Computer crash

[jroescher]

Okay computer guru's, can someone tell me if and how I can recover my WinXP Pro SP2 hard drive? I've lost the MB and want to put the drive into another computer.

[jroescher]

Getting the data from it would be OK, keeping the OS would be better. I just tried putting it into the wifes computer, but it wouldn't load windows. Hangs up before the log on screen. From what I understand, you can't just simply swap a windows drive and it still work. It's XP Pro, with user profiles.

[cbianco]

Windows XP will not allow a user to change the processor or chipset. If either of these are changed the operating system will not work. Microsucks did this to prevent theft of software. They suck a big one!

So... as long as the new chipset and the processor are identical to the old ones you will be good to go. Why hassel yourself just reinstall and upgrade your hardware! Just my $.02.

Christopher

[witecap4u]

Christopher,

Thats not exactly true. I've swapped processor with no problems, and I've also swapped harddivers from computer to computer with no problems. One of my mobo's is a via kt400chipset with athlon1100 processor and the other was a nvida nforce2 chipset with an athlon xp2600+ on it.

I have also tried swapping from the 1100setup to an older celelron machine and that did not work. I think it is like Josh said, if there are no MAJOR driver conflicts, it will probably work.

cs

[witecap4u]

BTW, the activation thing is stupid. I loaded winders and activated right away, then loaded my mobo drivers and it wanted me to activate again, but wouldnt let me since my config changed sooooo much. I kept putting it off and it locked the machine down after 3 day. I tried diff. keys and stuff but it didnt work. 2days later, it let me activate it without calling in....?? I've also had the same thing happen with office activations...wait a day or two and it will work.

cs

[jroescher]

Reinstalling is not a problem, I just wanted to save the contents of my HD. I have a LOT of stuff on there that I didn't want to lose. But since XP is NTFS, if I reinstall I don't think it will let me get to the files anymore. I have user profiles, and the files are private.

[jroescher]

If it's an OEM version, the EULA says that it stays with the computer. If it's a retail version, then all you do is call MS and answer a few simple questions about it being uninstalled from the old computer and they give you a code to activate the new copy. I've done it several times now.


And trashing all your files to make sure nobody copies Windows is really chickens**t.

[cbianco]

Christopher,

Thats not exactly true. I've swapped processor with no problems, and I've also swapped harddivers from computer to computer with no problems. One of my mobo's is a via kt400chipset with athlon1100 processor and the other was a nvida nforce2 chipset with an athlon xp2600+ on it.

I have also tried swapping from the 1100setup to an older celelron machine and that did not work. I think it is like Josh said, if there are no MAJOR driver conflicts, it will probably work.

cs

You experience is a good one. I assist in a small computer lab and our experience has never gone that smooth, even with minor upgrades. I may not be 100 percent correct with my earlier reasoning (see above^) but I have experienced these problems.

jroescher

If the hard drive will not work in the new computer, getting the old information off of a hard drive is not that difficult. As long as the hard drive works the information can be saved. Unfortunately, you need to be able to put the hard drive in a working computer.

Christopher

[jroescher]

You said your wife has a working computer right? Just pop your drive into her computer as a slave or on the CD Rom controller, anyone with administrative access on her computer will be able to copy anything from the profiles on the old drive

Uh-Oh!! You mean the wife could see my files? That could get me in a LOT of trouble!! :unsure

[jroescher]

I think that's what I'll do, slave the drive and save off my critical files. Then I want to try to move the disk and OS into a new computer. I just didn't want to lose certain files. It will give me something to do since some of the parts were backordered.

From what I've been reading, when a drive and OS is moved into a new computer, RESTORE will destroy the contents, REPAIR will maybe work.