Sorry to hear she is having such difficulty. I do see a lot of problems reported using Recovery Discs-no rhyme or reason for many of them. Could be a faulty burn of the discs, etc. I don't think HP stocks Vista discs any longer. You probably could get them at computersurgeons.com but you need the exact model number as listed on the Service Tag attached to bottom to find specific set needed.
If you can spare your Vista disc she could use it. She wouldn't even need to use your license key if the COA label with license key is still legible. It is on the bottom of laptop & tends to get scruffed up over time so it may not be legible.
You could also get Windows 7 if that is in the budget. I have a similiar DV2810us that I upgraded to Windows 7 several years ago and it runs great on it.