I’ve just recently upgraded my computer (new motherboard+CPU). I’ve just got it home from the computer shop, and the clerk there told me that seeing as I had new hardware, I would need to re-install XP. The only problem is that my computer can’t seem to get to a command prompt in order for me to do that. When I load up my computer, I get to the screen where it says ‘XP was not shut down properly, choose which mode you want to boot up in’, and then there’s safe mode, safe mode with command prompt, etc. But no matter which one I choose, my computer fails to load and I get a ‘technical error’ screen, and I am forced to reboot. I’ve had a look around BIOS but can’t figure anything out… can anyone help me? Would be much appreciated.
Beastal, you will need to reload using your Windows XP CD.
Typically, you can boot from the Windows XP CD and get it to commence a reinstall. It can either repair an existing installation or wipe it and create a new one. Which one you choose is up to you. The first one will (attempt to) preserve your settings.
This isn’t an especially long answer in that it doesn’t cover all bases, but gives you somewhere to start. Let us know how it goes.
I’ll note that after you install, windows will ask you to reactivate it. DO NOT do this until AFTER you have installed all necessary drivers and software updates. Otherwise, you will have to reactivate again, and with a lifetime limit of 5 reactivations, you can quickly reach your allowed limit.
Is this true? Does Windows XP only have a lifetime limit of 5 reactivations? What if a cinsumer does 6 hardware upgrades in the course of a year or two?
In that case, you’d have to contact Microsoft and a support specialist will walk you through a procedure to manually change your registration key. I don’t think they charge you for this, you I could be mistaken.
Next time remember this, it’s part of the info with XP from MS:
“If you reinstall or upgrade the operating system, you should back up your licenses before reinstalling or upgrading. You should also periodically back up your licenses to a floppy disk in case they should become lost or corrupted.”
Plus:
“To back up your licenses
On the Tools menu, click License Management.”
You can read the rest of this from XP as we can only post a paragraph or so on the board.
What I’ve ended up having to do is hook my hard drive up to my mate’s computer, format it, and then install windows 98 on to it. From 98, I then ‘upgraded’ to XP.
My audio and some other devices are not yet properly set up, but surely I can just download the drivers from the net? No need to reactivate?
Right, but until drivers are installed, some hardware is invisible to Windows. I’m not sure if this sort of hardware is the kind unsed in registration key generation, though.
I had to do this for a friend yesterday with a HP Presario with XP Home… I read the manual & it said to push f10 when you turn it on, sure enough, up came the Restore program & there were a couple of options to Restore. Odd thing is, it keeps a complete copy of the original working system with all the programs on the HD, so NO restore cd needed. That copy isn’t the same as what you get with the regular Restore program.
Beastal, you’d have to change the bios to boot from the cd drive, which should be easy, then you can BOOT from the Xp cd.