Solved New MoBo, OS on old hdd no disk! HELP!

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prafersno

New Member
My Acer MoBo fried. Couldn't get to post without video crashing.

I ordered a new (different-upgrade brand) Mobo, before I realized I should have ordered the same exact mobo.

Tried to start vista with hdd and repair couldn't fix problem.

I'm not even sure what the right questions to ask are.

I don't have a vista disk, the OS came on the hdd.
If I need to do a fresh install of vista, how do I do that without erasing the OS on the drive?
Any and all questions welcome!
 

My Computer

System One

What exactly is the problem? Does Vista not start up? does it not recognize the new hardware? Or is it an activation issue because of the new hardware? Is your O/S on the HDD corrupted? Does it have a recovery partition?


As for the Vista O/S disk...
 
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My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    T7600G Core2Duo 2.66 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Intel 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Mobility Radeon x1900 256MB
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    WUXGA 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    640GB 7200RPM SATA/RAID 0 (2x320GB) and 320GB 7200RPM External
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft 3000
    Internet Speed
    10 mbps/2 mbps
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: Panasonic UJ-220 DL BD-RE (Blu-Ray)
i've never gotten to a log on screen. or been able to put in the cd that came with the mobo. I ran the vista repair option and that didn't work.
I'm afraid to mess with the harddrive because the os is on there.
 

My Computer

System One

What you need to do to reinstall Vista is create another partition (Primary Simple, Basic, NTFS) then reinstall Vista on it, Mark Partition as active, migrate your entire User folder to it, then under Computer- Manage delete the old partition and Extend the Volume.

start>right click on 'computer'> click "manage">click "continue">click 'storage-Disk management'

Here is free Partitioning software (which is an ISO, and needs to burned to disk) If you have issues with Vista's disk management Utility.
Managing Partitions DOS software for Vista x64 (works on 32-bit Vista also)
 
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My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    T7600G Core2Duo 2.66 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Intel 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Mobility Radeon x1900 256MB
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    WUXGA 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    640GB 7200RPM SATA/RAID 0 (2x320GB) and 320GB 7200RPM External
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft 3000
    Internet Speed
    10 mbps/2 mbps
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: Panasonic UJ-220 DL BD-RE (Blu-Ray)
prafersno said:
i've never gotten to a log on screen. or been able to put in the cd that came with the mobo. I ran the vista repair option and that didn't work.
I'm afraid to mess with the harddrive because the os is on there.
Click to expand...
So you cant boot into Windows. Can you boot into the BIOS Setup config? If you had a Recovery partition instead of a Recovery disk, more than likely your CD/DVD drive is not set for first boot device. Also, since you have a new MB, you may have to set the Boot Order. Check to see if there is a BIOS Update available too. You will have to change this so you can boot of any CD/DVD disk by hitting any key to boot off disk at Prompt- otherwise your system will automatically try to boot into Windows regardless if there is a disk in the drive or not.

Something like this (in boot order):

CDROM Drive
Floppy/USB Floppy
USB Devices
Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
 
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My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    T7600G Core2Duo 2.66 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Intel 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Mobility Radeon x1900 256MB
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    WUXGA 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    640GB 7200RPM SATA/RAID 0 (2x320GB) and 320GB 7200RPM External
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft 3000
    Internet Speed
    10 mbps/2 mbps
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: Panasonic UJ-220 DL BD-RE (Blu-Ray)
prafersno said:
Yes, I can make changes in the bios setup.
I have it set to :
cdrom
usb
hdd

No Floppy
Click to expand...
Then the issue is probably incompatibility/driver issue with the new MB/Hardware. Re-installing the O/S and drivers is probably your best solution.
Note- If you have a SATA/SCSI Controller on your MB, you will have to load the 3rd party driver off USB thumbdrive/USB Floppy Drive prior to Vista Installation- otherwise Windows will not see your HDD/Optical Drive, and will not install.
 
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My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    T7600G Core2Duo 2.66 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Intel 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Mobility Radeon x1900 256MB
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    WUXGA 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    640GB 7200RPM SATA/RAID 0 (2x320GB) and 320GB 7200RPM External
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft 3000
    Internet Speed
    10 mbps/2 mbps
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: Panasonic UJ-220 DL BD-RE (Blu-Ray)
prafersno said:
should i put the mobo drivers from the setup disk on a thumb drive with my laptop then boot from usb with the hdd unhooked?
Click to expand...

Load just the SATA/SCSI drivers on the thumbdrive, Boot off the Vista disk you created with your HDD attached, It will bring you to a screen to load 3rd party drivers, navigate to the drivers on the thumbdrive. Sucessful installation will then show your HDD with the Partition screen/create new partition at least 16384MB in size, Install Vista on it, then install all drivers, run Windows Update repeatedly until no more updates are available, then follow the above steps I previously gave to transfer User Folder (and if necessary, take Ownership), then delete old partition through disk management, and extend the new volume.

When you are all finished, and have everything installed, and set up the way you want it, create a disk image of your computer with this free software:
http://www.paragon-software.com/home/db-express/
 
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My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    T7600G Core2Duo 2.66 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Intel 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Mobility Radeon x1900 256MB
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    WUXGA 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    640GB 7200RPM SATA/RAID 0 (2x320GB) and 320GB 7200RPM External
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft 3000
    Internet Speed
    10 mbps/2 mbps
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: Panasonic UJ-220 DL BD-RE (Blu-Ray)
Hi,

I believe the problem is the oem preinstall of Vista will only work with the same hardware.

You need to get hold of a Vista install disk of the correct bit version any way you can.

Install Vista using the product key on the side of your laptop ( you will need to call Acer to activate - so to give yourself the full 30 day trial, uncheck activate automatically online, when you get to that bit during the install ).

When you get to Step 10 in the tutorial, do not select Drive Optons (Advanced) and do not format the disk.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/117366-clean-install-full-version-vista.html

Just click on the partition you want to install on and you will be given the option to save the current contents of the partition into a folder called Windows.old.

You will be able to fish what you need out of that folder after the install.

EDIT - if you have partitioned as Rive suggested , you can install on the new partition , of course.

You may need to install Acer drivers which you can d/l from their website on the computer you are using now , copy to a cd and install from that.

You can find what is needed by checking in Device Manager for yellow exclamation marks.

Hope it helps

siw2
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Vista
    CPU
    Intel E8400
    Motherboard
    ASRock1333-GLAN R2.0
    Memory
    4gb DDR2 800
    Graphics card(s)
    nvidia 9500GT 1gb
  • Operating System
    win7/vista
    CPU
    intel i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    ballistix 2x8gb 3200
SIW2 said:
Hi,

I believe the problem is the oem preinstall of Vista will only work with the same hardware.

You need to get hold of a Vista install disk of the correct bit version any way you can.

Install Vista using the product key on the side of your laptop ( you will need to call Acer to activate - so to give yourself the full 30 day trial, uncheck activate automatically online, when you get to that bit during the install ).

When you get to Step 10 in the tutorial, do not select Drive Optons (Advanced) and do not format the disk.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/117366-clean-install-full-version-vista.html

Just click on the partition you want to install on and you will be given the option to save the current contents of the partition into a folder called Windows.old.

You will be able to fish what you need out of that folder after the install.

You may need to install Acer drivers which you can d/l from their website on the computer you are using now , copy to a cd and install from that.

You can find what is needed by checking in Device Manager for yellow exclamation marks.

Hope it helps

siw2

EDIT - if you have partitioned as Rive suggested , you can install on the new partition , of course.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan. This will save you having to create new partition, and delete old one. Just install onto same partition that Vista is already on, and create the Windows.old file so that you can retrieve your Data files. I suggest that you also invest in at least a 320GB external drive and use Vista's file backup utility to create weekly data backups.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    T7600G Core2Duo 2.66 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Intel 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Mobility Radeon x1900 256MB
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    WUXGA 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    640GB 7200RPM SATA/RAID 0 (2x320GB) and 320GB 7200RPM External
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft 3000
    Internet Speed
    10 mbps/2 mbps
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: Panasonic UJ-220 DL BD-RE (Blu-Ray)
first of all, thanks for all the help!

I have a 640GB ext. drive. I have made an image of the 250GB drive from the acer(should I clone instead of disk image?).
Is there a way for me to get the complete install of vista from my acer drive and put it on dvd to boot with?........my DSL is popping on and off(another fun issue) which is screwing with my torrent download.
 

My Computer

System One

prafersno said:
first of all, thanks for all the help!

I have a 640GB ext. drive. I have made an image of the 250GB drive from the acer(should I clone instead of disk image?).
Is there a way for me to get the complete install of vista from my acer drive and put it on dvd to boot with?........my DSL is popping on and off(another fun issue) which is screwing with my torrent download.
Click to expand...
I wouldnt because of the different hardware/bios/drivers.
Reimage the reinstallation when you have everything setup-dont forget to delete the old image, and most importantly, dont forget to use Vista's file backup utility weekly.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    T7600G Core2Duo 2.66 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Intel 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Mobility Radeon x1900 256MB
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    WUXGA 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    640GB 7200RPM SATA/RAID 0 (2x320GB) and 320GB 7200RPM External
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft 3000
    Internet Speed
    10 mbps/2 mbps
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: Panasonic UJ-220 DL BD-RE (Blu-Ray)
prafersno said:
riv, the torrent link you gave me for vista is the ultimate version, should I continue downloading this or get a home premium version?
Click to expand...
Ultimate contains all the versions- simply enter your product key at Windows prompt, and the correct version will install.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    T7600G Core2Duo 2.66 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Intel 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Mobility Radeon x1900 256MB
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    WUXGA 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    640GB 7200RPM SATA/RAID 0 (2x320GB) and 320GB 7200RPM External
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft 3000
    Internet Speed
    10 mbps/2 mbps
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: Panasonic UJ-220 DL BD-RE (Blu-Ray)
Great Thanks to Rive and SIW2 for your excellent help. Got vista loaded and running on new MOBO. Just have to contact ACER and ask for reactivation( crossing fingers...and toes! ).

New Question.

I have an image of the original install of vista before my mobo crashed. I want ot get my old mail documents and account settings to my new install of office 2007.

Is there a way to get all that stuff imported or did I lose those e-mails and have to re-setup my e-mail accounts?
 

My Computer

System One

Did you not back up those files with Vista's file backup utility? If so, go to Backup and restore center and restore the files.

There is a way to recover files off of an image, but it requires software, and I do not know what you imaged the hdd with so I cannot help you there.

You can though, create a new partition with free paragon (follow steps as though you were going to dual boot windows 7:http://www.vistax64.com/software/204802-managing-partitions-dos-software-vista-x64.html), Or install Virtual pc: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...22-6EB8-4A09-A7F7-F6C7A1F000B5&displaylang=en, and then install your image onto the new partition/virtual pc, backup/copy the Entire User folder/individual files, copy to your new install, then delete the created partition.

If you created a partition, removing the new partition is easy. Simply use disk manage to delete the partition, expand your system boot partition; Then open msconfig, click boot tab, and remove the boot O/S option for the image you deleted.
 
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My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    T7600G Core2Duo 2.66 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Intel 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Mobility Radeon x1900 256MB
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    WUXGA 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    640GB 7200RPM SATA/RAID 0 (2x320GB) and 320GB 7200RPM External
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft 3000
    Internet Speed
    10 mbps/2 mbps
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: Panasonic UJ-220 DL BD-RE (Blu-Ray)
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