Problem During Upgrading

[pop daddy]

Four years ago I built a computer with the help of a friend. It has been my gaming PC for that time and I have given it a number of minor upgrades (a few video cards, RAM, and a sound card). However, I made the decision to do a sweeping upgrade of the system, while maintaining affordability that I have always valued, and went to my friends at NewEgg.

My upgrade included:

Motherboard (Asus M3A76-CM AMD 760G/SB710 R)
CPU (AMD A64 X2 7850 2.8G AM2+ R)
Video Card (NVidia XFX GeForce 9500 GT 512 MB)
RAM (G.Skill 2x2GB)
and a new power supply (680W)

Two Problems:

I got to work right away, switching in cables and whatnot and came across my first problem. My hard drive had been hooked up, on my previous motherboard, via the PRI_IDE slot and so naturally, I did that with my new motherboard. However, my CD Drive was connected via either the SEC_IDE or PRI_RAID slot on my previous motherboard (I cannot remember which). Regardless, the only slot on the new motherboard, out of those three, is the PRI_IDE, meaning I need another way to either connect my HD or CD.

Second and significantly more disconcerting: when I plugged in my PC and turned it on after my upgrade, my monitor gave me the "No Signal" message. I tried connecting it to the on-board VGA slot instead of the video card one, but to no avail. Any suggestions?

Thanks guys. Y'all have been a great help in the past.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

First off, your HDD is PATA which means you're either going to need a new HDD or CD Drive. Your new motherboard should have SATA which is what you're looking for. My suggestion is to go for a new HDD, a 640gb WD is around 70$ and a pretty good deal at that. You can also use a two-headed IDE cable and hook up the HDD and CD drive on the same ribbon, although this is less than optimal.

When you turn on your pc, do you head any of your fans spin up? Specifically, the cpu fan. If not, it means your motherboard is not getting power. First, check all cable connections, second see if the motherboard has a two-digit display or a led bank. If it does, you can use the codes it shows in conjunction with the manual to figure out whats wrong.

 

[pop daddy]

Thanks, first of all.

I've been thinking about running to the store and looking for a new CD Drive and think more about a new HD later, probably when Windows 7 comes out.

Currently, I am heading off to bed, so I won't check my computer until tomorrow morning. However, if I remember correctly, the CPU fan was running and the green LED light on the motherboard was on. However, it does not have a two-digit display to check. Are there any cables from the power supply that might power connections to VGA displays?

I may also try a different monitor, although I doubt that's the case. *crosses fingers*

 

[pop daddy]

Quick update:

I just checked my monitor after waking up by switching it out with another, but that didn't seem to be a problem.

I'm beginning to wonder about something else, however. My power supply has two cables that have sparked my curiosity: one is labeled "SLI Ready" and the other "PCI Express". Still, I have not found anywhere in my PC to connect them.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

Those go to the GPU if it needs them. The 9500GT most likely does not.

 

[lndm]

The no signal problem can mean badly seated memory, it can also mean a broken M/B or video card. I'd be looking for power sockets on the M/B (the 4-pin square one, others near or on the video card etc), trying a different video card and RAM, then returning the M/B and processor to be checked.

 

[pop daddy]

I just tried switching out the RAM, doesn't seem to be the problem. I do not think it's a bad video card, as the no-signal happened when I switched the monitor to the on-board VGA slot. However, I did notice a small, two-pronged slot on the video card that I hadn't seen before (and, no, the VC did not come with a manual at all) labeled SPDIF_IN. Is that important at all? I'm still holding out hope that none of my parts are defective.

 

[lndm]

SPDIF_IN. Is that important at all?

No .

 

[Genocidicbunny]

thats the slot for pass-through audio to the HDMI out. Its for if you want to connect a monitor/tv through HDMI with only one cable and still get audio through it.

 

[pop daddy]

Hey, first of all, thanks again for your words of advice, guys. The issue was worse than I had feared: two pins on the CPU were bent... I undertook the arduous process of bending them back, which was nerve wracking to say the least.

HOWEVER, again, I am having more problems than I had bargained for...

I got BIOS up and running, made sure everything was ready to go for the Windows boot. But Windows didn't boot. I received the screen warning you that Windows either didn't start or was ended poorly (it gives you the option to start in safe mode, or run the OS normally). Anyhow, whenever I try to run it normally the computer restarts. Admittedly, I have not tried any of the safe mode options yet.

This leads me to believe that my hard drive, which is indeed read by the computer and is clearly showing that Windows is my operating system, is for whatever reason not booting Windows because of my new motherboard. Not that the MB itself is bad, but that it was loaded on a foreign card.

Ideally, I would not want to clear my hard drive (although I am willing to as a last resort), so as I see it, I have a few options:

1. figure out how to get Windows running, at least in safe mode, so I can uninstall old drivers and get the new ones set up. I wonder if this could do the trick. Would it be possible?

2. Buy a new hard drive, running it as my primary drive, installing Windows XP on that disk, and thus saving the files on my old hard drive. I wonder, then, how feasible this is, as two operating systems would be running at the same time, would they not? As much as I "get" hardware, software is still relatively foreign to me. Am I simplifying this process?

3. My third option, then, is wiping this disk clean and starting over, in which case, I would probably just invest in a new HD now. However, I do not want to do this, as I am simply planning on waiting until Windows 7 is released (presumably) in October and I don't want to spend too much money at one time (I'm still a student, y'know).

Any input, as per usual, would be welcome, but most definitely in regards to my first option. What is the best way to get Windows XP to boot from an old hard drive with entirely new hardware? Thanks!

P.S. I would also like to say, Genocidic, that every time I return to this thread and read your signature's quote, I smile at the cynical truth of it. Who gets the credit for it?

 

[Genocidicbunny]

DId you not do a fresh install of Windows with this major rebuild? If so, then you need to do that. When you change that much hardware, you're going to confuse windows a lot, so its easier to just wipe the slate clean and reinstall. Try that first before you go to any more drastic measures.

As for my sig, I dunno. I dont remember who said it now, maybe it was my dad, maybe someone else. Its been a long time since I put it there.

 

[GoodGame]

Another option for having a IDE drive and a new mobo with no free IDE is to convert an IDE device to SATA using a $15 convertor (Newegg has several). I've found it works best to convert an IDE CD/DVD reader to SATA.

EDIT: Also I'd go with the assumption that you just need a fresh Windows install. If you're lucky, it'll let you do it without having to reformat the OS hard-drive; though I agree you should do a thorough reformat after recovering data (if you do get to recover data). If not, I hope you haven't lost any critical data. To that end, I recommend having two HDDs---one strictly for OS and the other for programs and valued data.

 

[lndm]

I agree with GB on the reinstall.

There are two ways to do it. The best is to backup your data, format and install fresh....easy if you don't need to keep anything otherwise there are a few ways to get your data off. Secondly you can install over the top, effectively allowing the windows CD to do a basic repair on your current setup.