Various Problems with XP

[#1]

Installed a new hard drive about three months ago. Everything ran OK for a few weeks, but then started to get problems where I had to reinstall Windows under a Repair load. Have done this now about six times. Yesterday when I powered up the PC, Windows went through a three stage process tha last of which seemed to 'correct' all the files on the computer. After this a number of programs were not happy such as Outlook would not download mails, Virus scanner would not install latest update files, and others. Reinstalled windows on a Repair and got the 'Blue' Screen a couple of times. I have also had the blue screen a couple times before.
Managed to back up all my files to an external hard drive.
Is it worth totally wiping the hard drive and start again with a full clean install of windows? Or other advice.
Running XP on 1GB Memory

[#2]

Have you tried running some drive diagnostics. I know its a new drive, but its possibel it could be faulty. If you have no drive diagnostics, Seagate Seatools are OK, from seagates site.  http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools

[#3]

My first guess would be corruption of the file system on the drive but as PJ says, it would be difficult to say for sure without more details (such as the STOP code given in the blue screen)

[#4]

Downloaded the diagonostics tool. Other problem I did not mention is that windows installer will not run (Not running XP in Safe Mode).
Can't remember much about the blue screen except there was a countdown at the end. Previous blue screens I have seen never had this.
I guess to get Installer back I will need to install windows. Should I go for a full clean install and wipe the Hard drive. If so what is the best way to wipe the hard drive?

[#5]

Quote

Should I go for a full clean install and wipe the Hard drive. If so what is the best way to wipe the hard drive?

Yes, always. You can wipe the HD during the install process - when it's still in the blue screen bit it'll ask you which partition you want to install windows onto, just delete your existing windows partition and then either create a new one in the same (now empty) space or just hit enter to install on the unpartitioned space and windows will create a partition automatically.
Hope that helps,

[#6]

Full install done. Reloaded all the other Software including Microsoft Office. When I try to set up my email accounts, I get a message "The Operation failed due to a Registry or installation problem. Restart Outlook and try again. If problem persists, please reinstall." Everytime I restart get the the same. So I tried to uninstall Office but here I get a message 'The Windows Installer Service cannot be accessed. This can occur if you are running Windows in Safe Mode, or if the Windows Installer was not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance."
I had the second message before the clean install.
Any ideas.

[#7]

Are you running the install as Administrator or as another user you have created?

[#8]

I am doing this from an Administrator level account. The other accounts are Limited accounts

[#9]

Changed all accounts to Admin. Shut down and restarted. All the same!

[#10]

Try getting yourself a Linux "Live CD".
You boot from the CD and applications are run in memory - your hard disk is not touched.
Don't expect top speed from applications - but you should be able to run FireFox, OpenOffice etc.
If it fails, then it's not your disk or Windows.
If it works, you may want to consider a disk installation?

[#11]

Quote from: axisofevil

Try getting yourself a Linux "Live CD".

Daft question time! Is this a purchased CD? Failing every time I try to download something. Just failed again with PDF Reader 
So cannot download and burn to a CD.

[#12]

Probably not valid in your case but is the new drive a SATA drive.
I ask because Windows will not install properly on a SATA drive if there is also a PATA hard drive in the system. For reasons best known to Microsoft it insists on putting some files on the PATA drive during the install process even though the install drive selected is SATA