about program files

[En]

Hello,

I want to re-install my windowsXP but I am concern about my program
files, I don't want to loose all the content of my program files folder
in my drive C, is it okay if I copy all the content of my program files
folder from drive c to drive D and then after formatting c and
re-install my windowsXP OS then I will copy back again all the content
of my program files folder to drive c, are all the programs in that
folder will still run? like the "Antivirus, instant messenger, and the
adobe reader etc..." please help me folks,

En

 

[Stubbo_of_Oz]

Hello,

I want to re-install my windowsXP but I am concern about my program
files, I don't want to loose all the content of my program files folder
in my drive C, is it okay if I copy all the content of my program files
folder from drive c to drive D and then after formatting c and
re-install my windowsXP OS then I will copy back again all the content
of my program files folder to drive c, are all the programs in that
folder will still run? like the "Antivirus, instant messenger, and the
adobe reader etc..." please help me folks,

Not possible - the relevant registry items would have been lost.

You might like to consider "XP's No-Reformat, Nondestructive
Total-Rebuild Option" - see here:-

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897

To quote part of the article:-

.........
But it's worth exploring because this option lets you completely and
nondestructively rebuild, repair, or refresh an existing XP
installation while leaving already-installed software alone (no
reinstallation needed!). It also leaves user accounts, names, and
passwords untouched and 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. Instead, you end up with just the original installation, but
repaired, refreshed, and ready to go.
.........