Making previously installed programs work

[mrps2man]

What I want to do is dual-boot WinXP x64 with WinXP Pro. That in and of itself isin't the problem, however. For some reason, I have some huge issue with having to reinstall programs every time I install an OS. I have an even bigger problem with not being able to use programs that were installed on one OS on another OS installation and having to install the program twice on the same machine. So here is my question: is it possible, in any way, to backup keys from the registy of the 32bit installation and import them onto my x64 installation so as to make my programs that are already there "magically" work? I would have to assume the worst, though the only problems I would personally forsee is having the OS on a different drive, in this case D: rather than C: for the registry that has been backed up from. Oh, and one more thing, if I supremely screw up, I don't want to wipe out the contents of my D: drive, can I simply "uninstall" the OS w/o damaging anything on my D: drive, or do I actually have to format it? Thanks in advance, and sorry for lack of seperation of my text :-)

[Pyr0]

you could always try the files and setting transfer wizard <shrugs>

[mrps2man]

How does that help me though? I don't mind the settings being changed, what I want is for installed apps (from my frist XP installation, on drive C:) to work with a new installation (on drive D:) File and settings transfer wizard will only keep my settings and desktop and icons and such and drop them onto my second installation. That's not what I want, though I might do that anyways . What I want is for apps to work w/o installing them again for the second Windows installation. Why oh why did Microsoft have to use a registry? Long live Unix! lol