New mobo, cpu, ram -- XP won't boot

[Camion]

I replaced an MSI board, an Athlon 1600+, and 512 ram with an Intel 865perl, P4 2.8, and Kingston value ram (2x512). Everthing else is the same. The mobo splash screen comes on, and I can get to setup, but in the process of trying to boot I get a dos like screen that starts out very politely with, "We apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows did not start successfully. A recent hardware or software change might have caused this." It goes on to suggest that I try safe mode and some other choices, which all lead back to the same screen starting over. Tried re-seating the cpu and ram, and staring at it for a long time, but nothing leads anywhere good. Running (or, rather, trying to run, XP Home). Setup can see my drives, cpu, and the ram. Boot sequence is floppy, IDE, cd. Anybody know what I should try? Thanks

 

[Fern]

Did you reformat/reinstall?

If not, your OS still has the chipset drivers from the previous mobo. You need the chipset drivers from the current mobo in there.

I always reformat etc. But here's an Anandtech article on how to change mobo's w/o a reformat etc. LINK

Fern

 

[Camion]

Thanks Fern No, I didn't reformat/reinstall. After reading that article, I thought no way I could expect success with my level of expertise in these things. It would be easier to start over and build a new computer from pieces I have laying around. Looks like all I'll need to buy is a more modern PSU, a drive, and another OS. The misc. notes at the bottom....is that one paragraph suggestion meant to replace all of the procedures in the article? Thanks

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: Camion
Thanks Fern No, I didn't reformat/reinstall. After reading that article, I thought no way I could expect success with my level of expertise in these things. It would be easier to start over and build a new computer from pieces I have laying around. Looks like all I'll need to buy is a more modern PSU, a drive, and another OS. The misc. notes at the bottom....is that one paragraph suggestion meant to replace all of the procedures in the article? Thanks

If you mean this (below) the answer is yes

Misc. Notes:

- Reportedly, Windows 2000 and XP can be tricked into doing this stuff for you. The procedure is this: Shut down, install your new hardware, power on, and enter your system BIOS. Make sure your First Boot Device is set to CDROM. Insert the Windows 2000/XP setup CD and boot from this disk. (You may have to "press a key to boot from CD" as the prompt says.) Skip the initial prompt asking to repair your existing installation. Then proceed to the screen where you select a partition, and choose your existing Windows partition. Setup will detect your existing installation and ask you to repair. Say yes. When Windows Setup is complete, you should have a fully working installation with all your old user and application profiles. Everything should be intact, except your hardware and driver settings, leaving it fresh for your new motherboard.

What version of windows are you using?

If you've got XP or 2k, try the repair thingy first.

You could always just reformat & reinstall. Just back up any data etc you need before starting though.

 

[Camion]

It's running XP Home SP1. Will the process described in the Misc notes leave all of the programs intact, my son's game settings, and the drivers? He would kill me if he had to spend hours (days?) getting things back to where they were. Will it automatically wipe the data files, or is my backup just to be on the safe side. BTW, this all started when I tried to increase the ram on the msi board. When everything went wrong I checked on the MSI forum, and there were numerous posts madder that a wet hen about that board not being able to handle over 512. I wanted more ram for huge photoshop file manipulation.

 

[Fern]

Yeah, it's suppose to leave all the other stuff intact. That's really the point of avoiding the reformat/reinstall. HOWEVER, having always just reformatted, and NOT being an XP user, I'm not the one to answer.

If you use the search feature above and try "reformat" or "new mobo" etc. you'll likely find a lot of comments about this topic. It's a fairly common topic.

Good Luck with it. I have a son and he gets real upset if I delete his saved games. H3ll, I get upset if my saved games get deleted