Advanced Computer question

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Folks,

I have a coworker with a 2009 Emachines POS with a fried Mobo, it was running Win Vista...I think 32 bit? I'm getting a replacement Mobo, but it's not the same hardware...the old was an ECS brand with Nvid onboard video, the new board is an INTEL with Intel onboard video and chipset.

Regrettably she didn't know about creating the recovery discs with the old system. I've test the HD, it works fine. Usually when I perform this level of repair I ReInstall the OS so it can analyze the hardware and install the proper drivers. Even IF she had created the Recovery Discs, they would only be to bring the old system back to Factory Fresh...and would only load the expected hardware drivers for the old Mobo....not an actual WINDOWS style install.

Is there anyway of either using safemode to update/install the new needed drivers for the new Mobo?? Or is there someway of doing a REinstall from the Hard Drive using a Vista Recovery boot disc to access the hard drive? The Hard drive does have a recovery partition, but not sure if I'll be able to access it with the new Mobo, it may not have the same Recovery Option on BOOT, and again not sure if it would work anyways as stated above due to the Factory Fresh type of instal which is really just a Ghosting of the harddrive with all of the OLD hardware drivers expected to be needed for the old Mobo vs. the new Mobo.

Years ago, I did a similar HD swap with Windows XP, and during the Boot Process it recognized that the hardware was different, and it found and installed the required NEW drivers for the new box/mobo and actually worked!? Hope this occurs with this Mobo swap??

T.C.

[Gmac]

Best Advice

You need to download the drivers for the new hardware, burn them off to a CD and have them handy and just use the generic drivers on first boot.

If it is also possible to upgrade the OS to Win-7 I would recommend doing so.

Good luck.

[cajun31]

Go out to Microsoft support and verify Hcl against the Mobo you have for Vista. Never liked Vista by the way. Checking the hardwarr compatibility list will give you a heads up on what to expect. If not on their list then simply means not tested for Vista. Might want to check win 7 Hcl too. If not on Vista and is on win 7 then advise upgrading to win 7. Better OS anyway.

[Jerry]

Just for reference, Intel has a site for drivers for intel-based motherboards. Link is http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect

I have not had many problems swapping out motherboards. Normaly a CD of drivers comes with the new board or I can get them from the above site. I would plug in the memory and HD and try booting up into safe mode.

Ditto on not liking Vista. Upgrade to 7 if you can.

[cajun31]

posted first

response from my phone last night. Checking Microsoft support and it seems that they no longer have the HCL for Vista available. Everything from their site pushes towards Windows 8.1. Might try the Intel site specifically your board and see if there is any information listed as to backwards compatibility to various operating systems. That is the nature of the game... and the inherent problems you face when trying to upgrade older systems with newer hardware. Seems like it should work but the industry is based on the American capitalist method built in obsolescence to force you to buy new. Something the Japanese didn't know anything about when they built our XS11s.

[stereomind]

If you still have the COA sticker with the activation code, just download a Vista ISO that matches whichever version was installed on the PC originally.. My guess would be Vista Home Premium 32bit OEM, but YMMV

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/30...n-dvd-usb.html

BTW, downloading the ISO is not illegal.. Activating it without the COA sticker is.

peace

Vlad

[Diskman01]

Win 7 pro ISO downloaded from Microsoft. Burn to DVD. Google DAZ loader 2.2.

Link for Win 7 32bit. http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-59183.iso

Win.

Entertainment purposes only.

[webbcraft2150]

But what is the best oil to use?

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Vlad,

Thanks. I had just found that link for the Vista ISO as well as a little program to make an ISO Bootable so when burned to DVD, it would work like a regular Bootable Install Disc!

Okay, I got the Mobo installed, put the Hard drive in, would NOT boot either regular or Safemode because of the wrong type(INTEL) vs. Nvidia chipset drivers, and no way of uninstalling them since the original Mobo was DEAD, not like the luxury situation of just Upgrading to a newer Mobo while the old one was still working! I then tried the Startup Repair process, but it can't fix incompatible hardware/drivers problems, mostly just bootsector and such type problems!

SO...I bit the bullet and made the Vista Install disc, and ran it, still working on finalizing the install and will then SEE if it will Activate! The problem with activation is two fold....the Vista version was most likely an OEM type and may have also been linked with the Mobo/Processor?? The New Mobo has the same old CPU, as well as Ram, DVD drive, Hard Drive,even same Modem, but will show a different Graphics card, different Mobo/chipset, different LAN, both because they are built-in to the Mobo/Onboard just like the OEM mobo was. But I know that with Windows....it doesn't like to see more than 2 pieces of hardware changed at a time before it balks on Activation...comparing the previous activation codes for the old Hardware pieces with the NEW one. Windows allows 1-2 pieces to be changed at a time, and will accept them as normal types of upgrades. But when there are 3 or more hardware changes THEN it thinks that the OS software is being installed for a second time on another computer and that's why/how they try to prevent illegal copying/ using 1 install/activation license for more than 1 machine?

I experienced the same thing when I built my newest desktop system a few years ago ...and I wanted to use/install the same windows XP Upgrade version that I had installed on my previous machine 4+ years earlier! Yes I'm a cheap bastard....but I still LOVE XP and will NOT pay M$haft any more $$ than I have to to have an operational functional computer...and with the OS that I paid for....I should be able to use it whenever/whereever I want!!
This is why I haven't upgraded to Win7, and I REFUSE to even think about Win8.#....what a P.O.S.!!!! I really should buy a full version of Win7 before they sell out, so that IF/WHEN I have to build another system for myself, I can then have Win7 and won't have to worry about Win8.# or 9, or whatever P.O.S. they come up with!!!!

So...I ended up having to CALL the activation phone #, and explain that the old computer was DEAD, and that this was just a new MOBO and such in the OLD computer ....not a NEW computer, and that I wasn't installing it in more than 1 machine at a time....they then gave me a new activation key for my new WinXP machine. Of course NOW it's no longer supported, so I don't know if they even care about folks COPYING it anymore???

Anyways, I'll report back what happens and IF I have to get a different install/activation key or what?? Thanks for playing along!

T.C.

[cajun31]

Wow

Just for info ... when I first started using Windows 8 I was saying WTF is this. When they released version 8.1 it makes the OS much more tolerable and at least as functional as previous versions.

[TopCatGr58]

Update

Okay,

Ran the Activation program, it found the old Key was not valid for the new hardware set I had, it then generated a new 8 section ID string for the computer system with all of the new types of hardware, I then called the AUTOMATED Activation Ph#, and then just provided the NEW ID string set of #'s, and then it gave me a new 8 section string of KEY #'s to put in, and then hit Activate, and it said I was GOOD to go....it activated it just fine!!!!
WooHoo...., I don't like Vista that much either, but it's what this coworker had on it, and we/she can't afford buying a newer OS, at least it was newer than WinXP-Pro that I could have installed, and it's still supported by M$haft for now!

T.C.