Reinstall XP Without Losing Any Software Or Settings
This technique lets you completely and nondestructively
rebuild, repair or refresh an existing XP installation while leaving
already-installed software alone (no reinstallation needed!). It leaves user accounts, names, and
passwords untouched; and also takes only a fraction of the time a full,
from-scratch reinstall does. And unlike a traditional full reinstall, this
option doesn't leave you with two
copies of XP on your hard drive; or delete an exiting copy. Instead, you end up
with just your original installation, but repaired, refreshed, and ready to go.
It's XP's most powerful rebuild/repair option; and yet Microsoft chose to hide it behind seeming dead ends, red herrings, and a recycled interface that makes it hard to find and (at first) somewhat confusing to use. Go figure.
We've saved this technique for last in our discussion of
the various XP
repair/rebuild options because the fixes we've previously discussed are like
first aid--- the things you try first. For instance, see this discussion on
removing limitations on XP's Recovery Console (
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=187000225
), turning it into a more complete repair tool; or this discussion on the
Recovery Console's little known boot data "Rebuild" command (
http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=185301251 ) that
can cure many boot-related problems. (There's also lots more on the Recovery
Console here: http://tinyurl.com/p7fnr )
But when the Recovery Console techniques don't work and you're facing the
prospect of a total reformat/reinstall, STOP! Try this no-reformat reinstall
technique, and you just may get your XP setup running in a fraction of the
time and with a fraction of the hassle of a grand mal wipe-and-restore.
You'll find complete, step-by-step instructions with abundant screen shots
waiting for you here:
http://www.informationweek.com/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897
With this information, you should almost never have to face a dreaded start-
over, from-scratch reformat/reinstall of XP!
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