I need to reload Vista

[wartrip]

My daughter has a Dell Inspiron 1545. It came with Windows Vista Home Edition preloaded on it. One of her boyfriends reformatted it and loaded Linux Mint on it.
We are wanting to return to Vista.
Is there a way for me to restore Vista to this machine?
Ultimately, I would like a pathway to eventually upgrade to Windows 7.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MilesAhead]

Dell - Support

 

[whs]

Dells usually come with installation disks. Do you have that. If not, check in Linux > Places tab > Computer whether there is a Vista recovery partition. If yes, use this procedure:

· Save all your important files.

· Unplug all the devices and drivers from your CPU (except the keyboard and the mouse), including your printer, camera and memory stick.

· Shut off the computer and then turn it on, or simply restart it.

· As soon as you see the Dell logo at the start keep on hitting the F8 key repeatedly. Do not stop until you see the screen that says "Repair your computer." There will be other options too but chose this option and hit Enter.

· Next you will see a prompt window giving you options to select the keyboard layout select from the drop-down menu "US" and click "OK."

· On the next screen you will be asked to select the user ID and the password of your Windows account. Select your user account, but make sure your user account has administrative functions. Type in your password. If you don't have a password, leave it blank and click "OK."

· Now you will come to a window with multiple options. Choose the one at the bottom that reads, "Dell Factory Image Restore." By clicking "Dell Factory Image Restore" , it will generate an operation that will take about 45 minutes to complete.



If you want to upgrade to Windows 7, you can get an upgrade system here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116713

Then use this procedure: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html