Win2K drive swap...
Hi...
I was helped on another forum just a short while ago...and that problem was in fact solved. However, about two days later, the computer failed to reboot after a virus scan and now emits one short and then three more short beeps. I've pulled everything out, one component at a time...
and beep....beep, beep, beep. Then absolutely nothing...
It's an old HP Vectra and has done yeoman service. Problem is I installed Win2K on the hard drives, and since Win2K looks for the machine environment the existed when the OS was installed, I can't get those drives to work on any of my back-up computers. I don't want to re-install the OS because I'll lose the .DLL files that make the various applications work. And I don't have the original CD-ROMS for many of the programs I want to use again so I can't just re-install them.
Is there some secret formula that I can rub on those hard drives so I can stick them in another box and get 'em to work? Magick potion? An incantation, perhaps? Vile language...?
Thanks for whatever guidance some kind soul can aim in my direction.
Kromedome
I was helped on another forum just a short while ago...and that problem was in fact solved. However, about two days later, the computer failed to reboot after a virus scan and now emits one short and then three more short beeps. I've pulled everything out, one component at a time...
and beep....beep, beep, beep. Then absolutely nothing...
It's an old HP Vectra and has done yeoman service. Problem is I installed Win2K on the hard drives, and since Win2K looks for the machine environment the existed when the OS was installed, I can't get those drives to work on any of my back-up computers. I don't want to re-install the OS because I'll lose the .DLL files that make the various applications work. And I don't have the original CD-ROMS for many of the programs I want to use again so I can't just re-install them.
Is there some secret formula that I can rub on those hard drives so I can stick them in another box and get 'em to work? Magick potion? An incantation, perhaps? Vile language...?
Thanks for whatever guidance some kind soul can aim in my direction.
Kromedome
0
Comments
Your disk is either formatted in FAT32 or probably NTFS since you have Win 2K on it (them?). Another machine should recognize and read that disk if it's healthy.......and if all the jumpers are correct. Given the era of your computer, I'm guessing the hard drive is set as the master. Somewhere on that drive is a jumper and a little diagram that tells you how to set it as "slave" or "cable select". Set the jumper for "slave" and another BIOS should see it just fine.
Otherwise, you can always buy one of those little IDE/ATA to USB adapters. For about $30, you just plug the drive into that (no fooling around with jumpers), and plug into a USB port on an XP machine. Viola!
Thank you for your kind reply.
The drives are both formatted NTFS...I can't go back to FAT32.
When I try the drive(s) in another computer, and use only one drive, the original "C:" drive in the earlier incarnation, I set the jumper to "Master," and then do BIOS and make sure the drive is recognized. BIOS sees the drive, but...it does not boot. When I configure both drives as they were in the HP, and properly jumpered as "Master" and "Slave" respectively, the BIOS re-set, and the drives recognized...still no boot.
A blue screen error message talks about a possible virus. There is NO virus on either drive...cleaned with AVG, SpyBot and Lavasoft.
Guess I'll have to do do as you suggest, and get the IDE/SATA adapter and try that. I do not have XP on any computer, just Win2K. Guess I just kinda got used to it...Any reason why it won't work on a box with Wn2K?
Thanks again...I do appreciate your time and effort.
Krome
First check this site to see what your mobo beeps are telling you. It depends on the manufacturer or your BIOS.
If you can solve that, I would make sure you have everything backed up and do a repair install of Win 2K. If you can't solve the mobo beeps, you might have some real trouble booting off that disk in a more modern machine. The machine might have hardware that Win 2K has never heard of...for obvious reasons.
But what I would really do is....not put too much time into resucitating a 7 year old fossil. The chances of another major problem from that hard drive, mobo, or some other major component are pretty high.
Thanks again.
To clarify, and I apologize for being less than clear, I am NOT trying to revive the old HP...I've pretty much decided to give it a flying lesson. What I AM trying to do is just use those two drives in another machine. I have a couple of other fossil boxes here and I'd just like to stuff these two old drives in and go forward, using material on those drives that goes back to the Mesozoic, if not the Pleistocene era.
I do appreciate your thoughts and I suspect I am to use the IDE/ATA adaptor with a machine that is currently in operation and when I explore my compyer, I should see the drive attached by the USB umbilica, and then be able to access and run those prourams.
Thanks, Mtrox...I'll be off then and look about for that adaptor. I'll let you know how I make out...
Krome
The programs do NOT work, 'cause the registry didn't come along in the process. Guess if I had a new nekkid duplicate HD I could have Ghosted them over, but I did not.
Guess it's either get the old HP fixed..or bid a fond farewll to programs whose licenses were left on boxes that have long been recycled into Charmin.
Mtrox...what will I lose if I DO try a repair of Win2k, on those drives, on another computer? Does it kill the old registry and/or those .DLL's? Will that finally drive a knife into those old drives...and I later discover that it was just the power supply on the Vectra?
Krome
Mtrox, I do most sincerely appreciate your taking time out of your day to lend a hand, and a mind. I'll keep ya in da loop...
Krome