You need to give serious consideration to
performing a "clean install" of Windows XP.
Make sure to backup your important files before
proceeding. Also, make sure "boyfriend" did not
install a bogus version of Windows XP Professional.
Is your version of Windows XP genuine?
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/h...s/default.mspx
Clean Install Windows XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
Performing a Clean Install of Windows XP
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...october07.mspx
--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/
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"Katzzie" wrote:
| My poor computer has been through some pretty hard times since it's birth. It
| orginally started with Window 98 2nd Edition, it belonged to my kids then.
| Then added and subtracted so much stuff that it was beyond a mess. They gave
| it to me and somehow I managed to clear it up for a while. Then I made the
| mistake of deleting old programs and files along with files that I needed.
| Then a "friend" helped with his 2 cents installing Windows ?? I forget the
| name of that one. Anyway, it didn't work worth a hill of beans. So then, the
| boyfriend took it to someone who installed Window XP Pro. My orginal C drive
| with everything I had in it is still there but most of it doesn't work - like
| my Microsoft Office 2000 - it's there but doesn't work because amost of it is
| gone. But all of tis stuff is taking up space on my hard drive to the point
| of iI only have 11% left, not even enough to run the deframgmenter correctly.
| So my biggest issue now is, how do I safely remove the remains of all the old
| programs, files and folders without damaging anything else? I cannot use the
| Add/Remove Programs, none of the stuff is in there. Nor does any of them have
| an uninstall to use either. How will I know what is safe to send to the
| recycle bin and not being shared by another program? I'm smart enough to know
| I don't want to go through that again! Thank You for your time and your
| expertise!! You have no idea how much I appreciate you help!!!
| --
| Gotta Luv Yaz!