Hi everyone,

I mentioned this installshield problem I have in another thread. I think it might just be time to reinstall Windows. I've been going over a year and a half on this installation. I'm convinced that the installshield problem is on my machine, and despite hours and hours of research, I can't figure out how to fix it. The most recent hypothesis is a corrupt installshield database or some bad registry information. I have no idea how to proceed besides reinstalling Windows.

Anyhow, I'd like your thoughts on how to go about doing this. I want to create sort of a checklist for reinstallation. I also have a few questions:

1. Is a reformat and total reinstall the best approach? If so, what things should I make sure not to forget?

2. I already have "My Documents" (changed the name) on another disk. "Documents and Settings" remains on the primary disk, however. How do I migrate my settings to the new installation? Is backing up the contents of the Documents and Settings folder sufficient? I believe this is somehow tied to username. What has to happen here? What exactly do I need to do to make sure that the backed-up data is used in the new installation?

3. Is there anything besides Documents and Settings that I need off of the primary disk before I reformat it (assuming that is the best approach)? Are firefox and Internet Explorer favorites/bookmarks stored in Documents and Settings?

4. Can you help me with this checklist:
  • Obtain all device driver installers
  • Create installed applications list and find the installation media
  • Backup "Documents and Settings"
  • Reformat and reinstall Windows
  • Install device drivers
  • Restore "Documents and Settings"
  • Reinstall Mathematica (installer does not work with SP2)
  • Update Windows to current
  • Install codecs
  • Reinstall applications

5. Since I'm starting from scratch, I have the opportunity to get my video codecs right from the beginning. Can anyone explain exactly what I need to install to make the various internet videos display without getting a raft of spyware on my machine?

6. Can someone, please, recommend an alternative to this drastic action?

The biggest part of this I'm unsure of is how the user settings are handled. I'm also curious if I'm forgetting something on my list.

Comments, warnings, suggestions and prayers are all welcomed.

Thanks in advance,

Jim