Just copy the whole i386 folder from the XP cd to the root c:\ hard drive. Note that it'll take some 500 MB in size, but with today's large hard drives this shouldn't be a problem. If you didn't get a Windows CD when you purchased your computer, it is likely that this folder will already be on your hard drive.
The next step is to let Windows know where to find the files. Follow these steps:
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Setup
Double click the value SourcePath in the right pane, and enter the location where you copied the I386 folder (probably you copied the folder in the root of your C drive, thus the value would be C:\.
Close the registry editor, and log off from Windows, or restart your computer for the setting to take effect.
Almost forgot. For those not familiar go start-run-type SFC /SCANNOW. Note space between C and /.
Windows will keep track of updated system files that are introduced through the "normal" channels, such as Windows Update, Windows Service Pack installation using Update.exe, Hotfixes installed using Hotfix.exe or Update.exe and Operating system upgrades using Winnt32.exe.
The System File Checker tool is part of Windows XP's file protection, for more information read Microsoft Knowledge Base article 222193: Description of the Windows File Protection Feature
The next step is to let Windows know where to find the files. Follow these steps:
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Setup
Double click the value SourcePath in the right pane, and enter the location where you copied the I386 folder (probably you copied the folder in the root of your C drive, thus the value would be C:\.
Close the registry editor, and log off from Windows, or restart your computer for the setting to take effect.
Almost forgot. For those not familiar go start-run-type SFC /SCANNOW. Note space between C and /.
Windows will keep track of updated system files that are introduced through the "normal" channels, such as Windows Update, Windows Service Pack installation using Update.exe, Hotfixes installed using Hotfix.exe or Update.exe and Operating system upgrades using Winnt32.exe.
The System File Checker tool is part of Windows XP's file protection, for more information read Microsoft Knowledge Base article 222193: Description of the Windows File Protection Feature