Reinstall or repair??

I'm upgrading most of my system - mainboard, CPU, RAM, graphics card. Is it advisable to fully reinstall Windows or could I get away with a repair install?

I really want to avoid having to reinstall all my software and get all my settings and everything back to what they were. Other than a repair install I'm not sure what else I can do. I've heard you can save the registry but I'm not even sure what that does. The only thing I know (and Im not totally sure about even that) is that it'd mean I can still startup my apps through windows.

Maybe it'd be a good idea to get a new hard drive while I'm at it, and bite the bullet with a fresh install, and then manually reinstall everything from scratch. I dunno, I'm not really sure what would be the best way to go. I need advice from a more experienced head.

 

When replacing the motherboard and CPU, it is wise to do a clean install of windows. It will save you a lot of work and misery.
If you wish to try a repair install first, you can find a guide on upgrading the motherboard on an XP system here. Keep in mind that your chances of success drop with every component upgraded.

 

I'll go for the path of least resistance I think and do a fresh install. Once I get down to it reinstalling everything might not be so big a chore after all. (Heh)