left it alone for a while, totally disgusted!! Yuk! Yuk! Lol!

Anyway have been a bit busy since then and only just getting back to it again. So I will have another go using your advice.

If and when I sort it all out I will get back in touch! Many many thanks...Pam

Member Avatar for btsuper

Not to link anywhere directly, but some websites sell Windows key codes, but not install discs, so they post the .iso images on their websites for download by all. Theoretically, they should be useless without purchasing a key code, but since you already have a key code, you could download the iso and use it to reinstall.

Member Avatar for JorgeM

Many OEMs also have recovery partitions on their computers that will restore your OS to the state it was in when you got the computer. To access it, you'd have to press a key as the computer turning on before it starts loading Windows. It'll tell you on the screen what key you need to press to access the recovery program if you have it.

Pam,

If you do not have recovery disks, this is the most likely place where you have a fully recoverable image...

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.