HELP: Changed PC but same Windows XP

[Kevin C.]

I installed Windows XP on PC 1 with P4 1.7GHz, 512MB RAM, GeForce 4, etc.
Now I moved my hard drive to another PC with P3 800MHz, 128MB RAM, Voodoo 3
2000 TV-Out. But obviously Windows XP doesn't start. I start in safe mode
and see that it halts when trying to load up GeForce4 driver agp440.drv
file....

Why don't Microsoft program the installation to be intelligently flexible..
so that when the motherboard, graphics card all get changed, the OS can
adapt to new hardware.

Anywayz, for now, anyone know what I can do to get my Windows working
WITHOUT a complete re-installation? Maybe recovery mode? Get it to install
my graphics driver Voodoo 3 2000?

HELP!!!

 

[peterk]

The new computer does not match the hal.dll file that XP created when you
first installed it onto the old system,not to mention that the video and
most likely all of the MOBO drivers are different.You did not mention if it
was the same motherboard.
What you need to do is a "repair installation".
start your system with the XP CD in place and keep going thru the set up
process reading all of the screens until you come to the one that basically
says....press R to repair the installation or close to those words.
from then on just follow the prompts.its a non destructive repair none of
your settings will be lost.
peter

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

When you install a system, certain system files are built specific to the
hardware installed at that time. There is no flexibility on that point. If
you make a major change, you need to do at least a repair install to rebuild
those files specific to the changed hardware. A repair install does not
normally involve any loss of data, details here:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Guest]

'Microsoft was concerned by the number of its products that were being
duplicated or used illegally.

Hard drive cloning has become easier over the years and the applications to
perform cloning have become so inexpensive [even free in some cases].

In order to keep the number of illegal duplications to a minimum, they chose
to bundle into XP certain security measures. A HASH code is generated with
each installation and also this is verified at each bootup. If the HASH
total is different, XP 'believes that it is in the wrong computer' and will
not load. This is considered as 'anti piracy'.

To my recollection, you can change any three of the 10 items used to
generate the hardware key except the network card which for some reason is
worth three. The 10 hardware characteristics used to determine the hardware
hash are:
1. Display Adapter,
2. SCSI Adapter,
3. IDE Adapter,
4. Network Adapter MAC Address,
5. RAM Amount Range (i.e. 0-64mb, 64-128mb, etc),
6. Processor Type,
7. Processor Serial Number,
8. Hard Drive Device,
9. Hard Drive Volume Serial Number,
10. CD-ROM/CD-RW/DVD-ROM

Changing a hard drive appears to count as two devices. "Hard Drive
Device, and Hard Drive Volume Serial Number". You cannot change the
Motherboard unless you perform a repair installtion on the first bootup,
after swapping out Mobo.

This is not an available option to users who have an OEM edition of XP.
They must purchase a Retail version: full product or upgrade is OK.

 

[Kerry Brown]

This is not an available option to users who have an OEM edition of XP.
They must purchase a Retail version: full product or upgrade is OK.

I see this stated time and again on these groups. It is not true for all OEM
versions. Some are locked to a particular manufacturer's BIOS, most are not.
I have updated many computers for customers with OEM versions that have
required re-activation because of hardware changes. Most times it will
activate over the internet. When it won't I have phoned Microsoft, explained
what I have done and they have activated it. All they are concerned with is
if it is installed on one computer. I have heard of cases where they have
refused activation but I have not personally experienced it. If Microsoft
activates it I assume it is within the terms of the licence. I have attended
Microsoft OEM System Builder seminars where I have asked about this. The
official reply was as long as I was updating and not installing it on a new
computer I was OK. What constituted a new computer was a grey area they
wouldn't answer officially. Unofficially they said you would be unlikely to
be refused activation if you said you were upgrading.

Kerry Brown
KDB Systems