WinXP - i think i broke it - anyone help???

[calcnerd]

Let me mention first that I'm new to WinXP, and don't know much about it. So anyways, I was having a few Windows related problems & just thought I'd reinstall XP over top of my old installation. However, I guess Windows had its own ideas about it. I got 95% of the way thru it to where it says it's registering components, and I got a little error box about not being able to find some file. I can't remember the name of it, but it was something along the lines of uureg I think. Anyways, I figure I'll reboot & try again. No such luck. Same problem. I tried a fresh install of windows & it told me that there is already an OS at \Windows and all my things would be deleted. Is data included in this, or just registered programs won't run. I can't get back into Windows at all. Even when I try to load from the cd, and select cancel install, it loads me into setup. I'm stuck in a perpetual loop. Where should I go from here? Thanks.

 

[ADZ]

I would Fdisk, Format, Reload. That would wipe any OS related problems and would make XP run a lot better as it is sometime glitchy when you do an upgrade.

 

[CrashAbbott]

Agree with ADZ,,

get a win98 boot disk,,, ensure that FORMAT.exe is on it,, if not copy onto the disk,,

boot with the floppy in,, go into FDISK ,, delete your partitions, create a new primary,, reboot with the diskette still in,,

this time choose to FORMAT C:,,

after formatting,, either,, reboot with Bootable XP disc in CD,,

or ,, switch drives at the A:\ and change to CD rom drive, and type SETUP,,

your choice,,

But as ADZ says,,,this should Fix it,,

cheers

 

[ravenmadtaoist]

I don't know if this would be of any help, as I don't have XP on my machine, but I have done some troubling shooting for friends with XP... which has only reinforced my abhorance of the OS and steeled my resolve not to have it myself...

I'm sure one of my forum mates here will correct me if I'm wrong but it is my understanding that (unlike the previous Windows OS's) you cannot "re-install" XP over an existing copy of XP on a machine. What's required is to either (a) create a new partition, do a new install to it, and import your programs and settings from the pre-existing OS installation... or (b) to avoid the hassle, completely reformat your drive and start from scratch.

Just figured you should know that so that you wouldn't try "fixing" things again that way...

Hope things get all straightened up there for you

 

[girly]

actually you can reinstall xp over xp to fix problems, ive done it so many times that im scared to do it again-system restore might help the problem

 

[Demalii]

go into the bios, have it boot from cd-rom, stick the winxp cd in the drive, it'll boot up and load diagnostics, then delete the partition, recreate the partition, tell it to install on the drive and it'll ask you format (quick) or format (which would get rid of all the registry sigs) don't do the quick one, then it'll reinstall from scratch!

 

[CrashAbbott]

Truly ,,,

there is more than one way to skin a cat!

cheers