Dell computer - should I have gotten the OS and driver disk?

I recently bought a Dell with XP for another family member. Since I had gotten another Dell about a year ago and had the OS CD I figured why bother. But now I am thinking I probably should have done it, especially since it was only $10.

I had thought that I could just use my OS CD to reload the OS if needed on either machine but I am not sure if that is true. Or it may be true but a much bigger hassle. I would like to find out.

The machines are different. One is a desktop, the other a laptop so the drivers will be different. The CD with the desktop is labeled "Operating System" and "reinstallation CD". Also "This CD is not for reinstallation of programs or drivers". I understand this isn't a "real" retail version OS CD but an OEM one with limitations.

How should I go about making sure I have what I need to restore both machines if something goes badly wrong? Are there files on the hard drives I should back up?

I went to the Dell site and the drivers are there but it looked like a tedious process to figure out all the ones I needed and download them.

The laptop is still under support for a couple more weeks so if I need to get the CD from Dell it will probably be easier to do it now rather than later...

Please advise. Thanks,

Jim

 

Get the CD now. You'll eat $10 in aspirin alone dealing with the headache of trying to reinstall the OS without it. It costs more to buy it outside the support/warranty period.