that's sorta what i figured i'd have to do

BF, why don't you just go back to a Restore point? To a point before you did the install.

pretty sure hes never done a system restore point on his own.

Oh. I just thought the system restore is easier then what you were trying to explain.

oh it is, no doubt about that. but the likely hood that he set up a restore point hours or days before the install is very low. restore points must be done manually, windows doesnt do it. you can have restore points set up, automatically but you need a third party application. i am willing to bet that he hasnt set one up in months.

First id suggest that you run your anti-virus and then a spyware killer [if you need one, go to the classroom thread. I posted a set of links there to great apps]

after that run the disk cleaner
[start ~~> All Programs ~~> Accessories ~~> System Tools]

then defrag your machine.
[start ~~> All Programs ~~> Accessories ~~> System Tools]

if all else fails, then you might want to consider backing up your programs and restoring windows. you restore windows by popping in the Windows CD and following the same steps as if you were doing a FULL INSTALL. Windows will ask you to repair windows twice;
--In a black screen [DOS prompt-ish] with two options
----Install Windows {XX}
----Repair Windows {XX}
--In a blue screen
----Install Windows {XX}
----Repair Windows {XX}

IMPORTANT: On the BLACK screen choose install windows. on the BLUE screen choose repair.

Then just follow the instructions, you will need the original CD key. If you activated windows XP you will need to call Microsoft and tell them to deactivate the CD Key. It will look like a full install of windows, but all its doing is reinstalling the system files. In theory it is only suppose to install the system files [c:/windows/System32] and not touch anything else. Dont rely heavily on this. I personally have not had any problems doing this, but there are a lot of horror stories. Cardinal Rule, if you are ever going to do something major on a computer, back up your important files.

NOTE: After the repair is finished, you will need to reinstall ALL windows updates, fixes, and security patches.

if that still fails, then my friend, you are fucked. You will need to install windows completely. A fresh start will cure the problem(s), but should always be left as a last resort.