HDD Boot Proble,

[Juggalo101]

i recently got a new mobo, and installed a new 20gb maxtor HDD (call it C:\). After hours of getting my computer to work, i tried runnin XP on my old HDD(D:\) but every time XP starts, the loading screen comes up for about 0.1 of a second then it goes into an error screen saying windows cant start. and locks up. I installed windows on my new harddrive, and accessing the files and stuff on the D:\ except for the files in my documents which is password protected. any ideas whats the matter?

 

[Jack the ripper]

mabey a bios conflicion\config setting between the bios and the hard dirve? im a little unsure about this one

 

[Compaq]

Tell me if i have this right you have xp on your old hard drive and you got a new motherboard and hard drive?

so you have basically connected your old harddrive to a new motherboard without reinstalling windows

if this is the case then thats where your problem lies..sometimes you can get away with a motherboard swap but as you have found it usually falls over and wont boot.

 

[Juggalo101]

thats right, so i have to re-install windows?

 

[Compaq]

As i said sometimes you can get away with it but xp seems to be the least likely one to do it.

Even if it had you would have had to put in a new windows key i tried same as you got it to boot but got a message "configuration of this computer has changed since you last used it" had to contact microsoft by phone to get a new number.

Anyway as i say just reinstall windows and go from there.

 

[Juggalo101]

ok thanks

 

[Juggalo101]

If i re-installed windows, would i lose everything in my documents and what not?

 

[Compaq]

no you can do what is called a repair job.

windows will ask you if you want to repair the version of windows on your hard drive say yes and it will repair windows and leave your files in place