Transfer of Win 7/64 SSD to new motherboard failed

highstream · 15 Apr 2012

I decided to start with an XP repair install, in the hope that might deal with the internet issue. The original XP CD crashes after not too long with a pci.sys error blue screen. An SP3 slipstream from three years ago runs all the way through registering components, then restarts the computer and the installation sequence all over again (happened twice). Never get to the Workgroup screen. So now I don't seem to have an XP drive either.

My brain aside, this install does not seem to lend itself to the usual solutions. For some reason on this board, certain HDD connectors only work right in certain positions, plus the SSD and the 3T HDD that XP is on need to be set for ACHI, so I use the two 6gb Marvell RAID/ACHI ports for them. But then XP doesn't see either of them in Win Explorer, tho BIOS does. That makes moving files a puzzler. Going back to the old mobo and starting again may be the best solution. Btw, my old board, also Gigabyte, also had a similar fickleness about where each SATA drive was physically plugged in. I never figured out the logic of it (master-lsave?)

P.S. I meant Auto-Play above, not Autorun.

gregrocker · 15 Apr 2012

Can you delete all partitions and Clean install Win7, then virtualize XP if you need it from within 7 using one of the virtualization freewares?

What is it exactly that you need XP for as we're finding that some programs thought to only work in XP can install and run in 7 in XP Compatibility Mode

XP really is a dying OS and hardly worth bothering with on new hardware which increasingly rejects it.

highstream · 15 Apr 2012

XP has been my backup for moments like this. I have spare HDDs and lots of space, so why not? Most of what it was copied over or replaced on the SSD, or wasn't needed anymore.

The problem with a clean install of Win 7 is the files I need are on that drive and the backups are in Easeus and Windows image format. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm not sure the files and folders in those images can be cherry picked between drives. Other than the time involved, what worries me is if I can't get to those files short of a full drive recovery. If I can't what's been gained: i.e., would I be recreating the same problem over again, i.e., losing the Gigabyte drivers and ending up unable to use the mouse to get them back?

gregrocker · 15 Apr 2012

Your files should be backed up separately before any operations like these.

You can mount the Win7 backup image .vhd file in Disk Mgmt to copy out your files: Virtual Hard Disk - Create and Attach VHD.

Then you can clean install Win7 to SSD to get the best performing install following these steps which are the same for retail: Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

Be sure to unplug XP during Win7 install or it will place the Win7 boot files on XP which seems shipwrecked.

You can also try plugging in only the XP HD set first to boot, boot XP CD to open the first Repair Command Prompt, type bootrec.exe /fixmbr and bootrec.exe /fixboot, pressing the Enter key after both commands, then restart. If XP fails to boot then boot into XP CD second Repair prompt to as shown in this tutorial for an XP Repair Install

highstream · 15 Apr 2012

Thanks. Hadn't thought of a virtual disk option.

Update: I decided to buy some time and flexibility by going back to the old (AMD) mobo. Plus, virtual disk is easier to run from here. I'm writing this in Win 7/64, so obviously the mouse and internet work here (haven't tried XP yet).