Desperate windows problem

I uninstalled a windows office trial and nothing would work so I did a system restore (not the complete kind, my software and everything is still there) but none of my software programs will open. I can go online and I can look in my files but that's about all. Windows message says they're (my software programs) not there or it's a file that can't be opened. Nothing in my control panel will open either. I downloaded another window's office trial thinking maybe that would solve the problem but it won't install. I'm an online college student and I can't hand in my assignments because my scanner won't work. I tried to uninstall it--won't uninstall--tried to reinstall it--won't reinstall. In both instances it "was a file that can't be opened."

Should I go ahead and do a complete restore and start from scratch? My computer is an emachine and i have windows xp home. It's not real stable, I've had a lot of problems with it. But it's only a year old. Can't afford to take it to a professional and I can't afford to buy a new one.

thank you for any advice. I'm a non technical girly girl so keep it simple.:cry

 

If you have already successfully completed a repair install from your XP disc and you still have these problems, then I would say yes, format and start from scratch. Just be sure that you have backed up any homework files (or music or photos or whatever) first. Starting clean from scratch means starting clean from scratch. Everything will be gone, including all your files and software. Many people think that Word and Power Point and Excel are part of Windows, they are NOT built in to Windows. They are part of Microsoft Office. Which brings me to another point: you said you downloaded Office? Do you mean that you downloaded it from the internet? As far as I know, there is no legitimate way to get Office from the internet. If you downloaded it from rapidshare or as a p2p (peer-to-peer like BearShare or LimeWire) then it was pirated, bootlegged, illegal software, and may have been full of viruses or just plain corrupt, and that may have been the root and continuing cause of your problems.
So, to sum it up: try to do a full repair install from your XP disc. Here's a step-by-step complete with screen shots: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/instxprepair1_2.htm You can probably skip the part where it talks about pressing F6 to load a SATA or RAID or SCSI driver. But all the other steps are pretty much required. If the repair install doesn't fix your problems, or you've already tried it and you have your stuff backed up (if you need it backed up), then follow this guide for a clean install: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/instxpclean1_2.htm You'll notice it is very similar to the repair install, and you can probably skip the F6 SATA/RAID driver step again.
Good luck! I hope this helps!

:major
[dlb]