"Oren" wrote in message
...
Have you looked into restore points. Even if you haven't created any
yourself, if you have an anti-virus program, it very likely creates
them whenever it's going to mess with the setup.

I don't recall XP ever having a feature to create restore points. That
feature started with Vista.

Right off the help file of win xp:

Featu System Restore
When to use it: When you suspect that any of the following changes have been
made:
a.. System or application settings have been changed. This includes
changes made through property sheets and changes made to the registry.
b.. Applications have been installed, updated, or removed.
c.. Files other than data files have been added or deleted.
If you suspect the problem is due to installing an application, first try
removing that application. If the problem persists, use System Restore. You
must be logged on as an administrator to use System Restore.
What it does: Restores all system and application settings back to those
that were in effect at a point in time you specify. Restores key
application, driver, and operating system files changed since that time.
Does not affect data files.
Available on: Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional.