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Cant load my 'new' system! old HD + new mobo?


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#1
Orphan_Mutton

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Hi all,
I am attempting to put together a cheap system for playing older games, like BF2 and C&C. I have an AOpen AX4BS ATX mobo with a 2.4 celeron but want to run it with a hard drive from a diff comp (only one I have and dont want to buy a new). The HD has Win ME on it and I want to put XP but when I start up the comp it won't read the disk to install XP. Furthermore when I press Delete to enter into the Setup it just goes blank. If I try start it into windows it gets as far as to show the desktop background and then freezes up. I don't need any of the info currently on the HD but don't know how I can clear it to make it 'fresh and new' again, or if that would even help. Things I have tried so far:

-cleared the cmos and verified all connections-now at start up it just says *warning cmos has been cleared enter bios to configure setup, defaults loaded*
-placed mobo on cardboard with only psu, video card, 1 RAM, and power switch - everything was the same.
-tried a diff video card, diff sticks of RAM
-tried putting Aopen AX4BS-V Bios 1.07 driver onto a floppy and starting it with that in the drive. Got driver from this site http://drivers.softp...-Bios-107.shtml (there are older drivers I haven't tried) sounds like it wants to read it but then does nothing.

I'm thinking I need to get into bios so I can set the secondary master(my DVD drive) to load on start up so I can get XP set up and then go from there, but I can't figure out why I can't get in.
oh here is a list of everything I am using:

AOpen AX4BS ATX mobo w/ 2.4Ghz celeron, 512 X 3 EDGE SDRAM, 400W Dynex ATX 12V psu, nVidia geforce 5200FX Ultra(just till I get up and running, then have a ATI HD3650), Quantum Fireball HD and just a sony DVD drive. Everything is IDE and the floppy drive is from my other comp so I won't be permanently installing that, but have one if needed. Also the XP I have to put on it is new.

Sorry for a long post; Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Edited by Orphan_Mutton, 19 December 2009 - 04:27 AM.

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#2
123Runner

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Hi Orphan_Mutton and welcome to Geeks to Go.

There are several keys that are used to get into bios. If the startup screen does not say (usually does), then start tapping the DEL or F1 or F2 or Esc or F10 button.

Is the cd drive even being accessed?
Do you see the CD lite come on?
Does the board have on-board video? If yes, remove the video card.
Can you try a CD drive instead of a DVD drive?

I assume that to reset the bios you pulled the cmos battery.

123runner
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#3
Orphan_Mutton

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Hi,
When I first turn it on it goes through its memory test and such and says Primary MAster:Quantum Fireball(the HD) Primary Slave:empty, Secondary Master: Sony DVD, Secondary Slave: empty. then it won't go any further on its own. It says press Delete to enter Setup or F1 to continue. When i press Del it just goes blank and never enters the Bios.
I am not sure if the light turns on on the DVD drive at all, I will check this in the morning(been busy all weekend). I tried a regular CD drive (is the XP disk a CD or a DVD?)
The board does not have intergrated video.
I took out the battery and moved the jumper from pins 1&2 to 2&3 for 10min then put them back to reset the cmos.

I read somewhere to try and put the HD back on the old mobo and starting the XP installation but when it does its restart shut it off and move it to your new mobo so it detects all your new hardware and then boots into XP... is that a good idea?

Thanks
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#4
Orphan_Mutton

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OK, i watched the DVD drive, the light turns on when i power on the system when it is doing it memory test but then goes off. If i hit F1 to continue and try to load windows it comes on again but doesnt do anything..and then it all freezes up like always.
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#5
Orphan_Mutton

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I got XP to install finaly. I think there is a problem with my monitor..kind of. I put in the XP cd and while the screen was blank I pressed enter a few times and everything started making noise...so i left it and then it restarted itself and brought up windows XP..... SO all was well but I was still unable to get into bios setup. well for a long story short it said i had moved/deleted a critical file and to put the XP cd back in and then I thought, hey why not re-install and format the HD cause I wanted all the old junk gone anyway. so it started installing windows again and when it got to the restart part it never came back up. just blank screen again :) So i am thinking maybe since my mobo doesnt have onboard video its not showing me something again, but this time i cant just enter past... any ideas? i have tryed 2 diff video cards, i currently use my lcd tv as a monitor should i use a diff one? can i just get a new HD to make this work? im sick of messing with it so if i have to buy new i will.
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