Brain replacement for my main PC this week...

[Xipe Totec]

Xipe-Totec, my main desktop, is bleeding to death...

I opened it up to put a new graphics card, and discovered that the CPU cooler has busted a strap, and there is a whole row of capacitors next to the CPU that are leaking...

The motherboard can blow any minute now...

Replacement motherboard is on the way, with new memory since the old memory is not compatible with the new motherboard.

At least I can reuse the CPU and all the peripherals.

Sigh...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear Xipe Totec!

Well, at least those parts can be replaced! What a nuisance, though, still...

Now, if it had been your brain...:scared:

You'd be a lot harder to replace, sweetie!

:hug:

[Xipe Totec]

2. Thank you, Peggy!

I'm not looking forward to it. Chances are the OS will freak out, thinking I'm trying to clone it.

I'll probably have to call Microsoft's service center in Mumbay to get the operating system reactivated.

A pain in the brain...

:hi:

[Deja Q]

4. "Mumbai" - as for reactivation, upgrading a BIOS or even a video driver is more than enough to

trigger a reactivation.

Given it's a new mobo with new memory, the northbridge will likely be different too.

You're far better off reformatting/reinstalling than just swapping boards. With those base level changes.

Given the CPU has the same serial number (and can't be hidden like how it once could be, years ago), maybe Vista won't whine about reactivation...

[Xipe Totec]

6. It's an XP-Pro

I still have the certificates, so I should be able to get Microsoft to give me a new reactivation ID.

But push comes to shove, I may upgrade to Windows-7.

[Deja Q]

7. Have you read the upgrade procedure for Win7? And there is a limit to reactivations.

It requires a preceding OS to be installed.

An activated OS.

(If you recall, Vista upgrade edition had a bug making it possible to install a full, clean install using the upgrade edition. Using that method to install a Win7 upgrade clean will fail.)

Also, if you plan on going 64-bit (which I'd recommend, given what a hog Vista and Win7 are), you still cannot upgrade and cross over that route - has to be a full install.

You have the certificates, but after x number of activations, Microsoft WILL harass.

I got tired of their antics.

Especially as:
A) it doesn't work
B) they claim to be against piracy yet openly state in articles they encourage it in other markets


I'd wait for Win7 SP1 anyway. Microsoft is known for having very shoddy x.0 releases. When I adopted vista, it was prior to SP1. I lost data. SP1 fixed those problems, but it was still a bloated piece of rubbish.

[Xipe Totec]

8. I hear you!

I have never re-installed the XP OS on this machine, I'm still running the OEM install from 4 years ago.

If I go for an upgrade, I'll buy the current Vista which comes with an upgrade cert for Windows-7.


Good advice, thanks!

[Xipe Totec]

20. This is the Windows XP procedure I plan to follow:

Langa Letter: XP's No-Reformat, Nondestructive Total-Rebuild Option

http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897&pgno=1

Wish me luck; I'm starting the process in another hour or so...

:scared:

[Xipe Totec]

21. Fuking Windows!

The Windows reinstall keeps blowing up!

I have seen this movie before....

Windows does not know how to handle DVD drives.

I keep switching the install disk from the DVD drive back to the CDx40 drive, making a little progress each time....

I'll keep you posted...

PS: This is before installing the new motherboard, just switching from an OEM install of the OS to a generic version...

I'll let you guys know what happens...

:scared:

[Xipe Totec]

22. Yess! teh switch back and forth between DVD/CD worked!

Got past that point and on to the new product key for non-OEM Windows install...

Stay tuned...

[Deja Q]

23. That is weird...

Keeping my fingers crossed for ya, but if you have to re-install, have you considered disabling one of the optical drives and letting Windows install use only the integrated one? After the install, plugging in the drive would resolve that little hassle altogether...

It sounds like a hardware compatibility issue; not a usual one, just one that Windows is having a hissyfit about. I've never had drive issues with Windows, but disparate hardware and their controllers can bring in problems - theoretically. (Example: I bought two of the same make/model USB/firewire external chassis. They work great as USB units, but I can't have them both as firewire units because those who made the hardware hard-keyed identifier information. A bit of a pisser, but at least I can use the other one as a USB drive.)

[Xipe Totec]

25. I'm going to have to try that

I thought I was in the clear...

It got all the way through to the log in screen. I logged in with my old password, and I saw my old desktop wallpapaer, which was great...

Then it came to a "Need to activate Windows screen, do you want to activate now, yes or no..." If I chose no, it logs me off immediately and goes back to the log in screen. If I choose yes, it spins endlessly and never comes back.

This, by the way, is before even installing the new motherboard; still testing on the old hardware....


I've disconnected the power to the DVD burner and I'm going to try another re-install.

I'll keep you posted!

(PS: posting from my backup computer, Dujour)

[Xipe Totec]

28. Well, today was a bust

Still unable to perform the complete Windows repair, in order to replace the OEM version with a non-OEM version of Windows/XP.

I'm restoring from Ghost for tonight.

Tomorrow, I'll try a new installation disk with SP3, to see if I have better luck.

At least I can go back to the current image for the moment.

No harm, no foul.

Thanks for all the advice!

:hi:

[Xipe Totec]

29. Sucess!

All I had to do was:

1.- Disconnect DVD burner
2.- Disconnect from the network
3.- Restore from Ghost image
4.- Uninstall Internet Explorer 8
5.- Uninstall Service Pack 3
6.- Uninstall Internet Explorer 7
7.- Uninstall Internet Explorer (from Windows component screen)
8.- Install XP repair using Langa Leter: http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897&pgno=4&queryText=&isPrev=
9.- Reconnect to the internet.
10.- Go through automated Windows XP registration to get new key.
11.- Re-install Internet Explorer.
12.- Install Windows updates (SP3, etc...)...

Pretty simple actually... :eyes:

Now all I have to do is:

1.- create a new Ghost image
2.- install the new MOBO
3.- repeat the process described above....
4.- pray.

[darkstar3]

31. I hate to say this to you

but you went the long way 'round.

OEM copies of WinXP were actually more lax on hardware switches than generic ones. The reason is that Dell, Gateway, and HP reserve the right to upgrade your hardware during the warranty repair process without informing you. Those are always minor upgrades, and in the end you'll probably still have the same essential PC, but the serial numbers for many things would have changed.

I had an OEM version of XP-SP2 before I switched over to linux, and I swapped all kinds of hardware out on it and it didn't even care. There are 2 things that will cause an OEM XP-SP2 installation to require re-activation:

1. New processor
2. New HDD controller type (not necessarily a new serial number)

And here's the kicker, as long as you still have your product key, the repair/re-activation process is actually quite simple. Check out this site:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
for more info on that front.

So basically, all you have to do is put in the new mobo, make sure everything is connected, then start the computer and cross your fingers. There's a decent chance that, since you're still using a similar mobo and the exact same processor, you won't have to re-activate. But if you do have to reactivate, that's pretty simple to, and covered on the site I linked to.

This, BTW, is exactly why Vista and 7 licensing schemes suck completely, because it was so easy to re-activate windows even if you WERE actually cloning it.

And those licensing schemes are one of the many reasons I switched to linux. But that's a discussion for another thread.

[Xipe Totec]

32. That would be true, if I actually had an OEM copy of Win XP

But that did not come with the machine (4 years ago), and the re-install partition on the original hard drive has long since been removed as totally useless (does a clean wipe of the drive).

The steps I've taken so far, replace the OEM version of the OS with a generic version. The big difference is that generic allows you to replace the motherboard under EULA, whereas the OEM version is only valid for a motherboard replacement with an exact same make and model as the original.

Now I'm in a position to follow the mobo replacement instructions as you described.

Thanks for comments, advice, and support!

:hi:

[NJmaverick]

3. Could have been worse

you could have fried the CPU

[Xipe Totec]

5. No kidding!

It's a Prescott; the hottest running CPU Intel ever made.

But it was slightly cheaper to replace the motherboard and memory than to start over from scratch.

[DainBramaged]

9. Dual core 775 or single core??, I hated mine, ran hot enough to warm up coffee

Still have a 2.8 on a board somewhere I used to use it for gaming till I bought AMD Black CPUs. I used to joke about how hot they ran, and on a Dell at work, we opened one up, pulled up the fan shroud and sat a coffee cup on top of the heatsink (they use the case fan at the back panel). 15 minutes, hot enough to drink. Elegant heat sink though, all kinds of liquid filled pipes and a copper core plate on top of the CPU. It was needed.



Finally, the heat problems were so severe, Intel decided to abandon the NetBurst microarchitecture altogether, and attempts to introduce a 4 GHz processor were abandoned, as a waste of internal resources. Intel realized that it would be wiser to head towards a "wider" CPU architecture with a lower clock speed to keep heat levels down while still increasing the throughput of the CPU. Also of concern was the fact that a review showed that in games, it took a Prescott core overclocked to 5.2 GHz to soundly beat the performance of a 64-bit Athlon FX-55 that clocked at 2.6 GHz.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_4

[Xipe Totec]

10. Worse, my friend,

Socket 478, 2.4GHz, hyperthreaded....

[DainBramaged]

13. Listen, I may have a 3.0 478/1m/800 laying around, I just SOLD 3 on EBAY

for $19.52 each with free shipping. Give me a couple of days to strip the last PC and I will GLADLY ship you that. If not, let me dig into my inventory too. I also have AMD's. Upgraded most of my gaming systems to Core2 Duo systems, one AMD 6000 Black left. Hell I have 2.4 and 2.6 533/800's laying around from work systems I've stripped.

I also think I have a 2.8/800 I'll let you know, dragging out the cpu/memory box.

[Xipe Totec]

14. Thanks!

Let me upgrade the MOBO first, since that's the most pressing.

Let me know what you find in your stash.

:hi:

[DainBramaged]

15. I have a 2.8/1M/533 right here you can HAVE, postage will only cost me about $2

And I pulled it out of one of EIGHT parts systems I have stacked in one closet for parts for work and for friends (ask Salmon Enchanted Evening!). PM you address to me, I'll get it out probably tomorrow with silicone paste.

[Xipe Totec]

16. Done!

And thanks!

:hi:

[DainBramaged]

17. My pleasure need anything else? Video card, memory?

I got stuff LOL.


PS REINSTALL your OS if yo run into trouble, and when it comes time to register it with Microsoft, just register on line without your name etc. Microsoft will not know it has been previously installed. Trust me.

[HopeHoops]

11. Abby Normal?

[Xipe Totec]

12. Homer Simpson

[Initech]

18. I cannot say enough good things about the Intel i7.

[Xipe Totec]

19. That's ambiguous

which way did you mean it?

;-)

[Roon]

24. My processor fried a month ago

My ex is in the PC/cellphone repair/sales business and he hooked me right up with another computer,a better one even!

If it wasn't for Jerry, I wouldn't have a computer or a phone and my life would royally suck.

[Xipe Totec]

26. A clean install of the OS would be a cinch

but I have spent too much time, and installed too much other software on this PC to just give up and start over from scratch.

It's a matter of pride, you see. I previously kept a PC continuously upgraded from Windows 95 all the way to Windows 2000, without ever wiping the hard drive clean, only installing upgrades and doing backups and restores (12 years).

I want to do the same thing with this machine. :hi:

[Roon]

27. My computer is an entertaining toy

aa long as I don't try to download and save stuff, it's no big deal if your system crashes. I backed up all my music and pictures and that was it. I wipe my harddrive probably once a year or so..if that.

[leeroysphitz]

30. You should have bought a mac. This sort of thing never happens with Macs and when it does...

It's much cheaper to fix. :sarcasm: :vitriol:

[Xipe Totec]

33. IT'S... ALIVE!!!!!

New motherboard,

New CPU (thanks to DainBramaged)

New power supply,

New Graphics card,

but exactly the same user settings and applications as before the brain replacement.

No wiping the drive and starting over for me, thank you very much!

Everything is exactly where I left it before the upgrade....



YAY! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[TommyO]

35. Congratulations! I just had to replace my Mom's PC

I had bought an open box Gateway a number of years ago at Circuit City for a great price, I used it primary as a media box before Tivo2Go worked on a Mac. It served me well, and it served her well until it started getting flaky, running slowly, freezing up, restarting, blue-screening and more. No new software had been installed on the computer and everything (correctly) pointed towards a hardware problem.

We found a brand new Gateway SX2800-3 at Costco for $449, it's a Core 2 Quad based machine (2.33Ghz, more than fast enough for her needs with 4Gb of memory and a 640Gb hard drive). Getting it setup was easy, getting rid of the bloatware that came on it was also easy, getting real anti-virus software was also a snap (she already had a license so I just reinstalled it), getting her copy of Office 2003 onto the machine was a snap, the real chore was getting all of the user data over which took a day of labor, off and on.

It's definitely a huge step up from where she was, but now she gets to deal with Vista until Windows 7 ships.

[JessicaD42]

34. Re: Brain replacement for my main PC this week...

Xipe Totec,

To learn more about Windows 7 and how it can meet your needs Microsoft does have a site with whitepapers, tutorials, walkthroughs and screen casts on all the “under the hood” features in Win 7. Check out the Springboard site for Windows 7 on TechNet here http://tinyurl.com/832nco

Jessica
Microsoft Windows Client Team

[TommyO]

36. Microsoft must be getting desperate if they're trolling DU for business