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filkertom ([personal profile] filkertom) wrote2010-09-22 03:26 pm
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Computer Update

I took the desktop to the local computer store ("local" in this case meaning literally three miles down the road, thank FSM) and determined that it wasn't the power supply, and it wasn't the video card. Something in the CPU or motherboard or memory. It'll cost $35 and a couple of days to narrow it down.

Heck with that. I can get a new CPU and motherboard for about a hundred bucks at MicroCenter in Madison Heights, and just swap everything out. I will most likely do that tomorrow -- I have some music I MUST work on today.

I have found conflicting versions of what this will do. Some online reports suggest you have to do a full reinstall (not gonna happen). Others refer to a repair install (if I can find the disk). The most optimistic say that WinXP SP3 will simply load the default drivers until you get the proper mobo drivers in place. Any insight as to that?
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[identity profile] shockwave77598.livejournal.com 2010-09-22 07:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Be certain you boot into SAFE mode when you start it up with the new mobo. Then install the proper motherboard drivers into windows from the CD they gave you with the mobo. Then you should be good to go. This has a 75% chance of working.

[identity profile] filkertom.livejournal.com 2010-09-22 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, that's what the places that agree on that recommend. Here's hoping.

[personal profile] hms42 2010-09-22 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Note - safe mode will not likely see a CD-ROM drive nor an external USB drive. So, if possible, copy the drivers CD to a tiny hard drive and connect it to the new motherboard. I figure you have a small capacity hard drive kicking around.

Good luck with the rebuild/upgrade.

How old was the current machine?
solarbird: (molly-braceforimpact)

[personal profile] solarbird 2010-09-22 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)
I've never seen safe mode not recognise an internal CD-ROM drive on XP. That's very surprising to me. How often has this happened for you?

[personal profile] hms42 2010-09-22 11:48 pm (UTC)(link)
The last time I tried it (a while ago), it didn't see it.

[identity profile] johnridley.livejournal.com 2010-09-23 07:24 pm (UTC)(link)
I've never seen it either. Standard CDROM drives use the standard ATAPI layer which has to be there for it to see hard drives too.
If you have some crufty old CDROM drive with a proprietary interface, or a SCSI or USB CDROM drive, then yeah.

[identity profile] doctorpinkerton.livejournal.com 2010-09-22 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Careful when replacing too much at once... XP doesn't like it when it thinks you're moving the hard drive to a 'new machine'. Changing just the CPU or just the motherboard won't usually raise its hackles, but swapping more than one out will require a re-activation.

Also BEWARE of changing to a different type of motherboard. It'd be absolutely best if you could keep to the same model/brand of mobo, if at all possible.

[identity profile] poly-scott.livejournal.com 2010-09-22 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
This

Reactivation isn't such a pain though, assuming you have a legit key. Worst case, it's a phone call.

[identity profile] filkertom.livejournal.com 2010-09-22 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Reactivation ain't no thang. I just don't want to reinstall all of my music software and games.

[identity profile] newjerseybadger.livejournal.com 2010-09-23 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
Um. If it gets that bad, may I recommend a serious backup solution afterwards? Or even if it doesn't get that bad? I lost everything earlier this year, had to do a clean install. Now I clone my hard drive regularly to a USB drive which I use for no other purpose.

At a minimum, use Synctoy to keep a full image of your downloaded and created property, _especially_ your IP (Intellectual Property). If you need details, message me privately and I'll get you everything I know (take about half an hour to write)

[identity profile] johnridley.livejournal.com 2010-09-23 07:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Cloning doesn't do any good if you're forced to reinstall due to hardware changes.
Well, it saves data, but there are lots of solutions to that. Crashplan is a good one that allows local, shared and offsite backups and is cross platform.

[identity profile] doctorpinkerton.livejournal.com 2010-09-23 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
What were you using, if you don't mind me asking?

[identity profile] filkertom.livejournal.com 2010-09-23 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Core 2 Duo 2.4 Ghz. Switching to an AMD Phenom II X2 555 (Black Edition) and a compatible mobo that still takes DDR2. Just trying to get the system up and running now....

[identity profile] liddle-oldman.livejournal.com 2010-09-23 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
Computers are wonderful inventions -- right up to the moment that they're *not*.
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