Installation CD verses Recovery CD

Ok guys this is probably a noob question but what is the difference between using and installation CD or a recovery CD if you need to reinstall an OS?

 

An installation CD will only install the Operating System.

A Recovery CD is usually brand and sometimes model specific as is the case with most eMachine disks. It installs the Operating System and usually some other software and sometimes the specific drivers that are relevant to the machine it was made for. There are exceptions though such as the OS disk from Dell, at least in XP. It will install just the OS on almost any machine but will require a COA and authentication on any machine that is not Dell.

 

Ok, Thank you I have been confused about that for awhile now