PC Gurus, please help me!

[Scoboblio]

Right, this is really annoying me now :thumbdown

 

On Sunday my PC crashed completely and now won't even load the BIOS when I boot it, running a few tests confirmed that the motherboard was dead

 

After ordering a new one I was told that because it's a different manufacturer / chipset, that my hard drives would not be recognised as bootable and I'd need to repair Windows XP (home) in order to stand any chance of actually retaining my data.

 

Thing is, the PC was bought from a highstreet store, and despite considerable pressure they wouldn't give me a Windows installation CD.

 

So what am I going to do? Because the PC crashed unexpectedly I now have no Windows XP bootable recovery CD. And my motherboard is so old that I probably won't be able to buy another one exactly the same as the old one.

 

Any suggestions on how to get around this?

[Benzsupra]

I think you need a copy of xp home to rectify this, shouldn't have to be original as you are only using it for a repair and even if it comes to re-installation your licence sticker will register it as original. I think that the recovery disks will only work with the spec of the original pc as i have had this problem before. I don't think that the disk can be altered but i may be wrong. If you still have no joy i can get hold of a copy of xp pro with codes which i can post to you if you pm me your address. But doing it this way you will lose all data you currently have unless you can get another HDD boot it with WIN 98 or ME floppy, with your original HDD as a slave and copy off any relevant files. Then switch them back, install XP on the original HDD and all your files will be on the slave then simply copy them back across.

 

Unless anyone else knows another way, not sure if my way is the best, just the way i would do it.

[Scoboblio]

Thanks for the info mate, looks like I'll be digging around for a copy of XP home then.

 

Why the hell don't MS let retailers supply the disks any more? I can't be the only person stuck in this situation, do they expect me to buy a new copy of XP or a new PC because my motherboard's broken? Or maybe to re-format both my hard disks?

 

Sorry for the rant but this has really got to me... when I bought my PC I bought a licence to XP yeah? So where's my f**king CD?

[JohnK]

Seeing you have a legal copy of windows, id contact microsoft and ask for an explanation.

[Scoboblio]

That sounds like a very good idea John, I had no idea that the "master" CDs created when I first set up the PC would be good for wiping my a**e on and little else.... surely they should do the same job as an XP CD!

[MaveriK]

If you can i would try and get hold of a second harddrive. I would load windows on that and then put your existing hard drive/drives in the system. Copy all that you need across. Then i would format the old drive, copy your data back onto them and have the new hard drive as your OS and other as data only. Also if you can i would load XP Pro rather than XP Home, alot more configurable.

 

Good Luck

[GeordieSteve]

After ordering a new one I was told that because it's a different manufacturer / chipset, that my hard drives would not be recognised as bootable and I'd need to repair Windows XP (home) in order to stand any chance of actually retaining my data.

I'm confused by this. Why would a different board stop you from being able to boot from your drives?

[peter richards]

if you dont live in a bungalow , stairs are very handy .oops ,new pc .lol

[Shovels]

After ordering a new one I was told that because it's a different manufacturer / chipset, that my hard drives would not be recognised as bootable and I'd need to repair Windows XP (home) in order to stand any chance of actually retaining my data.

Yeh right - this doesn't sound very tru, unless your running SATA drives, which can be a PITA!

 

If your drives are IDE then you should be able to just change the motherboard, plug it all back in and fire up Windows. Your PC supplier probably copied all the CAB files across to the HDD, so it shouldn't ask for the CD, but if it does then you'll obviously need a copy. Windows should recognise the new kit and carry on as per normal. You will almost certainly need to install the new drivers that are supplied with the new motherboard.

 

trying to install a fresh copy of XP home with your license key and a 'copied' XP home CD may not be successful. I have had it a few times where I've used people's license key with the same CD and some of them don't work.

 

Your software has been supplied under the OEM licensing, which is a bit strange and means that if you change your PC, you can't transfer your license with it. If you contact Microsoft they wont be helpful at all! You may even find that if you are changing the motherboard they say you need to buy a new license for Windows.

 

"OEM licenses come with no phone support from Microsoft (the web is always an option) and can only be used for clean installations (not upgrades). Furthermore, OEM licenses are bound to the hardware they were purchased with, and cannot be transferred or resold once installed. If you purchase a Gateway system, for example, the operating system license that comes with the computer is forever bound to the computer. You cannot transfer it to another machine, and if you ever choose to obtain and install a retail Windows license on this machine, you will not be able to use the OEM license anywhere else."

[Aerotop Dave]

I'm confused by this. Why would a different board stop you from being able to boot from your drives?

 

Yes that doesn't make sense to me either. One of my hard disks is in it's third PC (ie, third different motherboard) and I've never reformatted it. The hard disk with XP on it almost certainly won't boot but any slave drives should be fine for swapping over. Also, if XP is like Win98 you can just install over the top of it and any other data on the drive will remain intact (I would then recommend copying all the data off this drive, reformatting and reinstalling again as it will be a really poor install).

 

 

This seems like a relatively easy fix - just get a copy of XP but use your own XP key to install it.

[MaveriK]

Mcanny has a picture of a can of worms, please picture it placed here ---->

 

I would rather have a clean install now your putting the time in to replace motherboard. This will get rid of all the crap that will no doubt be loaded into your registry. Just replacing the motherboard and reconnecting everything should work.

 

DO the fresh install with Xp,SP2,Virus software and some sort of Anti SPyware (Microsofts is ok and free). Keep both the virus software and Anti Spyware upto date and you should enjoy many MANY years to trouble free computing. And if your internet connection has a firewall as well so much the better.

 

Peoples opinions will differ on the above i just think that its worth the effort.

[GeordieSteve]

I always prefer a clean install when replacing a board but it isn't necesary to retrieve your data. Did a computer shop tell you this? If so name and shame

[JustGav]

The PC supplier does not have to give you a copy of XP, they do however have to supply a recovery cd which will contain an image of XP which can be installed on the original machine.

 

I would attempt to plug the hardware in and boot it up, xp should PNP the new hardware....

 

Gav

[imi]

Sorry for the rant but this has really got to me... when I bought my PC I bought a licence to XP yeah? So where's my f**king CD?

 

Isnt that a question for your retailer to answer?

[Scoboblio]

Isnt that a question for your retailer to answer?

 

See above mate, apparantly MS have stopped retailers supplying an XP CD on PC's where it is pre-loaded.

 

Thanks for the replies guys, however I'm still confused.... I know that my slave drive will be fine, but I don't want to lose the data on my primary drive with the OS on it unless it's 100% necessary.

 

Once I've replaced the MB I will have no XP CD, only the master CD's I created when I first powered it on. Will I be able to reinstall XP from these with a different MB to the one I had to start with?

 

As for the suggestions of "install XP pro" etc, that's a good idea, but I don't want to get into A: buying a legal copy, or B: Going illegal, when I've bought a perfectly legit PC with XP installed.

 

By not supplying me with an original XP home CD, it seems to me like I'm actually being encouraged to beg / borrow / steal an illegal copy of Windows, just to get up and running again!

[GeordieSteve]

Ok now I'm very confused. How old is this PC? Is it under warrenty. Yep MS don't want people giving out copies of XP but they do give out system builter packs (system specific). Have you tried booting the PC up? What does it say? IMHO replace board, boot up, update drivers, hunky dory. (?)

[Scoboblio]

The PC isn't under warranty, It's a couple of years old now I think.

 

I was hammering the PC copying files to my iPod, dowloading, browsing etc etc when it completely froze - no keyboard / mouse response, desktop was still displayed but that's it. Had to power it off and when attempting to reboot nothing happens - no BIOS load, no POST etc etc, the monitor comes out of standby for a couple of secs and then switches off again - that's it.

 

I've tried resetting the CMOS using the motherboard jumper and it had no effect.

 

Today I've replaced the motherboard and it's made no difference So my next thought is a burned-out CPU.

 

Does anyone know if a motherboard with no processor in it will load the BIOS on startup? Or do my symptoms seem consistent with a knackered CPU?

[Shovels]

knackered CPU's aren't very common - unless your CPU fan wasn't working at all.

 

Without a CPU the system won't boot. I don't envy you at this point, trying to find a fault in a PC can be a PITA!

 

You might want to look at the PSU - a faulty PSU that isn't supplying the correct voltages won't boot, and it'll cause the system to freeze, etc.

 

You really need to take everything out of the system, just leave the CPU, RAM in. Plug the PSU to the motherboard, you should also power up at leat a CD drive, or a HDD (but don't plug the data cables from the drive to the motherboard in) PSU need a certain amount of load on them, if they don't they can go bang - big time!

 

If that still doesn't work, try a different PSU.

[Dash Rendar]

I'm confused by this. Why would a different board stop you from being able to boot from your drives?

 

There's definitely some confusion here. First off, Windows XP often requires reactivation if it detects significant hardware changes. (Sometimes changing a hard disk is sufficient to cause this, if other hardware changes have already been performed previously). But this is easy to rectify and usually just involves a call to MS.

 

But it's certainly true that changing the motherboard causes Windows to have a fit. Over dozens of mobo upgrades, I've never yet been able to get away with not doing an XP Repair. In case you're interested, I've got a tutorial on performing the XP Repair procedure here.

 

BTW, I'm pretty sure Gav is right. The PC supplier don't have to give you an XP CD, but they do have to provide you with some sort of recovery CD which includes everything you'll find on the MS XP CD (assuming you got an XP license when you bought the box).

 

With your new board... When you power-on, do you hear any activity? E.g. CPU fan, hard disk spinning, that sort of thing?

[Scoboblio]

Thanks for the replies guys, used a "spare" CPU in the new mobo today and it worked fine

 

So a new one is on the way! Hey at least I've got a newer motherboard now with support for a better processor and RAM

 

Regarding the original problem with re-installing XP, my dad has just pulled one out of the bag with a new, unused legit copy of XP home I can use

 

So should hopefully all be sorted by tomorrow night.

[Scoboblio]

In case you're interested, I've got a tutorial on performing the XP Repair procedure here.

 

Great stuff mate, thanks very much!

[Dash Rendar]

No worries. Hope it helps.

 

Glad the problem was identified quickly in the end.

[letmeshowyou]

Ian, give me a call if you get any more problems with this matey.

[Scoboblio]

Thanks dude