Vista - were can i buy a oem operating system disc

i have a oem home edition windows xp and i messt it up and now were windows is the bar only loads half way and windows starts and it restars in 3 minuets by it self so i want to formatt the hard drive and install everything back like new but i dont have that operating system disc to formatted

Newegg.com

Hello Bigboss, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Although we only discuss Vista related issues here, if you have a OEM computer, then you may be able to do a factory restore. Please post back with what brand your computer is, and I'll see if I can find instructions on how to for your brand.

If this is what you are referring to as being messed up, then you might check your computer's manufacturer's website to see if they have a replacement copy that you can still download or order. Otherwise, Lemur as the right idea to find one.

Hope this helps for now,
Shawn

Usually you have to buy a piece of hardware to qualify for an OEM disc.

I have had no problem on several occasions in purchasing the "restore disks set" from Dell and from HP/Compaq so long as I had the computer's model and serial numbers. The cost is usually around $15. Go to the mfr's website and look for links to get you to the appropriate site. You might also consult your owner's "manual" or look at the screen at bootup to see if you can do a restore from a partition already on the hard drive. A Google search might also provide useful information. Keep in mind that with the restore function you are returning the computer to the "just out of the box" state so back up whatever data you can. You might need to download drivers from a website, get updates from Windows, etc. and install various programs anew.