I know this is pretty stupid, but I was just wondering if there was a way to reinstall Windows XP without destroying any of my documents, movies, etc. Anyone have a way? Thanks

borrow somebody'* external hard drive and load everything onto there, then when XP'* all reloaded, put all your junk back on

Yeah, extract all your data and format the whole thing. but I assume you dont have access to your data because windows is corrupt. If that is the case, I would put in another hard drive, install a fresh windows to it, then transfer your data over. I dont know of a way to directly reinstall windows because the first step to installation is to format the drive, thus erasing all of the data. Or you could use software called 'ghost' to burn an image file of your drive...

yup, that'* what I thought. I'm just gonna burn the stuff to dvds. thanks

Read this - XP'* No-Reformat, Nondestructive Total-Rebuild Option

often does not work too well.

Trying it beats hoping a backup of a bad install will make any difference....

Wow!

Thanks, John! Never knew that.

There are several ways to do this, depending on what you've done or have.

One method is to just rerun setup. This only works if its the same computer.

If you're planning on upgrading the motherboard or something then log in as admin, insert your Xp cd, let autorun bring up setup (or run it yourself) and select upgrade and follow the prompts for the installation type of your choice (custom, typical...). When your computer restarts turn it off when you see the bios part of the bootup. Replace the mb and then turn on the computer again and let setup finish.

Another is to use the File and Settings transfer wizard to export just about everything and then import it back into your system after you've reinstalled. This does not install programs, just their setting so be sure to reinstall the programs you want first.
This can be done to an external harddrive, flashdrive, cd/dvd burner, or even directly to the new computer if its setup and running on the network. It quite a useful tool if you do a little research on what it will and won't transfer. I use this tool quite often when doing hardware upgrades.

Here'* a guide to reistalling Xp Home I found on MS.

I agree 100% but it can also be a waste of time...Just backup the important parts of your user profile and reinstall the OS from scratch..works evertime.