Rebuild a clean Windows XP install without losing data

by Jordan Running Jul 20th 2006

An unfortunate fact of Windows life is that any Windows install will slowly wear out through use, getting more and more bogged down until finally one must take drastic measures. My own Windows XP install is coming up on a year of use and abuse and has for some time been showing signs this phenomenon, but what I wasn't aware of is that it's possible to create a clean Windows install without the reformatting-and-reinstall method that most people are accustomed to. It turns out that hidden behind blind corners and poorly-worded dialogs in the Windows XP setup is an option to repair and rebuild the OS, but leave applications and settings intact. This isn't the same repair mode that can be used to fix boot problems and other minor issues, and actually getting to it is a marvel of poor design on Microsoft's part. Fortunately, Fred Langa at Information Week has penned a step-by-step tutorial on accessing and using this functionality. In the end, it probably won't make for results quite as good as a complete reformat and reinstall, but it looks like a good option for those who aren't yet ready to take that bigger step.

Tags: rebuild, reformat, reinstall, repair, windows, winxp, xp

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

dima said 4:01PM on 7-20-2006

This only works when XP setup chooses to give u the repair option screen. If you use a different CD than originally installed the system with, you won't get the repair screen. There is nothing magic/hidden about this option.

Steven said 5:49PM on 7-20-2006

This won't really make your system run faster, just fix problems. What slows windows down after a while is really the registry growing larger and applications being installed and libraries being loaded... Leaving the registry and user settings and applications intact will leave you in basically the same boat as if you'd done nothing.

One thing that's less drastic than a reformat/reinstall that can still possibly give you a speed boost is creating a new user account and using that instead of your old account. ....or have no effect at all, depending on your setup.

boz said 7:38PM on 7-20-2006

Nothing to see here.....

Chalk this one up as "the tutorial for someone who has never had a windows problem, put in the windows CD, and tried to fix it."

And Duh, this works with Windows 2000 too.

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

I have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

View more Time Wasters