Installing new CPU/Motherboard

[Mike Hogan]

My system had a pre-installed OEM version of XP Pro. The
motherboard got fried but the hard drive was undamaged.
I installed a new MB/CPU and Power Supply, but it will not boot,
not even to Safe Mode. I verified the drive was OK by booting it
on another machine, purchased at the same time as the fried one.

The old MB was a PCChips M863G with Athlon 2400+. The new one is
a VIA board with AMD Sempron. Any suggestions as to what the
problem is and how to fix it? All help appreciated.

Mike Hogan

 

[neil]

If you have a full version of XP CD then you should be able to try a repair
install:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

However you may find your OEM version of XP was tied to the hardware
(motherboard/processor) if you want to recover the files then use the other
PC to copy off the user files. Then you can try booting from the CD and do a
full install but the OEM version may not allow that either. Only other
option is to purchase a full retail version of XP.

Neil

 

[Bruce Chambers]

My system had a pre-installed OEM version of XP Pro. The
motherboard got fried but the hard drive was undamaged.
I installed a new MB/CPU and Power Supply, but it will not boot,
not even to Safe Mode. I verified the drive was OK by booting it
on another machine, purchased at the same time as the fried one.

The old MB was a PCChips M863G with Athlon 2400+. The new one is
a VIA board with AMD Sempron. Any suggestions as to what the
problem is and how to fix it? All help appreciated.

Mike Hogan

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many OEM installations are
BIOS-locked to a specific chipset and therefore not transferable to a
new motherboard - check yours before starting), unless the new
motherboard is virtually identical (same chipset, same IDE controllers,
same BIOS version, etc.) to the one on which the WinXP installation was
originally performed, you'll need to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place
upgrade) installation, at the very least:

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341

The "why" is quite simple, really, and has nothing to do with
licensing issues, per se; it's a purely technical matter, at this point.
You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the OS. (If
you don't like -- or get -- the rug analogy, think of it as picking up a
Cape Cod style home and then setting it down onto a Ranch style
foundation. It just isn't going to fit.) WinXP, like Win2K before it,
is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to accepting any
old hardware configuration you throw at it. On installation it
"tailors" itself to the specific hardware found. This is one of the
reasons that the entire WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so much more stable
than the Win9x group.

As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any
important data before starting.

This will also probably require re-activation, unless you have a
Volume Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more than
120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key, you'll most
likely be able to activate via the Internet without problem. If it's
been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone call.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Mike Hogan]

The main problem was the original machines were "bare bones",
with only case, Pwr Supply, and Hard drive with XP Pro installed,
purchased over the Internet. No CD or Product Key, just a MB
manual and setup CD. Backups of the entire drive were made
periodically, in case of drive failure or software crash.
This wasn't any help when the MB/CPU died.

I finally fixed the original board by replacing the CPU with an
old, slow Athlon I had in a junk box, plus pwr supply and fans.
It now works, just a little slower than before.

Thanks for the valuable info on how XP "marries" itself to the
hardware. Not sure if this is an improvement or not. As I recall,
if you installed a new motherboard using an existing HD with an
older version of Windows, it would detect the new hardware at
startup, install the necessary drivers and be ready to go. Maybe
the new method is more oriented toward security, since it will
prevent "ghosting" a drive and installing it in multiple
machines with different hardware configurations. Whatever the
reason, it's a pain in the butt if you have a hardware crash.

Thanks to all for the help.
Mike

 

[Bruce Chambers]

The main problem was the original machines were "bare bones",
with only case, Pwr Supply, and Hard drive with XP Pro installed,
purchased over the Internet. No CD or Product Key,

Then you don't have a legitimate license for the OS. Contact the
relevant law enforcement agency(ies); you were defrauded.

....just a MB
manual and setup CD. Backups of the entire drive were made
periodically, in case of drive failure or software crash.
This wasn't any help when the MB/CPU died.

I finally fixed the original board by replacing the CPU with an
old, slow Athlon I had in a junk box, plus pwr supply and fans.
It now works, just a little slower than before.

Thanks for the valuable info on how XP "marries" itself to the
hardware. Not sure if this is an improvement or not. As I recall,
if you installed a new motherboard using an existing HD with an
older version of Windows, it would detect the new hardware at
startup, install the necessary drivers and be ready to go. Maybe
the new method is more oriented toward security, since it will
prevent "ghosting" a drive and installing it in multiple
machines with different hardware configurations. Whatever the
reason, it's a pain in the butt if you have a hardware crash.

It's not a security feature; it's a stability feature. To repeat:
WinXP, like Win2K before it, is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x
when it comes to accepting any old hardware configuration you throw at
it. On installation it "tailors" itself to the specific hardware found.
This is one of the reasons that the entire WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so
much more stable than the Win9x group.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH