# Q about WinXP clean reinstall **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-winxp-clean-reinstall/519359 "2009-11-29T18:55:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-winxp-clean-reinstall/519359/1 "2009-11-29T18:55:45Z")
I do a complete backup regularly using Retrospect. With a prior computer, there were a couple of times I had a crash and had to do a complete restore, and it worked like a charm. I have their disaster-restore CD to boot up, and then restore. Everything went back exactly as it was before. Og forbid I ever have to do a clean restore (it is bad enough installing all the programs when I get a new computer), but should I have to, am wondering if using Retrospect’s restore will still work as well. That way I would not have to load back all my files and especially all the programs from the CDs, as I did before. Would this work as wonderfully after reinstalling XP? ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-winxp-clean-reinstall/519359/2 "2009-11-29T19:23:01Z")
You’re asking if what worked before will work again? Be more specific. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-winxp-clean-reinstall/519359/3 "2009-11-29T22:34:26Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > You’re asking if what worked before will work again? Be more specific. No I’m not. Before I recovered from a crash. This time I’m asking if I can restore the computer as it was _ **if** _ I do a clean reinstall of XP. How an I be more specific than that? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-winxp-clean-reinstall/519359/4 "2009-11-29T22:58:25Z")
As far as I can tell, Retrospect just backs up your entire hard drive. So if you get into the situation where you have to reinstall Windows, it will likely be because your backups don’t work. Still, I believe installing the backup on a new installation will work just as well as installing it on an old one. As far as the computer is concerned, you’re pretty much doing the same thing either way. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-winxp-clean-reinstall/519359/5 "2009-11-29T23:08:02Z")
Ideally, if you have a complete backup, you should be able to restore without even needing to reinstall XP. That is, just boot up from your restore CD and restore from the complete backup. It shouldn’t matter what the state of the OS currently is, whether corrupted or fresh installed. But since I don’t know what kind of backup Retrospect does, I’m not sure. It really depends on the kind of backup you are doing. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-winxp-clean-reinstall/519359/6 "2009-11-29T23:52:19Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > No I’m not. Before I recovered from a crash. This time I’m asking if I can restore the computer as it was _ **if** _ I do a clean reinstall of XP. > > How an I be more specific than that? As it was when? If you have a good full backup and a Retrospect recovery CD there wouldn’t be any difference in recovering from a crash or restoring to the time of the backup. Why would you need to reinstall Windows in that case? ---
**Author:** ![Chickenwrangler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chickenwrangler/32/91_2.png) [@Chickenwrangler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chickenwrangler)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-winxp-clean-reinstall/519359/7 "2009-12-01T02:42:52Z")
If you want to restore XP to near original without loosing all your data use the Repair option. Boot from your installation disk and go through the motions of doing a reinstall. Ignore the first option for repair and wait till you get passed the License agreement page. There you will have the choice of which drive to install on (with a warning that you will loose all your data) or to exit or to Repair. Choose the Repair option and you will get a clean Windows installed without loosing any of your data. As with all things be sure to make a back-up just in case. 🙂