Replaced mobo need to save hard drive help!

[oompaloompaclone]

My asus A7M266 mobo fried and I replaced it with an asus a7n8x-x mobo and upgraded my processor from 1.33 to xp 2500+. I hadn't backed up my hard drive recently and I need to save it. I have XP home edition and it won't start with my new hardware. How can I get into XP without reimaging my hard drive?

THANKS!

 

[Crashman]

Try reinstalling XP over the old copy, that will put it through hardware configuration again.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[blah]

don't listen to crash, he is no good, don't try, do reinstall it, but do so into different directory, not in the windows again. you can remove windows directory after install and live with the new one. ofcoarse you will have to reinstall the programs, but you'll save all your files that way. and please don't listen to me as well, i am no good too, just kidding here (and there sometimes

..this is very useful and helpful place for information...

 

[MarkyV223]

I'm not sure if any of the above really works w/o formatting the hardrive if you only have one partition on ur hardrive. What I do in that situation is I take the harddrive that has the information I need and I hook it up to another computer with a workign copy of xp. (I'm sure that you would have at least one friend that woudl allow you to come over and do that) So start up windows, and just copy all the files u need to that harddrive, go back and instal windows on ur hardrive and then copy all the files back. and you'll have to re-install programs of course.

 

[endyen]

Bothe Crashman and Blah are right. With Crashman's way, you save everything that isn't in the windows file, with Blah's way you save that as well, but end up with 2 bootable choices at startup (the second one wont work). You may be able to do a repair install, or you may be able to save inportant information from your windows directory while in safe mode as well.If you can get in in safemode just copy windows to a new directory for my documents etc. then do as Crashman suggests. I would follow that with a backup and clean install to clear the hdd, and lay down new tracks, but I'm fussy.

 

[blah]

It is not a matter of right or wrong. It is a matter of national security and law of physics.

PS: by the way since when the Cranchman became a "Bothe"?>

..this is very useful and helpful place for information...

 

[endyen]

I call him bothe because his real name is Swedish, and too hard to spell.