Windows XP Repair

[PixlRabt]

Hello Internets,

 

So after receiving four old PC's for free from my school yesterday to add to my growing collection, I have some operating system questions. I seem to have destroyed the operating system on my fifth pc, which I already had. It did have an install of Windows XP, but upon trying to add a HDD to that pc I now receive a windows error about a System 32 file going missing. is this because I tried adding the other HDD? I also do have a copy of Windows XP lying around, but it isn't the original that matches the PC. Can I still use the repair function with this? if not can I take the hard drive containing windows out and put in a blank HDD and put ubuntu on it, then take that HDD and put it into one of the other four PCs and return to the fifth at a later date with windows?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated

tharrison14 

[Vitalius]

You should be able to use the repair function just fine. I do not believe it checks for the product key and so that part does not matter.

[PixlRabt]

You should be able to use the repair function just fine. I do not believe it checks for the product key and so that part does not matter.

 

That's precisely what I was worried about, and when I repair will it be like how it was before, all the files and everything? or fresh install and reset? it doesn't really bother me either way, I didn't have the PC long and I don't have anything on it.

[Bonsai99]

but upon trying to add a HDD to that pc I now receive a windows error about a System 32 file going missing. is this because I tried adding the other HDD?

Pull out the hard drive you added and see what happens or check the Boot order in the BIOS and make sure it is booting from the correct drive (the drive you added probably has a broken install of XP on it.)

[Vitalius]

That's precisely what I was worried about, and when I repair will it be like how it was before, all the files and everything? or fresh install and reset? it doesn't really bother me either way, I didn't have the PC long and I don't have anything on it.

It should be exactly as it was before it messed up.

[PixlRabt]

Pull out the hard drive you added and see what happens or check the Boot order in the BIOS and make sure it is booting from the correct drive (the drive you added probably has a broken install of XP on it.)

 

I did that, and I don't think it's broken because it worked fine a couple weeks ago

[PixlRabt]

It should be exactly as it was before it messed up.

 

Thanks, thats probably what I'll do