Windows Vista IN-place Vista re install

Currently I can't read any Microsoft product help page as all blank. I'm assuming a corruption in windowsmedia player as all other things I've tried have failed to make any difference. Vatious mocrosoft problems will no longer display correctly on the screen and some of my google gadgets in IE7 don't load (but work fine in Firefox). I am therefore bracing myself to reinstall Vista. Presumably if it is a problem with the OS it doesn't help to take a disc image as you just get all the problems back when you re install the image? (I've never done a disc image so not really sure what it does).

I have read elsewhere that it is possible to do an in-place install of Vista by booting from the Vista disc and this will overwite the OS files without formatting the disc. Has anyone heard of this or done it as seems by far the best solution?

Failing that if the only solution is to format the hard disc and reinstall the OS can someone tell me what else I should back up other than documents,music,photos? There must be a trillion OS settings that I have changed over time so are they stored anywhere obvious or too many to list? Presumably need to check every program I have installed and back up any settings I have changed.

Does it help to run a windows backup and select every file type and then restore every folder like Program files, but not the windows ones. Maybe you need install each program first but will these give settings and custom data back?

thanks for any advice. It's pretty daunting, but there must be an approved method.

 

You can do a Vista upgrade repair reinstall. This gives you a new OS without changing settings, files, folders, other programs and the like http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html

Read the note regarding SP1.

 

That sound what I need. I put the Dell disc in and it comes up with a screen with an install now option so guess I'm good to go once I have everything backed up.