Format XP... Save Software?

Well I'm planning on formatting my C:/ drive(ONLY windows is on the C: drive, all of the software is on other partitions) . The problem is, I dont want to reinstall all of my installed software and user profiles... I know how to backup the user profiles but how could i go about backing up the installs? Is it as easy as backing up the Software key in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE? Or is it more complicated... If worse comes to worse i will use a 3rd party app to clean up the registry if i have to... but the problem with that is its defeating the whole reason im reformatting (to fix some registry settings, but the repair installation didn't work)

 

You can't back up installed software without doing a complete backup of the system.

Software installs files in many different locations, and it's not possible to back up every file.

You can use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard if it helps, but all you can't backup installed individual programs.

 

First why don't you do a scan-- Start/Run/type sfc /scannow--- note space after sfc
and have your cd ready.
This chks and replace's any files that are corrupt or missing etc.

 

It only does that for protected Windows files, not all files.

 

I agree--- but I'm just pointing him to try the basic's first before reformatting.

 

I would do that and also try a windows repair before I would even think of doing a reformat. On my rig, that's a couple of days of work. Yikes!

 

The original poster already tried this.

On a side note #89:

What are your symptoms, what is the reason you are starting over. Perhaps if you can explain what is going on....perhaps we can help!

 

sorry for not posting, i was in glorious ohio for the weekend. Well, for 1, i cant boot up into safe mode.... It reboots before i can click to login, then, after doing a repair install, my mouse sometimes freezes at the startup screen and i cant login, sometimes it doesnt if i can click fast enough. Also, when i log in theres a windows error, didn't write it down tho, my fault, and im trying to clean up my machine for a recent hardware change (ati to nVidia) and well, frankly, I dont want to reinstall everything... And i heard that people just backup their registry or look through install logs and backup the registry

 

did one, didnt do anything, but ill try again