XP reinstall help needed

I had corrupted windows files so some new software that I REALLY needed wouldn't install. I backed everything up twice using 1) Memeo Autobackup (came with the Western Digital external hard drive) and 2) Microsoft's Synctoy.

I reinstalled Win XP Pro and SP3, reactivated the drivers for the monitor, modem, ethernet card, sound card and video card and it runs almost normally. I did not do a full wipe but left the existing file structure intact.

Problem: How do I get all the user accounts reactivated? The seem to "exist," ie. the fie structure exists and the stored files exist, but Windows doesn't seem to know thy are there. I have the entire C: drive backed up in the external hard drive but what do I need to do to get things back to looking more or less like they were? We'd like to restore email and stuff before long.

I'm sorry if some of this sounds like I'm a noob.

 

So what you're saying is that you've rebuilt the operating system, and have restored the users' documents and settings folder structure (ie C:\documents and settings\username and subfolders), but not the actual user accounts? Am I understanding you correctly?

 

Yes. The original file structure was left intact when the OS was reinstalled but I have restrored the Documents and settings files from the backup.

I still don't have the actual user accounts, and thus their individual email settings, browser favorites, etc.

Likewise, all of the program files exist, but Windows doesn't seem to know they are there.

Can this be repaired/restored or do I have to rebuild everything from scratch?

 

There are tools to migrate user accounts from one windows install to another, but I only know of ones that function while the installation is still live. Not sure of an automated utility to do this from your backup, I'm afraid.

The good news is that another geek might have a better recommendation, or worst case, the documents and settings folders have a fairly simple structure, and unless you have a ton of user accounts to migrate, it won't be too painful to manually do so. I can provide instructions on recreating these users if you outline what specific settings that need to be migrated from these installs.

Most users like to have their desktop icons, personal documents, email and browser settings preserved. Is there anything you can add to this list? Be sure to include details of 3rd party application data you might want migrated (such as Firefox profiles).

Overall, my strategy is to create new user accounts that match your previous accounts from scratch, and then migrate their files and settings to their new profile from backup. I can provide instructions with your approval, and confirmation of the settings to be migrated.

As for the program files directory, there is no simple way of migrating that from one Windows installation to another, due to a large number of dependencies in the Windows registry that can't always be recreated.

The fastest, easiest way of getting your programs functioning is to reinstall. If there is application specific data that needs to be preserved, we'll have to look at that program specifically.

 

It's been my experience with repair installs, that when this happens (program shortcuts are gone, file associations are gone, Windows doesn't recognize users or installed software, nothing in program files will run, etc) there isn't a f*****g thing you can do about it. This usually happens when a repair install is performed on a PC with corrupt/missing/incomplete/dirty user account information. Malware is a common cause. All you can really do is reinstall the applications and programs (that are already there but not running) and to go into Documents and Settings, and move the files from the users listed in to new, valid user folders (after creating the user accounts in Control Panel > User Accounts). You can tell whn this is going to happen by paying attention to the repair install process; if you are prompted to create a user name and password during the repair, that tells you that Windows did not keep the current user account information intact. In a successful repair, Windows setup will skip this step entirely, and will not prompt for any user/admin names because they are already there. Unfortunately, if you notice the user name prompt during a repair install, it's too late and the account info is already wiped out.

 

Ahhh, yes... missed the details of the reinstallation. I agree, best results will always be on a clean install of Windows.

Our new Windows folder should be fine, but there's no telling what's in the old D&S folders, or the program files folders. As outlined below, I would manually pick out what I wanted to keep, and scrap the rest. Tabula rasa.

 

Okay, of course you were all right. No matter what I did with the new install everything just got worse instead of better. I had to start over from scratch and do a clean install. Now I am rebuilding everything but Memeo (the backup that came with the Western Digital external harddrive) was useless in restoring my emails in Outlook Express. I have a second backup which is essentially a copy of the old C: drive (made with Synctoy from MS) that should have everything on it but I can't find where Outlook Express might have hidden them.

1) How do I find my emails from Outlook Express? I've already searched for keywords that I thought should be included in some email attachements with no success.

2) Once I find them, what file to they need to go to to get the new install to see all the old email and settings?

Again, thanks for your help.

 

Does someone know if s/he edit the registry and add the appropriate keys and etc?

Because, if you know what you're doing, (or are couragous, and can print out and follow an example soeone here might five you, AFTER BACKING UP YOUR REGISTRY FIRST), don't know your experience level, or your adventure level, you might be able to edit the user registry.

The good news is that you can BACK-UP your registry BEFORE you try to edit it, and if you screw-up you can replace the munged-up copy with the one you thoughtfully back-up for yourself.


You might be able to also do a repair install if you mess up a registry edit, I'm really not sure.

Now if I could remember to do that...

 

How to back up and to restore Outlook Express data

This article describes how to back up and to restore the following items in Microsoft Outlook Express:
• Messages
• The Address Book
• Mail accounts
• News accounts

But, it assumes you have a working OLEX installation to check where these are stored. Hopefully, you've never changed from default?

If not, this should be the %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\<user_identity_GUID>\Microsoft\Outlook Express folder.
If so, you can probably search for this folder.

And as a supplement:

OLEXP: How to Back Up the Outlook Express Address Book and Mail Folders

 

Awesome! I now have my address book, file structure and old emails back. The only thing I am missing is the actual account settings and the message rules. the instructions from the MS site are very good, but unfortunately I am rebuilding from a full hard drive back up and not a proper Outlook backup so restoring doesn't follow their directions. Knowing what file type/file name/or location is much more helpful. If I can find it, I can copy it to the new drive in the right place and all will be good (I hope).

What files am I looking for to restore accounts and rules?

 

Sadly, both of these are kept in the registry.

I do know there are tools that can mount an offline registry for editing, but I've never used any, so I couldn't advise there.

If you do find a way of doing so, you can use this link to find the registry keys you need.

Side note: Sorry I couldn't be of more help, but I might recommend Mozilla's Thunderbird in the future. It is MUCH easier to backup all these things in a single go.