hang on the boot up grogress bar

[xfile]

Hi,

Appreciate if anyone can help me on this.

Problem is system (XP Pro with Service Pack 2 and all latest updates) now
hangs during the boot up at about 1/3 progress bar is showing (with the
Windows logo).

I can get into Safe Mode though.

When the problem started: Replaced a new mother board due the old one is
out. The new one is the same as the old one. After the board was replaced,
it was normal except onboard network card could not be identified.

And the BIOS was older than the one on the old board. I tried to update the
BIOS but the first time did not succeed, so I reboot the system and then
tried again. BIOS update was completed but now system would hang in the
middle of the boot when Windows logo is showing and the progress bar will go
for a while then stop.

So what kind of recovery option do I have? I have I386 filed in the C
drive, can I just use it to re-install it?

My last option is to format the drive and perform a clean installation.

Any help will be deeply appreciated.

PS: No error message.

 

[R. McCarty]

Does your replacement Motherboard BIOS settings match the
original one ? You mentioned your NIC wasn't enumerated, so
I would think you've got on-board peripherals enabled/disabled
that do not match the previous MB. I would probably enter
BIOS setup and disable COM, Serial, Parallel, Sound, NIC
and get the PC to boot. Go to Device Manager, Click View -
tic/check "Show Hidden Devices". Go through each category
except Sound and remove any Phantoms. Then re-enter BIOS
setup and re-enable the peripherals you need one at a time.

 

[R. McCarty]

It depends, if your previous BIOS had customizations made to it
then "Default" values on the new MB won't match. Defaults turn
on most all the on-board peripherals. If that's the case, then your
existing XP instance won't necessarily have drivers for all those at
startup and could account for the "Freeze" as XP tries to initialize
the peripherals.
BIOS configurations vary, but most times the Peripheral setups
will be in a recognizable category (Advanced, Peripheral Devices).

 

[xfile]

Ok, I will try that now.

Meaning to load "setup default" for the BIOS setting, right?

PS: The BIOS version is now the same as the old one.

 

[xfile]

Ok, wouldn't work.

Can I use Repair installation and can repair installation has to use CD? I
do have files in C but have to get back to home to get the CD.

So the question is, can I use I386 folder to do the repair installation and
would repair installation solves the problem?

Many thanks.

 

[R. McCarty]

Yes, A repair install strips out the Device Tree and does a new
enumeration. The i386 should provide the ability, but you would
need to "Boot" to the installation & the 6-Disk set of XP Boot
floppies might be the only way to start the process. To check
that the i386 on your drive is correct, check it for these files:
WinNT.Exe
WinNT32.Exe
These are the XP installer modules. You boot the 6 floppies &
then the install process will prompt you for the CD or disk folder
where the installer software (i386) is located. You would point
the installer to your i386 folder.

XP Home Floppy Boot Disks:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...FamilyID=E8FE6868-6E4F-471C-B455-BD5AFEE126D8
XP Professional Floppy Boot Disks:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...FamilyID=55820EDB-5039-4955-BCB7-4FED408EA73F

 

[Lawrence A. Wong [1023766]]

I would jsut like to state that whenever you upgrade a major, vital
component such as a mother board, the computer should be formatted and a
fresh copy of windows installed.

In addition to that, you may run into some issues with authenticating
windows (you'll probably have to call in and speak to a tech to activate).

When a vital component like a motherboard changes, Windows will get a little
unstable since it would be totally unaware of the change until it is
actually made.

When i upgrade motherboards, I have tried doing it and just hoping windows
makes a smooth transition, but it doesn't happen. Back up your data before
the switch, and then once the new motherboard is installed, boot from the XP
disk, format and reinstall.

 

[R. McCarty]

No need to format & reinstall fresh. Perhaps a Repair install
would be in order, but globally stating a need for a format with
a motherboard swap isn't correct. Also, a MB swap has two
likely outcomes - it boots and re-enumerates or doesn't boot
at all.
"A little Unstable?" - how do you quantify stability. To me a
PC's operation is either Stable or Unstable