Xp pro keeping your games and program files after a format.

guys guys I have over 70 games installed I really have to re-install them all after a format? to keep the programs installed saved data and games and game save data, I'm considering a format so I can clear off any harddrive errors that scandisk or chkdsk c: /f can't fix cause my machine is slow then locking sometimes on start up it always boots fine in safe mode, but sometimes my pc just locks up and I can't do anything and 4 hours go by still nothing so i have to reboot to fix it and then sometimes its fine, I run malware bytes, avast, comodo firewall, spybot search and destroy, and super antispyware and they all found nothing wrong all updated to latest. so my issue maybe driver I guess but I don't know how to detect driver conflicts or issues thats causing a slow down on system, is there an program to detect any driver issue thats pausing locking windows xp pro ? Thank you all for the replies !

oh forgot to mention I really hate installing windows xp again, have to install drivers and settings and i even did nvidia colour settings and each program have saved settings to do them all again would drive me off the bridge.

I have near 80 games to edit in registry? Argh dude isn't there a program that I can use to just do it all for me automatically every game i have on my hard drive and save data? like an image ghost or something to ghost my registry but only for game data? I have all the games on dvd or cd from over 10 years of use I think since 2000 I've never format this computer before but because of my sometimes I switch pc on and it locks in windows so I have to reboot and hope it works and then it does work and I can use it but I can't live like this lol this is why I want easier method to backup all my games and game saves so I don't have to re-install them and re-play them from the beginning as I have save data. spigias Idea is what I usually do on pc with maybe 5 or 6 games but not near 80 games that would be hell to re-install. Then there is also the problem that some games don't save in their game directory which is stupid, and I have to play hide n seek with them to find.

so there's no other options around it? I can't say backup registry data in 1 backup and then backup all my save folders and game data and then put it all back copy paste in same directory from an external usb harddrive that would make formatting a lot easier then I wouldn't need to re-install everything. /sigh wtb a Windows that can backup folders on harddrive and then also backup registry data from a particular folder on your harddrive so all my games in games directory can be backed up in 1 go without doing them individually.

Just curious are you all pc technicians? I dunno about that it would take me more than a few months re-installing all those games because I'd have to look for them in my loft and that would take 2-6 months to find our loft is packed and I have no clue where bout the games are, I know maybe where 20 of them are I'm going to count the amount of games I have installed funny I have exactly 100 games lol I think it would be best to ghost my system wouldn't that backup games and program files n stuff so I can say format when I want near future say and have all games registry entries and program files backed up? I guess a ghost wouldn't just backup the games and the save data but would it not do an entire drive ghost backup restore? so to put it in step terms

1: Backup games, system files, videos , pictures , music, program files + registry entries
2: Ghost it to an external hard drive.
3: Format pc, re-install via the external ghost stuff
4: You now have a win xp pro all restored with all games restored , registry entries, program files basically everything all back the way it was.

Why I need to do this? Well maybe not for hard drive bad sectors as I did a scan disk and it found 0 bad sectors but what would it do exactly? would it say clean Virus or trojans hidden in the system files? or would i be able to ghost just parts of the drive say just the games and the game saves and say re-install the drivers manually myself?

My pc is working fine now I disabled some items on start up I wonder if thats whats causing the problems locking during boot up sometimes. I have under msconfig disabled APSdaemon, REGSVR32, DDmservice, DivXUpdate, IMJPMIG, isuspm, iTunesHelper, dumprep o -k, KHALMNPR.EXE, ImScInst, TINTSETP, QTTask, Jusched, NETGEAR WNA3100 SMART WIZARD then I uninstalled the netgear wna3100 and I've yet to notice the windows start up lock only happens during a startup and always works during a safe mode boot up.

At the moment I do not need to re-install windows xp, so thanks for all the help on that now I can do it manually but although I would like to follow previous post mentioning about backing up, as I'm aware the hard drives can fail, and my machine is old like 2000-2003 I set it up, who knows when the hard drive "will" fail and losing all the game save data is going to give me brain cancer. So you guys recommend anything on the start up or ghosting how do you ghost drive to backup data and restore it on a fresh hard drive?

I forgot to mention my pc is overclocked but its been fine for over 8-9 years its only recently been happening, it hasn't happened since I disabled those on startup. Still I would like to backup ghost my drive so i can re-install it all on a new harddrive should it fail I would have a ghost of it to put on a new drive. Can anyone tell me how to do this?

Haha I wish there were ability to backup just your game data, registry data or anything really hope they put this in future version of Windows wondering why they not calling it Double Glazing yet.

If I haven't said this already I must say I really appreciate what everyone is doing to help, your thoughts are very much appreciated and I'm thoroughly enjoying this mentally I'm learning more and more, also this might sound odd I'm in my 30's so I guess I'm always losing my youth when I was a kid from 10-27 I would play games between 6-11 hours a day, some nights even pull all nighters if its an online game though as they can be very addictive.

In any case I'm still rather a hardcore gamer not as much as I used to be but, if the game is good you know what I would do, and depending on my mood I multitask during games and that's why I want all games installed, I might feel the need to switch games every day or even hourly. You guys not ever feel the need to switch games on the fly depending on your mood? Just the thought of re-installing games when I want to play them within 20 or so seconds is a bit of a hassle that's why I'd want to keep them, @swifty_morgan I wouldn't play 1 game from start to end then switch to the 2nd game, though your right it would take many years to go through all 100 but not if I play couple hours here n there each game on the fly, as for instance remember Heavy metal Flak2, I used to love that game, whenever I miss playing it I would run it for an hour then quit, I would switch to vampire masquerade, then from that to vampire masquerade blood lines the sequel etc.. I've been doing that since NES and Super Nintendo days, switching from Zelda 3 to Secret of Mana to Final fantasy 3 to Chrono Trigger you know the drill I'm insatiable when it comes to either Women or games lol I just have to have it all that's not being too greedy is it?

I'm starting to wonder now though with the 100 games although I would like to keep them still doesn't a Ghost like Norton Ghost backup all game data and saves and registry entries n stuff for easy install a new hard drive and ghost it onto the new one? Is there something better than Norton Ghost? Sorry for the detail info on my life and my hobbies, but its definitely necessary to backup my hard drive just in case something happens this is my main goal now. So I have a guess what to do and you guys can tell me if Its a good one?

1: If norton ghost doesn't fully backup game data or system files I'll just copy paste all directories in an external 2TB or so usb hard drive and then
2: Backup the registry but I used to be able to do this I kinda forgot I think its regedit then is it export? and then save that to the usb external for importing on a new hard drive?

then when i get a new hard drive internal, I have copy everything back overwriting on the internal from usb and then import that registry file would that do it all?


edit oh p.s I forgot to mention when I am playing on the pc I sometimes play between 5-10 games but at random out of 100 and it alternates hourly or daily depending on my well you know lol, though lately I've been on console Xbox360 and ps3 my pc is single core barely 2.20ghz 2gb Ram hey don't judge me I prefer pc for games but my computer is too old to play anything in the last 3-4 years. That's why those 100 games I have on there are rather special I know they will always work as long as I back them up. Sorry I like to edit and clean up spelling mistakes as much as possible and again my apologies for writing a lot and ranting on and on.

crap it happened again, this time from a power off state switching it on it locks up at one point and it feels like i can do something but doesn't load anything up like i press control alt and delete the hdd flickers but nothing comes up and i leave it for maybe 1 hour and it eventually comes up but its super slow, i scan the system for virus with many tools but nothing is found, what the hell is it so annoying. When i force reboot it loads up and works fine so ungh with the wtf is wrong with my pc? Can one of you techies help me lol


edit update : Never mind then I'll just get external hdd and backup all the data I think the hard drive is at fault hdd regenerator 2011 said backup data immediately during a scan, no bad sectors found but if it said that i assume my hdd is failing thats why sometimes it locks up during a boot i wonder. Guess I'll have to restore my windows when hdd dies fresh boot and re-install 100 games lol fuck my life -.-v