download vista

Our hard drive failed on our laptop and has been replaced.

I need to reinstall Vista 32 but dont have the orginal disks - they did not come with the Vaio lap top - but have the product key on the base of my computer.

Is there a place to download at no cost, and instructions.

thanks in anticipation

Basically, no. Microsoft makes Windows 7 available through their official site -- Digital River -- but even that is Service Pack 1. There is no place you can get it anymore -- for free.

If the laptop came with Vista preloaded, you should be able to get full-restore media from the laptop manufacturer -- but they are likely to charge you a fee for it. Typically, it's $10 to $20 -- enough to cover shipping and handling.