[wicasa]

I need to perform a repair install but my OS (WXP Home SP2) was preinstalled and I only have a restore disc.

My question is, can I perform a repair install using a borrowed full WXP Home disc?
I have recovered the cd key code from my machine but this could be a generic one from the manufacturer. Am I lkely to encounter problems using another disc for this operation or will I not need a key?

Is there any way I can perform a repair install with a pre-installed WXP and restore disc?

Grateful for any help anyone can offer.

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I'm not sure if it will work but you could give it a try. The repair install won't ask for the registration key.

[emery]

I'm not sure if it will work but you could give it a try. The repair install won't ask for the registration key.

[wicasa]

Thanks for that.

I just want to be certain as the MS site when describing 'Repair Install' says I will be asked for the key; if I am, would there be a conflict if I entered the key from my machine? My WXP Home is an OEM, so presumably I also have to make sure the borrowed disc is the same OEM version too?

I'm assuming there is no way of running a repair using the restore disc or recovery partition short of returning it to the factory state?

Thanks fo any help anyone can offer.

[Johanna]

Yes, theoretically you can borrow a cd of the same flavor XP and repair, and no, you don't need your product key to do a REPAIR. However, repairs are not without risks, so back up anything you can't live without, first. Also, if you should have to reformat, make SURE you have your own product key (Use Belarc to be positive!)

This site goes into great detail, and gives accurate information:

http://www.michaelst...pairinstall.htm



Before you boot with the cd...why do you need to repair Windows? What is wrong? Is it possible that there is a simpler solution that will not require as much time or nail biting?

Johanna

[wicasa]

Hi Johanna

Thanks for this.

I came to the conclusion that a Reapir Install was the only solution because I have a Windows Media Player problem that seems to be defying all other solutions. I have asked about this in another forum (video editing) but you did ask. This is the root of my problem:

Sorry it's a bit of a long post but all the information I have is included.

Windows Media Player will not play mpegs. WMP will play wmvs and avis. I can play mpegs with Nero Show Time, WMP Classic, Power DVD and Quick Time; the same files that WMP won't, so the files are okay. Gspot tells me the codecs needed for these files are installed and okay. WMP error code C00D11CD: Unknown error, which I know is a difficult one to track down. Motion DV Studio and Movie maker will also not recognise these mpegs.

Gspot tells me the following are a problem:

DSH DivXAntiFreeze {79A00187-F159-4B89-981B-F81D51504201} 0x00800001 ** File Missing:
ACM Base MSACM.CEGSM ** Missing file:
mobilev.acm ACM Base msacm.l3codecp ** Missing file:
DSH PCM Morgan Stream Switcher {D3CD7858-971A-4838-ACEC-40CA5D529DC8} 0x00800003
** File Missing:
DSH Stream Subtitle Parser {52780691-D7F8-4335-B38E-EC40280EDC57} 0x00600000 ** File
Missing:
DSH Text Subtitle Dest {E2BD78F2-79A2-413D-A052-EE2E91B9D821} 0x00200000 ** File
Missing:
DSH YUY2 Subtitle Mixer {00A95963-3BE5-48C0-AD9F-3356D67EA09D} 0x0080000a ** File
Missing:
DSH YUY2 Bicubic Video Resizer {AA59CBFA-F731-49E9-BE78-08665F339EFC} 0x00800002 ** File
Missing:
DSH YV12 Nero Digital AVC Video Enc {426F6A6F-FEF8-4A5B-8DDC-099E7499EF50} 0x00200000 ** File Missing:

Other strange and possibly connected events:

I tried to play a DVD with Cyberlink Home Cinema after this happened
and had to reset the Region Code.
When I opened an mpeg file with Cyberlink Power DVD an icon for default playlist.pls appeared on the desktop and this happened every time.

Action so far:

I've tried system restore.
I've updated Directx and WMP; rolled WMP back to v.9 and updated again to v.10, without any change.
I ran sfc/scannow
I've uninstalled Itunes.
I reinstalled DivX.

Questions:

What action should I take to address the gspot report?
Should I uninstall/reinstall Power DVD?
Should I uninstall/reinstall Nero as gspot says files are missing?

I have had upgrading to WMP 11 suggested as a possible option, which I will try and I will probably uninstall Power DVD and reinstall before I run a Repair Install but I can't think of anything else.

Thanks again for the help.

[wicasa]

I have just discovered something which probably goes some way to geting to the root of this and makes it an OS problem rather than a video problem.

This problem arose immediately following my teenage son downloading and running some dubious movies, (we have talked about this on a number of occassions but that's for another forum). I never got to see the movies but I know what they were from the titles as they were still listed in recent documents. I tried to open them from there to see what he had been up to; they never opened and from that moment on I have had the problem as described in detail above. Suspecting a virus or similar, I ran an ewido scan and AVG scan. AVG showed nothing but I've just found out that the ewido scan showed a trojan, (my son closed ewido before I got to see the results and which trojan). I've since run AVG, Ewido and AdAware with clean results.

So, it could be a trojan that has caused this problem, do you think? In which case I presume Repair Install would be the only answer or is there a nice easy alternative?

Pleae let there be a nice easy alternative.