Window XP – How to Repair It When All Else Fails

If you have XP and it needs a total overhaul, most of the choices presented to you are either very time consuming or technically challenging with a high likelihood of failure. I discuss the issues in XP’s own repair option and offer you Reimage as an inexpensive solution that leaves you in the best of shape with minimal effort on your part. This post is based on an article that I wrote for EzineArticles called Get Your XP System Back Even If Windows XP Cannot Repair It.

BACKGROUND

If your computer won’t boot or you are experiencing BSODs (blue screen of death) or you have a serious virus attack or any other serious system malfunction, you need to repair your XP system.

REPAIR ISSUES

However, what do you do if Windows XP cannot repair itself? There is a free do it yourself method and an easy and automated repair method that will cost you a modest amount.

Your best bet using the standard XP repair method is to do a repair install from your XP installation CD. However, there are a number of issues with this.

COMPLEXITY

Probably the best description of what you need to do for a repair install is provided by Michael Stevens Tech. He lays out all the steps you need to do and all the issues you need to be aware of.

Your main challenge is to get your system back to normal without losing programs or data. It’s all too easy to give up on this and to do a total wipe out of your system with a reformat of your hard drive and a reinstall.

You have to be able to dig through a lot of technical information even if things go smoothly. If they don’t you have to be prepared to investigate your problem and determine your solution from the guide that you are using to do the repair or from resources on the Web. You have to know how to identify the right version of your operating system. You also have to be aware that there are upgrade levels to your operating system called service packs and that you need to manage getting back to the right service pack level.

You also need to be aware that XP home and XP professional are different and XP Home can’t repair XP professional.

You have to be careful not to reconnect to the Internet too early or you may be the victim of a virus attack.

PREPARATION FOR DO IT YOURSELF

Make sure that you have the right XP cd.

The first thing that you need to do is a thorough back up.

Check the version of XP that you have and the service pack level.

Make sure that you know how to operate your computer’s firewall

Read through the approach that you want to do so that you are prepared for any glitches.

If you connect directly to the Internet without a router or hardware firewall, disconnect the Internet cable so that you are protected during your repair operation. You may need to remove a wireless card if you use a wireless internet connection.

Be aware that there may be an issue with restarting automatic updates. You won’t have to do anything about this unless you have the problem.

ONE POSSIBLE APPROACH

There is an 8 step process from a Geek Squad veteran who claims that this method works in most cases. It’s somewhat technical but might get you up quickly. It’s available at the Icrontic site.

AUTOMATED XP REPAIR

If you can’t get the repair working or you don’t want to try it, there is another choice.

There are automated repair procedures available. Reimage is a powerful automated XP repair system that fixes your system in around 35 minutes while you wait. Reimage is based on a database of XP that contains information and software for all parts of XP and most common applications used on XP. It will scan your system repair or replace any missing or damaged parts and remove dangerous or redundant data.

If you can boot, you don’t have to have an XP disk handy. Even if you can’t boot but you have access to an XP cd, they provide you with the information for creating a boot disk to start the repair process. If you want to save tons of time and aggravation and even save money if you are ready to go to a repair shop, it pays to look into Reimage.