How to fix WinXP Home
 

A few weeks ago my hard drive ran short of space while I was downloading
something overnight.

It turns out that once a computer runs out of space its starts removing
Restore Points and when I looked I did not have any Restore Points.

This was not so good as a few strange things seemed to be happening all of a
sudden. Most of it seems to be around file association. For example, if I
click on a Windows Media file, it does not automatically open Windows Media
Player and I can't open WMP either by right clicking to open. I have to open
WMP and then open the file from there. I have gone into the various
settings to make sure file types are associated with programs and everything
seems okay.

When I go to a folder to open up an Excel file, Excel opens up, but not the
file. I have to go to the menu and open it.

Help and Support is no longer available from the Start Menu (Windows cannot
find helpctr.exe message). I have to go to the Windows folder and manually
open the file.

The My Computer tab on the Start Menu has disappeared.

I seem to have on/off problems with cut/copy/paste and the clipboard.

I seem to have lots of other small problems that did not exist previously.

Does anyone have any idea of what actually happened and how I can fix this.
I assume there is something wrong with the registry.

I can't go back to old Restore Points because I don't have any. Is there any
other way of restoring things. I don't have a WinXP disk either, only
something that came with the computer that I assume would wipe everything
and make me start again if I tried it. There is far too much valuable
information the computer to do that, and it would take me weeks to back up
things and restore the computer to what it was.

Any ideas?

Gary

Re: How to fix WinXP Home
 

"Gary Glencross" <scantran@hg12.btinternet.com> wrote in
news:c1atgn$9hd$1@titan.btinternet.com:

> A few weeks ago my hard drive ran short of space while I was
> downloading something overnight.
>
> It turns out that once a computer runs out of space its starts
> removing Restore Points and when I looked I did not have any Restore
> Points.
>
> This was not so good as a few strange things seemed to be happening
> all of a sudden. Most of it seems to be around file association. For
> example, if I click on a Windows Media file, it does not automatically
> open Windows Media Player and I can't open WMP either by right
> clicking to open. I have to open WMP and then open the file from
> there. I have gone into the various settings to make sure file types
> are associated with programs and everything seems okay.
>
> When I go to a folder to open up an Excel file, Excel opens up, but
> not the file. I have to go to the menu and open it.
>
> Help and Support is no longer available from the Start Menu (Windows
> cannot find helpctr.exe message). I have to go to the Windows folder
> and manually open the file.
>
> The My Computer tab on the Start Menu has disappeared.
>
> I seem to have on/off problems with cut/copy/paste and the clipboard.
>
> I seem to have lots of other small problems that did not exist
> previously.
>
> Does anyone have any idea of what actually happened and how I can fix
> this. I assume there is something wrong with the registry.
>
> I can't go back to old Restore Points because I don't have any. Is
> there any other way of restoring things. I don't have a WinXP disk
> either, only something that came with the computer that I assume would
> wipe everything and make me start again if I tried it. There is far
> too much valuable information the computer to do that, and it would
> take me weeks to back up things and restore the computer to what it
> was.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Gary
>
>
>
>
>

If I were you, you have a serial number for that XP O/S that came with
the machine. I would make contact with the manufacture or MS itself and
explain the situation and demand a install CD.

Then you can take the install CD, pop it in and do an *UPGRADE* over the
top of the existing O/S putting everything back in place but will not
destroy any existing software or data files on the machine.

You will have to reapply/install any SP(s) and Hot Fixes to the O/S after
doing the upgrade over the top method.

Duane :)