Active Sync won't install on XP - Will reinstalling the OS help?

Psminn,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.
You may also want to try.
1.Using the SFC utility to verify the system files.
2.Running CHKDSK to check the stability of the hard drive.
3.Perform an XP repair install.
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Information:
To try and fix problems with Windows corrupt files, please try using Windows SFC.

Solution:
1.) Put your WindowsXP reinstall CD in the system.
2.) Click Start, Run.
3.) Type in ( SFC /Scannow )
4.) Click OK, and the system will start checking the system files.
5.) If any errors are found the system will prompt you to replace these files.
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How should I run CHKDSK or what switches should I use?

Answer:
There are several ways to run CHKDSK.

*Option 1:
1.Open My Computer.
2.Right click on the Hard drive, click Properties.
3.Click on the Tools Tab.
4.Under Error Checking click on Check Now.
5.Click the Start button to run Check Disk.

Using choosing the options "Automaticaly fix files.... or Scan for and Attempt recovery... " you will get the following message:
"The disk check could not be performed because exclusive access to the drive could not be obtained.
Do you want to schedule this disk check to occur the next time you restart the computer?"

Simply click on YES.

*Option 2:
1.Click on Start, Run.
2.Type in CHKDSK and press Enter.
3.Check Disk will run a very quick check of the drive.

*Option 3:
Complete Check:
1.Click on Start, Run.
2.Type in Command and click Ok.
3.Type in CHKDSK /F or /R and click Ok.

You will get a message:
"The disk check could not be performed because exclusive access to the drive could not be obtained.
Do you want to schedule this disk check to occur the next time you restart the computer?"

4.Press Y for yes.
5.Close the command prompt and reboot the system.

/F switch Fixes errors on the disk.
/R Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information, implies /F switch.
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Warning*
A repair install will wipe out all Microsoft updates and SP1.
You need to have SP1 ready to reinstall after the repair install.
You should also reinstall the Microsoft updates that you deem necessary.

How do I perform a Repair Reinstall of Microsoft® Windows® XP?

Discussion
Windows XP includes a new reinstall option, the Repair Reinstall. This option should be used when you have determined that the operating system files are corrupt, but you do not want to completely format the hard drive and reinstall the operating system.

What a Repair Reinstall Will Do
Delete all of the files normally installed by Windows XP.
Reinstall those files from the Windows XP CD.

What a Repair Reinstall Will Not Do
Completely rebuild the registry. A Repair Reinstall only writes to parts of the registry used by Windows XP. It will not completely rebuild the registry.
Delete applications and user settings. A Repair Reinstall will generally leave applications and user settings in the state they were before the Repair was attempted. All applications should remain functional, and all user settings should remain the way they were.
Fix issues caused by corrupt applications or user settings. Since the Repair Reinstall does not affect user or application settings, it will not repair issue stemming from those settings being corrupt.
Solution

Performing a Repair Reinstall
1.Insert the Windows XP CD into the CD or DVD drive.
2.Configure your system to boot to the CD drive.
3.Restart the computer.
4.When the computer prompts Press any key to boot from CD, press the (Spacebar).
5.The Welcome to Setup screen appears.
6.Press the (Enter) key to continue.
7.The system scans to see which hard drives are available.
8.When the license agreement screen appears, press the (F8) key to accept the license agreement.
9. You should now see: (C:\Windows )
Press F3 to quit, R to repair, ECS not to repair.
You want to press R at this point.
Windows will begin to load some files...asking you to please wait.
10.Setup will proceed with the installation sequence appropriate to the version of Windows XP being repaired.
Once setup is complete, the system will restart.
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Thanks Karrell,

  I will keep your note for future problems. Actually I have finally fixed my activesync install problem, totally by accident.

I constantly was getting a "ending program - sample" box on each shut down. I had to manually hit end program. In doing a google search for that problem, I found the solution to be a problem with my Intel Pro 2100 wireless network card. I uninstalled the drivers for it, reinstalled the updated driver from Dell's
website and rebooted. Just for the heck of it I re-ran the activesync
install and couldn't believe my eyes...it actually continued with the
install!

So, now it's working!

Pam

A repair/reinstall will also wipe out all the Dell Factory installed User Guides and Factory installed Software Instruction Manuals unique to your system. This happened to my system when I did the repair/reinstall at the direction of Dell Tech Support.