making XP boot on different hardware

edscdk · 5 Oct 2011 at 12:43

I have a desktop with a duff mobo,

I replaced the mobo, normally I do a reinstall but in this instance I need to retain the config (software is installed and the disks have been lost).

the machine reboots while starting XP (as I would expect)

whats the easiest way to fix this? (I should know the answer, however I dont think I have ever tried to fix a machine from this point before as I would usually reinstall)

True_Scotsman · 5 Oct 2011 at 12:47

Not sure but possibly a Windows Repair using the XP disk?

d_brennen · 5 Oct 2011 at 12:48

Easiest way really is a backup and full reinstall tbh. I've lost hours and hours to this kind of problem.

Is the reason you are resistant to just installing XP again just because of a lack if disk? Obtaining a copy of XP will be a magnitude of times easier

Edit: Probably misread the op. You need to keep programs installed? What I have done in this kind of situation, albeit on a Win98 machine, is mount an image of the drive in a VM running on a reinstalled XP host

technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/ee656415.aspx

Then mount in virtualbox

True_Scotsman · 5 Oct 2011 at 12:49

I think he means disks for other software on the PC have been lost.

edscdk · 5 Oct 2011 at 12:50

d_brennen said:
Easiest way really is a backup and full reinstall tbh. I've lost hours and hours to this kind of problem.

Is the reason you are resistant to just installing XP again just because of a lack if disk? Obtaining a copy of XP will be a magnitude of times easier

The PC is used to run a milling machine,

the company not long exists,

Drivers for the addin card or the milling machine software are not available any more!!!

Purgatory · 6 Oct 2011 at 16:29

I would make sure to get a replacement motherboard with the same chipset as the last one or even the same motherboard if you can find one. Also make sure to setup the correct drive mode IDE or AHCI on the new botherboard. Most software like that milling software can be copied from its program files folder and still work too, because they don't write anything to the registery, but do search for folders that are holding data or configurations for that software too. This is ofcourse if you have to reinstall. I would try finding a working machine 1st and copy over the programs for milling and see if you can get them to run on the new machine if so take the hardware that is required for the milling software out of the old machine and test it all works fine. If it does build a new machine or find any motherboard that will work and reinstall windows. OFCOURSE REMEMBER TO BACKUP... so if such failure happens again you can recover from it. I've had to do such repairs for companies running CNC type machines before. If for any reason you can't make the software work you may have to find the registry keys and copy them onto the new windows install, I would always work with a cloned drive to not alter the original drive too.