XP

[Guest]

I recently purchased a barebones system to replace my lightning damaged
computer. With the old hard drive installed, I get the message "no operating
system found". The hard drive has been tested and is good. What do I do now?

 

[Bob I]

You either purchase a Windows operating system and install it or you may
learn Linux, as it is free for the download.

 

[tcm1313]

I recently purchased a barebones system to replace my lightning damaged
computer. With the old hard drive installed, I get the message "no operating
system found". The hard drive has been tested and is good. What do I do now?

If you have your original XP disk, do a repair installation. Boot with
the disk in the cd drive when asked to install Windows answer yes by
clicking enter, if your old installation is able to be saved you will
then be given the choice of clean installation or a repair
installation by clicking "R".

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I recently purchased a barebones system to replace my lightning damaged
computer. With the old hard drive installed, I get the message "no operating
system found". The hard drive has been tested and is good. What do I do now?

Did the barebones system come with a hard drive? You are probably
trying to boot from it, and there is no operating system on it.

If you are sure that the system is set to boot from the old hard
drive, you say it was tested and is good, but that doesn't mean the
operating system is intact.

 

[Guest]

The computer that I am replacing had XP installed when I bought it but did
not come with a Windows XP disc. Would one of the third party repair discs be
of any use?

 

[Bob I]

The issue is that you don't have a licenced copy of Windows XP to use.
You need to buy one.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I recently purchased a barebones system to replace my lightning damaged
computer. With the old hard drive installed, I get the message "no operating
system found". The hard drive has been tested and is good. What do I do now?

Are you absolutely certain that the old hard drive was not damaged by
the lightning strike, as well? If so:

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

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.



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Bruce Chambers]

The computer that I am replacing had XP installed when I bought it but did
not come with a Windows XP disc.

Then, by your own admission, you have an OEM license for WinXP that
came with the HP. An OEM version must be sold with a piece of hardware
(normally a motherboard or hard rive, if not an entire PC) and is
_permanently_ bound to the first PC on which it's installed. An OEM
license, once installed, is not legally transferable to another computer
under _any_ circumstances.

You'll have to purchase a WinXP license to go with the new computer.

Would one of the third party repair discs be
of any use?

Not in your case, no. You'll have to purchase a completely new
(unbranded) license and perform a repair installation.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Uncle Grumpy]

I recently purchased a barebones system to replace my lightning damaged
computer. With the old hard drive installed, I get the message "no operating
system found". The hard drive has been tested and is good. What do I do now?

Buy a copy of Windows XP.

Where do I send you the bill for my consulting fee?

 

[Vista]

Then, by your own admission, you have an OEM license for WinXP that
came with the HP. An OEM version must be sold with a piece of hardware
(normally a motherboard or hard rive, if not an entire PC) and is
_permanently_ bound to the first PC on which it's installed. An OEM
license, once installed, is not legally transferable to another computer
under _any_ circumstances.

legally according to Microsoft!

You'll have to purchase a WinXP license to go with the new computer.

Or he could use the copy he has already bought!


Vi

 

[Vista]

I recently purchased a barebones system to replace my lightning damaged
computer. With the old hard drive installed, I get the message "no operating
system found". The hard drive has been tested and is good. What do I do now?

Use you Windows disk (from the old PC) and do a repair. This will fix
the master boot problem as well as installing the correct drivers for
this new system.

Vi

 

[Vista]

Buy a copy of Windows XP.

Where do I send you the bill for my consulting fee?

Dick.

 

[Bob I]

legally according to Microsoft!



Or he could use the copy he has already bought!


Vi

He never bought one.

 

[Bob I]

Use you Windows disk (from the old PC) and do a repair. This will fix
the master boot problem as well as installing the correct drivers for
this new system.

Vi

He doesn't have one.

 

[Bob I]

Dick.

Jane.