Booting up windows in a different computer

[nope2dope]

Alright, I have two computers, one's a dell and another a compaq, I
want to take the hard drive in the compaq and get it to boot in the
dell, seems simple, but windows crashes upon attempting to boot, the
"blue-screen-of-death" and restarts, right when you see the
first windows xp screen, the black one with the loading bar. I used
Acronis True Image 10 to get the operating system on there, but I
can't boot it now, and want to figure out how. So really, I don't know
what to do, I've tryed the recovery console, need the pw, and I'm
working on getting it, because I THOUGHT there wasn't a pw, but I was
wrong I guess, Both computers work fine, they both boot up, well the
dell doesn't right now, but if I install windows on it, it's fine. It
just has the compaqs windows on it right now. The data is there, the
windows is there, I just want to know if recovery console will help or
if any other things will help it get working.

 

[Og]

Short story: aint gonna happen.

Long story:
1. In order to move a HD from one set of hardware another set of hardware,
you must "AT A MINIMUM" perform a Repair Install.
2. You "CAN NOT" perform a Repair Install using an OEM Restore disk.
3. The Compaq version of Windows XP is "BIOS-locked" -- it will "NEVER"
move, complete a Repair Install, or perform a Clean Install into a machine
that does not have a computer with the "EXACT" motherboard (thus BIOS) as
the original Compaq.
4. Since Dell is "NOT" Compaq, there is no way that they have identical
motherboards; what you want to do aint gonna happen.

Steve

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Alright, I have two computers, one's a dell and another a compaq, I
want to take the hard drive in the compaq and get it to boot in the
dell, seems simple, ....

No, it isn't "simple." I can't even imagine why you'd think it would be.

On installation WinXP "tailors" itself to the specific hardware found.
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.

but windows crashes upon attempting to boot, the
"blue-screen-of-death" and restarts, right when you see the
first windows xp screen, the black one with the loading bar. I used
Acronis True Image 10 to get the operating system on there, but I
can't boot it now, and want to figure out how.

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

Again, 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.

So really, I don't know
what to do, I've tryed the recovery console, need the pw, and I'm
working on getting it, because I THOUGHT there wasn't a pw, but I was
wrong I guess, Both computers work fine, they both boot up, well the
dell doesn't right now, but if I install windows on it, it's fine. It
just has the compaqs windows on it right now. The data is there, the
windows is there, I just want to know if recovery console will help or
if any other things will help it get working.

You'll have to perform the repair installation.


--

Bruce Chambers

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