Emporer3D, I sympathize with you. But it is not as bad as you might think. I have a folder called Zipfiles, which I use to save every downloaded driver, game update etc., each one under some suitable sub-folder name (it can be a while sometimes, before I look up one of these files, and some of the original file names are a bit too cryptic to be much good. I usually end up going back on the net and checking if I have the latest versions, but if you already have done this, then you're a step ahead.)
Reformatting your hard drive is a total waste of time unless you've gotten some kind of virus, and even then that may not fix the problem if it is an MBR virus. So, by not reformatting, you get to save all your upgrades intact.
Create a bootable diskette by formatting a floppy disk with the option of "copy system files".
The main problem you might have is getting your Cdrom recognized when you kill windows. Most likely, you may have a 16-bit driver for it on some floppy that came with your CDrom or, it may use a universal atapi_cd.sys driver. You need to find out what the proper file name is before you delete windows. Copy that file onto the bootable floppy disk.
Copy mscdex.exe to this floppy.
Copy edit.com from your windows/command folder to this floppy, in case you need to edit your config.sys or autoexec.bat files, which you also must copy to the boot floppy. Then, open this autoexec.bat in notepad and delete everything in it except for
A:\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001 /L:F
Note that the /L:F refers to the letter name of your cdrom, and you could change the "F" to the proper drive letter.
Save it , then open the config.sys file on the boot floppy and delete everything in it except for:
DEVICE=A:\ATAPI_CD.SYS /D:MSCD001
This is assuming that this last device driver is the proper one for your cd. You should test this floppy to see if your computer will boot from it before you delete windows. After it boots, try to change the prompt to the drive letter of your cdrom. If it works, then you're all set to go. Put your windows cd in the drive and do a "dir" command (without the quotes). You should see a listing of the folders and files on your windows cd.
Then, go back to the C:\ prompt and type "smartdrv". This loads smartdrive which makes the next step go much more quickly.
Type "deltree windows" and voila, your windows directory disappears. Then, change the command prompt to your cd drive letter and type "setup". Windows should now begin setup as if it were a new machine.
After windows is set up again, you need to reinstall most of the software to get the registry up to date with what is on your machine. Then, you can reinstall the updates for each program from your "zipfile" folder, or whatever you want to call it.
