HACKER Q&A
📣 a_simm

Windows recovery CDs without original computer?


I found a set of 6 windows recovery cds in my mother's effects that I made on Jan 6, 2008 on a Compaq mini tower. The original computer is long gone.

So I bought another mini tower of the same vintage, trying to recover, and received a message like "these disks were not made on this machine"

Compaq support was no help and MS support has an open ticket since Nov 2021.

I've looked at the disks on another machine and its unclear what's going on. No info on the format, structure, etc appears in my web searches.

Does anyone know how to get to data off them and or someone or some place who does?

Thanks!

  👤 simonblack Accepted Answer ✓
Are you sure that those disks contain the private files? As in a 'backup' rather than the 'recovery' of Windows alone?

Generally speaking, the private files would be backed up separately, and not with the Windows operating system.

Is there any indication of the software used? You could possibly get in touch with the company that produced that software. (If it was Microsoft, then you are SOL.)

👤 josephcsible
What's on the discs that you want? Aren't most recovery discs just the OS and some OEM software?