XP Reinstall/Repair and Private folders

XP Reinstall/Repair and Private folders
My PC has 2 HDD one is 20gb the other is 80gb, both running WinXP pro. The PC started freezing frequently on the 80gig HD. So I decided to reinstall windows to correct the problem. However, during installation the PC froze and thus it has become somewhat impossible to reinstall without formating the drive. I have some important works on this drive, so I cannot afford to loose them.
I can boot the 20gig HDD and access the sick 80gig HDD but the problem is that the folders containing the files are private and as such I cannot open or copy or them.

1.Can some one help me reinstall/repair the windows without formatting the HDD
2.Or make the folders accessible?