Re: Replaced motherboard, xp BSODs, what to do?

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"Zootal" <Don't send me any freaking spam at zootal dot com remove the don't send me any freaking spam> wrote in message news:eTnBvfChHHA.4064@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I replaced my motherboard. The old board had a Via chipset, the new one has an SIS chipset. XP will now BSOD if I try to start it, it won't even start in safe mode. Is there any way to fix it without reinstalling XP from scratch?




Normally, and assuming a retail license, or an unbranded, generic OEM license (many factory-installed OEM installations are BIOS-locked to a specific chipset and therefore are *not* transferable to a new motherboard -
check yours before starting), unless the new motherboard is virtually identical (same chipset, same IDE controllers, same BIOS version, etc.) to the one on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, you'll need to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at the very least:

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341

Changing a Motherboard or Moving a Hard Drive with WinXP Installed
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

The "why" is quite simple, really, and has nothing to do with licensing
issues, per se; it's a purely technical matter, at this point. You've
pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the OS. (If you don't
like -- or get -- the rug analogy, think of it as picking up a Cape Cod
style home and then setting it down onto a Ranch style foundation. It just
isn't going to fit.) WinXP, like Win2K before it, is not nearly as
"promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to accepting any old hardware
configuration you throw at it. On installation it "tailors" itself to the
specific hardware found. This is one of the reasons that the entire
WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so much more stable than the Win9x group.

As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any
important data before starting.

This will also probably require re-activation, unless you have a Volume
Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more than 120 days
since you last activated that specific Product Key, you'll most likely be
able to activate via the Internet without problem. If it's been less, you
might have to make a 5 minute phone call.


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Bruce Chambers

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Relevant Pages

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