How to backup windows xp onto cd without windows xp installation cd

[angela robertson]

i need to back up all my stuff onto a blank cd or flashdrive but dont have the windows xp installation cd. my computer is a referbished laptop & they did not not include the windows xp installation disk when they mailed it to me. so how can i backup without it?

 

[PhilFrisbie]

You do not need the Windows CD to back up, only to restore.

Also, most laptops come with a program that can make a set of recovery discs that allow you to restore the original copy of XP if needed. Double check on that.

 

[hang-the-9]

If you want the ability to restore the laptop to how it is now, you can clone or image the drive to another disk. http://clonezilla.org/

If you just want to save your files for backup, just copy them to somewhere.