Hi Gillian
You did not mention whether you had a quality, updated and configured AV or Firewall running on your system!!! If you have not, I'm sure that you will in future.
However, try a Repair installation of XP via the following, verbatim, Microsoft KB315341. I am including all details, whether or not you can do them , or not, as the case may be. In addition, you cannot get online to read the full artcle: -
Please also note, you May Lose Data or Program Settings After Reinstalling Windows XP, as per the following KB articles: -
312369 You May Lose Data or Program Settings After Reinstalling, Repairing, or Upgrading Windows XP
312368 Data Loss May Occur After Reinstalling, Repairing, or Upgrading Windows XP
As a last resort, take your computer to a competent, qualified engineer who specialises in data recovery, noting that they may charge a considerable sum to recover the data.
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How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP
Applies To
This article was previously published under Q315341
SUMMARY
This article describes how to perform an in-place upgrade, or reinstallation, of Windows XP. This is also named a repair installation.
When you perform an in-place upgrade of Windows XP, you reinstall Windows to the same folder. You may want to do this if you must repair your installation of Windows XP. This may be necessary for any of the following reasons:
You cannot start Windows XP in Safe Mode. For additional information about how to start your Windows XP-based computer in Safe Mode, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
315222 A Description of the Safe Mode Boot Options in Windows XP
The problem is caused by a recently installed system update (Windows Update, hotfix, Windows XP service pack, or Microsoft Internet Explorer update), and you cannot solve the problem in any other way.
There is a registry problem that cannot be solved by using other tools, such as System Restore.
You must apply default (file and registry) permissions to your Windows XP installation.
You must register Component Object Model (COM) components and Windows File Protection (WFP) files.
You must use Windows Setup program to enumerate Plug and Play devices again, including the hardware abstraction layer (HAL).
To reinstall Windows XP, use the appropriate method in the "More Information" section of this article.
MORE INFORMATION
Note You may want to disconnect from the Internet during the installation. Disconnecting from the Internet during the installation helps protect you from malicious users. You may also want to enable the firewall in Internet Explorer. For more information, see the "Enable or disable Internet Connection Firewall" topic in Windows XP Help.
Before You Perform an In-Place Upgrade
Important:
Before you follow the steps later in this article, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base if your computer came preinstalled with Windows XP:
312369 May Lose Data or Program Settings After Reinstalling Windows XP
If you perform an in-place upgrade of Windows XP, all existing restore points are removed and a new System Checkpoint restore point is created after the in-place upgrade is complete. Do not perform an in-place upgrade if you may have to use System Restore to roll your system back to a previous state.
For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
301224 System Restore 'Restore Points' Are Missing or Deleted
Backup copies of your registry files (in the %systemroot%\Repair folder) are also replaced after the in-place upgrade is complete. The registry files in the Repair folder are either from the first time you started Windows XP or the last time you used the Backup utility to back up your System State. Copy these registry backups to another location before you perform an in-place upgrade if you may have to use them after the in-place upgrade is complete.
Do not perform a repair or in-place upgrade to repair a component or program that is not currently installed. If you can, use Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel or reinstall the component or program instead of Windows.
If your computer requires a non-Microsoft mass storage device driver or HAL, make sure that you have a copy of the necessary files on a floppy disk before you perform a repair or in-place upgrade.
Do not use a repair or in-place upgrade to try to resolve a problem with a user account, password, or local profile. To determine if the problem is related to a user account, password, or local profile, create another user account (if you can) and log on to that account to see if the problem is resolved.
Do not use a repair or in-place upgrade to resolve a problem with third-party applications, files or registry entries.
Do not use a repair or in-place upgrade if you suspect disk problems.
Do not use a repair or in-place upgrade if you suspect a problem with a non-Microsoft device and the latest device drivers are currently installed for the device.
Method 1: Reinstall Windows XP from Within Windows XP
To reinstall Windows XP from within Windows XP, follow these steps:
Start your computer.
Insert the Windows XP CD in your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
On the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP page that appears, click Install Windows XP.
On the Welcome to Windows Setup page, click Upgrade (Recommended) in the Installation Type box (if it is not already selected), and then click Next.
On the License Agreement page, click I accept this agreement, and then click Next.
On the Your Product Key page, type the 25-character product key in the appropriate Product key boxes, and then click Next.
On the Get Updated Setup Files page, select the option that you want, and then click Next.
Follow the instructions on the remaining pages of the Windows XP Setup Wizard to reinstall Windows XP.
Method 2: Reinstall Windows XP by Starting Your Computer from the Windows XP CD
To reinstall Windows XP by starting your computer from the Windows XP CD, follow these steps:
Insert the Windows XP CD into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer. When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message appears on the screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.
NOTE: Your computer must be configured to start from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. For more information about how to configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, see your computer's documentation or contact your computer manufacturer.
You receive the following message on the Welcome to Setup screen that appears: This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft
Windows XP to run on your computer:
To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.
To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.
To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.
Press ENTER to set up Windows XP.
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 R to repair Windows XP.
Follow the instructions on the remaining screens to reinstall Windows XP. After you repair Windows XP, you may be required to reactivate your copy of Windows XP.
For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
310064 HOW TO: Troubleshoot Windows XP Setup Problems When You Upgrade from Windows 98 or Windows Me
After You Perform an In-Place Upgrade
After you perform an in-place upgrade or repair installation, you must reinstall all updates to Windows. To reinstall Windows updates, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
For additional information about how to troubleshoot specific Windows XP Setup issues, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
312369 You May Lose Data or Program Settings After Reinstalling, Repairing, or Upgrading Windows XP
312368 Data Loss May Occur After Reinstalling, Repairing, or Upgrading Windows XP
For additional information about Windows XP Setup, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
286463 Release Notes for Windows XP Setup Contained in the Pro.txt File
306824 Release Notes for Windows XP Setup Contained in the Home.txt File
286647 Windows XP Read1st.txt File Contents
The information in this article applies to:
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Last Reviewed: 4/5/2004 (2.3)
Keywords: kbhowto kbenv kbinfo ocsso KB315341
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