DescentBB

Reinstall XP w/o loosing data.

I have a Dell 4400 and would like to reinstall XP over itself to repair things but not loose all my data.

Is that possible?

Pop the WinXP CD in. Choose "Repair" by pressing R.

But make very sure you tell it to install/repair in the same folder and on the same drive!

Have you tried SYSTEM RESTORE? Much quicker than re-installing, because from memory, you'll need all the Windows Updates again if you reinstall.

START - RUN - MSCONFIG -LAUNCH SYSTEM RESTORE.

There is also 'Files and Settings Transfer Wizard' under
Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools.

I just thought of something. Is dell like emachines - instead of a windows install cd, you get a ghost image backup file on a cd. So instead of installing xp, you just copy the original image back onto the hd. If that's the case, you need to find a place to put the files you want to save - other than the xp partition.

1-800-624-9896

Help Wolf

From all the post in the past week or so you have made "thewolfe"

this is either a machine you picked from the trash or was a hand me down. Also it must of had another O/S other that WinXP Home which is kind of odd for that model.

Why dont you stop beating around the bush.. stop creating multiple threads where all the posters trying to give you assistance. Yet they almost have to pull your teeth out to get a cheesy reply from you.

The only post that should follow below is is yours thewolfe. If you do not, you will continue to get half baked replies to your flighty questions, and nothing will get accomplished

REPLY with;
Where the system orginated from
do you have all the system disks with what ORIGINAL Operating system, and what you are attempting to upgrade it to if you are(and is it official)

SYSTEM MODEL : Desktop,Laptop, Server Model
(Full name please,there are multiple 4400's from dell)
CPU
RAM
MOBO
HD
VIDEO
ADDITIONAL DEVICES

ORGINAL O/S Before you started this Debacle

Anitvirus and firewall program
- if you installed: the Lovsan and Blaster Worm patches from Microsoft support site

What you fubared or attempeted to acomplish before you came here and started to ask questions with no supported info.

** Please say that your not running KAZZA(pronounced KA-ZAAH), IMESH, WINMX OR BEARSHARE -- Virus infested crappy P2P programs if so pack up you r computer and send it back where it came from, that goes for all of you out there....there is a better way than that...

First, is it necessary to know all the info to tell me if I can install XP over itself w/o loosing data?

It's a Dell 4400 with the original XP OS that came installed from the factory.

It is a Pent 1111 1.6GHz w/ 256 DDR MB ram.

40 GB ATA HD.

Monitor is a Phillips.

It's "stock" from Dell and I'm tying to help a friend but I believe all "critical Windows updates" have been used.

Also, along w/ the ctl/alt/delete not working, she is unable to update anything from Microsoft updates.

That's why I would like to re-install XP over itself if possible. If not, I'll start all over.

Waht say you?

Because re-installing XP may not solve your problem, what ever that problem may be.

You also might be forced to re-install all the software.

For sanity reasons, if you are considering a reinstall of an OS, its less hair pulling to do it from scratch that installing over.

Especially with OEM machines like dell; dropping that disk in may overwrite the data are trying to protect.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Arial" size="3">Originally posted by BUBBALOU:
<b>

** Please say that your not running KAZZA(pronounced KA-ZAAH), IMESH, WINMX OR BEARSHARE -- Virus infested crappy P2P programs </b></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

uh huh, ive used IMesh for what.............1 1/2 years now, and have not had a SINGLE virus or worm problem yet

What about "activation" on the re-install or fprmatting and installing? Do you have to Activate when doing either way?

Normally you have to reactivate xp, but it's painless. Don't know how it works with a Dell.

activate, whats that mean?

reformat the sucka

If I reformat, arn't I going to be asked to activate?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Arial" size="3">Originally posted by thewolfe:
If I reformat, arn't I going to be asked to activate?</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

more than likely

Decided to try a re-install first and.....get the followinf message about half way through installation:

Fatal error

An error has been encountered that stopped the setup from continuing.

Setup failed to install the product catalogs. This is a fatal error. This setup log file should contain more information. Press OK to view this set up log file.

Here is what the Systems Setup catalog says:

Warning:
Setup failed to remove the product catalog IEEXCEP.CAT

Warning:
Setup failed to remove the product catalog wmplayer.cat

Warning:
Setup failed to remove the product catalog SP1.CAT

And on and on and on.

Microsoft helps those who help themselves:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.as ... US;KBHOWTO

Well.. I think I'm past that.

I can't get any further so I tried Safe Mode w/ the same results saying I'm in the middle of a re-install so it starts up and gives me the same error message.

I just tried an XP startup disk from my machine and I can't see C:. It says "Type the name of the command Interpreter (e.g.,C:\Windows\Command.com) and that doesn't work because I can't get to C:.

What next?

10/10 chance the drive was formated in NTFS.

So, the only way you can see it is via the XP install cd.

you can boot off of it.

Couldn't boot off of it so I reformatted and here's the latest.

Now I have reformatted C: and made the partition w/ "Large Disk Support".

When I start the installation by going to the Windows XP CD and drilling down to I386\winnt.exe I get the following messages.

Windows XP setup

"Setup needs to know where the Windows XP files are located. Enter the path where Windows XP files are to be found."

The path that's shown is E:\I 386.

I pressed enter and it says:
"setup did not detect SmartDrive on your computer. SmartDrive will greatly improve the performance of this phase of Windows setup. You should exit now, start SmartDrive, and then restart setup. See your DOS documentation for details about SmartDrive."

Then as I continue I get the following message:
"Windows XP requires a hard drive volume with at least 383 MB of free disk space. Setup will use part of the space for storing temporary files during installation. The drive must be on a permanently attached local hard disk supported by Windows XP, and must not be a compressed drive.

Setup was unable to locate such a drive with the required amount of free space

Setup cannot continue. Pressed enter to exit."

QUESTIONS:
1. Do I install Smartdrv and the one partition I have created?
2. What are they asking for re: "Windows XP requires a hard drive volume with at least 383 MB of free disk space" and how do I do that?

I'm no longer thewolfe I'm now overmyhead.

Tip: get a proper copy of XP, probably help you alot.

that disk sounds like its borked.

Well, believe it or not, I tried one more time before I hung it up for the night and it's starting to install. Don't know what I'll run into but for now it's 35% done.

Will post back and let you know what's happening.

Thanks for your posts.