New HP laptop: should I reformat and put retail copy of Win XP on it?

I'm more of the opinion that the OS was toast before I fooled with permissions and I've rectified the problem, but it's too soon to know.

I did download an .iso file from Digital River the other night. I'm supposed to burn it to DVD or put it on a USB stick? I use BelArc Advisor to find the COA key because...oh, here's the key on the bottom of the laptop where my grubby hands can get all over it when i CARRY THIS THING AROUND. (caps lock error, sorry).

I'll probably try the recovery partition first after I back up mystuff and make recovery DVD's and such.

Cymbal Man Freq said:

As of now I've mucked with permissions so much that when I right click on the C: drive and check the Security tab in Properties, the only users that don't have Full Control are Authenticated Users (whatever that means).

The SYSTEM, My 1st and 2nd User, Administrators and Users all have Full Control now, whereas before I can only guess that only one heading had Full Control. I added two entries for my two users prior to reassigning permissions.

Maybe everything is fixed? No. Things like Getting Started on the Start Menu with a subgroup starting with Discover Windows 7 (for HP preloaded software) give me errors and won't work. (http://go.microsoft.com/LinkID=139460 with a big red X saying "Application not found")

That's because you now have permission, but the OS no longer has permission. So whenever the OS tries to do something, it encounters a file that only you have permissions to and can't do anything.

Here's my 2 cents worth. First and foremost I would do a factory reset to the day you purchased the laptop. Hp should have some built in software installed somewhere to achieve this. Or make the recovery disc's and use those to restore to factory condition.

Windows 7 is bar far a superior OS to windows XP. Just there is a learning curve to using windows 7.

If you're going to reinstall you might as well get the superior Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 instead of trying to install a dead OS on new hardware which probably won't want it.

If you stick with the tools and methods given in the tutorial you'll have a perfect reinstall. Be sure to read the Special Note to HP Owners a t end, too.

I just looked at the Security settings for my mom's Win 7 Dell desktop which is a year old.
C: drive
1) Authenticated Users: (everything unchecked except Special Permissions)
2) SYSTEM: (everything checked except Special Permissions)
3) Administrators (Vostro 460/Administrators): (everything checked but Special Permissions)
4) Users (Vostro 460/Users): (Nothing checked but Read & Execute, List Folder Contents, and Read)

D: Drive
1) Authenticated Users: (everything checked except Full Control, and Special Permissions)
2) SYSTEM: (everything checked except Special Permissions)
3) Administrators: (everything checked except Special Permissions)
4) Users: (Same as C:)

Really you need to STOP this. Re-Install the OS. You have FUBAR'ed the permissions and you CAN NOT FIX IT without re-installing.

Please, follow the Windows 7 Clean Install tutorial in my sig. I'll even post the link for you.
Clean Install Windows 7
You have, for lack of a better word, "freaked" up the permissions, so you need to clean install.