REplace HAL?

[richk]

I need to change motherboards and don't want to reinstall XP. My reason is
that I have a piece of software that is no longer availadle and cannot be
reinstalled. The machines are similar and everything almost works, but
there is a problem with a TPM driver because the new motherboard should have
HALAACPI.DLL and the old one had HALACPI.DLL. Is it possible to change HAL?
Is it as simple as putting the disk into a USB housing on another machine
and copying HALAACPI.DLL to HLL.DLL?

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

How to replace the motherboard on a computer that is running
Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Windows 2000:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824125

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

---------------------------------------------------------------

:

I need to change motherboards and don't want to reinstall XP. My reason is
that I have a piece of software that is no longer availadle and cannot be
reinstalled. The machines are similar and everything almost works, but
there is a problem with a TPM driver because the new motherboard should have
HALAACPI.DLL and the old one had HALACPI.DLL. Is it possible to change HAL?
Is it as simple as putting the disk into a USB housing on another machine
and copying HALAACPI.DLL to HLL.DLL?

 

[R. McCarty]

Switching the Computer driver isn't likely to work. In most cases you
can do a non-destructive Repair Install. This allows XP to use the
correct HAL and all hardware devices will be re-detected. Regardless
of how you approach the changeover, I'd recommend you check into
an imaging app such as Acronis True Image. If the program can't be
reinstalled then a ~$50 investment will protect the setup you currently
have running.

 

[richk]

Thanks, but I cannot do that. Both boards are from thinkpads and have XP
COAs associated with them, but they have distributiond disks that install
images, rather than normal XP disks.

 

[Xandros]

There are a couple of options but first make and verify a full system copy
or image to an external device or DVDs (I use Acronis TrueImage for this).

Once you have your copy safely created and stored connect the hard drive to
the new system. Start into the BIOS. You should have an option to set Plug n
Play OS. This is often disabled by default. Set it to enabled. Save the new
configuration and restart the computer. XP should boot to the Desktop. You
might need to visit the Device Manager and install updated drivers for your
hardware. You should have a motherboard CD that comes with the new board.

If that doesn't work you can do a Repair Install. This is not a new install.
It simply reinstalls the system files leaving your previously installed
applications, data and settings intact. It will build the HAL on the new
system. You will have to revisit the Windows Update Site and install the
multitude of hotfixes that XP requires.

If neither of the above work you can try PC Mover from Laplink
http://www.laplink.com/pcmover/ It can migrate all files, settings and
applications from one system to another. You will need to use the option to
create the system to file or to DVD's first. Then swap out the motherboard,
do a fresh install of XP, get all the hotfixes, install PC Mover on the
system and then migrate the settings, files and applications from the
backup. I've used PC Mover before and it seems to work fine but takes a
very, very long time to do it's thing.

 

[Uncle Grumpy]

Thanks, but I cannot do that. Both boards are from thinkpads and have XP
COAs associated with them, but they have distributiond disks that install
images, rather than normal XP disks.

He can't help you then. His copy-and-paste files don't go that deep

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Unless the new motherboard is identical to the old motherboard,
then you are, unfortunately, out-of-luck unless you purchase a
"generic" Windows XP OEM license and disc and perform a repair install.

See:

Changing a Motherboard or Moving a Hard Drive with XP Installed
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

---------------------------------------------------------------

:

Thanks, but I cannot do that. Both boards are from thinkpads and have XP
COAs associated with them, but they have distributiond disks that install
images, rather than normal XP disks.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I need to change motherboards and don't want to reinstall XP. My reason is
that I have a piece of software that is no longer availadle and cannot be
reinstalled. The machines are similar and everything almost works, but
there is a problem with a TPM driver because the new motherboard should
have HALAACPI.DLL and the old one had HALACPI.DLL. Is it possible to
change HAL? Is it as simple as putting the disk into a USB housing on
another machine and copying HALAACPI.DLL to HLL.DLL?

Do you actually have an XP install CD, or do you have only restore disks?

If you have an install CD, you can just do a repair install, which will fix
the HAL problem properly and generally not cause grief with installed
software or accounts.

HTH
-pk

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I need to change motherboards and don't want to reinstall XP. My reason
is that I have a piece of software that is no longer availadle and
cannot be reinstalled. The machines are similar and everything almost
works, but there is a problem with a TPM driver because the new
motherboard should have HALAACPI.DLL and the old one had HALACPI.DLL.
Is it possible to change HAL? Is it as simple as putting the disk into a
USB housing on another machine and copying HALAACPI.DLL to HLL.DLL?

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed OEM
installations are BIOS-locked to a specific motherboard chipset and
therefore are *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

Changing a Motherboard or Moving a Hard Drive with WinXP Installed
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

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

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