vista on acer laptop troubles ....trying to help a friend and Im lost

I also tried both of these but they would not complete..
Restoring the operating system
How do I reinstall the Operating System?

In some cases it can be beneficial to reinstall the Operating System (OS) and start with a clean sheet, for example when programs frequently hang up, or when you fear your system has been infected with malware. Acer products include recovery software, which allows you to quickly and easily reinstall the originally installed Operating System and software.

PRECAUTION

During the process, all data stored on your system will be overwritten. This means all your files, such as email and photos, will be erased. Therefore, we recommend making a backup of all personal data before starting the recovery process.

RESOLUTION

In case it is needed to reinstall the Operating System, follow these steps:

1. Power on your computer. When the Acer logo is displayed, press and hold the ALT key while pressing repeatedly the F10 key. Release the keys when a message displays that Windows is loading files.
2. After the system recovery program has loaded follow the prompts to reinstall the operating system.

MORE INFORMATION

Prior to completely reinstalling the software, it is recommended to try to undo the changes that may cause the problems you experience. This can be done with tools, supplied with Windows:

* For Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7: Using System Restore in Windows XP, Vista and 7.
* For Windows Vista and Windows 7: Introduction to the Windows Recovery Environment

DID THIS FIX THE PROBLEM?

If the option to reinstall using the ALT + F10 keys is not available or fails, reinstallation of the operating system can be done using Acer Recovery Media (CDs or DVDs). In order to recover the system using Acer Recovery Media, you may need an external optical disc drive for models shipped without a CD/DVD/Blu-Ray drive.

1. If required, ensure that the external optical drive is plugged into a USB port.
2. Power on the system and press F2 to enter the Basic Input Output System (BIOS) Setup during Power-On Self-Test (POST), when the Acer logo is being displayed.
3. Use the arrow keys to navigate Boot or Advanced BIOS Feature.
4. Refer to on screen instructions to set the first device to the built-in optical drive, or USB CDROM.
5. Press the CD-ROM drive eject button and insert the System CD.
6. Close the CD-ROM tray.
7. Press F10, then press Enter to save the changes and reboot the system. The system will now start from the Acer Recovery Media.
8. After the system recovery program has loaded follow the prompts to reinstall the operating system.

In case you did not create your recovery media or have no recovery media available, please contact our Customer Service for information on how to obtain a set of Recovery Discs