Just built PC - Won't run Windows XP!?

M

MediumRob

Joined
Aug 22, 2004
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Hello,

I'm not sure really sure how to explain my PC problem, but I've just finished building it - everything seems to be inserted properly, wires in the right place and so on.

I power up the PC - it has display, has detected my HDs, CD & DVD ROMs, my keyboard works. Eventually it gets to a screen asking me if I want to start windows normally or in safe mode. So I select 'start windows normally' and then the PC restarts and doesn't load windows.

I have WIndows XP Pro by the way. Everything for the PC is brand new apart from I am using my old HDs (with stuff still on them) and old CD/DVD ROMs. I was hoping that I wouldn't need to format my HDs and that everything would run as before just faster. Maybe this was wishful thinking?

I'm not sure what to do, can anyone help? :confused:
 
I have NEVER built my own PC before, but i think it could be that your old HD does not recognise the new hardware, and there is a problem so it will not load, have you tried in safe mode
 
Hello,

Yes, just tried safe mode. Didn't do anything different other than list a lot things - possibly file directories - the words partitions and system 32 featured quite a lot.

Thanks very much anyway - it does seem to be something to do with the HD.
 
Do you have another HD you could try in it, or another computer you can try your hard drive in, to see if it is 'Dud'?
 
The HD was pulled out of my old comp (on which it worked yesterday) and put in this one today. Is it likely to have gone a bit dodgy when I swapped it over?
 
If you've changed everything, you will definatly need to format your HDD/s.
 
Sorry, but it's not going to work :(

Rarely will an old install of Win XP work well or at all from a hard drive that was previously used with a different motherboard.

So it looks as though you'll have to do a fresh install and format your HDD.

If you have vital data on your current hard drive, all I can suggest is doing a fresh install on a new/different hard drive then installing your old hard disk to another port and seeing if your fresh install OS recognises old drive. If it does (and it should) you can then transfer data from old disk to new disk, then format your old one.
 
Yip, you need to format and re-install. Even if you did get it working it would probably be unstable because of all the drivers etc from the old hardware. You say "HDs", does that mean more than one? You could install on one drive and connect the other as a slave and take off any data you need once you have a working windows installation.
 
Right I'll just backup my stuff and reinstall XP - thanks for the advice.

Yeh I do have 2 hard drives - I guess I wouldn't need to format the slave as the drivers and windows weren't installed on this drive - or would I?

Thanks again:thumb:
 
Would't it be easyer to put the HD you want to use in your old PC, put all the files on to CD/Floppy/Flash Drive, then put the HD in the new PC, and re-format, then insert the CD/Floppy/Flash drive, and get the files that way?
 
Back
Top