How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

Back up the registry

Guided Help to export registry keys and to back up the registry in

Windows XP
Guided Help is available to export registry keys and to back up the registry. Guided
Help can automatically perform the steps for you.

The actions that this Guided Help performs cannot be undone after Guided Help is
finished.

Requirements to install and to use this Guided Help

• You must be logged on to Windows by using a computer administrator account
to install and to use this Guided Help.
• You must be running an English version of Windows XP Home Edition, Windows
XP Professional, Windows XP Media Center Edition, or Windows XP Tablet PC
Edition to install and to use this Guided Help.

Manual steps to back up the registry in Windows Vista or in Windows XP

Windows Vista
1. Click Start , type systempropertiesprotection in the Start Search box, and then press
ENTER.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the
password, or click Allow.
2. Wait for Windows to search for available disks and most recent restore points. In the System
Properties dialog box, on the System Protection tab, click Create,
3. Type a name for the restore point and then click Create.
4. After the restore point has been created successfully, click OK two times.
Note If System Restore is turned off, click to select the local disk, click Apply and then click Create.

Windows XP
1. Click Start, click Run, type %SystemRoot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe, and then
click OK.
2. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Create a restore point, and then click Next
.
3. On the Create a Restore Point page, type a name for the restore point and then click
Create
4. After the restore point has been created, click Close.
Note If System Restore is turned off, you receive a message that asks whether you want to turn on
System Restore now. Click Yes. Then, in the System Properties dialog box, click to clear the Turn
off System Restore check box, click OK, and then repeat this step.
Back to the top

Restore the registry

Manual steps to restore the registry in Windows Vista or Windows XP

 Use System Restore to undo registry changes in Windows Vista or in Windows XP

Windows Vista

1. Click Start , type systempropertiesprotection in the Start Search box, and then press
ENTER.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the
password, or click Allow.
2. In the System Properties dialog box, on the System Protection tab, click System
Restore,
3. In the System Restore dialog box select Choose a different restore point, and then click
Next
4. Select the restore point that you want to use, and then click Next.
5. Confirm your restore point, and then click Finish System restore restores the selected
Windows Vista configuration and then restarts the computer.
6. Log on to the computer. When the System Restore confirmation page appears, click OK..
Windows XP

1. Click Start, click Run, type %SystemRoot%\System32\Restore\Rstrui.exe, and then

click OK.
2. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time
(if it is not already selected), and then click Next .
3. On the Select a Restore Point page, click the system checkpoint. In the On this list select
the restore point area, click an entry that is named "Guided Help (Registry Backup)," and
then click Next. If a System Restore message appears that lists configuration changes that
System Restore will make, click OK.
4. On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the
previous Windows XP configuration and then restarts the computer.
5. Log on to the computer. When the System Restore confirmation page appears, click OK..
 How to use System files to create a boot disk to guard
against being unable to start Windows XP
INTRODUCTION
If your computer uses an Intel x86-based processor, and the startup record for the active
partition or files that you must have to start Windows become corrupted, you may not be able to
start your computer. This article describes how to create a startup disk. With a startup disk, you can
start your computer if the startup record becomes corrupted.

MORE INFORMATION
Create a Windows startup disk when you first install Windows on the computer. This disk is
different from an MS-DOS startup disk. Unlike MS-DOS, the whole Windows operating system
cannot fit on one floppy disk. A Windows startup disk contains only the files that you must have to
start the operating system with the remainder of the Windows system files installed on the hard
disk drive. To create the startup disk, follow these steps:
1. Insert a blank floppy disk in drive A, and then format the disk by using Windows XP.
2. From the root folder of the system partition of your hard disk drive (for example, C:\-), copy the
following files to the floppy disk:
Boot.ini
NTLDR
Ntdetect.com
You may have to remove the hidden, system, and read-only attributes from the files.
3. Restore the hidden, system, and read-only attributes to the files on your hard disk if you removed
these attributes.
4. If the Bootsect.dos file or the Ntbootdd.sys file resides in the system partition, repeat steps 2
through 4 to copy these files to the boot disk.
If you format a floppy disk in Windows XP, the startup record points to the NTLDR file. When NTLDR
runs, it loads the available operating system selections from the Boot.ini file. If you select
Windows, NTLDR runs Ntdetect.com, and then passes control to Osloader.exe. If you select MS-
DOS or OS/2, NTLDR loads Bootsect.dos.
 Administrator and User Passwords in Windows
XP
How to Hide the Logon Script Dialog Box on a Windows Client
For Detailed Information click here.

Direct Bootup Without Typing Password

1. At a command prompt, type "control userpasswords2" and press Enter to open the
Windows 2000-style User Accounts
application.
2. On the Users tab, clear the Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This
Computer check box and then
click OK.
3. In the Automatically Log On dialog box that appears, type the user name and password
for the account you want to be
logged on each time you start your computer.

Remove Login Password

Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Local Security Settings/Minimum Password

Length/Reduce it to 0 (No password required). Control Panel/User Account/Your
Account/Remove Password.

Cannot Change the Administrator Password in Control Panel

After you log on as an administrator to a computer that is not a member of a domain,

when you double-click User Accounts in Control Panel to change the password for the
built-in Administrator account, the Administrator account may not appear in the list of
user accounts. Consequently, you cannot change its password.

This behavior can occur because the Administrator account logon option appears only in
Safe mode if more than one account is created on the system. The Administrator account
is available in Normal mode only if there are no other accounts on the system. To work
around this behavior:

- If you are running Windows XP Home Edition, restart the computer and then use a
power user account to log on to the
computer in Safe mode.

- If you are running Windows XP Professional, reset the password in the Local Users and
Groups snap-in in Microsoft
 Management Console (MMC):

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type "mmc" (without the quotation marks), and then click OK to start
MMC.
3. Start the Local Users and Groups snap-in.
4. Under Console Root, expand "Local Users and Groups", and then click Users.
5. In the right pane, right-click Administrator, and then click Set Password.
6. Click Proceed in the message box that appears.
7. Type and confirm the new password in the appropriate boxes, and then click OK.

How to Change User Password at Command Prompt

How to use the net user command to change the user password at a Windows command
prompt. Only administrators can change domain passwords at the Windows command
prompt. To change a user's password at the command prompt, log on as an administrator
and type: "net user <user_name> * /domain" (without the quotation marks)

When you are prompted to type a password for the user, type the new password, not the
existing password. After you type the new password, the system prompts you to retype
the password to confirm. The password is now changed.

Alternatively, you can type the following command: net user <user_name>
<new_password>. When you do so, the password changes without prompting you again.
This command also enables you to change passwords in a batch file.

Non-administrators receive a "System error 5 has occurred. Access is denied" error

message when they attempt to change the password.

How to Enable Automatic Logon in Windows

If you set a computer for auto logon, anyone who can physically obtain access to the
computer can gain access to all of the computer contents, including any network or
networks it is connected to. In addition, if you enable autologon, the password is stored in
the registry in plaintext. The specific registry key that stores this value is remotely
readable by the Authenticated Users group.

As a result, this setting is only appropriate for cases where the computer is physically
secured, and steps have been taken to ensure that untrusted users cannot remotely access
the registry.

1. Start/Run/Regedit, and then locate the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winl
ogon
2. Using your account name and password, double-click the DefaultUserName entry, type
your user name, and then click
OK.
3. Double-click the DefaultPassword entry, type your password, and then click OK.

NOTE: The DefaultPassword value may not exist. If it does not:

a. Click Add Value on the Edit menu.

b. In the Value Name box, type DefaultPassword, and then click REG_SZ for the Data
Type
c. Type your password in the String box, and then save your changes.

Also, if no DefaultPassword string is specified, Windows automatically changes the

value of the AutoAdminLogon key
from 1 (true) to 0 (false), thus disabling the AutoAdminLogon feature.

4. Click Add Value on the Edit menu, enter AutoAdminLogon in the Value Name box,
and then click REG_SZ for the Data
Type.
5. Type "1" (without the quotation marks) in the String box, and then save your changes.
6. Quit Regedit.
7. Click Start, click Shutdown, and then click OK to turn off your computer.
8. Restart your computer and Windows. You are now able to log on automatically.

NOTE: To bypass the AutoAdminLogon process, and to log on as a different user, hold
down the SHIFT key after you log off or after Windows restarts.

Note that this procedure only applies to the first logon. To enforce this setting for
subsequent logoffs, the administrator must set the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winl
ogon

Value: ForceAutoLogon
Type: REG_SZ
Data: 1

Windows XP Inherits Autologon Setting After Upgrade from Win2000

After you upgrade a Microsoft Windows 2000-based computer, Windows XP

Professional may start directly to the desktop without stopping at the Welcome screen or
requiring you to type a username and password. If you then create a new user account,
you may not receive any option that allows you to log on by using the new account.

This behavior can occur if Windows 2000 was configured for automatic logon
(Autologon). Windows XP inherits this configuration setting.
To resolve this behavior, turn off the automatic logon feature and require a username and
password at logon:

1. Click Start on the Windows taskbar, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type control userpasswords2, and then click OK.
3. In the dialog box that appears, click to select the "Users must enter a user name and
password to use this computer"
check box, and then click OK.

To work around this behavior, log off from the Autologon account, and then log on by
using the new account.

Not Prompted to Create Password with New XP User Account

When you create a new user on a Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition-based computer,
you are not prompted to create a password. To create a password for a user account,
click the icon for the account, and then click "Create a Password".

Stored User Names and Passwords Feature Interoperability at a

Command Prompt

By default, the Stored User Names and Passwords feature creates a "key" for any
connection that you make in the graphical user interface (GUI) that requires alternate
credentials. When you make a connection at a command prompt by using the net use
command and by passing alternate credentials, a key is not created.

For the net use command to save the credentials in Credential Manager, use the /savecred
switch. When you use the /savecred switch, any credentials that you are prompted for
when you use the net use command are saved as a key.

Therefore, if you are prompted for the user name and password (or if you are prompted
only for the password) when you use the net use command (but not because you used an
asterisk [*] in the net use command for password prompting) and the /savecred switch,
the credentials are saved.

When you type the net use * \\ computer_name \ share_name /savecred command, the
user is prompted for a user name, and then the user is prompted for a password.

When you type the net use * \\ computer_name \ share_name /u: domain_name \
user_name /savecred command, the user is prompted for a password.

However, when you type one of the following commands, a key is not created:
net use * \\ computer_name \ share_name * /user: domain_name \ user_name /savecred
-or-
net use * \\ computer_name \ share_name * /savecred /user: domain_name \ user_name

If you type net help use at a command prompt, more information is displayed about the
net use command.

Password Has Expired Message

Start/Programs/Administrative Tools/Local Security Policy/Account Policies/Password

Policy. In the right pane, right click, properties, modify (use accordingly). And
Start/Programs/Administrative Tools/Computer Management/Local Users and
Groups/Right Click "User"(intended)/Properties...Or with Admin privileges, at a
command prompt type: net accounts /maxpwage:unlimited.

To Create a Password Reset Disk

The Forgotten Password Wizard lets you create a password reset disk that you can use to
recover your user account and personalized computer settings if you forget your
password. The steps to perform this task differ depending on whether your computer is a
member of a network domain or is part of a workgroup (or is a stand-alone computer).

My Computer is on a Domain

Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE to open the Windows Security dialog box. Click Change
Password.
Click Backup to open the Forgotten Password Wizard. Click Next and then follow the
instructions as they appear on the screen.

My Computer is not on a Domain

The steps to perform this task differ depending on the type of user account you have. If
you have a computer administrator account: Open User Accounts in Control Panel. Click
your account name. Under Related Tasks located on the left side of the window, click
Prevent a forgotten password. In the Forgotten Password Wizard, follow the instructions
as they appear on the screen.

If you Have a Limited Account

Open User Accounts in Control Panel. Under Related Tasks located on the left side of the
window, click Prevent a forgotten password. In the Forgotten Password Wizard, follow
the instructions as they appear on the screen.

Notes: To open User Accounts, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and
then click User Accounts.

Certain Programs Do Not Work Correctly If You Log On Through a Limited

User Account.
 After you log on to a computer by using a Limited User Account, you may observe
one or more of the following
behaviors when you try to use a program that is not expressly designed for Windows
XP. Information here.

Password Reset Disk Overview

To protect user accounts in the event that the user forgets the password, every local user
should make a password reset disk and keep it in a safe place. Then, if the user forgets his
or her password, the password can be reset using the password reset disk and the user is
able to access the local user account again.

Resetting the Password

After you reset the password of an account on a Windows XP-based computer that is
joined to a workgroup, you may lose access to the user's: Web page credentials, File
share credentials, EFS-encrypted files, Certificates with private keys
(SIGNED/ENCRYPTed e-mail). More information in detail here.

I assume no responsibility for the purpose to which this information is used. This
includes employees attempting to bypass restrictions put into place by System
Administrators on corporate machines.

Delete Admin Password

Boot up with DOS and delete the sam.exe and sam.log files from Winnt\system32\config
in your hard drive. Now when you boot up in NT the password on your built-in
administrator account will be blank (No password). This solution works only if your hard
drive is FAT. [Editor's note: Use with caution, there may be other ramifications from
performing this tip.]

Forgot your Admin Password

This is a utility to (re)set the password of any user that has a valid (local) account on your
NT system, by modifying the crypted password in the registrys SAM file. You do not
need to know the old password to set a new one.

It works offline, that is, you have to shutdown your computer and boot off a floppydisk.
The bootdisk includes stuff to access NTFS partitions and scripts to glue the whole thing
together. Note: It will now also work with SYSKEY, including the option to turn it off!
More information here. Download here.

All Passwords-Master Copy

With Darn! Passwords! Just one password opens the safe that holds all those other ones
for programs and web sites that require you to log in. Download Here.
Just pick the password, and drag it and it's log-in (if there is one) into the program that
uses it. No retyping is necessary (even in programs that do not accept the drag, you can
just paste the password in). Go to the URL of a password protected site with the click of a
button.

Information on System Restore and Password Restoration

Passwords That Are Restored:

1. Program passwords are restored, such as Hotmail Messenger, AOL Messenger, Yahoo
Messenger, and other Web server-based passwords. This behavior is by design: The
programs simply cache these passwords; the actual passwords are
stored on a Web server. System Restore does not actually change the password, but it
changes the password that is remembered by the program. You can use the current
password for the program to log on to the server.

2. Domain and Computer passwords are restored. This behavior is by Design and is a
limitation of System Restore. System Restore only rolls back the local machine state. Part
of the information about joining domains resides in Active Directory, and Active
Directory is not rolled back by System Restore.

Migration Wizard Does Not Migrate Passwords

The Migration Wizard does not migrate passwords. Passwords for Dial-Up Networking
connections, Microsoft Outlook Express accounts, Microsoft Internet Explorer saved
passwords, mapped drives, and so on will need to be reconfigured once the migration is
complete.

Administrator Account Not Used for Logon

The administrator account and password created during Setup are used to log on in Safe
Mode only. To create a password for user accounts, double-click Manage Users in
Control Panel.

Therefore, if you are prompted for the user name and password (or if you are prompted
only for the password) when you use the net use command (but not because you used an
asterisk [*] in the net use command for password prompting) and the /savecred switch,
the credentials are saved.

When you type the net use * \\ computer_name \ share_name /savecred command, the
user is prompted for a user name, and then the user is prompted for a password.

When you type the net use * \\ computer_name \ share_name /u: domain_name \
user_name /savecred command, the user is prompted for a password.
However, when you type one of the following commands, a key is not created:
net use * \\ computer_name \ share_name * /user: domain_name \ user_name /savecred
-or-
net use * \\ computer_name \ share_name * /savecred /user: domain_name \ user_name

If you type net help use at a command prompt, more information is displayed about the
net use command.

Logon Name Not in Task Manager or Under Documents & Settings

When the Welcome screen is appears, the names that are displayed do not match any of
the names of users' folders under the Documents and Settings folder or any of the names
on the Users tab in Task Manager.

This behavior may occur if you have changed the name of the account in the User
Accounts tool in Control Panel. By doing so, the new name appears on the Welcome
screen, but the actual account name remains the same. The folders under the Documents
and Settings folder and the names that are listed in Task Manager show the actual
account name.

To resolve this behavior, if the display name for a user account has been changed, you
can find out which account the new display name belongs to by logging on as that user,
starting Task Manager, and then clicking the Users tab.

The user account that is marked as active is the one that is currently logged on. Also, you
can find out which of the folders under Documents and Settings belongs to the currently
logged-on user by right-clicking Start, and then clicking Explore. Windows Explorer will
then start in the Start Menu folder of the currently logged-on user's folder.

Administrator Unable to Unlock a "Locked" Computer

This behavior can occur for either of the following reasons: When the default screen
saver is set to use a non-existent screen saver program. And/or When you use a corrupted
screen saver that is password protected. More Information.

Information About Unlocking a Workstation

The following registry setting is received every time the computer is locked:
Start/Run/Regedit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

ForceUnlockLogon
REG_DWORD

0 - Do not force authentication inline (default)

1 - Require online authentication to unlock

The preceding value controls whether a full logon is performed during the unlock
process. This can force a validation at the domain controller for the user
attempting the unlock process.

NOTE: If the value is not present, it functions as if it had been set to 0 (zero).

Lock Your Computer and Use Other Windows Logo Shortcut Keys

To use the shortcut, press the Windows logo key+L. The following list has different
computer lock-up scenarios that are available to you, as well as other ways to lock the
computer: Click Here.

Create a Shortcut to Lock Computer

Right click a blank space on the desktop, select new, shortcut. Copy and Paste this line:
"rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation" in the program location box. Click next and
create a name for your shortcut, click finish.

Lock the Taskbar

This restriction is used to force the locking of the taskbar and restrict users from making
any changes to its position. Start/Run/Regedit: Navigate to this key and create a new
DWORD value, or modify the existing value, called 'LockTaskbar' and edit the value
according to the settings below. Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of
Windows for the change to take effect.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Expl
orer]
Value Name: LockTaskbar
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = Unlocked, 1 = Locked)
How to take ownership of a file or
a folder in Windows XP

If you must access a file or a folder that you do not have rights to, you must take
ownership of that file or folder. When you do this, you replace the security permissions
that were originally created for the file or folder.

MORE INFORMATION

Prerequisites
Log on as an administrator
You must be logged on to Windows as an administrator in order to change security
permissions for a file or a folder. If the computer is your personal computer, you are
likely already logged on with an administrator account. If the computer is part of a
network at work, you might have to ask the system administrator for help. To verify that
you are logged on to Windows with a user account that is a computer administrator, visit
the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/admin

Start Windows XP Home Edition in safe mode

If you are running Windows XP Home Edition, you must start the computer in safe mode,
and then log on with an account that has administrative rights in order to access the
Security tab. Access to the Security tab is required in order to change security
permission. If you are running Windows XP Professional, you do not have to start the
computer in safe mode. For more information about how to start Windows XP in safe
mode, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:
304449 How to start the System Restore tool at a command prompt in Windows XP

Disable Simple File Sharing in Windows XP Professional

If you are using Windows XP Professional, you must disable Simple File Sharing. By
default, Windows XP Professional uses Simple File Sharing when it is not joined to a
domain. For additional information about how to do this, click the following article
number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
307874 How to disable simplified sharing and set permissions on a shared folder in
Windows XP

To take ownership of a file or a folder

How to take ownership of a file
You must have ownership of a protected file in order to access it. If another user has
restricted access and you are the computer administrator, you can access the file by
taking ownership.

To take ownership of a file, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the file that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears).
3. Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
4. In the Name list, click Administrator, or click the Administrators group, and then
click OK.

The administrator or the administrators group now owns the file.

To change the permissions on the file that you now own, follow these steps:
1. Click Add.
2. In the Enter the object names to select (examples) list, type the user or group
account that you want to have access to the file. For example, type Administrator.
3. Click OK.
4. In the Group or user names list, click the account that you want, and then select the
check boxes of the permissions that you want to assign that user.
5. When you are finished assigning permissions, click OK.
6. You can now access the file.

How to take ownership of a folder

You must have ownership of a protected folder in order to access it. If another user has
restricted access and you are the computer administrator, you can access the folder by
taking ownership.

To take ownership of a folder, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears).
3. Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
4. In the Name list, click your user name, or click Administrator if you are logged in as
Administrator, or click the Administrators group. If you want to take ownership of the
contents of the folder, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects
check box.
5. Click OK, and then click Yes when you receive the following message:
You do not have permission to read the contents of directory folder name. Do you want
to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control?
All permissions will be replaced if you click Yes.

Note folder name is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of.
6. Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the
folder and its contents.
How to access the Recovery Console: - take this link for more information
The Recovery Console is a set of tools which run from a Command prompt. If your
system is formatted as NTFS then these tools can help you manage the partition. You
can learn more about the Recovery Console through Help and Support or
Click here for information about the different commands and their functions .

To run the Recovery Console from CD boot with the Windows XP CD (or with the
optional 6 floppy disk set) and select "R" at the Welcome Screen.

The screen will switch to black and you will be asked which installation to log on to. If
you only have one installation you will press "1". Remember that numlock is off at this
time.
Next you'll be prompted to enter your Admin password. By default it is created blank so
just press Enter.

At the C:\Windows command prompt type "Help" for a list of commands you can use.
How to Repair the Boot Sector:
If XP won't start it may be due to a damaged boot sector or a missing or corrupt ntldr or
ntdetect.com files.

To replace damaged ntldr and ntdetect.com you can copy fresh files from the XP CD
using the COPY command. Boot with the XP CD and enter the Recovery Console (as
above). At the Command Prompt type the following (where "X" is your CD-Rom drive
letter) allowing the files to overwrite the old files
COPY X:\i386\NTLDR C:
COPY X:\i386\NTDETECT.COM C:

To repair a damaged Boot Sector at the command prompt type FIXBOOT and press
Enter. Then answer "Y"
How To Format using the Recovery Console (click for info on How To Access The
Recovery Console)

format drive : /Q /FS:file-system

Use the above command (where /Q performs a quick format of the drive, drive is the
drive letter of the partition to format /FS:file-system specifies the type of file system to
use [FAT, FAT32, or NTFS]) to format the specified drive to the specified file system.
For example the following quick formats C partition as NTFS
FORMAT C: /Q /FS:NTFS
the following will do a full format of C as FAT32
FORMAT C: /FS:FAT32
*** Note: If a file system is not specified, then the existing file system format is retained.

Type EXIT to quit the Recovery Console and restart your Computer
How Partition using the Recovery Console: (click for info on How To Access The
Recovery Console)
At the command prompt type DISKPART and press Enter.

An interface is displayed which you can move through with the Arrow Keys. Press "C" to
create a partition in unused space. Pressing "D" will delete the highlighted partition.
How To Exit the Recovery Console:
You can not use Ctrl+Alt+Del to quit the Recovery Console. Instead type "EXIT" at the
command prompt and Windows will be started.

Boot to Windows.
How to Repair Install: ***Also removes Service Packs***
Sometimes the only way to repair XP is to reinstall. You do not have to wipe your
partition and start over. Just as with previous versions of Windows you can reinstall right
over top of an existing setup. This has the advantage of retaining your installed
applications, data and settings. You will lose previously saved System Restore Points but
System Restore will begin creating new restore points again immediately following the
Repair Install. You will need to reinstall SP2 and any Critical Updates from the Windows
Update Site. Be aware that a Repair Install will leave your system vulnerable to the
Blaster and Welchia worms. Do not go on line until you have enabled XP's firewall first.
Then visit the Windows Update Site to patch your system It is always prudent to backup
important data before you make changes to XP.

There are two approaches. The first one should be used if you can still boot to your
Windows Desktop. Simply pop the XP CD into the CD-Rom drive and select Install-
>Upgrade[recommended]. This will install XP overtop of itself in the same way as
upgrading from a previous setup. However if your version is an OEM version then you
will not have this option. If you do not see the option to Upgrade[recommended] DO
NOT choose New Install as that will either overwrite your current setup completely or
give you a dual boot setup. Also if you have an older version of XP and have upgraded to
a new service pack you will get a message stating that a newer version of Windows was
found and you will not be able to run the Upgrade. Create a Slipstream version to solve
this problem

If you cannot boot to the Desktop, or you have an OEM version of XP, or you want to
remove a service pack then the following should be used to complete a Repair Install.
Boot with the Windows XP CD and at the Setup Screen press the Enter Key

You will be taken to the Windows XP Licensing Agreement. After reading the agreement
press F8 to proceed.

The next screen gives you the option to do a fresh (clean) install or to repair the selected
Windows XP installation. To run a Repair Install Press "R" at this time.
***CAUTION*** if you do not see the option to repair the selected Windows XP installation DO NOT
choose the option to continue installing a fresh copy without repairing as that will overwrite your data and
cause unrecoverable data loss.
Windows XP will copy the necessary files to your Hard Drive to begin the installation
and will then reboot. You will see the message that informs you to "Press any key to boot
the CD". Do not press any keys this time just wait a few seconds and the Windows
Startup Screen will be displayed. Following this you will be greeted by the Windows XP
Setup Screens.
When Setup has completed you should find all of your previously installed apps and
settings are intact.