my xp pro is playing up. can I install it over the top without loosing any files?

Question

I'm getting the hal.dll. missing or corrupt message and cannot start windows xp. Tried bootcfg and the rest (rebuild) but nothing works.. If I install xp again, will it wipe my current files??
Also, could I take out the harddrive, hook it up as a slave on another pc and drag the files over? Thanks

Answer 1

Try this:
http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897
All files will be intact, GUARANTEED.

Answer 2

In windows installer there a 3 menu
1. Fresh installed (That mean you will lose all your data)
2. Repaired (This is you must chose if you not want to lose your data)
3. Multi OS installer (That mean you can install more than 1 operating system like VISTA, XP or LINUX)

But be careful about the reinstall your windows, because the menu sometimes make people confuse

Yes... you can take out the harddrive and hook up as slave and copy your data... (don't forget to move your HDD jumper to slave)

Answer 3

You can also "upgrade install" from the CD boot menu, since you can't actually get to Windows.

Just in case, you should take the hard drive out and back up your data on another PC. The upgrade install tells you to do that anyway.

Answer 4

if you reinstall you will loose everything; try using system restore (if you have it)

but you can copy the files from another hard drive back to the pc (manually)

just make sure to check them and (any) pcs you use for viruses first

Answer 5

Yes you can always connect your connect your hard disk as a slave in your computer. But, please make sure you modify the jumper pin settings accordingly.

Answer 6

es you can its called an upgrade install you can run it from within windows