Member Avatar for mangler181

i just upgraded my whole system and wanted to add my old harddrive to new system to back up files then just junk old drive(old pc would notpower up) but it booted up from the old hard drive(running win 98) instead of new the new one(running xp)
it did a whole bunch of driver updates then rebooted ........now it keeps rebooting and saying it has to reboot with a od error
i then unhooked old drive and tryed to reboot using new drive
but it will not even boot up now it just says ....verifiying files...
i went into bios to change boot order but still not booting up........
anyway i can fix this without reformatting and reinstalling windows
i dont have any original drivers with the pc
all i want to do now is run the new harddrive with xp on it and junk the old drive

any help would be helpful
thank you

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Supernatural

Dani AI

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A concise recovery plan and likely causes for 's situation. Connecting an older disk to a newer system often changes which physical disk the firmware uses to start and can leave the newer Windows install with the wrong boot code or controller settings. 's note about physical drive wiring is relevant, and 's point about large platform changes breaking an existing install is also worth keeping in mind.

Try these non-destructive steps first (in order):

  • Power down and leave only the Windows drive connected (remove the older disk and any extras).
  • Enter BIOS/UEFI and make that drive the first boot device. Also check the SATA/controller mode and set it to the mode the OS was originally installed under (legacy/IDE/compatibility if XP was installed without AHCI drivers).
  • Boot the Windows XP setup CD and open the Recovery Console (press R). Run these commands (one at a time):
chkdsk /r
fixboot c:
fixmbr
bootcfg /rebuild
exit

chkdsk /r finds and repairs filesystem errors; fixboot writes a fresh boot sector; fixmbr repairs the master boot record; bootcfg /rebuild attempts to recreate Windows boot entries.

If Recovery Console does not restore booting, perform a Windows XP repair (in-place repair) from the original CD. That reinstalls core system files while keeping user data and programs. If the installer cannot see the disk because of missing controller drivers, either change BIOS to compatibility mode or create media with the correct drivers slipstreamed.

If data must be saved before any repair, mount the drive on another working PC with a USB-to-SATA/IDE adapter or an external enclosure and copy important files. Also check basic hardware: use a different data cable or port, ensure power connectors are seated, and (for older IDE drives) confirm jumper configuration. Be aware that fixmbr will overwrite non-Windows boot loaders if present. For platform-specific BIOS options or driver guidance, consult the motherboard manual or the vendor support pages.

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Member Avatar for mangler181

i checked into bios and it is showing the hard drive as primary no prob there
but on boot up it says verifying dmi pool. data....no boot up

Member Avatar for bobbyraw

check the jumper setting on the hdd, master with slave,master/slave and although it really don't matter much ensure the master is at the end of the cable

Member Avatar for Supernatural

With Your New System if the CPU was changed from AMD to P4 or visa versa, then the system wont boot that Hard Drive up at all unless completely wiped. hope this helps :icon_cool:

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