BleepingComputer.com: windows recovery disk

As I said, I disagree with you. But this is neither the place nor time.

update:

yay!!success and progress!!did the folders trick, checked each download as they loaded and everything went very well. having said that i went back into the devcmgmt.msc and it looks like there is one errant yellow question mark related to:
PCI simple communication controller.

as you have found out for yourselves i am NOT a wizard when it comes to these things so my question is will it be a necessary component that warrants me going back to dell.com to try to find it?

Eyesee...funny you said to try to get the recovery disk because that is kind of how Allan got dragged into this in the first place. i was having such a hard time trying to find one(or getting anyone to understand what i was trying to find because i wasn't too sure myself) i came here to see if anyone had any ideas and along came Allan :]...i had contacted dell and they DID send me the XP reinstallation disk at no charge(i am the 2nd owner of this thing) but as i soon found out it doesn't include drivers but thanks to you guys that is no longer a problem...thanks again and please let me know about the last thing
Eyesee said,"Without confusing the poster"...sorry...you could take me on a basic walk and that would still happen but i DO try
oh, and...you guys play nice...LOL

This post has been edited by tuckeroo: 13 July 2011 - 02:53 PM

That's probably the modem. Download and install the driver for your modem and you should be good to go.

As you read above, I'm a big believer in disc imaging. It's up to you, but here are my thoughts:

Disk Imaging software takes a "snapshot" of your drive as it exists at the time you create the image. You can then restore the entire image or any file(s) or folder(s) you choose. It is a virtually foolproof way of backing up your system and providing a safe haven in the event of a catastrophe that requires you to blow away your system partition and restore it to a previous state. It also allows you to "test" various software and be confident that you have a the ability to return to the prior state any time you choose.
I use Acronis True Image. It is the best of breed, but it isn't free. The best free alternative is Macrium Reflect.

1) I create an image of my system partition once a week to a second hard drive and keep the 2 or 3 most recent images. I also image my other partitions about once a month. I always enable "verify image" in the options. It takes a little longer, but insures a valid image.

2) I also create an image before performing any drive level function (ie, changing the size of a partition) or making any significant change to the OS (installing a service pack, upgrading IE, etc). Also sometimes before installing new software.

3) Images may be created on any medium (cd, dvd, external drive, etc). For obvious reasons they should not be stored on the same drive you are imaging. The best option is a second internal hd if you have one.

4) Images may be created "in the background" within the OS. If you need to restore the system partition, that will need to be done before the OS loads. You can start the process within the application in the OS and it will then tell you it needs to reboot to finish the process. Alternatively, you can boot to a "recovery disk" which you can create when you first install the software (or to the application disk itself if you have one). Other partitions can be restored without a reboot.

This post has been edited by Allan: 13 July 2011 - 03:14 PM

Allan said,"That's probably the modem. Download and install the driver for your modem and you should be good to go."...lol...guess what i was just about to ask advice about next?i will beat this yet...update you tomorrow afternoon about that....anything else you might be able to think of right off hand while i'm there "shopping"?i already have my emsisoft, superantispyware and malwarebytes scanners. i wanted to try emsisofts Online Armor but i think that is going to be too advanced for me. any personal faves or bits of advice on"extras" to install(or not to as the case may be)?

update:
sorry it has taken me so long to come back, my phone line went down so i was waiting on it's repair.

i got the driver for the modem installed however, i am still missing a piece of my puzzle. when i try to load my ISP from the CD i have when it tries to dial out it gives me the message:

the modem or other connecting device is already in use or not configured properly. your modem appears to be in use by another program.

i have went into task manager and nothing else appears to be running. i have tried to use the microsoft help option in regards to configuration and the like and am getting nowhere. any words of advice?

See if anything here helps: http://www.computing.net/answers/windows-xp/modem-error/83294.html

okay...will give it a go. can you please tell me though how to see what programs are assigned to what port?i have found that the modem says COM3 and when i pull up the list of com ports COM1 says (in use) but i am not sure how to determine by what