NEED HELP !! destructive restore process....?

compaq presario 2100, did a destructive restore, two times, when restarted, am operating on windows xp "home edition" instead of just windows xp, as originally from day one. Differences noticed...cannot save pictures as before, when saving i git "the no preview available" to view thm,and have to go to web and use "open with" option" ...also window sizes seem to be larger, giving me the bars on the side/bottom whereas before every window seemed to open with plenty of room...wonderin how i got to windows home edition instead of what i originally had..i installed every window update available ....isp is aol....limited service area, due to only dial up available.....the restore process is 4 discs, did not put in the operating cd at the time of restore, cause the first time i did restore, i didnt need to do this, and the oper syst cd reads home edition anyway. ANY HELP/GUIDANCE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED, WINDOWS SUPPORT WANTS 35 BUCKS TO PICK UP THE PHONE........THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

NEED HELP !! destructive restore process....?opera score

The destructive restore process returns your computer to it's 'factory new' state; all of the programs that were installed after that have probably been removed--if you still have your original program cd's then you can reinstall those but you have probably lost your old settings to them. You will also have to install Service Pack 2 from the Microsoft Update website to restore the 'Windows XP' logo--if you can still see 'Home Edition', then Service Pack 2 has been removed as well. There should be a non-destructive system restore available for your version of Windows XP within the control panel: Click Start, then go to Control Panel, then Performance and Maintenance, then in the upper left hand corner you should see a window labeled See Also--there should be a folder saying File Types and underneath that there should be an icon labeled System Restore. After selecting System Restore, you should be able to choose what type of restore you would like and also you can restore it to an earlier state of functionality--if you have already lost everything without backing up your files, this option wont help you and unfortunately, you will have to reinstall everything all over again.

NEED HELP !! destructive restore process....?musicals opera theater

If you had a differnt o/s the first time you had it then the store must have put it on noy HP...

Must be a open box or refurb unit..

Hp tech line 1-800-474-6836 (Canada) or 1-866-211-5214 (U.S.A)
from the way I read your question you seem to have 2 systems on your machine XP home and XP alien (or maybe proffesional), either ways you have to set one system only to boot from, and start with, see if you can backup all the files you want on an external device then format your machine and load windows XP home, coz its the lightest/safest.
God Bless you in your search in finding the truth as the truth will set you free.
isn't home edition the regular version? Unless you're referring to xp pro... i'm not quite following what you're all taling about, but im assuming what your going through is the default setup that windows has... when it is first installed. if you modified any programs or installed anything else, you'll have to reinstall everything (including 3rd party programs) to get your system back to the way it was before.
yes as some others have stated, windows XP Home Edition is the regular windows XP.

Make sure you have installed all of the windows updates

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

I am going to assume from your description that you have the system running again with all updates installed.

The differences you are seeing between how your computer operated before and now is most likely caused by your programs' settings resetting to their default states.

If you are trying to open an image and are having to select "open with.." it may be that the image file has not been associated with the program with which you want to open it in.

If this is the case you can try these steps:

When you choose "open with..", by right clicking on the image, look for the option "choose program"

You will see a dialogue box with a list of recommended programs.

Select a program

Then Check the box that says

"Always use the selected program to open this kind of file"

Then select OK

Your images should now be associated with the program. You can change this setting at any time by following the same steps.

You mention another problem, the screen sizes. It may be that the computer has reset to a smaller screen size or "resolution"

A smaller screen size will cause scroll bars to appear on your web browser windows where there might not have been scroll bars before.

Go to your desktop and right click anywhere where there are no icons.

Choose "properties" in the menu that appears

You should see a dialogue box

Go to the "settings" tab

In here will be the option to change the screen "resolution"

Increase the numbers by using the slider bar.

click OK

a dialogue box should appear asking if you want to keep the settings you've chosen.

If you don't want to keep the settings or if things don't look right, simply wait 10 seconds and the settings will return to the previous selection.

I hope that helps