Need help...Upgrading Sony Vaio PCV-RS220 Desktop

[barryrod]

Well..I have this Sony Vaio. Came with a 120gig drive. I have since upgraded it to 300gig and added a 2nd 300gig to it. The Vaio is pretty limited on space (onboard crappy video and no AGP slot and only 2 usuable PCI slots). I decided to upgrade to a new (to me) case and MB. I got an MSI-6728 and a new case and installed my P4 2.53g, my 1gig DDR Ram, and my drives and then upgraded the Bios from 1.3 to the latest 2.5.

On to my problem...The bios sees both drives (and both dvd drives) but xp won't boot. I get a blue error screen saying to check ata adapter and drives.

I used spinrite to view drives and there is a "configurations and settings" partition i remember seeing but paid no mind to when I went from 120 to 300. My question is...Does Sony install config info that will not allow Win XP to boot unless it is in a Sony PC???? A problem I have is when I got the Sony, it did not come with installation software. Supposedly you can go to Sony to get it if needed.

If this drive won't boot unless in the Sony is there anyway around that? I can put the Sony all back together but then I am at square one again.


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[skull_00]

man what a problem... why SONY lol YOu might want to change the motherboard cuz it has no AGP or PCI-Express, I guess no video card???

[barryrod]

man what a problem... why SONY lol YOu might want to change the motherboard cuz it has no AGP or PCI-Express, I guess no video card???

Basically this is what I am trying to do but for some reason I can not boot into XP, and my suspisions are that Sony made made this "Configuration/Diagnostics" partition and it is keeping it from booting unless it sees a Sony M/B. I mis-typed earlier on the name of this mystery partition.

[ultim8um]

Can you install the new drive on its own and install XP to that?

[barryrod]

I am sure I could, but I would really like to try to keep my current configurations. If it comes to a point and that is what I have to do, I will though to get the benefits of the new M/B.

I think I am going to try and get a New 300gig+ drive and copy over the C: and D: partitions and not the Sony Config and Diagnostics partition and see if that will take. I won't get to try that till sometime next week though. I will continue trying to find other workarounds and welcome any and all suggestions.

Barry

[kasavien]

Have you changed the motherboard, and if you have, have you reinstalled windows XP, or are you trying to boot using the same install of XP you had before changing the motherboard. Because as far as i know if you have changed the motherboard you will have to reinstall windows, but please someone correct me if i'm wrong. Also if you are using an OEM version of XP and you have changed the motherboard, you may not be able to reinstall XP as OEM versions of XP do not let you reinstall if you change the motherboard.

[Splash]

Have you changed the motherboard, and if you have, have you reinstalled windows XP, or are you trying to boot using the same install of XP you had before changing the motherboard. Because as far as i know if you have changed the motherboard you will have to reinstall windows, but please someone correct me if i'm wrong. Also if you are using an OEM version of XP and you have changed the motherboard, you may not be able to reinstall XP as OEM versions of XP do not let you reinstall if you change the motherboard.

You don't have to reinstall after a change of motherboard, but it's certainly a good idea, and I always would. Also the OEM deal - you should be able to reactivate XP after replacing the motherboard - the OEM license belongs to the machine, rather than a component thereof (or that's my understanding anyways!)

Having read the initial question though I believe Sony probably have some form of hardware lock on the OEM build they use. Packard Bell used to have a "tattoo" which would have to be applied before you could use a new board with their OEM builds, and I suspect Sony are doing something similar.

[barryrod]

Well...Found out that OEM versions of XP are "Married" to the first installed M/B and can not be transfered anyway. What a load of crap.


Anyway....If I purchase a full version of XP and install it over the OEM version I have now, will any of my configurations be all screwed up? What I mean is will it be seamless?

All I want is everything I got working the way it is but with the retail versions liscense and on the new M/B.

[dave87]

You can just buy the oem version again - and link it to this new motherboard. With current XP prices you can get 2 and a half licences (oem) for each retail one (or that was the case when I looked at XP Pro). IMHO unless you are likely to be on the phone to microsoft help every other day, OEM is a more sensible choice.

[mark19632]

You won't have to re-install windows, just run a repair though windows setup and it will keep your config and setting.

Mark

[barryrod]

Well...I have a new 300gig drive coming in the next day or so. I will then dup my current boot drive to the new one and play with it without risk of screwing up my settings.

I do not see myself calling MS tech support at anytime as I have never called them or Sony's for that matter. Tech Support usually = someone in India reading off a script. No thanks.