Reinstal Window XP but no recovery disc

One of the first three downloads should be what you're looking for. Don't worry, there aren't bootleg copies. You'll notice that these downloads come directly from Microsofts own servers.

What a lot of people are unaware of is that since XP, Microsoft has made their OS's freely available for download online through authorized content distributors like Digital River. There are two main reasons for doing this. One, it gives people in your situation who legitimately own a copy of the OS, but are in need of a physical copy a way to get one legally without having to buy a second copy essentially. Two, 99 percent of the cost of the OS is the license key (the long

alpha-numeric string on that colorful sticker on the side of your PC). The other 1 percent is for the physical disk itself. Your license key is your unique identifier and is what enables you to register your copy of Windows legally.

So, as long as you have your original license key, and I assume you do unless your sticker got peeled off somehow, then feel free to download an image, burn, reinstall, an register with your license when prompted.

You'll be good to go!