Can You Reinstall XP to Repair & Not Wipe all Your Files???? 2

[KCMONSTER]

Is there a way to reinstall XP, copying over the top of original install, to repair corrupted files without losing all of your data, applications, drivers, etc. I have done this many times with Win98. I know from experience that I can not accomplish this with my vendor recovery disk. Only allows for a full install and it wipes everything.

If a full version of XP will allow this (if anyone has experience with this) I will be happy to go buy it to keep from losing all my data.

I am having the "WINDOWS32\CONFIG\SYSTEM corrupted or missing" error others are having.

 

[TheOldMan346]

Yes, you can reinstall XP on top of itself without wiping the data. Just skip the step to format the volume.

In the future, try to partition the volume and keep your data and apps on a partition other than the boot partition. That way you can reformat, reinstall, etc without any concerns.

Hope that helps.
The Old Man

 

[KCMONSTER]

Thanks TheOldMan346. Will gladly spend the $99 to rid myself of this sorry vendor disk. On another note, have you dealt the the problem of "WINDOWS32\CONFIG\SYSTEM corrupted or missing"? Am using WinXP Home and have had the problem twice in less than a year. Both times I had been using either Black Ice Defender and Zone Alarm Pro, both causing a series of system crashes before the ultimate WINDOWS32\CONFIG error. Makes sense to me as the firewall probably does dig deep into the core OS files. When they fail, so does the OS.

 

[TheOldMan346]

KCMONSTER,

I've used ZoneAlarm (free version) and did not like it. I'm used to being able to view and manipulate the rukes directly and it behaved erratically so I removed it. Black Ice does not have a very good reputation. See Steve Gibson's site (

http://www.grc.com)

for more information. I use Kerio Personal Firewall (formerly Tiny Personal Firewall) and am happy with it.

I guess I have been lucky and have not experienced the corruption others have. Have you checked the forum thread here on the subject?

Good luck.
The Old Man

 

[KCMONSTER]

Yeah and the only helpful solution (to edit the registry) I can't even get to. I'm basically in a bind and need to reinstall, just didn't want to lose all my data, drivers, etc. I only know enough about operating systems to make me dangerous so I'm rather scared of climbing in too deep and wouldn't really even know where to start. Easier for me to reinstall. Thanks for all of your help.

 

[linney]

You will have to reload any Windows Updates but files and programs will be safe.


REPAIR WINDOWS

Boot from XP CD
(Windows will now load some temporary files)


Options after booting

*To Set Up Windows XP now press ENTER

*To Repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R

*To Quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3


Press ENTER for first option (don't select Recovery Console)
(Accept Eula agreement)

Follow onscreen instructions to repair windows installation




How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP (Q315341)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q315/3/41.asp

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[KCMONSTER]

Thanks linney. That's the route I'm going to take as soon as I find someone local with original XP disk.......vendor crap I have won't let me do a repair, only full install (past experience) that leaves some of my stuff in tact and wipes most. Used it twice now and never get the same results.

 

[Monguse]

Assuming your computer is a Brand Name like Dell, Gatway, etc... Thee version of XP (or any other O/S from Microsoft) is usally not a stock version and it is possable you could have a problem unless you do a clean install then use the re-install if you need to again. - But then I could be wrong, this is based on thinks I've run into from time to time. "The beauty of the second amendment is, that it will not be needed until they try to take it." - Thomas Jefferson

WebMaster:

http://www.firearms-for-us.com

 

[TheOldMan346]

I hear you Monguse!

The OS included with those brand-name machines is SUPPOSED to be an OEM version. OEM versions are stock Micro$oft versions but no box/manual. They are SUPPOSED to provide the CD which is an original Micro$oft CD. That's what it's SUPPOSED to be. From my experience, Dell and Gateway generally follow this. I have run into variations, however, with Compaq and lesser known brands and store brands. Sometimes they just give you a restore CD. Sometimes they pre-install the OS and tweak it or apply their own customizations to the loaded system. Re-installing can potentially wipe out those customizations.

Unfortunately, they don't always tell you what the customizations are or what the consequences of reloading the OS are. You just have to be careful and backup before doing anything.

The Old Man

 

[KCMONSTER]

Think I found the answer to this question. If system has more than one user, then the user files (basically all files in documents & settings folder for each user) will be wiped. This happens regardless of vendor disk or original XP disk. Luckily, I was able to use an original XP disk and the recovery console option during setup.

Ran CHKDSK /R, which found corrupted sectors and repaired/recovered back to normal. End product was a complete success and nothing but time was lost. I understand that sometimes this doesn't work though. My master boot record was corrupted (Zone Alarm True Vector Engine the culprit).

 

[rwise2112]

Please see

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q307545

This article describes your error and tells how to fix it. You will need access to the recovery console (using the XP OS CD, or by installing it if you have a full I386 folder on your harddrive by typing C:\I386\WINNT32.EXE /CMDCONS as the run command. You may need to adjust the path to the I386 folder.

Also see

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q308402&

if you find you cannot log onto the recovery console, since it is an OEM installation.