Windows XP won't load.

Hi, I have a Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop running Windows XP. A few months ago, someone spilled a drink into the keyboard. The computer would not boot up, and I was told I needed a new motherboard. I waited to purchase one, when a month later a friend turned on the computer and it stayed on.
It worked for about 8 weeks, then shut down on me. I tried to start it once in awhile, and it finally booted up only to tell me that there were files missing from the system32 folder. I had an XP disk, tried to repair windows but only managed to install a second windows folder on the c drive. This second version of Windows was very basic, no sound, no internet connection.
Looking through the c drive after I start "windows 2", I can't find most of the programs I'd previously installed, nor can I find photos I'd taken off my camera.
I copied the missing XP files from the cd into the original Windows folder, and now I can boot in Safe mode.
If I try to repair Windows using the XP cd, it only sees my second Windows installation.
I would like to try to repair Windows to see if I can recover any of my missing files, before I resort to doing a clean install.
Any help would me much appreciated.