Can't do repair install - Windows not found

[Thanh-BKK]

Hello :)

I am in big trouble here. Last friday my computer bropke down - mainboard. I went top get new hardware (mainboard, CPU, RAM, a new graphics card for good measures too) and built a completely new rig, using only the old drives.

Of course Windows would not boot, i can't even get into safe mode. So i booted from the XP CD, expecting some repair opportunity - narda, instead it performed a clean new install on drive c:

Now i am sitting there - having TWO Windows XP installation on the same drive! The old one is still there, named "Winnt" (it was an upgrade from Win2000) and the new one, named "Windows.0". I need the data and customisations as well as installed programs under the old one, many for which i don't have the install media any more (i had that machine running since six years and installed many things in that time, some are not even in the market any longer such as my favourite photo editing software).

I already rebuuilt the boot.ini using the recovery console, there are no bad sectors or other faults on my hard drive, in fact the new installed Windows works fine and i can access all files from the previous one too..... but still i'd prefer the old one!

When i run setup (either from CD or from within the new Windows) it still doesn't detect any previous installed ones, noty even the new one. I tried several different Windows CD's and also tried both my drives (a DVD drive and a DVD burner) as boot device but it's the same - neither Windows install is found by setup, tough they are both found by recovery console.

I need to get into the old one (if someone could explain me hwo to do it via recovery console because that let's me in?) and install drivers for the IDE and other mainboard-related things so it can boot. When i try to boot it (it's given as a choice when starting the machine, both installs show up) it goes untill the splash screen, this shows up for half a second and then it just restarts. Clearly the drivers.

So basically, how can i do a repair install if my installs aren't detected by setup?

Or is there a way to "import" all settings, programs etc from the old install to the new one? I can access every single file fine., and both installs seem to share the same "Program files" folder, but of course different registries.

But i'd prefer a "repair install" on the old one anyway. I hoipe someone here can help me..........

Thanks in advance.....

your Thanh

[Scarecrow Man]

http://www.simplyguides.net/guides/repair_...lation_xp.shtml - How to repair an XP installation.

http://forums.windowsforum.org/index.php?showtopic=15213 - Recover from a crashed system.

These links should help you repair the original. Once you are back up and running, we will have to go into the boot.ini to remove the new isntallation you say is not working.

[Thanh-BKK]

http://www.simplyguides.net/guides/repair_...lation_xp.shtml - How to repair an XP installation.

http://forums.windowsforum.org/index.php?showtopic=15213 - Recover from a crashed system.

These links should help you repair the original. Once you are back up and running, we will have to go into the boot.ini to remove the new isntallation you say is not working.

Hello :)

Thanks for the reply and the links. The first link did not help - i have found that method in tons of places on the web, but my problem is precisely that setup CAN NOT FIND the previous installs and therefor the "Repair" option is not available. If it were, it would be an easy thing to do and i would not need to post here :)

The second link is an excellent guide which i will try. However does it work in case the mainboard has, as in my case, been replaced? Because as i understand, the registry will first be backed up and later re"installed" - inclusive all the wrong driver entries? I asume that that particular guide works if no hardware has been changed since the crash..... which is not the case for me as i have changed pretty much everything except for the drives.

I have to add that i am using a full, non-OEM Windows version so there should not be any problem with "hardware locking" etc, i will need to reactivate it for sure but first i need to get it going again :)

The new install by the way DOES work, and quite fine at that - it is all about my installed softwares which i don't want to lose, and drivers that were real headaches to get working (USB-WiFi, USB-Bluetooth in particular, took me DAYS to get those bi!ches going the way i needed them to go).

Once again a brief wrap-up of my actual problem:

- Mainboard broke

- Changed Mainboard, CPU, RAM, VGA, PSU

- Windows won't boot because new mainboard has different chipset, IDE etc drivers incompatible

- Windows Setup (if boot from CD) WILL NOT FIND the existing install, will make a clean install instead.

- Now TWO Windows installs on drive c:, one (old) not booting, one (new) working fine but all software etc is in the OLD one.

- Setup (if boot from CD) WILL NOT FIND EITHER ONE, will attempt ANOTHER clean install.

- boot.ini already rebuilt via Recovery Console, no change, Setup won't find previous install.

- Recovery Console will find both installs ok.

- Both installs show up upon system start.

Apreciate any help........

Kind regards.........

your Thanh

[-pops-]

Thanh, see my reply to your other post :)