Ok then I would pull the laptop drive and hook it up to another pc using the device below, and pull your files off.
Then do a complete install of XP once more.
Cables To Go - LAPTOP to IDE HARD DRIVE ADAPTER

Thanks! I´ll check it out. Not sure if this is better than the solution I already have - which is a USB case. I copied all in My Documents to the other drive (son´s computer) but could not copy what I wanted (mbox/thunderbrd emails in documents and settings) because of the file protection. can´t even see these files! The folder shows as not containing anything (0 kb) while in real it contains like 2,5 MB. they are still there and do show as a line scrolling when scanned and counted. network cable won´t work because I have set my computer to be hidden in network (that was stupid of me. we never know unil disaster strikes, do we?!!). That make folder pivate function was not in my best interest, either. I wanted to make my laptop intruder safe... and now i can´t access it myself! How stupid of me.

And besides, the problem with how to feed the laptop the CD remains ...and all i try sends me back to the CD. I now have two hard disks - the one with the XP professional installation and all files on and, a brand new blank&empty one. I aim at fixing the XP somehow (by an image o the CD on hard drive and boot from there) and install Xbuntu on the other new drive. I think I can install Xubuntu by adding the iso file to he hard disk. Then later use Xubunu from USB, via XP on main drive. Sounds stupid? I´d like to hear your opinions. Why Xubuntu? Because i have only 256 MB of RAM.

So let me get this right.
You not only want to try to get XP back onto that laptop hdd but run a linux partion on another drive via a usb port?

Right. I have space enough on the XP drive but fear another disaster, which is why i want to safeguard myself by using entirely different hard disks. making Xo boot has first priority, the xubuntu option is my life line in te event of a new disaster OR, at worst case, the only way to make this laptop work

Madmonkey, I think I will try your MbrFix suggestion again. I am absolutely sure I must have done something wrong, just don´t know what. So, I´ll format the floppy again. Exctract the files to it again, this time using Izarc or winrar. Which decompression tool do you suggest I use? (I always use Iceows....not familiar with other tools, really)

Karin, ZipGenius is a program I tend to use to extract my compressed files, because it's free and supports a wide variety of compressed file types (ZipGenius 6.0.3.1130 Free Download - Softpedia). Some people find this a little confusing when they first install this, but I've already gathered you already have quite a bit of IT knowledge, so I'm sure you'll be fine.

As I was reading through what I missed earlier, I was going to suggest putting your HDD into another PC to drag your files off, then later Wolfymole suggested it, and you were sooooo close, you only hit a minor problem, which was that your files were protected.

Once a HDD is part of that PC, you can take ownership of files quite easily. When the HDD is in your son's PC, reboot and press F8 and select "Safe Mode". You, or your son will need to remember the Administrator password that was created when the PC was first setup (if there is one).

- Log on with the username "Administrator".
- Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties.
- Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears).
- Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
- In the Name list, click your user name, or click Administrator.
- Select the "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" check box.
- Click OK, and then click Yes when you receive the following message:
You do not have permission to read the contents of directory folder name. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control? All permissions will be replaced if you press Yes. Note folder name is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of.
- Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the folder and its contents.