Re-installing without loosing files

hello...my girlfriend has a problem with her computer...she says that
when she turns it on wile windows is loading it says that it cannot
find a sytem32 file...she tryed something that a tech dude told her to
do but it didnt work...so i was thinking that she could put in her
windows cd and just re-instal widows, but withou formatting...i'm not
to sure...but is this possible...or do you have to format the drive to
install windows??? and second if she doesn re-install without
formatting will she loose andy personal files on her sytem in her my
documents folder or stuff on the desktop??? and will she loose programs
already installed like microsoft office and adobe photoshop??? if so is
tehre any other way to get windows to run enough taht she can atleast
back up files on a cd then re-format the system?...i hope i'm makeing
sence...

thanks you for your help

Mike

How to Perform a Repair Install of Windows XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------*----------------

"Mike" wrote:

| hello...my girlfriend has a problem with her computer...she says that
| when she turns it on wile windows is loading it says that it cannot
| find a sytem32 file...she tryed something that a tech dude told her to
| do but it didnt work...so i was thinking that she could put in her
| windows cd and just re-instal widows, but withou formatting...i'm not
| to sure...but is this possible...or do you have to format the drive to
| install windows??? and second if she doesn re-install without
| formatting will she loose andy personal files on her sytem in her my
| documents folder or stuff on the desktop??? and will she loose programs
| already installed like microsoft office and adobe photoshop??? if so is
| tehre any other way to get windows to run enough taht she can atleast
| back up files on a cd then re-format the system?...i hope i'm makeing
| sence...
|
| thanks you for your help
|
| Mike

You can also try a System File Check before doing a repair install.
This will check your system files for missing or corrupt system files
and replace them as long as you have the WindowsXP CD. Go here:
Start>Run>type SFC /SCANNOW (space between C and /) and press OK.

--
XP - WNP
Today is the first day of the
rest of your life.


"Carey Frisch [MVP]" wrote:

>
> How to Perform a Repair Install of Windows XP
> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
>
> --
> Carey Frisch
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows - Shell/User
> Microsoft Community Newsgroups
> news://msnews.microsoft.com/
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------Â*----------------
>
> "Mike" wrote:
>
> | hello...my girlfriend has a problem with her computer...she says that
> | when she turns it on wile windows is loading it says that it cannot
> | find a sytem32 file...she tryed something that a tech dude told her to
> | do but it didnt work...so i was thinking that she could put in her
> | windows cd and just re-instal widows, but withou formatting...i'm not
> | to sure...but is this possible...or do you have to format the drive to
> | install windows??? and second if she doesn re-install without
> | formatting will she loose andy personal files on her sytem in her my
> | documents folder or stuff on the desktop??? and will she loose programs
> | already installed like microsoft office and adobe photoshop??? if so is
> | tehre any other way to get windows to run enough taht she can atleast
> | back up files on a cd then re-format the system?...i hope i'm makeing
> | sence...
> |
> | thanks you for your help
> |
> | Mike
>
>

"michael_g_12@hotmail.com" wrote:

> hello...my girlfriend has a problem with her computer...she says that
> when she turns it on wile windows is loading it says that it cannot
> find a sytem32 file...she tryed something that a tech dude told her to
> do but it didnt work...so i was thinking that she could put in her
> windows cd and just re-instal widows, but withou formatting...i'm not
> to sure...but is this possible...or do you have to format the drive to
> install windows??? and second if she doesn re-install without
> formatting will she loose andy personal files on her sytem in her my
> documents folder or stuff on the desktop??? and will she loose programs
> already installed like microsoft office and adobe photoshop??? if so is
> tehre any other way to get windows to run enough taht she can atleast
> back up files on a cd then re-format the system?...i hope i'm makeing
> sence...
>
> thanks you for your help
>
> Mike
>
>

hmm...theres one problem...we can't even get windows to load...so we
can't even do that scan
Thanks for the advice though

Have you tried booting in Safe Mode? If you can boot in Safe Mode then
you'll have access to the Restore feature. If nothing, you'll have no other
choice than to follow Carey's post.
"How to Boot in Safe Mode"
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/capture/safemode.html
--
XP - WNP
Today is the first day of the
rest of your life.


"michael_g_12@hotmail.com" wrote:

> hmm...theres one problem...we can't even get windows to load...so we
> can't even do that scan
> Thanks for the advice though
>
>