Reinstalled xp-pro, what would you do?

Well I had to reinstall xp-pro. My home network quit after a bad lighting hit and it seems my pc was all mixed up. Settings in services.msc were all mixed up and I couldn't reset them, etc. Anyway I reinstalled xp-pro. I didn't do a reformat of the drive as I didn't want to have to reinstall everything, but now I have a new fresh OS with all my programs in the program files area but not in the start-programs area, and they also don't show in the add-remove programs area. Will this cause a problem? Should I install the programs over the existing ones or just leave them alone?

 

Hello brew01,

Reinstall the programs. The apps are still there but not the registry entries and .dll files for them - XP doesn't "know" they exist.

Try that with one or two programs and see what happens.

Regards - Charles

 

Reinstall the programs

Great idea IF the programs are re-installed to an existing folder. If not they will be taking up twice as much space.

I am willing to bet that either the machine was booted from the HD or care was not taken to see that XP went back into the existing folder.

I believe that XP is the same as 98 in this respect. In order to get a good overtop install/repair the machine must be booted from a floppy/XP CD so that the re-install will go back into the default Windows folder.

In this case TonyT may well have the better idea. Other wise there may well be mass confusion.

With Win98 I would ( and have ) just boot(ed) to DOS and delete(ed) the Second Windows folder. But that may not work with XP.

BillyBob

 

Hi BB,

You've got a point, but that's a different problem.

Program installs look for the same folder each time don't they? So, they will install to the same folder unless the operator intervenes.

Where the OS itself installs is irrelevent to the issue of missing programs - the OS wherever it is still has to have reg entries for the applications does it not?

Regards - Charles

 

OK. Lets debate this.

You are correct when you write " unless the operator intervenes "

This depends 100% on the USER and IF the programs were installed into the DEFAULT folder.

Lets say a programs' default folder is C:\XYZ. The user changed that to D:\XYZ. So if the new install is not done to D:\XYZ then there will be two ( 2 ) space wasting installs.

In this case, Yes it is relavent. If XP was re-installed over top of itself ( repair install ) it would have picked up the existing paths to the software. A separate install ( which I believe is the case here ) it DOES NOT even know the old software exists.

Also a separate install may even see the hardware differently. And may well be using all of the XP default drivers.

This is and area where Ol' BillyBob here has to be EXTREMELY carefull if he has to re-install software ( or even 98 or XP ). There are VERY FEW programs installed to the C: Drive.

This area is also where Ol' BillyBob learned sometimes the HARD way.

BillyBob

 

We agree except here for which I have a question:

Do you mean by "a seperate install" the OS or the application? If the app, I've never run into this unless the OS reinstall was a newer version. And again I don't see the point - the app will be a "newer" version.

So, to sum up - if the OS is reinstalled correctly (which is a seperate issue to the original post) and the operator installs the same way as originally, whether default or to another folder and bypasses the 2 copy condition, the bottom line is that apps have to be reinstalled given the poster's original post.

Regards - Charles

 

Also if the program is not ( just like Windows ) is not re-installed overtop of existing any and ALL programs setting and possibley data files will be lost.

But if the user can get to the old files then said files can be drag-n-dropped to the new folder. I have done that. But in doing so have run into .INI file prolems.

And also some but not all software has the capacity to IMPORT data etc.

But overall what can or cannot be done may depend a lot on how well the user knows his/her machine and how things are setup.

BillyBob

 

e were both replying at the same time it appears.

BOTH

If ( as I believe ) the OS ( XP ) was reinatalled to a newer folder. It may not only make a difference how the OS sees/uses the hardware it may well also make a difference to the Software because of possibley different drivers.

And I have never run into a problem even if the OS was a newer version. Just had to be sure it went in overtop of the existing.

Not neccessarly newer. program version 5 is still version 5 no matter how many times or locations it is intalled.

As I said in my previous post. IF the defalut folder is C:\XYZ and the user changed it to D:\XYZ the re-install MUST BE done to D:\XYZ to prevent having two installs and preserve data for the program.

BillyBob

 

OK, now I understand why you're making the points about the OS, but what makes you assume that this is the case?

Seems to me that nothing brew01 wrote would indicate that and he or she reinstalled to another folder. brew01 have to clarify that point - easy enough to verify. If there are two copies of the OS, one symptom would be that a dual boot menu would appear. This is aside from simply looking at the drive and seeing how many copies of Windows there are.

So at this juncture, brew01 will have to respond back.

Regards - Charles

 

No it is not a separate issue. The first post is the issue. It clearly says ( at least to me ) that the re-install of XP went into a new and separate folder and did not pickup the existing conditions. If it had gone into existing I do not believe the sofware problem would exist.

It does not bypass the 2 copy condition. If not re-installed to THE EXISTING FOLDER their will be 2 copies. Whether it be the OS or Software. ( been there and done that with both ) And I can not print the names that I called myself.

This HD that I am running Windows XP Pro on ( and posting this reply from )started out with Win98FE. Went to 98SE ovetop if it. Then to XP PRO overtop of it. And I have never lost or had to re-install any software.

I will not 100% swear to it but 98FE may have been put in overtop of 95b ( OSR2 )

Again. The user has to know his/her machine What works on one of my 98SE machine will kill the other DEAD. If everything is installed using all the defaults it is one thing. But if installed using other than the defaults ( like me ) it is another.

BillyBob

 

If brew01 reinstalled XP without reformatting and it was installed to the same folder as the original OS it would have been a repair installation. In which case, the programs that were previously installed would be showing up in the start menu. Windows must have been either installed on the same drive to a different folder or installed on a different drive in order to get a fresh install with none of the programs working or showing up in windows.

 

Let me expand a bit. I will use 98SE but I believe is the same ( basicly )

If you have and existing C:\Windows folder and you have a program that installs to the default folder of C:\Program Files\XYZ.

Now you decide to re-install Windows. If you boot from the HD it will see the existing and may ( and did for me ) make a new folder of C:\Windows001. And will not pickup anything from the old registry. It will be a new and separate install. And will be the default OS. Now making two separate installs. One in C:\Windows and one in C:\Windows001.

If you boot from a floppy to re-install it will not see the old install and go into C:\Windows ( usually but we still need to pay attention ) and pickup things already registered.

For instance. A program was in C:\Program Files\XYZ and you are not careful on a re-install and it goes to C:\Program Files\ZYX then you will have two installs.

Re-installing the OS or software is not a cut-n-dried procedure for everyone or every machine. I can 100% vouch for that with just my two 98SE machines.

To me when it refers to the problem of not picking up the existing programs it does indicated it did go into a different folder.

Zander
I just saw your reply and I agree.

BillyBob

 

Zander, I disagree. I've done what brew01 has done, that is it was not a "repair ". Remember all those posts on the various "repair" clicks - the second repair option, not the first.

Regars - Charles

 

Did it pickup all of the previously installed items.

If it did not then it was not a true repair. It was a clean re-install.

I believe a true repair goes right overtop of existing making REPAIRS along the way but still maintianing the existing.

Even with XP Pro I can 100% vouch for this as I have done it once. But believe me I was on the phone with a Friend who had done it before. ( several times and making mistakes along the way ) At ALL TIMES he double checked what was on my screen and made sure I selected the proper item. When all was said and done I would not have known this was done as I saw NO DIFFERENCE ( other than the loss of a couple of error messages ) and lost NO programs.

BillyBob

 

No.

Correct.

Regards - Charles

 

Hi Tony,

I mostly agree with you.

It sounds to me like a clean install as far as the OS is concerned, so if that's true, there shouldn't be any "related" reg entries issue.

I have yet to find an app that wouldn't reinstall because it finds it in the Program files - not saying there isn't any - just that I have not run into one yet. Its also not clear what brew01 meant by the "programs being there ". Might have meant the setup files were there. And since we're talking about "non-registered" apps - can't the folder be deleted? The option always there to reinstall w/ formating if any problems mentioned are encountered.

The advantage to installing w/o formating was in not losing user files which I can understand, that's why I once reinstalled a broken XP this way and it worked.

Anyway, we need to hear from brew01.

Regards - Charles

Edit: Went back and re-read the original post and this I'm wrong about:

*Its also not clear what brew01 meant by the "programs being there ". Might have meant the setup files were there.*

 

I have yet to find an app that wouldn't reinstall because it finds it in the Program files

WOW !! Have you been VERY lucky. And as TonyT said. If you can not unistall the Old the new may not install.

TonyT

I am with you all the way. Been there done that. I am just thankfull that it was in 98FE.

I made the mistake ONCE with 98FE. I just deleted the 2nd install and made sure the next one went overtop the way it was supposed to. If that can be done with XP, I do not know.

BillyBob

 

I agreed whole heartedly with Tony T's post (#2, btw) for exactly the reasons he stated when he elaborated, above.

If a clean install doesn't solve the problems, this may be a hardware issue.

Buy a UPS (UN-Interruptible Power Supply) It's cheap insurance.

Johanna