old XP Hdd & new Mb compatiblity issues help

[bob_snz]

hello every one.
i'm new to your forum,,, that i have reached from one of your posted threads! (http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=772307).
as i had a problem with my PC, in the same line! ,and i wonder if some one can help me?
Two weeks ago i had to flash my (giga byte GA-81945-Pro ) Mb bios after a flat battery replacement.
it all went OK and the sys requested a restart!
and that was it!!!!!!!!!!! i have never been able to get it to go again ( corrupted the BIOS).
i have contacted GB help site but the info they provided me did not help at all,,,
so i tried to buy a similar replacement Mb but with no luck.
the nearest mb that i have found and bought is GA-81915pl -G
now i have not yet installed my old SATA HDD with the XP onto the new MB,,as i have ben told i will be facing some chipset compatibility issues!
i have checked the GB comparison Sheet,,, and although the chip sets are different !!!,most of the other prs are the same.
Model GA-8I915PL-G(Rev 2.x) GA-8I945P Pro
CPU Type Socket 775 Socket 775
FSB 800/533 1066/800/533
Chipset Intel 915PL Intel 945P / ICH7R
Memory type Dual Channel, DDR400/333/266 Dual Channel, DDR2 667/533/400
Memory socket DDR*2 DDR2*4
Max. Memory 2 GB 4GB
Graphics interface PCI-Express x 16 PCI-Express x16
PCI-Express X16 (X8) 1 1
PCI-Express X1 (X2,X4) 2 2
PCI 3 3
ISA slot 0 0
AMR/CNR 0/0 0/0
VGA N/A N/A
Storage Interface 4*Serial ATA, 3*PATA (2 IDE133 connectors for HDDs only) 4*Serial ATA 3Gb/s / 3*PATA (2 IDE 133 connector for HDD only)
RAID Function Yes PATA RAID 0, 1, 0+1 / SATA RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5
LAN Marvell 8001 Gigabit Broadcom 5789
Audio Realtek ALC850 Realtek ALC882
Codec channel 8 8
IEEE 1394 N/A 1394b
USB 1.1 Same as USB 2.0 Same as USB 2.0
USB 2.0 8 (4 by cable) 8 (4 by cable)
DualBIOS N/A Yes
Form Factor ATX ATX
PCB size 30.5*22.0cm 30.5*22.0 cm
Remark *Supports CIA2 & MIB2

so what would you guys suggest that i do to be able to install my old XP Hdd and hopefully
be able to boot safely without loosing my old data?.
your feed back will be greatly appreciated.
cheers.

 

[Catweazle]

Most sensible way forward would be to use the situation as an opportunity to move to a new hard drive, and gain the advantage of re-using the old drive as additional secondary storage:

1. Install a new drive rather than the original drive
2. Instal and configure Windows on that new drive
3. Add the original drive as a secondary drive and recover/copy across any necessary data from it
4. When you've finished recovering data, format the original drive and enjoy the enhanced storage capacity.

If you are really anxious to have that original drive boot on the new hardware, you could of course first simply connect it up and try. It's a waste of time thinking about 'preparation' now, because that preparation really needs to be done whilst the original hard drive is still booting up on the old hardware. (In a nutshell, the best success was gained from uninstalling a heap of device drivers, shutting down, swapping the drive over to the new hardware, then booting from the Windows install disk rather than the hard drive, and running a repair install. But that procedure can't really be done if the old hardware is cactussed.)

But trying to boot from the drive won't really hurt anything. At worst, it will simply render the Windows installation unbootable. You'd still be able to bung Windows on a new hard drive instead, add that original drive to the rig as a secondary drive, and recover your data.

 

[bob_snz]

Hi catweazle:

thanks for your detailed respond,, i really appreciate it.

and sure enough it is very much so the most logical manner to handle my problem!, but unfortunately

i have previously done exactly what you have suggested about installing a new HDD with fresh OS and using my old HDD as a slave!,,

just to find that i was denied access to my old Data because it was PW protected,,even though i used the same PW on the new installation!,,,I also performed a taking owner ship process for my old folders,and the old OS gave me access to my old Data!!!

just to find that i was not able to read none of the folders,,,,,( not empty, but Blank!)!!!. ( i thing it has something to do with the XP ntfs,incription ! I could be wrong!!)

believe me i have looked around allot of the electronic stores in New zealand,,, for an identical MB replacement,,, but with no luck as

this GA-8I945P Pro model is discontinued.

now,,, i need your opinion ,regarding using the new GA-8I915PL-G(Rev 2.x MB with my old 500gb WD HDD and hopefully be able to log in Safe mode and from device manager, be able to up date the drivers for the new MB!!!!!??

i have never done it before!,, but i'm hoping the similarities between both the old & new MBs ,and also using the old CPU,&ram will give me some chance in gaining access?.

wish me luck.

and once again thanks for all your help.

cheers

 

[Catweazle]

hiya again.

Yep. If you've used 'encryption' on your data, and haven't backed up your encryption keys, you're kinda caught between a rock and a hard place. The above assumes that no 'unnecessary' protections have been enabled on the data.


About the only path forward for you, if you've encrypted the files on that drive, is to bung the hard drive in the machine, run a repair install (making sure that the install disk you are using has been 'slipstreamed' to include the service pack revision your Windows install is updated to, and then hope for the best.

I always advise people to think very carefully before they go playing around with data encryption. To be certain that they actually really NEED it first and foremost, and to ensure that their encryption keys are safely stored away if they decide that they DO really need it. I'm a person who is very skeptical about the extent of that actual 'need'. There are so many people I've seen bitten on the bum and losing access to all their data, when the real 'reason' behind the additional security on their files was something exceptionally lame like hiding their pr0n from their wives or something similar.



Good luck with it. The closer the new motherboard is to the old ine in feature set and chipset the more chance of success you will have.

My tip?

Ensure you have an already slipstreamed install disk ready to use. Do NOT allow the machine to boot to hard drive when you first fire it up in the new rig. Boot from the Windows disk instead and run an over the top 'in-place-upgrade' install. That'll further increase your chances of success.

 

[bob_snz]

hello Catweazle :
it is me again after more than a week of trying to master making an xp pro disc with aSP3 and the new MB drivers slipsteamed into it ,,,.
i have used the nLite utility !, it seems to work OK,,, but when it comes to usinig the finished ISO Cd!,,,,, set up is always freezing up in the middil of loading the files, with errors like set up can't continue File Si 3132r5.sys is curupted!
this file is in the I386 folder! i tried to download a good copy of it from the net but with no luck,,,, as i believe it gets deliverd with the SP3 package!.
i was wondering if your self or any one of the good guys on this forum, can help me out with some hints or sugestions please?
cheers.