jbfringy, Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum. You can use the Recovery Partition. This will put the system like when it was first delivered. If you dont have a disk then do not format. You can also click the link below to request backup disc. Backup Disk Form   
I am about to format my harddrive but i have no recovery disk to reinstall xp. i checked the box my laptop came in but theres no disk in it. is there anywhere i can get one? or a softcopy i can download? i have checked my laptop and found that it still has its DSR partition, which, from the dell web site says it is an "exact copy of your computer's original factory software". if i use this pc restore, will that clear the XP operating system?
reinstalling XP