Got myself a new subnotebook this week. It came with vista preinstalled, which seems to work okay (unlike on my main PC!) but before i settle on it, i want to try other OS's on it. It came with a vista serial stuck to the underside, but only with a recovery partition and a desktop shortcut to make a recovery DVD... This is the first time i've come across this recovery partition nonsense, so to save me time trying it: if i were to 'accidentaly' reformat the drive, will this DVD restore the partition setup to how it was out of the box? Or if i do smeg it up totally, will the vista serial work properly with a regular vista DVD?
Well you are lucky! Unlike previous versions of Windows, all Vista edition OEM and retail, are all the same! If you have a Vista disk, form any edition, you can install it on your laptop with the laptop serial number, and you will end-up with the serial number edition. For example: If your serial number is for Home Premium, and you have Vista Business edition disk in your hand (oem or retail). You can just pop-in Vista Business disk, and at the setup you insert your Home Premium key. At the end of teh setup, you will see that Windows Vista Home Premium (not Business) was installed. If you have a Home premium 32-bit key, and you put Business or any other edition of Vista 64-bit disk, and decide to install. It will still work. However you will end up with Home Premium 64-bit instead of 32-bit. But don't' worry, as it will activate without any issues. So you can upgrade to 64-bit Vista anytime (just make sure you have 64-bit drivers for everything, as you cannot install 32-bit drivers)
Once you create the 'Recovery' DVD from the recovery partition, it should restore the laptop to exactly how it was when you bought it - i.e. replete with the recovery partition again. Unbeknown to many folks (who've subsequently lost all the partitions they'd created themselves!)... that's what 'Recovery' discs usually do. But it's no big drama if it does wipe the recovery partition. As you suggest... you can use a standard Vista DVD to reformat the drive/reinstall the OS. It must be the same version as was pre-installed on your laptop of course! So if it's Vista Home Premium you've got... it has to be a Vista Home Premium DVD you use. It's perfectly legal to use a copy btw... so you could get a mate to make a copy of their Vista disc for you (baring in mind what I've said above). It's only the serial/licence key which has to be unique/your own [edit] Drat! Beaten to the punch! My son 'phoned me just as I was about finished [/edit]
