Re-Install XP Without Losing Programs or Data?

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Guest

I have Windows XP Pro with all the update installed. I also have a number of
programs and data on the machine. I have a problem that I think will be
solved (missing or corrupted piece of code that allows XP to function OK
99.9999% of the time) if I install XP all over again including all the
updates. Is there a way to do that and not lose all my programs? Is this what
is called a "fresh iinstall"?
 
No a Fresh/Clean install wipes all on that partition, whereas a repair
install 'should' leave apps/data intact
But then what exactly is the problem?
 
How do you do a "repair install"? And, does a repair install just look to see
if all the components are there, does it look at each component to see if it
is correct, or does it replace every component no matter what.
 
Repair the Windows XP Installation

Configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive. For more information about how to do this, please refer to your computer's documentation or contact your computer manufacturer.

Remove any floppy disks and ZIP disks from their respective drives. Insert your Windows XP compact disc (CD) into your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer.

(You can also boot with a Windows 98/Me Startup disk with CD support and run WINNT.EXE in the I386 folder on the CD)

When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message is displayed on your screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.

When you see the following message displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER:
To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

At this point an option to press R to enter the Recovery Console is displayed. Do not select this option.

On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen, press F8 to agree to the license agreement.

Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected in the box, and then press the R key to repair Windows XP.

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.
 
Thanks. Very clear. The last piece of info I need is this: Does a repair
install just look to see if all the components are there, does it look at
each component to see if it is correct, does it replace every component no
matter what, or does it follow some other procedure?
 
It doesn't examine on a component-by-component level.

When you run the repair, when you've committed to the final confirm that you
want to start the repair process, the first thing you'll see is a screen that
says "DELETING FILE: " and it will run through a list of about everything in
your WINDOWS and SYSTEM32 folders, and then begin reinstalling. That's why
your profile inforomation is stored in the C:\Docs and Settings, so it will
be preserved in a repair.

After the repair process, you'll have to redownload MANY MANY updates and
apply them (carefully, and being sure to reboot between each set so each
takes effect and in some cases so you can get the "updates for the
updates"--annoying).

Some programs may not work until you finish applying all updates that the
program "thought" were there when it ran last. But your Windows installation
should be working at that point.

Shawn





Homeboy said:
Thanks. Very clear. The last piece of info I need is this: Does a repair
install just look to see if all the components are there, does it look at
each component to see if it is correct, does it replace every component no
matter what, or does it follow some other procedure?
Click to expand...
 
Shawn is correct. A repair installation is effectively a reinstall from the original media. But, it does have the advantage of preserving your installed programs and data.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows Media Center\Windows Powered Smart Display\Security
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Per user Group Policy Restrictions for XP Home and XP Pro
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_securityconsole.htm
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

Homeboy said:
Thanks. Very clear. The last piece of info I need is this: Does a repair
install just look to see if all the components are there, does it look at
each component to see if it is correct, does it replace every component no
matter what, or does it follow some other procedure?
Click to expand...
 
Got it. Thanks.

New problem. At the beginning of the repair process, it asks for the
administrator's password. I am the administrator and the only user of this
machine. I typed my password, but it said it was wrong. I had an old password
(that I changed), but that didn't work either. I booted normally and deleted
the password, then I tried it again. Still says password is wrong. Is it
talking about some *other* password? If so, I have no idea what it is. How do
I proceed?

Doug Knox MS-MVP said:
Shawn is correct. A repair installation is effectively a reinstall from the original media. But, it does have the advantage of preserving your installed programs and data.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows Media Center\Windows Powered Smart Display\Security
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Per user Group Policy Restrictions for XP Home and XP Pro
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_securityconsole.htm
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

Homeboy said:
Thanks. Very clear. The last piece of info I need is this: Does a repair
install just look to see if all the components are there, does it look at
each component to see if it is correct, does it replace every component no
matter what, or does it follow some other procedure?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Homeboy wrote:
if I install XP all over again including all the
updates. Is there a way to do that and not lose all my programs? Is this what
is called a "fresh iinstall"?
Click to expand...

Here is another way to do a repair install.

Reinstall WindowsXP and keep all your current installed applications
and settings:
Put your XP cd in the drive.
If " D " is your CD rom drive.
D:\I386\winnt32 /unattend ( copy & paste that command into the RUN box,
then press ENTER ) Your computer will do the rest.
Or,
Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt.
Copy & paste > D:\I386\winnt32 /unattend
Press Enter.
If you have i386 ( about 500mb ) on your hard drive, you can replace D:
( if D: is your cd drive ) with the location of it.
If you have SP2 installed, you will need to upgrade the XP CD, this is
done by slipstreaming.
Universal Windows Slipstreaming and Bootable CD Guide
http://www.msfn.org/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=49
http://www.short-media.com/review.php?r=284&p=2
A service pack is a product-specific collection of updates that fix
security, program compatibility and system reliability issues. It also
provides enhancements, administration tools, drivers and additional
components that have been developed since the product's release. In
short, a service pack helps to keep your product current and extends
its functionality.
This guide will describe the easiest way possible to slipstream (also
known as 'Integrate') a Service Pack into Windows 2000, XP or 2003. The
days of typing out command switches, and fiddling with boot sectors and
ISO settings in Nero are long gone, so none of that will be described
here! :-)
To do this, we will only need one program - MSFN's very own popular
nLite created by one of our members nuhi. While nLite is primarily
aimed to remove components to slim down a Windows CD, it has the
required tools to do just an automated Service Pack slipstream as well
as create a CD image.
http://www.nliteos.com/
Prerequisites:
A Windows 2000, XP, or 2003 CD
The latest "Network Install" Service Pack for one of the above
Operating Systems
Suitable CD Burning software capable of burning .ISO files (Nero,
Alcohol, Easy CD Creator, etc.)
nLite
Before we start, make sure you are doing this on an NT Operating System
(those are Windows 2000, XP or 2003) otherwise the slipstream will not
work. nLite also requires the .NET Framework to function.
 
You need to use the Administrator password, not an Administrator user password. If you didn't enter one at set up, leave it blank.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows Media Center\Windows Powered Smart Display\Security
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Per user Group Policy Restrictions for XP Home and XP Pro
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_securityconsole.htm
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

Homeboy said:
Got it. Thanks.

New problem. At the beginning of the repair process, it asks for the
administrator's password. I am the administrator and the only user of this
machine. I typed my password, but it said it was wrong. I had an old password
(that I changed), but that didn't work either. I booted normally and deleted
the password, then I tried it again. Still says password is wrong. Is it
talking about some *other* password? If so, I have no idea what it is. How do
I proceed?
Click to expand...
 
I'm not sure the difference between "the" and "an." Are we talking about the
password I type in after XP boots up and there is a screen that says "To
begin, click your user name." If so, there is only one user and one
administrator: me. It's the same user account, not two of them. When the user
accounts were originally set up, I had a different password. But I tried that
one, and my current one. I also removed my current one and tried to get it to
repair using no password at all. Each time I was told I entered the wrong
password. When I go to the user account menu, there are only two accounts: me
as indicated above and guest.

Now if repair is talking about a different sort administrator from the
user/administrator account I referrred to above, then I don't know anything
about that and need more information/direction.
 
You're choosing the wrong Repair option. The first time you see R = Repair, it will take you to Recovery Console. Do NOT press R at this screen. Continue with the installation and it will search for and find your existing installation. Once its found it, setup will offer the option to "repair" it. Choose the Repair option at this point.

As for the password issue, every XP installation has a built in account called Administrator. It has full administrator privileges, and is not usually shown on the Welcome Screen. If you did the XP installation yourself, as one of the setup steps, you were asked to set a password for this account. Its not mandatory, and the password can be left blank.

If you're unsure of the Administrator password, and you can boot into Windows at all, log into an Administrator level user account. Then click Start, Run and enter CMD. Once the command prompt window is open, enter:

NET USER ADMINISTRATOR <password>

Where <password> is a password that you will remember for future use. You can then use this password to access the

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows Media Center\Windows Powered Smart Display\Security
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Per user Group Policy Restrictions for XP Home and XP Pro
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_securityconsole.htm
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

Homeboy said:
I'm not sure the difference between "the" and "an." Are we talking about the
password I type in after XP boots up and there is a screen that says "To
begin, click your user name." If so, there is only one user and one
administrator: me. It's the same user account, not two of them. When the user
accounts were originally set up, I had a different password. But I tried that
one, and my current one. I also removed my current one and tried to get it to
repair using no password at all. Each time I was told I entered the wrong
password. When I go to the user account menu, there are only two accounts: me
as indicated above and guest.

Now if repair is talking about a different sort administrator from the
user/administrator account I referrred to above, then I don't know anything
about that and need more information/direction.
Click to expand...
 
I will try this.

Early on in this thread, DL asked me what the basic problem was and I
avoided answering him because I felt I'ad have to write a novel to explain
it. My New York Times bestseller is now done. Check out my new post called
"Cannot find ///FAST Hardlock Driver!"

Doug Knox MS-MVP said:
You're choosing the wrong Repair option. The first time you see R = Repair, it will take you to Recovery Console. Do NOT press R at this screen. Continue with the installation and it will search for and find your existing installation. Once its found it, setup will offer the option to "repair" it. Choose the Repair option at this point.

As for the password issue, every XP installation has a built in account called Administrator. It has full administrator privileges, and is not usually shown on the Welcome Screen. If you did the XP installation yourself, as one of the setup steps, you were asked to set a password for this account. Its not mandatory, and the password can be left blank.

If you're unsure of the Administrator password, and you can boot into Windows at all, log into an Administrator level user account. Then click Start, Run and enter CMD. Once the command prompt window is open, enter:

NET USER ADMINISTRATOR <password>

Where <password> is a password that you will remember for future use. You can then use this password to access the

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows Media Center\Windows Powered Smart Display\Security
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Per user Group Policy Restrictions for XP Home and XP Pro
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_securityconsole.htm
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

Homeboy said:
I'm not sure the difference between "the" and "an." Are we talking about the
password I type in after XP boots up and there is a screen that says "To
begin, click your user name." If so, there is only one user and one
administrator: me. It's the same user account, not two of them. When the user
accounts were originally set up, I had a different password. But I tried that
one, and my current one. I also removed my current one and tried to get it to
repair using no password at all. Each time I was told I entered the wrong
password. When I go to the user account menu, there are only two accounts: me
as indicated above and guest.

Now if repair is talking about a different sort administrator from the
user/administrator account I referrred to above, then I don't know anything
about that and need more information/direction.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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