I replaced my software hive following the FAQ from this site using the following procedure:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_sys32.htm
My system had crashed, I couldn't boot and I got the corrupt software hive message that led me to the above site.
I'm using Windows XP Pro with an OEM install of the operating system, so I don't have the XP discs. The procedure to replace the hive with the repair hive did work. I'm now able to boot and all my critical data appears to still be seen on my hard drive. Problem is, a lot of my software isn't working. Example: Word and Excel programs are visible, but when I try to open an existing file, I get a message that says that the software isn't installed for this user -- so I can't open the file. Likewise, my Roxio CD software tells me that the program isn't installed when I click on the shortcut or when I go directly to the /Program Files folder and click to execute. Similar problems with Internet Explorer and Windows Media player. In IE, I can't access secure sites and Media Player won't play files that it used to play before replacing the software hive.
I suppose these symptoms are to be expected after replacing the software hive. I also suppose the dirty fix would be that I could reinstall all the software. But, a lot of it was OEM installed and I don't have the discs (Roxio, MS Office). Is there another way to recover the software functionality? I still have the backup copy of the old (corrupt) software hive.
I also tried to use system restore, but I don't have an available restore point before the crash. So, that didn't help.
Thanks for any help.