My favorite way to fix XP is to format the hard drive and install 2K 
That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Well, not really, but pretty close.
John
It may sound stupid to you, but I have been fixing computers for home users for years, and if I don't make the computers "bullet proof" they "boomerang" back to me and I lose allot of time.
I found that people who used XP, AOL, and MS Internet Explorer had the worst trouble. Dell's software suite is full of junk too.
The software I install now has them running rock solid, I install the following:
Windows 2000 SP4 with updates
ACDSee classic picture viewer
Avast antivirus
Disk Keeper lite defragmentor
FireFox web browser
SpyBot spyware remover and immunizer
WinRAR to zip and unzip
WinAmp media player with Klite codec pack
Nero 6 for burning disks
TCP IP Optimizer
DirectX9
VBR
Java
Adobe reader
PowerDVD
Paint Shop pro
That's what keeps my customers up and running. Happy and productive.
I'm not trying to start an "OS war" - he asked "can you help me fix XP" and I answered. I know how frustrating it can be when the computer dosen't work.
Cheers,
Craig