I installed a program (blackberry desktop) then uninstalled when it wouldn't work properly. Win XP then stopped working normally. I blundered around and the machine froze. Eventually found through searches using a different machine that MS has disabled XP even though April 2014 has not arrived and it may yet be extended. I DBANed the aspire hdd in desperation and of course "restore" is gone now.
Now I need a new operating system and understand Win 7 is available as a replacement from Acer for $19.
My problem is I cant figure out how to order it on line from Acer. I'd appreciate it if somebody will point me in the right direction. The machine is registered with Acer as is this one I'm using now.