disk read error after installing a motherboard

  • Thread starter Thread starter mkmilner
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mkmilner

I installed an SG-72 abit motherboard. After I turned on the machine,
I called Microsoft to reactivate Windows XP. Then I tried to install
Windows Updates and most of them failed. Then I restarted the PC and
now get a disk read error. Everything looks okay on the BIOS setup.
Do I have a bad hard drive or do I need to adjust settings? Thanks,
 
IF you change the motherboard in a Windows OS computer system, then you MUST
reformat the harddrive and do a fresh install of the OS. Otherwise you will
get Registry errors and data corruption, as you discovered.
 
IF you change the motherboard in a Windows OS computer system, then you MUST
reformat the harddrive and do a fresh install of the OS. Otherwise you will
get Registry errors and data corruption, as you discovered.
Click to expand...

And never activate XP until you are sure everything is hunky dory.
 
mkmilner said:
I installed an SG-72 abit motherboard. After I turned on the machine,
I called Microsoft to reactivate Windows XP. Then I tried to install
Windows Updates and most of them failed. Then I restarted the PC and
now get a disk read error. Everything looks okay on the BIOS setup.
Do I have a bad hard drive or do I need to adjust settings? Thanks,
Click to expand...

Firstly, ignore Dave W as suggested in my reply to his post. His intentions
may be good but his answers aren't.

Secondly, were you able to boot straight into WinXP the first time you
started the OS after your hardware swap, or did you have a failed boot (or
two), BSOD's, etc?

Thirdly, at exactly what point do you get your disk read error? Right at the
beginning of boot, half way through, when the OS is running, what?

Also, when the disk read error message appears on screen, do you hear any
clicking, scratching or other spurious noises coming from the hard disk?

Finally, it'd help to know exactly what hardware you've got now (and how
you've connected it), and also what you had in there prior to the swap.
--


Richard Hopkins
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
(replace nospam with pipex in reply address)

The UK's leading technology reseller www.dabs.com
 
IF you change the motherboard in a Windows OS computer system, then you
MUST reformat the harddrive and do a fresh
install of the OS.
Click to expand...

Sorry Dave, but that's abject bullshit.

a) By referring to "Windows OS" as a generalisation, you are failing to
differentiate between the HAL based NT family (NT/2k/XP), and the 9x family.
There are crucial differences between these two, especially in regard to the
way they respond to large scale hardware changes.

b) Even with the HAL OSes, it is *not* usually necessary to reformat the
hard disk (although there are circumstances where you may wish to do so)
after a board change.

c) It is not usually necessary to do a fresh OS install.

d) With reference to (c), you can normally get away just fine with a
"Repair" partial reinstall on the HAL based operating systems. With Win9x,
you can normally boot straight back up and load whatever new drivers you
need.

d) Even with the NT family, in some circumstances (where the old hardware is
very similar to the new), you can actually boot straight back up on the new
hardware.
Otherwise you will get Registry errors and data corruption, as you
discovered.
Click to expand...

Not. If this is your idea of advice, it would honestly be better to keep
schtum as you're only confusing the OP.

If you get registry errors and data corruption after a hardware change, the
most likely reason for this is problems/instability in the new hardware, a
problem likely to continue even after a fresh OS install.

With WinXP (2k, NT), if you can't boot back up after a hardware change, the
HAL is broken and it is necessary to carry out the repair reinstall
procedure as suggested above.

If, however, the OS did succesfully start and allow mkm to reactivate his
copy of Windows, the HAL wasn't broken and thus your blanket "format and
reinstall" advice is inapplicable. Sorry to sound blunt, but in situations
like this, there's very little alternative to calling a spade a spade.
--


Richard Hopkins
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
(replace nospam with pipex in reply address)

The UK's leading technology reseller www.dabs.com
 
DaveW said:
IF you change the motherboard in a Windows OS computer system, then you MUST
reformat the harddrive and do a fresh install of the OS. Otherwise you will
get Registry errors and data corruption, as you discovered.
Click to expand...


reformatting is not a *must*
generally a repair installation is all that's needed...
however it's always best to back up all data first
incase a reformat is necessary
 
DaveW said:
IF you change the motherboard in a Windows OS computer system, then you MUST
reformat the harddrive and do a fresh install of the OS. Otherwise you will
get Registry errors and data corruption, as you discovered.
Click to expand...

False on all counts.
 
Richard Hopkins said:
Firstly, ignore Dave W as suggested in my reply to his post. His intentions
may be good but his answers aren't.

Secondly, were you able to boot straight into WinXP the first time you
started the OS after your hardware swap, or did you have a failed boot (or
two), BSOD's, etc?

Thirdly, at exactly what point do you get your disk read error? Right at the
beginning of boot, half way through, when the OS is running, what?

Also, when the disk read error message appears on screen, do you hear any
clicking, scratching or other spurious noises coming from the hard disk?

Finally, it'd help to know exactly what hardware you've got now (and how
you've connected it), and also what you had in there prior to the swap.
--


Richard Hopkins
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
(replace nospam with pipex in reply address)

The UK's leading technology reseller www.dabs.com
Click to expand...
Check Drive data cable at BOTH ends.
Mike.
 
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