Windows Blues

I've done too many Windows installations in the past, but when it came to mine, I was stumped! I have an Acer Travelmate 8200, and I've been waiting to reinstall Windows cos it's been slow. But I couldn't find a CD for it. So I looked around for information on the internet. I thought I could download a pirated copy, then change the license to the one on the sticker under my laptop. But I was wrong!

I called Microsoft, they said that they can send a CD for $41+. I called Acer, they said that I should have used their recovery program (which I never noticed), and I need to get the hard disk re-imaged for $66. Come on, I don't want to pay for the software that I already paid for!

There's a partition called PQSERVICE that contained a backup for Windows, and I searched some forums on the internet. I was lucky because I didn't delete it while partitioning my hard disk. I downloaded PTEDIT32.exe to unhide the PQSERVICE partition and set it to active, then reboot. Voila! I could reinstall Windows again, and this time it's fully legitimate!

Now my Windows is restored, and my computer is much faster. Back to work!