Windows How safe is a repair install?

I've got a laptop to repair (it belongs to one of the managers at work), and I think I've narrowed it down to being a corrupt driver problem. I am considering doing a repair install, but am concerned as to how safe this is. I really dont want to lose any programs or settings, which most places say will remain, but what about users? Also, how often are problems encountered which result in some data and program loss?

As a bit of background on this issue, XP (not sure if it's Home or Pro) locks up after displaying the XP loading bar splash. Trying to run last known good settings gives the same result, and safe mode locks up half way through loading drivers (the last one loaded is mup.sys). I ran a "chkdsk /r" in the recovery console, and it reported back that there was 1 or more unrecoverable errors. One source said the next driver after mup.sys is ndis.sys, and disabling this makes the system reboot after loading the splash. I'm open to any other suggestions.

EDIT: Managed to get a STOP 0x0000007E error which indicates this is a driver problem.

 

I've done a handful of repair installs, and they are pretty much magical. You lose a few custom settings like desktop background and color schemes, but all programs and files are left alone. However, I would encourage you to make a file backup (stick the drive in another computer or use a Linux LiveCD) before you do it, just in case.

I've never lost user data, personal files, or some of the more technical settings like power management and swap file.

 

I did a repair install for someone on an older Duron PC, and it worke dok for a while but I always found it to be on the slow side.

That said you have nothing to loose bytrying, cos if all else fails then just do a clean install.

 

If Internet Explorer 7 is installed - that's the only issue I know of in this situation.

 

Any time I've tried selecting 'Repair', it just puts me into a blinking cursor screen (/command prompt) - from where I haven't a clue what to do

How am I supposed to know what's required after that? What commands do you use to start/perform the actual 'Repair' sequence?

 

As far as I remember the data in "My Documents" also would be lost after repair install, am I right?

 

don't think so, those are your personal files that windows won't touch - i never have had a problem with that.

getting me worried though because my "My Documents" folder directs to the (E partition which has all of my personal files on it.

 

I have Windows XP SP1 CD... and doing a Windows repair... ain't pretty...
Takes the same time or more to do a windows repair then doing a normal setup and installing all your application after (I have dual partitions, so in 99% of programs, when you re-install them, your settings are kept, also all my files including "My Document" (User WinXP PowerToy to change location), is on it, so no backup nessaray as Windows and only Windows is on "C:\". Anyway back to the ending results after a repair... you have Explorer that is screwed up... sometimes it doesn't launch at startup or freeze every now and then. Oh and it forgets to install the updates...

I did this multiple times at different moments, on different computers, all gives me similar results.

So, the lesson is, if you have Windows XP SP1 OEM, better do a full install.

 

You don't choose the first repair option, you choose the second one, i.e. after it's found existing XP installs and F8 to agree, you should then get a list of your XP installs, with an option to repair.

To balance out, I've done succesful repairs to numerous PC's and all worked succesfully - it was only a matter of running Windows Update again to download the 100-or-so updates after Service Pack 2. I've always repaired using a slipstreamed SP2 XP cd.

 

Much obliged Kenco

 

i'm sorry but you shouldn't really make recommendations when you can'ty distinguish RAM from hard drive storage. (your signature)

do you have either 256MB of RAM or 250GB of storage?

 

I think he's trying to be funny

 

wow - i feeel like a dumbass. i only really caught the first parts. idk.

 

hehehe, yea I tried to be funny.
Last month it was "My sound card doesn't want to print my spreadsheet".
Also, last time I checked, Microsoft never did an OS called Pentium III, and any video cards even the first one physically created were\are in 3D in this world


I would like to add that my computer spcs,, for Windows repair, to show you that I'm talking about 5 year old computer with broken devices.
My system specs is:
- ASUS A8N32-SLI *Deluxe* (NForce 4)
- AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Socket 939
- Geforce 6600GT with 128MB of RAM (for now)
- 2GB of Corsair DDr RAM
- 250GB Western Digital HDD, SATA-II with 16MB of Buffer
- Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtreamMusic