Can I fix my file access problem without completely wipeing my hard drive?

[burchinflorida]

My laptop had an issue with the power button which is now fixed. Before I sent it out for repair, I had to pull out the hard drive & move files to the desktop we had to buy for the interim. While I was moving the files, I had problems with getting files as my account (admin) had a password. After some fiddling, I won.

The problem: Now that I have the laptop back, when I try to sign in to my account, it says that there's an error & that it will give me default access. NONE of the programs come up when I click on the Programs arrow. Also, MS Office seems to have disappeared from sight in the other account as well. It still functions when I open a Word document, so it's around somewhere, but I don't see it.

I would just wipe the hard drive & start over, but I'm worried that if I do, something else will go wrong. So far, everything else has.

Thank you!

[BKDC]

You should have no problem copying data files. However, program executables are a different isuue.  You can not just move them,  you will have to re-install each program.

Sorry for the sad news.

[burchinflorida]

I'm not worried about any of the other programs. Just worried about XP. It was installed on the computer when I bought it, so I don't have an actual physical copy of it, like everything else.

The system recovery discs ought to have XP on them since it was a part of the system then, right?

[Geek-9pm]

Companies have different ways of providing recovery disks fro customers. Some  provide a CD to restores the computer back to the factory fresh condition. But it also overwrites any data the the user has on the internal hated disk disk.
Therefore, you first must save personal data and setting on a removable media, such as a DVD-R, if your computer has a DVD burner.