New mobo & WinXP reload probs....

Upgraded mobo & CPU and therefore needed to do a safe WinXP Home reload for the new hardware. XP Setup would not recognize that there was a previous version of Windows on the hard drive (SATA 300gb Seagate). Setup sees the hard drive, but no Windows which was there and running fine with the old mobo. So, after messing around a bit, being VERY careful to NOT write anything to the drive (even tho' I had already imaged it to a 2nd HD, just in case), I decided to boot to a PE disc just to see what's happening. Well, all the partiton info and the data appears to be gone. Mild panic is setting in at this point; but at least I have the image on the other HD. So, I shut down, unplugged the power cord as usual, and tried a repair install on the imaged drive. Everything goes well until the first reboot, then nothing. The PC sits there with a flashing cursor and does nothing. So I hooked up the original HD (SATA Seagate) to the original mobo and the same thing happened: no boot. Something really weird is going on here. I've upgraded mobo's and reloaded Windows dozens of times, occassionally there's a problem, but never anything like this. What the $#%&*@!!!! I've now installed XP successfully on old 20gb I had, and after loading the ATI video drivers for the AGP card, the video blacked out. I could hear the monitor trying to 'snap' to life, but no picture, but this is the least of my problems. Is all the data on the original SATA Seagate drive gone? I have some data recovery software which I can use, but I would think some type of partition repair would make more sense. Somehow the MBR or file system info got wiped out, but all the data should be there 'cuz I was absolutely careful about not making any changes to the drive, but it now appears as an unformatted drive...... H E L P ! ! ! !

hd2k

Thanx!

 

UPDATE: WinXP Home is now up and running w/ all drivers on the 20gb HD. I have the HD with the image of the original Seagate HD slaved. I can read it and all the data is there. I'm in the process of backing up all the stuff that can be saved (videos, pictures, docs, etc). After all the stuff is safe on an external drive, I'll start trying to repair the OS or file system. So- I guess what I'm asking about is this: what should I do? All the needed OS folders are there, it appears that all the hidden OS files (like boot.ini) are there also. When I try to boot to this drive, all I get is a blinking cursor. The Windows on this drive is XP Home Upgrade, pre SP1 (I call it SP Zero). Due to licensing, and the fact that upgrade product keys ONLY work with upgrade CD's, and not with full version CD's, I'm in a bind: the old Windows doesn't see the HD size correctly (maxes out at 131gb), and there's a lack of drivers (it doesn't install USB for example); and I think the old SP is part of the problem. Anyway- the PC's owner wants to save all the executables and programs. So I need to repair the hard drive and get it booting w/o damaging or losing any programs or data..... any ideas??????? Thanx!!!

hd2k

EDIT- I thought I should mention that I already tried a safe re-install of Windows (using the Upgrade SP0 CD) and it went thru the blue setup screens w/o a hitch, but wouldn't boot afterward.....

 

Did you have SATA drivers for the mobo? Windows XP has no native SATA support. Without them, the install disc can't even recognize the disc. I would suggest using nLite or Windows Unattended CD Creator to slipstream the SATA drivers and the SP2 pack (at least) onto the updgrade install CD.

 

Yeah- I have the SATA drivers (the infamous F6 floppy disk). Setup sees the drive OK, just doesn't see that it already has Windows on it, or even that it's already been formatted. Right now, I've kind of given up on the SATA drive (temporarily) and I'm trying to get the HD with the SATA drive's image on it to boot. It's an IDE 250gb. XP Setup does indeed see that Windows is loaded on this IDE drive, but after completing the first part of setup (the blue screens with the yellow progress bar), it won't boot; just a blinking cursor with no HD activity.

hd2k

Funny that you mentioned slipstreaming SP2 to the upgrade CD! I was just discussing this exact same option with a friend not 5 minutes ago! Great minds think alike! I'm familiar with slipstreaming, but I've never actually done it... do you happen to have a link to some good, clear info??? I have a 'standalone' SP2 CD: no OS on it, just service pack 2....

 

just out of curiosity, have you considered flashing the bios on the new mobo?

 

Thought about flashing, checked the manufacturer's web site and the newer BIOS releases only deal with video card compatibility issues... I'll check again tho', I may have overlooked something. But I'm not I big fan of unnecessary BIOS flashing... but then again, in this case, it may be necessary....
I still need a link to some good slipstreaming info.... thanx!

hd2k

 

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp

What Mobo is it?

 

The old mobo is an ECS RS-400 w/ ATI chipset; the new mobo is an ASRock with VIA chipset. I don't have the exact model number handy (I'm not at work anymore), but it's something like DUAL-VSTA- it has both DDR and DDR2 slots and both AGP and a PCIX slot.... anyway- I did a search and found the same site you linked to above. Thanx!!! I'm going to create a slipstreamed SP2 CD and give it a shot in the morning. The PC is still backing up data; over 120gb worth of video, music, pics, etc... the guy's a WWII buff...
Before I do anything, I'm gonna try a couple of things to get the drive to boot, and if that doesn't work, I'll use the new SP2 CD.

hd2k

 

This it? http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=775Dual-VSTA&s=n

 

Yessir! That's it!
I just looked at the BIOS updates... I got 'em mixed up with the ECS BIOS updates. But I still don't see anything that stands out that applies to my situation....