Cannot recognize IDE Hard drives...

If your HDs contain very important data you must keep, the best solution is to install a new HD and install Windows XP in it. You can then connect your other HDs to access data.

If you do not want this route, the next option is to reinstall Windows XP on top of the current one.

Please refer to http://tinyurl.com/2zgk (Attention to ?Method 2: Reinstall Windows XP by Starting Your Computer from the Windows XP CD)

Also useful information is at http://tinyurl.com/j9u7 (Attention to ?Replace a Failed Motherboard?)

Unlike Windows 98, you normally cannot move hard drives with Windows XP or Windows 2000 installed to a different PC.

If ANY hardware is different, your system may not boot.

Microsoft recommends backing up the hard drive.

Perform a clean install of Windows.

Restore your backup.

They lost the knowledge base article when they changed the number system a few months ago.

Assuming that your user name is a valid e-mail address, I will send you the article.

Chas

You cannot boot your system this way, but if you know your admin?s password, and you have the XP Install CD, you can perform a windows recovery installation.

Ok,insert in your cdrom unit the Win XP installation CD, chose recover an old installation from the first menu it displays, when it asks for what installation you want to recover, chose the drive where your previous Win XP where installed, it asks for your Win XP administator password, it starts recoveringyour installation, chosing the proper drivers of your systema, and the rest of the proces is almost automatic.
Let?s tryit and you will see what i?m talking anout.

You should not expect to remove a hard drive from one computer and put it in another computer and expect it to work as if it was never changed to another box. Two problems: the hardware has to be IDENTICAL in both computers. Do not forget, you have drivers for the components of the computer, video, sound, chipsets and so on, residing on the hard drive, so if they are different between computers.... you get the Idea. Thats why you get a BLUE SCREEN. The second problem is security. If you are running NTFS then the OS will not let you do this since that is too easy a way to bypass security issues. Then anyone could steal important data by removing the hard drive and taking it home to another box, not having to lug the entire box off the office desk and out the door. System Access Control List (SACL), the SAM database, are all stored on the hard drive and would highlight a security breach on another machine.

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