Need help, perhaps even mental help after this.

[Victor_ffx]

Guys I have quite a big problem. The other day I formatted my PC (Thanks PC_eye for all your help)
Yesterday my brother installed a whole load of programs to "see what they did" and they made the internet stop working. He uninstalled them but they didn't come with uninstallers so there were files left behind and the internet was still going really slow. So I thought it would be easier to just format again.

This is where the problems start, I inserted my XP Home CD and formatted my harddrive, when it finished formatting it resetted to start the installer and just then my CD cracked in the DVD Rom!?!?!?! I now have a computer with nothing on the HD and I don't have a CD to install Windows on it.

I'm busy using our old computer with 56k dialup,
(I tried using the router but when I make a new internet connection it says I must choose a modem, it doesn't have the option "make a connection that requires a username and password") the thing sounds like it's running on empty it's so old.

Can anybody help me out, I've heard of boot discs that can be downloaded but I doubt they can be used to install Windows? Is there any way I can get a replacement copy? I'm really desperate.

Thanks guys,
Vic

P.S I'm gonna post this in Operating Systems and Desktop Computers as I don't know which one this problem fits in. If this is against the rules could one of the mods delete the one posted in the wrong section. Thanks

 

[Desfer]

Maybe if you send the cracked CD to Microsoft or something they could get you a replacement, but it'll last some time for all the process.

If you don't have any other copies of Windows or any other OS, I guess the only answer will be asking for a replacement, buying another copy or asking a friend to get you a copy of Linux (or Windows... if you don't care about piracy).

Good luck.

 

[Victor_ffx]

Well, I'll see how long it'll take them to get the CD to me first, if it's gonna take a while I might ask ones of my mates to come and put a cracked version on my PC until it arrives. I'm against piracy but I paid for it in the first place right? I've had windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 and XP and I paid for them all so I think Microsoft will forgive for me using a fake version for a couple of weeks.