[SteveA]

Had the XP disc been available - http://www.informationweek.com/share...leID=189400897 would have been the first option.

Originally Posted by Fred Langa

Rebuild, repair, or refresh an existing XP installation without losing data, and without having to reinstall user software, reformat, or otherwise destructively alter the setup.

(Same process as linked to in Post 8 but probably a better description.)

This will fix most non-virus/trojan/spyware problems in Windows XP - 30-40 minutes and it's sorted!

For those of you who might like to try this out for yourselves at some point (or, if you'd like to update your original or SP1 XP CD to Service Pack 2 level, start with:-

Originally Posted by Fred Langa

The First Fork In The Road
The no-reformat reinstall operation starts with a normal boot from an XP setup CD. Ideally, to save time, use a setup CD that's been "slipstreamed" to include the SP1 and SP2 patches and upgrades. (Need info on slipstreaming? See Langa Letter: How To Save An Hour (Or More) On XP Installs - News by InformationWeek and also this http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase...slipstream.asp

I think my fix was an acceptable alternative - not quite a bodge!

And stop talking about beer - I'm a recovering sober!