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I have an IBM NetVista personal computer 8314, and I bought a Western Digital Cavier SE EIDE 160GB which I already had Windows XP Home installed. When I put it in my IBM personal computer, the computer won't boot up.
I get a message saying that Windows hasn't started successfully because of a headware or software change or something, and it askes me to start Windows in safe mode, start Windows normally or start Windows with last known working settings.
I'm not sure if the hard drive needs to be IBM compatible. I installed all the IBM drivers I needed for my computer and it still does the samething. I don't really know what else to do. My hardware specs are as followed. Any other information neededm, let me know.

Current Working Specs:
Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz (512KB)
Creative Soundblaster 24-bit Live
1024MB DDR RAM
40GB 7200RPM IDE HDD
PCI Microtower (3x5)
Intel Extreme Graphics
48x CD-ROM, Intel 10/100 Ethernet
Windows XP Professional

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As points out, moving a drive with a preinstalled Windows installation into a different PC often fails because the OS was configured for the original machine. is also right that a Repair install can fix driver/HAL mismatches — but a few hardware checks and some order-of-operations will save time.

First, quick hardware checklist (do these before attempting the Repair):

  • Enter BIOS/setup and confirm the new WD drive is detected and set as the first boot device.
  • Verify the IDE cable and jumper settings: the drive should be on the primary channel and set as Master (or Cable Select if the cable and other drive support it). A master/slave conflict or wrong cable position will stop booting.
  • Check for BIOS limitations: many older boards do not handle >137GB correctly. Look up the NetVista 8314 BIOS docs or IBM support for BIOS updates or for WD instructions on temporarily limiting reported capacity.
  • If the drive is not detected at all, none of the Windows fixes will help until detection is fixed.

If the BIOS sees the drive, try Windows options in this order:

  1. Try Safe Mode or Last Known Good.
  2. If that fails, boot from a Windows XP setup CD that matches the edition on the disk (Home vs Pro) and perform a Repair (boot from CD, press Enter to install, select the existing install and press R). Note: using a CD with an older service pack can complicate things; use a slipstreamed CD matching the disk if possible.
  3. If you still cannot boot, Recovery Console commands like fixmbr/fixboot help only when the bootloader/MBR is corrupt — not for driver/HAL mismatches.

If the original PC is available, run Microsoft Sysprep there before moving the disk to generalize hardware. If repair attempts fail, connect the drive as a secondary to copy data off it and do a clean install on the IBM. Finally, remember OEM licenses can be tied to the original motherboard and may require reactivation or a new license after major hardware changes.

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Member Avatar for Nick Evan

which I already had Windows XP Home installed.

because of a headware or software change

So you installed windows on another PC? Then Windows will be looking for hardware from that PC, but since it is in your IBM it won't find it. That's the problem.

regards Niek

Member Avatar for Chaky

It is windows protection that wouldn't allow you to use copy of windows on different machine. You must install YOUR copy of windows on that machine. (Try "repair windows" from the Windows Setup CD)

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