Shawn,
You wish to have a parallel instance of XP installed on your machine so that you can copy the SAM file that is presently missing or corrupt.
During your procedure to install a parallel instance of XP, follow these instructions to place the installation into a new location, instead of allowing XP to be installed over-top of your current XP operating system.
To install Windows XP to a new folder (also known as a parallel installation), follow these steps:
1. Start your computer from the Windows XP CD. To do this, insert the Windows XP CD into your CD or DVD drive, and then restart your computer.
2. When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message appears on the screen, press any key to start the computer from the Windows XP CD.
3. At the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to begin Windows XP Setup.
4. Read the Microsoft Software License Terms, and then press F8.
5. Select the partition in which you want to install Windows XP, and then press ENTER.
6. Select the Leave the current file system intact (no changes) option, and then press ENTER to continue.
7. Press ESC to install to a different folder.
If the Setup program detects another operating system folder, it prompts you to type the name for the new folder after the backslash (\), for example, \WINXP. If there are no other operating systems detected, the Setup program automatically names the folder \Windows.
8. Press ENTER to continue.
9. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Windows XP Setup.
Source:
http://support.micro...b/316941/EN-US/Shawn,
I am presently not receiving email notification when new replies are posted.
This may be related to recent updates and changes of the Board conflicting with my ISP email client.
Others have reported similar inconvenience, but I'm sure it will get worked out soon.
In the meantime, there may be delays in my noticing that you have posted a reply and this may delay my responses to you.
I apologize to the inconvenience.
If my notification problem persists, I will contact another Tech to them to begin assisting you.
Best Regards