Parallel Windows Installation

As I mentioned earlier in this chapter, there are times when you may want to give up on a malfunctioning Windows XP installation, and rebuild the machine from scratch. However, if the hard disk contains valuable data that you want to back up before you rebuild the machine, you won't want to remove the existing partitions and reformat the hard disk. In this instance, you should consider doing a parallel Windows installation.

A parallel Windows installation is sometimes the only way to recover data from a machine that you can't repair through Last Known Good Configuration, Safe mode, or Recovery Console. The goal of performing a parallel Windows installation isn't to repair a system, but it does provide a way for you to access your crucial data and back it up before rebuilding the system from scratch.

To do a parallel Windows installation, reboot the computer with the Windows XP installation disk in the CD-ROM drive. Boot the machine from the CD, and begin the Windows Setup installation process. If there is more than one usable partition on the hard disk, Windows Setup will show you a list of the existing partitions. You can use the same partition that the current Windows installation resides on, or choose a different partition. When Windows Setup presents you with formatting options, you should choose Leave the Current File System Intact (No Changes). This will prevent your existing data from being lost during the installation process. For more information on the Windows installation process, see Chapter 2, "Installing Windows."

After Windows Setup is complete, boot the computer into the new installation of Windows. You should then be able to access the contents of the hard drive and back up the desired data before formatting and rebuilding the machine.