Windows XP Pro caught a little flu

This pass weekend I have upgraded my DirectX9.0a to b version and since then when I reboot the computer, I have lost the volume control icon in the task bar, not to mention Windows interface was acting kind of flackey too. I have check the device manager to see if the driver are there or not. So far, everything looks good and as a last resort, I use the system restore to go back to the “Last Known Good Installation” and to my surprise that it didn’t work. Instead it affected my other applications too. (ex. Norton Internet Security and SystemWorks professional)

I really don’t want to have to purge, reformat, and install Windows XP Pro again. In case, I have to reinstall the Operation System, I need a little help in performing the reformating the hard drive and installing of Windows XP Professional.

Thanks