I missed the bit where he tried to do a repair with xp.
Sometimes it can freeze up first time & needs another go at repairing.
Or he may need to move on to a more constructive repair.
IE Non- constructive or quick format.
The only problem I know of with some older computers running XP
Is after a clean install it only gives you service pack 1, & you might not be able to connect to the internet until you install service pack 2
If it goes well for you this is a good free recovery tool that might get some of your lost files back.

http://www.piriform.com/recuva