Replaced motherboard due to hardware failure, it's not identical. Repair installation of Windows XP

[Derek2]

Dear Group,

An ASUS motherboard failed in a Win XP Pro pc belonging to a friend of mine,
so I have replace it for her. Asus no longer make this mobo, it's not
available so I bought a board from ASrock with the same socket, however the
ASUS board had NVidia chipset while the ASRock uses AMD chipset. It's
socket 939 and these are hard to come by now.

Windows XP repair installation has been completed, it starts normally and
offers logon to the pc or the domain controller. I select the pc and after a
couple of seconds a Windows Product Activation message appears:
"This copy of Windows must be activated with Microsoft before you can
continue. You cannot log on until you activate Windows. Because activation
cannot occur in safe mode, please restart your computer in normal mode to
activate Windows."

And the same is true when starting Win XP Pro normally. The message for
normal boot and logon is:
"This copy of Windows must be activated with Microsoft before you can log
on. Do you want to activate Windows now? [ Yes / No ] "

I select Yes and no other window or message appears. It is connected with a
LAN cable to my router, to the internet. So web activation should work. I
have left it like this for over an hour, but the screen just stays with the
Windows background and nothing else loaded on screen.

*** Router Info ***
Router is not seeing the Win XP Pro pc as an Attached Device. So I assume
Network functionality is not working. This could be why it's waiting for
activation but not completing. The light on the router is lit up, but
logging on to the router I can only see my own pc and not the Win XP Pro pc.


If I select No on the activation message I get sent back to the logon
screen. I am not selecting the Domain Controller because I am not located
there, it's a few miles away. I could go there but I think it would be a
waste of time, is it worth actually trying this, would it make any
difference since my own router has internet for activation?

It's a genuine copy of Windows etc. What can I do?

My thought is to take the hard drive out, put it into another pc and rename
the WPA files, then put it back into this pc. My hope is that any problems
with them may be solved this way, new files would be completed etc. But I
am still left with what appears to be a Network Driver problem.

I really am stuck with this one.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Derek2]

Dear Group,

My thought is to take the hard drive out, put it into another pc and
rename the WPA files, then put it back into this pc. My hope is that any
problems with them may be solved this way, new files would be completed
etc. But I am still left with what appears to be a Network Driver
problem.

I tried renaming the WPA files and rebooting. A similar WPA message
appeared and again it just sat there doing nothing. I think this is because
Networking doesn't seem to be working due to incompatible drivers (I assume)
because this is a different motherboard with a different chipset (old one
was NVidia, new one AMD).

I am currently trying to install Windows on a new HDD in problem pc. Then I
will reconnect the original hard drive and back up it's data. Then I think
I will have to fresh install windows onto the original hard drive, copy data
back across, reinstall all apps etc.

Unless someone has a repair suggestion that's what I will carry on doing.

Regards.

 

[Derek2]

I tried renaming the WPA files and rebooting. A similar WPA message
appeared and again it just sat there doing nothing. I think this is
because Networking doesn't seem to be working due to incompatible drivers
(I assume) because this is a different motherboard with a different
chipset (old one was NVidia, new one AMD).

I am currently trying to install Windows on a new HDD in problem pc. Then
I will reconnect the original hard drive and back up it's data. Then I
think I will have to fresh install windows onto the original hard drive,
copy data back across, reinstall all apps etc.

I've had an idea - activate the new installation and the copy the WPA files
from the new install to the original hard drive SYSTEM32 folder. I hope
that the new WPA will be correct for the old install since the hardware will
be the same.

Any ideas?

 

[Mark Adams]

I tried renaming the WPA files and rebooting. A similar WPA message
appeared and again it just sat there doing nothing. I think this is because
Networking doesn't seem to be working due to incompatible drivers (I assume)
because this is a different motherboard with a different chipset (old one
was NVidia, new one AMD).

I am currently trying to install Windows on a new HDD in problem pc. Then I
will reconnect the original hard drive and back up it's data. Then I think
I will have to fresh install windows onto the original hard drive, copy data
back across, reinstall all apps etc.

Unless someone has a repair suggestion that's what I will carry on doing.

Regards.


.

You will need to do a repair install:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

After the repair, start the machine and press F8 to get the boot menu. Start
up in VGA mode and log in. If you get the product activation prompt, cancel
it. You didn't say you installed the drivers for the new main board. Download
all the drivers for the new board from the Asrock website on to the computer
you are using to post here and save them to a flash drive or burn to CD.
Also, a disk with drivers should have come with the board. Now go into
Add/Remove programs and uninstall the video driver, and any other drivers
listed there. Go into Device Manager and uninstall driver for the audio and
LAN. Reboot the machine in VGA mode and log in. Cancel Activation again. Now
install the drivers from the included disk, or the ones you downloaded.
Reboot the machine again and login. Once the driver for the LAN is installed,
you will then be able to establish connection with your router. Now activate
Windows. If activation fails you will be given a phone number to call for
activation.

 

[Derek2]

You will need to do a repair install:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

After the repair, start the machine and press F8 to get the boot menu.
Start
up in VGA mode and log in. If you get the product activation prompt,
cancel
it. You didn't say you installed the drivers for the new main board.
Download
all the drivers for the new board from the Asrock website on to the
computer
you are using to post here and save them to a flash drive or burn to CD.
Also, a disk with drivers should have come with the board. Now go into
Add/Remove programs and uninstall the video driver, and any other drivers
listed there. Go into Device Manager and uninstall driver for the audio
and
LAN. Reboot the machine in VGA mode and log in. Cancel Activation again.
Now
install the drivers from the included disk, or the ones you downloaded.
Reboot the machine again and login. Once the driver for the LAN is
installed,
you will then be able to establish connection with your router. Now
activate
Windows. If activation fails you will be given a phone number to call for
activation.

Thanks for the reply Mark. I am attempting that now, I did the repair
install 2x already but will try it again.

The trouble I am having is that no matter how I get to the login screen,
after I complete login I get the WPA Yes/No before I can install the network
driver. This means that if I say Yes then pc is stuck in a loop of trying
to do internet WPA without network drivers, or I say No and it kicks me back
to login screen.

I am doing the repair install now, if only I could somehow slipstream the
network driver then I could make this work.

Can I slipstream the network driver?

Will let you know how this install repair goes soon.

Thanks.

 

[Derek2]

Thanks for the reply Mark. I am attempting that now, I did the repair
install 2x already but will try it again.

The trouble I am having is that no matter how I get to the login screen,
after I complete login I get the WPA Yes/No before I can install the
network driver. This means that if I say Yes then pc is stuck in a loop
of trying to do internet WPA without network drivers, or I say No and it
kicks me back to login screen.

I am doing the repair install now, if only I could somehow slipstream the
network driver then I could make this work.

Can I slipstream the network driver?

Will let you know how this install repair goes soon.

Ok I have tried the Repair Install again, started up in VGA mode, logged in
and cancelled (No) to the WPA prompt, and it immediately logs me off and
kicks me back to the Login screen.

This is ridiculous. Network access is needed for WPA internet to work, yet
it wont let me install a network driver, infinite loop.

Driver CD came with the motherboard, I have the drivers and they do work
because when I did the test clean install of Windows on another hard drive
in this PC I was able to connect to the internet.

I am now going to see if I can find a way of making the Network Drivers
available during the Repair Install.

Is there a way I can make autoexec.bat run a driver installation for the
network driver?

Regards.

 

[Derek2]

Ok I have tried the Repair Install again, started up in VGA mode, logged
in and cancelled (No) to the WPA prompt, and it immediately logs me off
and kicks me back to the Login screen.

This is ridiculous. Network access is needed for WPA internet to work,
yet it wont let me install a network driver, infinite loop.

Driver CD came with the motherboard, I have the drivers and they do work
because when I did the test clean install of Windows on another hard drive
in this PC I was able to connect to the internet.

I am now going to see if I can find a way of making the Network Drivers
available during the Repair Install.

Is there a way I can make autoexec.bat run a driver installation for the
network driver?

Ok I have done it, I think. I edited the autoexec.bat which was empty and
wrote in this:
F:\LANXP\setup.exe /installquiet
H:\ASROCK_CD\Drivers\LAN\REALTEK\XP64_XP(5702)\setupexe /installquiet

F might have failed because it's actually the C drive now, so I think that
the H drive worked. H is actually a USB stick that I copied the drivers to.
I don't know if F gave errors because of the /installquiet command.

Anyway I started in Safe Mode, autoexec must have run, and it took a long
time to change from the text loading screen that shows
system32/drivers/mup.sys etc before it switched to the logon screen. This
logon screen also looked different and I haven't had a WPA message.

WPA - the activation icon message is in the bottom right of the screen,
which is fine, I will try doing this once I have installed all the new
drivers for the new motherboard.

Thanks for your help Mark, if you hadn't replied I probably would have given
up and just installed a fresh Windows install.

Regards.

 

[mm]

Thanks for the reply Mark. I am attempting that now, I did the repair
install 2x already but will try it again.

The trouble I am having is that no matter how I get to the login screen,
after I complete login I get the WPA Yes/No before I can install the network
driver.

I don't know much, but maybe this is "out of the mouths of babes".

Do you have the internet connected to your computer? I was under the
impression that it can't know that your hardware doesn't match what it
used to be, in fact it can't know anything at all about a license
being or seeming unauthorized until it communicates with MS via the
web.

So can you disconnect your internet and install, debug if necessary,
the network driver then?

This means that if I say Yes then pc is stuck in a loop of trying
to do internet WPA without network drivers, or I say No and it kicks me back
to login screen.

I figure it won't even ask if you're not connected to the net.

 

[Derek2]

I don't know much, but maybe this is "out of the mouths of babes".

Do you have the internet connected to your computer?

Yes, and I can see that this pc's network cable socket on the router is lit
up, BUT this pc is not listed on the router in Attached Devices = therefore
this pc's network drivers (or something else) isn't working properly. Now
it's a new mobo and needs the drivers installed, so that's what I am
assuming it is.

I was under the
impression that it can't know that your hardware doesn't match what it
used to be, in fact it can't know anything at all about a license
being or seeming unauthorized until it communicates with MS via the
web.

WPA, as I am learning, uses a table and it checks the hardware against this
table for your pc. You need to score 7 marks to pass, because I changed the
mobo this is failing.

So can you disconnect your internet and install, debug if necessary,
the network driver then?


I figure it won't even ask if you're not connected to the net.

It makes no difference if I remove the network cable or not, I have actually
tried it both ways just in case.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Derek2]

Ok I have done it, I think. I edited the autoexec.bat which was empty and
wrote in this:
F:\LANXP\setup.exe /installquiet
H:\ASROCK_CD\Drivers\LAN\REALTEK\XP64_XP(5702)\setupexe /installquiet

F might have failed because it's actually the C drive now, so I think that
the H drive worked. H is actually a USB stick that I copied the drivers
to. I don't know if F gave errors because of the /installquiet command.

Anyway I started in Safe Mode, autoexec must have run, and it took a long
time to change from the text loading screen that shows
system32/drivers/mup.sys etc before it switched to the logon screen. This
logon screen also looked different and I haven't had a WPA message.

WPA - the activation icon message is in the bottom right of the screen,
which is fine, I will try doing this once I have installed all the new
drivers for the new motherboard.

Thanks for your help Mark, if you hadn't replied I probably would have
given up and just installed a fresh Windows install.

I spoke too soon. I am back in the same loop even though for that one login
I was able to install video driver, I think LAN, but not all the other mobo
drivers even though I thought I had installed the major ones.

I am trying similar methods to the one that worked. Asrock driver CD is
actuallys a 3.2GB DVD. 3.2GB is too much. Anyway I am copying this to the
root directory and will try to run the setup application, the problem I have
is that the Setup program is just a click-screen gui, so I need to run the
first click. The first click - Install All, that's the link I need to put
in Autoexec.bat. I think.

Regards.

 

[mm]

I spoke too soon. I am back in the same loop even though for that one login
I was able to install video driver, I think LAN, but not all the other mobo
drivers even though I thought I had installed the major ones.

I am trying similar methods to the one that worked. Asrock driver CD is
actuallys a 3.2GB DVD. 3.2GB is too much. Anyway I am copying this to the
root directory and will try to run the setup application, the problem I have
is that the Setup program is just a click-screen gui, so I need to run the
first click. The first click - Install All, that's the link I need to put
in Autoexec.bat. I think.

Regards.

I haven't been through this yet, I'm just getting prepared; and I
don't know if this has anything to do with your problem; and I don't
have the URL and this is for Dell which may nor may not be the same
for other makes, but last night I saved what Dell says is the proper
order for installing drivers:


The following list is an overview of the correct order to install
drivers on Dell desktops and portables. After reinstalling Microsoft®
Windows®, follow the order listed when reinstalling drivers. It is
recommended that you print this list for reference when installing
drivers.

Note: Some devices may not function properly if the drivers are
installed out of order.

1. Desktop System Software (DSS) or Notebook System Software (NSS) -
A vital utility that provides critical updates and patches for the
operating system. If you are reinstalling Windows or updating all
drivers, it is important that this software be installed first. This
is located under the System Utilities Category on the Drivers and
Downloads page.

Note : NSS and DSS may not be available for all desktop and notebook
products.

2. Chipset - Helps Windows control system board components and
controllers. This is located under the Chipset Category on the Drivers
and Downloads page.

3. Video Adapter - Enhances video performance. This is located under
the Video Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.

4. Network Interface Card (NIC) - Enhances the network controller for
Internet or network access. This is located under the Network Category
on the Drivers and Downloads page.

5. Laptops Only: Dell Quickset or Dell Control Point Manager (DCP) -
Controls power management, ambient light sensor, wireless profiles,
and security features on laptops. This is located under the
Applications on the Drivers and Downloads page.
6. Audio Adapter - Enables and enhances the audio controller. This is
located under the Audio Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.

7. Modem - Allows dial-up capability. This is located under the
Communication Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.

8. Wireless Network Card - Enables and enhances the wireless network
controller. This is located under the Network Category on the Drivers
and Downloads page.

9. Touchpad, Pointer, Trackstick, Mice, and Keyboards - Enhances the
pointing device features. This is located under the Input Device
Drivers Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.

10. Other Devices

* Intel vProTM or AMTTM - Enhances system manageability. This is
located under the Chipset Category on on the Drivers and Downloads
page.
* Bluetooth ® Module located under the Network Category on the
Drivers and Downloads page.
* Dell Wireless Mobile Broadband Cards located under the
Communication Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.
* PCMCIA/Smartcard controller located under the Security Category
on the Drivers and Downloads page.
* Touch Screen Digitizer Enables touch screen mouse control
available on select Dell laptops. This is located under the Input
Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.

 

[Derek2]

I haven't been through this yet, I'm just getting prepared; and I
don't know if this has anything to do with your problem; and I don't
have the URL and this is for Dell which may nor may not be the same
for other makes, but last night I saved what Dell says is the proper
order for installing drivers:


The following list is an overview of the correct order to install
drivers on Dell desktops and portables. After reinstalling Microsoft®
Windows®, follow the order listed when reinstalling drivers. It is
recommended that you print this list for reference when installing
drivers.

Note: Some devices may not function properly if the drivers are
installed out of order.

1. Desktop System Software (DSS) or Notebook System Software (NSS) -
A vital utility that provides critical updates and patches for the
operating system. If you are reinstalling Windows or updating all
drivers, it is important that this software be installed first. This
is located under the System Utilities Category on the Drivers and
Downloads page.

Note : NSS and DSS may not be available for all desktop and notebook
products.

2. Chipset - Helps Windows control system board components and
controllers. This is located under the Chipset Category on the Drivers
and Downloads page.

3. Video Adapter - Enhances video performance. This is located under
the Video Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.

4. Network Interface Card (NIC) - Enhances the network controller for
Internet or network access. This is located under the Network Category
on the Drivers and Downloads page.

5. Laptops Only: Dell Quickset or Dell Control Point Manager (DCP) -
Controls power management, ambient light sensor, wireless profiles,
and security features on laptops. This is located under the
Applications on the Drivers and Downloads page.
6. Audio Adapter - Enables and enhances the audio controller. This is
located under the Audio Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.

7. Modem - Allows dial-up capability. This is located under the
Communication Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.

8. Wireless Network Card - Enables and enhances the wireless network
controller. This is located under the Network Category on the Drivers
and Downloads page.

9. Touchpad, Pointer, Trackstick, Mice, and Keyboards - Enhances the
pointing device features. This is located under the Input Device
Drivers Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.

10. Other Devices

* Intel vProTM or AMTTM - Enhances system manageability. This is
located under the Chipset Category on on the Drivers and Downloads
page.
* Bluetooth ® Module located under the Network Category on the
Drivers and Downloads page.
* Dell Wireless Mobile Broadband Cards located under the
Communication Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.
* PCMCIA/Smartcard controller located under the Security Category
on the Drivers and Downloads page.
* Touch Screen Digitizer Enables touch screen mouse control
available on select Dell laptops. This is located under the Input
Category on the Drivers and Downloads page.

Hi MM,

Thanks for the reply.

I've been getting a bit closer to solving it, or I think I am.

When doing a Repair Install of Windows XP it resets IE to 6. This is part
of the reason why Activation is failing. I've learned that if I login using
Safe Mode Command Prompt and then type in "explorer" at the command prompt
then I can get a working Safe Mode without the Product Activation headache
I've been having.

It appears that many people have been caught in the same loop as myself, and
that Internet Explorer 6 is the problem. Installing IE 8 fixes it. And so
far that seems to be working for me.

Trying to run Internet Explorer 6 is giving me an error

Ok so I downloaded IE8 on another pc and copied it to the problem pc. Run
the exe and it has installed IE8.

Restarting the problem pc and it works, I get a product activation within 30
days message, but it's working fine.

Some people having the same problem found this page useful, I did do the
oobe thing but I'm not sure if it was necessary since IE6 seemed to be to
blame, and once I installed IE8 everything seemed ok.

IE7 is also problematic, according to the internet reports, so go straight
to IE8 which you may need to download on another pc first.

So far it's looking like it might work ok. Huge number of fixes and SP3 to
go through.

Thanks and I hope this might help others.

 

[mm]

IE7 is also problematic, according to the internet reports, so go straight

When I first installed XP Home, either a year or two years ago, I
upgraded to IE7 and had lots of problems. I could't decide whether to
go back to 6 or up to 8. Then something caused XP to break, so that
it woudln't start all the way, and I went back to 98SE.

I don't remember what happened about IE when I got XP working again,
but I spent no more time with 7 and got up to 8 somehow.

to IE8 which you may need to download on another pc first.

So far it's looking like it might work ok. Huge number of fixes and SP3 to
go through.

Thanks and I hope this might help others.

I hope I don't have to go through this! gOOD LUCK.

 

[mm]

WPA, as I am learning, uses a table and it checks the hardware against this
table for your pc. You need to score 7 marks to pass, because I changed the
mobo this is failing.

So this table is in the local software, not at MS-Supreme-HQ? Because
they only used a limited number of mobos when they built their
computers and yours isn't one of them?

 

[Mark Adams]

So this table is in the local software, not at MS-Supreme-HQ? Because
they only used a limited number of mobos when they built their
computers and yours isn't one of them?
.

Here is an explanation of Windows Product Activation:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307890

 

[mm]

Here is an explanation of Windows Product Activation:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307890

Thanks.