Solve : Reinstalled XP and now no icons?

1.	Solve : Reinstalled XP and now no icons?
Answer» Quote from: Boozu on September 22, 2009, 04:00:38 PM How can you install an OS onto a drive without erasing whatever is on it? and without making a partition? Reinstalling an OS SIMPLY overwrites the SYSTEM folder - it does not format anything or touch anything other than the system folder. And you do not need to create a partition unless it's a new hd. The fact that you don't know these simple things leads me to believe you really might want to think twice before offering advice on these forums here is the whole story....My screen took a crap on me so I am borrowing one from a friend. When I hooked up the new screen i received an error message saying something like windows was unable to start do to a file being missing or corrupted. I located my retail Windows XP cd and put it in and followed the directions to install it...and here I am now.Quote Reinstalling an OS simply overwrites the system folder - it does not format anything or touch anything other than the system folder. I think that answers your question to the poster. All Mssbrt2 really needs to do is make shortcuts to things and that's that. All he is asking is how to get all of his icons back on the desktop.Still doesn't help. Did you do a repair install (it would have said "repair the existing installation) or choose a new install? If the latter, I don't see how you could have installed into the same system folder and still have the same files - you probably did a parallel install and now have TWO OS's installed. OPEN Windows Explorer. Do you see a folder named WINDOWS and another one named WINDOWS OLD?Quote from: Boozu on September 22, 2009, 04:08:39 PM I think that answers your question to the poster. All Mssbrt2 really needs to do is make shortcuts to things and that's that. All he is asking is how to get all of his icons back on the desktop. I'm not trying to offend you or start an argument with you, but you're not helping. Please - let me try to help. Thank you.Quote you probably did a parallel install and now have TWO OS's installed. Open Windows Explorer. Do you see a folder named WINDOWS and another one named WINDOWS OLD? Would that still give him direct access to his old files? I'll let you help him I was just wondering.Yes, of course it would. But he will have to reinstall most programs for them to run.Thats what I thought. Ok I'll leave you be.all I see is a WINDOWS folderI honest to goodness don't know what you did or how you did it. But okay, you apparently only have one Windows folder (and THUS one OS installed). Do your programs all work? If so, lets get back to your icons question. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to \documents and settings \ your username \ desktop That's where the icons for the desktop go. If you only have one desktop folder and nothing under another username with all the icons then yes, you have to drag all of them to the desktop. Sorry for this to have been so complicated, but I really needed to make sure you didn't install a second OS. And even if you did a repair install, the icons would have been there - so I'm still a little confused.hhmm...ok...I thank you for your time and patience....I'll just do them one at a time.Okay. Sorry it took so long to get around to the answer you were looking for.

Answer»

Quote from: Boozu on September 22, 2009, 04:00:38 PM

How can you install an OS onto a drive without erasing whatever is on it? and without making a partition?

Reinstalling an OS SIMPLY overwrites the SYSTEM folder - it does not format anything or touch anything other than the system folder. And you do not need to create a partition unless it's a new hd.

The fact that you don't know these simple things leads me to believe you really might want to think twice before offering advice on these forums here is the whole story....My screen took a crap on me so I am borrowing one from a friend. When I hooked up the new screen i received an error message saying something like windows was unable to start do to a file being missing or corrupted. I located my retail Windows XP cd and put it in and followed the directions to install it...and here I am now.Quote

Reinstalling an OS simply overwrites the system folder - it does not format anything or touch anything other than the system folder.

I think that answers your question to the poster. All Mssbrt2 really needs to do is make shortcuts to things and that's that. All he is asking is how to get all of his icons back on the desktop.Still doesn't help. Did you do a repair install (it would have said "repair the existing installation) or choose a new install? If the latter, I don't see how you could have installed into the same system folder and still have the same files - you probably did a parallel install and now have TWO OS's installed. OPEN Windows Explorer. Do you see a folder named WINDOWS and another one named WINDOWS OLD?Quote from: Boozu on September 22, 2009, 04:08:39 PM

I think that answers your question to the poster. All Mssbrt2 really needs to do is make shortcuts to things and that's that. All he is asking is how to get all of his icons back on the desktop.

I'm not trying to offend you or start an argument with you, but you're not helping. Please - let me try to help. Thank you.Quote

you probably did a parallel install and now have TWO OS's installed. Open Windows Explorer. Do you see a folder named WINDOWS and another one named WINDOWS OLD?

Would that still give him direct access to his old files? I'll let you help him I was just wondering.Yes, of course it would. But he will have to reinstall most programs for them to run.Thats what I thought. Ok I'll leave you be.all I see is a WINDOWS folderI honest to goodness don't know what you did or how you did it. But okay, you apparently only have one Windows folder (and THUS one OS installed). Do your programs all work? If so, lets get back to your icons question.

Open Windows Explorer and navigate to \documents and settings \ your username \ desktop
That's where the icons for the desktop go. If you only have one desktop folder and nothing under another username with all the icons then yes, you have to drag all of them to the desktop. Sorry for this to have been so complicated, but I really needed to make sure you didn't install a second OS. And even if you did a repair install, the icons would have been there - so I'm still a little confused.hhmm...ok...I thank you for your time and patience....I'll just do them one at a time.Okay. Sorry it took so long to get around to the answer you were looking for.

Solve : Reinstalled XP and now no icons?

Discussion

No Comment Found

Related InterviewSolutions

Reply to Comment