Hi, I just got my new mobo that replaces the bad cap one on my P4 1.8 system. I'm having trouble gettting the OS to start. Here's the juicy details:

Mobo: (ebay purchased NIB, sealed package)ECS L4VXA2
CPU: Intel P4 1.8Ghz, 256 L2, 400mhz FSB, 1.75V
Ram: 2 sticks-256MB, DDR, 266Mhz, CL 2.5, PC 2100
HD: Laptop 2.5"hitachi travelstar HTS541040GAT00, 40gig, 5400rpm.
ONE: converter for hd to IDE w/power adapter
PSU: 300W coolmax, new
CD/DVD rom:Lite-on, 16X/48X, NEW
Video: ATI, AGP from old HP 760N, Radeon 9000, 64MB

The mobo, HD adapter, PSU, and CD/DVD are new, Mobo, Ram, and HD are not. (note: laptop HD has less than 2 weeks runtime on it)

The hard drive has the OS (winxpsp2) from my old laptop on it. I also have a live CD, Mandriva One.

Problem: When I start puter, the bios loads, I can manipulate the bios setting. during bios it see 524MB ram, Recognizes both the HD (IDE Primary master), and Lite-ON CD(Primary slave). After bios load it switches to loading the OS and here I have two different behaviors.

When attempting to load win the screen goes blank and the whole system restarts (never see the WINXP logo). After reboot it give the screen, "bad previous start, do you want to load win normally, safemode, etc etc. If I pick normally, it restarts back to that screen. If I pick "safemode" I see it load up a dozen or so drivers, then resets.

If I put in the Linux CD, it give the Mandriva screen asking to press F1 for options or Enter to load. either one I pick the video goes black, and CD activity light goes out, but it doesn't reset like the windows one does.

I've tried different Bios settings for several things, and even tried with just one ram, switched them, tried them in different slots, NO change.

any suggestions?

TIA

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OK, I cleared the bios, and now I briefly see the win logo before it resets, since this version of win wasn't licensed to this cpu, I can understand.

Oh wait, I've changed boot priority to cd/hdd0 and rebooted...... Comeon you slow linux, load baby, load......

<snip>
any suggestions?

In my experience, you just can't do it. If you change out the Mobo to a totally different one that the Operating System was not installed on, it's not going to co-operate. Your symptoms sound exactly like my experience when I tried to get the OS on a HDD that was loaded and running on an Abit board to run without a fresh install on an Asrock board.

Just my $.02 worth.

Edit.....Windoze I'm talking about. I have no experience with Linux

Thanks htrae. I am now typing this from the new (old)machine using mandriva/FF. I guess I can close this thread now. A simple Bios clearing did the trick.

thanks for taking the time to read.

Now i just have to figure out this whole loading linux to HD thing.

thanks

tony

OK, I cleared the bios, and now I briefly see the win logo before it resets, since this version of win wasn't licensed to this cpu, I can understand.

I don't think your problem, or htrae's come to that, is a licensing issue. (You might get that problem later on, when you try to get patches from Windows Update, but not at this stage).

Sounds more like a low-level hardware driver incompatibility.

... Oh wait, I've changed boot priority to cd/hdd0 and rebooted...... Comeon you slow linux, load baby, load......

Well, presumably you're trying a Linux LiveCD and with:

CPU: Intel P4 1.8Ghz, 256 L2, 400mhz FSB, 1.75V

That 256 kBytes L2 isn't going to cache much and with a 400 milli-Hertz bus to it... Well, you'll get more poke out of an old Commodore PET with a 1 MHz 6502 CPU!


Did it boot?

Good luck,
Martin

(The P4s are still badly bandwidth limited even with 400 MHz... :-P )

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

From what I understand, there's just to many driver issues, settings issues, etc that are brought over with Windoze from the previous install and old Mobo for it to run on a different Mobo. I have 2 rigs with the same Mobo, I guess one of these days I should see if I could swap HDD among the two and see what happens. It should boot I figure...???.

Hey, it's running. This is the same chip I've been using since 2001. The caps on the old custom build Asus Mobo, started oozing brown icky stuff. Atleast it's working and I can now try to figure out the whole loading linux to HD thing.

It was never my intent to get the old version of win working. it was just part of the conditions I felt needed explained to help figure out why it wouldn't get past bios on ANY OS. LOL

thanks

tony

From what I understand, there's just to many driver issues, settings issues, etc that are brought over with Windoze from the previous install and old Mobo for it to run on a different Mobo. ...

Sometimes you can be in luck and a Windoze "rescue disk" might unscramble the confusion after a few reboots and retries. Otherwise, you have to go for the Microsoft 3R's (Reboot, Reformat, Reinstall).

In contrast, I've found a few times over now that Mandriva Linux is very tolerant of mobo and other device changes. The standard kernel has all the drivers either compiled in or available as modules. Also, a hardware check is made as the system boots up. To save kernel space, after bootup there is a routine run that deletes any unneeded kernel stuff.

If you want the faster bootup speed, you can also compile a custom kernel tweaking however you like! Easy enough but not for the impatient or faint hearted.

Happy crunchin',
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Hey, it's running. This is the same chip I've been using since 2001. The caps on the old custom build Asus Mobo, started oozing brown icky stuff. Atleast it's working and I can now try to figure out the whole loading linux to HD thing.

Good stuff for keeping the old CPU going!

Which version of Linux are you running?

Cheers,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

From what I understand, there's just to many driver issues, settings issues, etc that are brought over with Windoze from the previous install and old Mobo for it to run on a different Mobo.

That's right, it's quite impossible to get XP back to work when the MoBo was replaced (I guess there are too many low-level-drivers that have to be replaced to start XP properly). I tried it (4 hours) a couple of weeks ago, but ended up with a complete new install of XP (10 hours, includes software installations)...

Andy

The easy way to get past this is to do a Windows repair install but you have to have an XP CD to boot from. Do you have an XP CD? **cough**Borrow one.**cough**

A repair install will hose the Windows that is installed - you'll have to update everything from the Win update site but it should get the thing running. I expect that the laptop had some odd drivers that Windows is trying to load causing the crash. It could also be that the laptop had a different HAL that is not appropriate for the new MoBo/CPU. What CPU did the laptop have? Your P4 1.8 should use the ACPI HAL unless it is an unusually old P4.

I had a similar problem when my MoBo died. I replaced it with something entirely different including a different CPU and it also needed new different HD/IDE drivers - the F6 load drivers key when booting from the CD. The only way to get it running was to do a Windows repair install to get the correct drivers installed and you have to have the CD to do that.

<EDIT> Just read that it's running. Good work! I'm trying out Ubuntu (Edgy version) at the moment and the problem is that they've taken out the ability to mount harddrives - that's just stupid. There is a complicated way to add this back in but for beginners it's scary. I barely know what to type into a console. Whoever said Linux was better than Windows is nuts.

this is kinda cool, this liveCD has a "live install" icon and it seems to be formatting everything on it's own.

I have multiple winxp cd's here, but I WANT to put linux on this as a testbed for my upcoming new machines. I can PLAY/learn from this.

Martin, it's the same "mandriva-one-2007-free-gnome" cd I talked about earlier, and it seems to be installing itself

this is kinda cool, this liveCD has a "live install" icon and it seems to be formatting everything on it's own.

OK, so we're getting a live blog on progress.

Kinda kool also!

You've still got us in suspense as to which distro and whether it will survive the ebay hardware and the rest of the night...

Good luck,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Rut..Roh, seems I have a choice now. Screen says:

BOOTLOADER
bootloader to use? LILO with graphical menu, LILO with text menu, GRUB with graphical menu, GRUB with text menu.

ALSO

MAIN OPTIONS
delay before booting default image? entry box has "10" in it. Also underneath there's a check in the box which says "Enable ACPI"

what does an linux newbie with windows wishes want?

Remember, I only intend these machines to crunch boinc.

P4 1.8 supports ACPI - it's mostly used for power management features.

Rut..Roh, seems I have a choice now. Screen says:

BOOTLOADER
bootloader to use? LILO with graphical menu, LILO with text menu, GRUB with graphical menu, GRUB with text menu.

ALSO

MAIN OPTIONS
delay before booting default image? entry box has "10" in it. Also underneath there's a check in the box which says "Enable ACPI"

what does an linux newbie with windows wishes want?

Google is your friend.

the default choice is "lilo with graphical menu", I think I shall pick that one. Not that I know a Grub from a Lilo. Whatcha think?