built new comp, swapped in old HD, trying to get it to load windows...

[camosilver311]

my old computer was giving me problems, not booting up everytime. this started after a few power surges in the middle of the night. basically, it wouldn't load past the "windows is loading" screen... it would just go blank after that. called a computer repair guy and he came out and said the capacitors on the MB were bulging and causing the intermittent no starts. so, i decided to just buy a new comp.

i had one built on ebay and shipped to me, everything but HDs... i have 4 and wanted to swap those into the new comp. i just got the computer in the mail today, and trying to swap over just the main HD with my OS on it first to get the comp up and running, and worry about the others later.

when i turn the computer on with the HD installed, it goes to the screen where you can select safe mode, start windows normally, etc. doesn't matter what i choose, the comp just restarts itself and starts this process over and over. i am starting to think there is a problem with the hard drive itself.

my old HD is a wester digital 120GB IDE drive. the comp recognizes the HD and shows my 3 OSs i have installed on that drive. in setup i switched the 1st boot device to the drive already.

so, what do you guys think is going on? bad HD? or a problem with windows?

and here's the specs on the new computer:

System Configuration :
Intel CPU : Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz, 1333FSB (Quad Core) 12000K
Intel CPU Fans : Scythe Katana 2 Intel EXTRA QUIET Vertical HeatPipe Copper fan
Intel Motherboards : ASUS P5QL PRO P43, 1600FSB PCI Express, Sound, 1Gb LAN
DDR2 memory : 4GB (2x2GB) PC8500 DDR2 1066 Dual Channel (Check board compatibility)
PCI-Express Video cards : GeForce 9400GT 1GB PCI EXpress 16X dual head, tv out
CD-RW Drives : Samsung 16x52x24x52 DVD/CDRW Combo Drive (black or white)
DVD Recorders : Samsung LightScribe 22x SATA DVD Recorder Dual Layer +R/RW -R/RW
Floppy Drives -Card Readers : 3.5" floppy disk - 12 in 1 media card reader combo Black (dual bay)
Sound Cards : Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
Network Cards : Ethernet network adapter (onboard)
Cases : Nikao Black Neon ATX Case w/ Temperature control, front USB & iEEE
Case Fans : Dual Case Fans 120 mm Extra Quiet DC fan (two fans)
Power Supply : Okia Extra Quiet 650W ATX Power Supply, SLI Ready
Keyboards : Black Windows Keyboard, 104 key, PS/2
Mice : 2-Button Wheel Mouse, PS/2 Black
Speakers : Black Multimedia amplified stereo speakers
System Condition: All system components are brand new. System is assembled and tested. All drivers and manuals are included.
If you ordered operating system (Windows) it will be installed and configured with all drivers

 

[Yami]

When an OS is installed it's installed for a particular hardware confiuration. Which means that if the hardware is drastically different, then it won't boot (though some Linux distros can work on different comps). Since you have an entirely new computer, it's definitely not going to work.

 

[Evolv]

The old hard drive won't work with a new computer if you're trying to boot off it. It will have the drivers from the other motherboard and won't be compatible. You have to do a fresh install of windows or a repair install, which can save your files. You might want to back them up anyways.

 

[camosilver311]

if i am just doing a repair, do i still need the original disc, or is there some type of repair disc i can download somewhere? i really want to get this comp going tonight, and my windows xp disc isn't here at my house, i'd have to drive 30 minutes each way to get it.

 

[Yami]

Well you could download a copy of XP from a torrent site or such; it's legal assuming you have a key for it. I imagine that would take longer than an hour, though.
But yeah, you need a full XP disc to do a repair install.

 

[Evolv]

Here ya go:
http://www.techist.com/forums/f9/how-install-xp-without-xp-cd-156805/

Edit: actually nevermind, you need the actual cd to do repair install.

 

[camosilver311]

thanks. i picked up my xp cd and clicked install xp, then repair previous install, but it's giving me an error code. it says "a problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. the problem seems to be caused by the following file: vidstub.sys"

did a quick google search and it seems to be related to bootskins, which i do have. so, i was wondering if there is any way i can just delete this file(if it's a non windows file), or if it is a windows file, just install a clean copy of that file. remember, i cannot log onto windows at all... i don't know how to access files without being logged on to windows

update:

i rebooted the comp and did the xp install/repair again, and it went through and everything was installed ok and then it rebooted (the 1st time i did the install i was away from the comp and didn't realize it rebooted on it's own.). BUT, after the reboot, the windows is loading screen pops up for about 1 second and the blue screen with the error message i already listed above pops up again.

i rebooted and started in safe mode, a black screen that says safe mode at the bottom pops up, but then an error message box pops up saying windows setup cannot run in safe mode.

what can i do here? i really don't want to have to install a new copy of windows xp and lose what i have saved on that drive

 

[Evolv]

Wait, from the "Welcome to Setup" screen there are 3 options to choose. Did you choose the second option? If so, don't want that, you need to choose the first option, "To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER." You don't want to use the recovery console.

 

[camosilver311]

i chose the 1st option

 

[Trotter]

Repair Windows XP - How to Perform a Repair Installation of Windows XP - Part 1 of 2
^^^ Includes screen shots.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspx
^^^ The compact version without screen shots.