On Fri, 2010-10-15 at 18:03 -0400, Felix Miata wrote:
On 2010/10/15 12:39 (GMT-0400) Mark Misulich composed:
I had an xp install disk from the original computer that I rebuilt. However, when I tried to install it after replacing all the parts inside, I found that xp wouldn't install. My best guess is that dell keyed it to the old system.
What exactly does "wouldn't install" in your case mean?
Dell XP CDs are special:
1-Using one to install on a Dell means no need to input an activation key or any personal data. The only way it can know that it is a Dell is something in its BIOS that a generic BIOS lacks. If you use one on a non-Dell, or an "upgraded" Dell (which is no longer a Dell, if it lacks a Dell BIOS on its new motherboard), usually it behaves just like an OEM XP disk, demanding a serial key/activation information withing 30 days in order to continue working normally.
2-Whether this ever occurs on a non-Dell XP CD I've never encountered, but there can exist data on a HD with previously installed OS(s) that will cause the XP installer to initialize improperly. The result is that when the screen should turn from white on black to white on blue, it goes all black instead, making it impossible to continue installation. I've never been able to pin down why, only work around by first doing FDISK /mbr with a DOS floppy, then zero filling partitions starting at the first, until I determined which one contained the failure trigger. -- "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)
Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409
Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/
Hi, what happened was that I was using a Dell install disk from the original computer. It would start out white on black, then go to white on blue and begin setup. Then, it would go to a blue screen of death. I don't remember exactly what it said, but it was something along the lines of "There is a problem with the hard drive, it has a virus or another problem. I don't remember what the other specified problem was, but it was something reasonably serious and also improbable. The hard drive is a brand new Seagate 500GB hard drive. I then tried to install Vista using some recovery disks I had from a laptop that died. It wouldn't install either, The message on that attempt was that something to the effect that Vista didn't support that computer. I asked a friend of mine that works on Windows computers, and he thought that it was a problem with the Dell install disk being keyed to something in the original computer. I also asked the guy that I bought the parts from to rebuild the computer, and he thought it was the same thing. I don't know, because I was able to use the Dell XP disk to install XP on yet another computer about a year ago. But the Win7 install disk worked right out of the gate, and I had no problems installing it to the harddrive. Guys on this list are very knowledgeable, so maybe this more detailed description of the problems I had will help them to pin down what was happening. Not to open up another can of worms, but I haven't been able to install Opensuse 11.3 on any of my computers using the dvd. The dvd isn't recognized by the computer when I try to boot from it. The same computers will recognize the 11.1 and 11.2 install disks. I have to install 11.3 using the net install cd, because the computer will recognize the presence of the cd when I try to boot from it. Any ideas about why this is? If there is no quick easy answer to this I will open another thread on this issue. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org