setting up a new XP computer

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Guest

Here's the situation:

we have two computers; one in win98SE (the old box) and one is WinXP home
(the new box). We would like to transfer all the programs, files, emails, and
other goodies from the old box to the new.

I have opened both cases, and attempted connecting the old harddrive to the
IDE port on the new mainboard (the only way to do this was to disconnect the
CDrom drive). When I do that, the new box will not complete the boot process
to open windows. I have also attempted setting up the old hard drive as a
slave to the new, and that doesn't work because the new drive is NOT an IDE
drive and there is no visible way to connect them.

I've also attempted FASTWiz via serial ports without success.

I've also attempted crating a mini-network, peer-to-peer with a crossover
cable, but the two boxes don't see each other.

If I'm not at wit's end, I'm at least half way there ...
 
Have you thought about a 1GB thumb drive? Might be easier. Also if the
BIOS and drive are not configured correctly, it will always try and boot
from it.
 
AKleeger said:
Here's the situation:

we have two computers; one in win98SE (the old box) and one is WinXP home
(the new box). We would like to transfer all the programs, files, emails, and
other goodies from the old box to the new.

I have opened both cases, and attempted connecting the old harddrive to the
IDE port on the new mainboard (the only way to do this was to disconnect the
CDrom drive). When I do that, the new box will not complete the boot process
to open windows. I have also attempted setting up the old hard drive as a
slave to the new, and that doesn't work because the new drive is NOT an IDE
drive and there is no visible way to connect them.
Click to expand...

I hope that you physically removed the old drive from the old case and
had it connected to both the power and data cables in the new case.

That configuration should have worked, but you may have to go into the
BIOS setup to reconfigure the hard drive controllers. Some BIOS
versions (I have seen it on certain A-Open motherboards) have a
configuration setting for hard drive types - IDE, SATA, or Mixed. Your
BIOS may be set for SATA drives only and it needs to be set to Mixed
if you have both IDE and SATA drives connected.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
 
Both machines are Gateway boxes ... I didn't think to check the bios for a
mixed sata/ide configuration ... will try that next!
 
No offence intended, however the usual reason for a non-boot situaton is the
IDE lead being reversed. (I've done it, there can't be anyone in here who
hasn't... )

As for transferring stuff, if you can get the drive to go in the new PC, I
would usually just transfer the whole lot into a subfolder on the new disk,
and then work-out what's wanted later. That way there's little risk of losing
anything. Do make sure you transfer into a subfolder and not the root, of
course, or you will over-write XP with 98, which is probably not what you
intended!

Since it's 98 to XP you don't have the option of transferrig the user's
profile direct, but you can use the 'files and settings tranfer wizard', or
else just put the data-folders from 98 into the right places into the new
profile manually. I usually do the latter.

Note that, as the wizard's name suggests, you can transfer files (i.e
documents) and settings, but NOT programs. These need to be reinstalled.
Copying the programs will not transfer the common files or registry settings,
thus they will probably not work, or might partially work, but not properly.

Hope this helps.
 
AKleeger said:
Here's the situation:

we have two computers; one in win98SE (the old box) and one is WinXP home
(the new box). We would like to transfer all the programs, files, emails, and
other goodies from the old box to the new.

I have opened both cases, and attempted connecting the old harddrive to the
IDE port on the new mainboard (the only way to do this was to disconnect the
CDrom drive). When I do that, the new box will not complete the boot process
to open windows. I have also attempted setting up the old hard drive as a
slave to the new, and that doesn't work because the new drive is NOT an IDE
drive and there is no visible way to connect them.

I've also attempted FASTWiz via serial ports without success.

I've also attempted crating a mini-network, peer-to-peer with a crossover
cable, but the two boxes don't see each other.

If I'm not at wit's end, I'm at least half way there ...
Click to expand...

From your description of the hard drive connections, it sounds as
though the new box has a SATA drive, which is why the drives can't be
master/slave. It is interesting that the boot process won't complete
with the old drive connected to the CDROM IDE channel. Does it even get
to the initial Windows logo screen? You may also double check the IDE
connection on the old drive - be sure the colored edge (red, usually) is
next to the power connector on the hard drive. I assume you did not
disconnect the cable from the system board.

As for your crossover mini-network:
1.) Make them members of the same workgroup
2.) Use the same login name on the 98 box as the XP box has
3.) Assign an IP address on both: 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.2

I recently configured an XP machine and a 98 machine to "see" each other
by doing 1 and 2, since I already set them up on a router to share the
broadband connection.

Good luck.
 
thanks for your response ... but the answer still eludes us! I can't transfer
anything if I can't make the XP box recognize the old drive!
 
the drive is connected properly, pin 1 to socket 1 ... and when the drive is
connected the SATA drive (XP drive) will not complete the boot process.

I'm thinking it's a Gateway thing ... maybe one of their proprietary things
designed just to P*ss me off!@*!@#$
 
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