Unsuccessful Computer Upgrade

[Essential Buzz]

Looking for help with a problem following M/B & CPU upgrade. Computer won't allow me to boot into Win XP - what's the fix? (I've checked all the obvious hardware problems)

[Avtrician]

To you its an upgrade, to XP its an operating system in a computer it doesnt know so it wont start. The best /only options are to go to square1, the old computer or refload XP and start from scratch.

[SoftTop]

I agree with Avtrician. It was one of the sore points raised in the early days of XP, that it essentially "knew" the configuration of the PC on which it was originally installed. From memory, it would only allow a limited number of things to be changed before you either had to re-install it, or had to contact MS for a bit of re-activation. Looks like a CPU and MoBo change are considered to be a completely different PC.

If you think about it, MS are just trying to make sure that cloned copies of a successful install aren't sprayed around onto different PCs and therefore denying them the joy of additional income.

Slightly different heading - I discovered the other day that Amazon are selling student versions of XP Pro (upgrade) for just under £70. They claim despatch within 24hrs, but I'm still waiting two days later. So, if you've got an offspring at school/college/university or you are involved in education yourself, that's a legitimate way of saving a few bob.

ST

[Essential Buzz]

Thanks for the advice - have managed to reinstall WinXP over the old OS and now seems to be working OK again.

[Avtrician]

Good to see,

Happy computing.

You could also try Linux, it doesnt realy care about the hardware, just checks on bootup and loads the drivers needed.

[Stoney X]

I had the same problem with Windows ME. Changed the MB on an old PII for a seemingly identical MB, just with a different BIOS chip. Seem to remember the old one had Award Bios and I didn't like it so put in an Ami Bios one instead. Anyway, Win Me fell over in a heap and won't boot. Prehaps Windows in general can't handle a BIOS change.

Strangely enough I did the same MB swap of the same boards in a different case a few weeks later and the system booted. Difference this time was that I had Red Hat Fedora 2 loaded, so Avtrician is correct.

Regards
Stoney

Not that we doubted Avtrician in any way! ;)

[Avtrician]

Yippeeee.

I had a win for a change.

;) :ok: