# New Motherboard - Vista Help



## zwalker

Hello,

I just installed a new motherboard in a Acer Aspire M1640.
It had the original Motherboard in it and I replaced it with an ASUS P5GC-MX/1333. The store I purchase the motherboard told me that after replacing the Motherboard the system should automatically recognize it and everything should be fine. Not So.. It will go to boot into Windows Vista then stop and say something along the lines of Windows is unable to start, this may be due to a recent software or hardware change. Start Windows Normally or Begin Repair or something.If I click Begin Repair it says it is unable to repair. I would run the Repair on the Windows CD but when I bought the computer it never came with one and apparently this is the case for a lot of people with Vista. What can I try. I have the HD hooked up to Sata 1 (red) and the CD-rom hooped up to Sata 2. Is this correct? Also when I hooked the power source to the Motherboard I was a few pins short. The Motherboard has 4 extra pins. There is an extra power wire inside here that will fit those 4 pins. Should I use it. Please Help.


----------



## johnb35

Sorry, but whoever you talked to didn't know what the heck he was talking about.  You will need to do a fresh install now of Vista.  You went from an old motherboard to a new motherboard that has totally new hardware on it and the install is looking for all the old hardware and its not finding it so it won't boot into windows.  If you need any data off the drive you will need to buy a new drive and install windows to that and then have your old drive as a data drive.  And you will also need to buy a new copy of Vista as your oem version of vista will not work with your new board.


----------



## zwalker

Thanks for the help but you have got to be kidding me.
So now I have to install another version of Vista on a new HD if I want to keep my data from the old HD?
Is the no other way. I mean this guy was a tech from a local computer store.
Why would he tell me this?
On  previous system i installed a new motherboard and the computer started right up, so I figured he must be right.


----------



## zwalker

johnb35 said:


> Sorry, but whoever you talked to didn't know what the heck he was talking about.  You will need to do a fresh install now of Vista.  You went from an old motherboard to a new motherboard that has totally new hardware on it and the install is looking for all the old hardware and its not finding it so it won't boot into windows.  If you need any data off the drive you will need to buy a new drive and install windows to that and then have your old drive as a data drive.  And you will also need to buy a new copy of Vista as your oem version of vista will not work with your new board.


 just out of curiosity, why wont my OEM version of Vista work?


----------



## johnb35

The hardware on that other system must have been very close to the original system you had for it to bootup.  I'm not kidding you.  You can't use an OEM version of windows on a new non-oem motherboard.  You wouldn't even be able to use the manufacturers recovery cd's because its a totally different computer since you put a new motherboard in.  Only if its a motherboard from the manufacturer can you use the recovery cd's.


----------



## johnb35

zwalker said:


> just out of curiosity, why wont my OEM version of Vista work?



Because the new motherboard you put in, is not an oem board from acer?  correct?


----------



## zwalker

Makes Sense..
If I were to purchase the Original OEM motherboard should I just be able to boot
Normally without a Windows Reinstall? Would this had made more sense?
Thanks for your help by the way..


----------



## Bodaggit23

Find a way to download Ubuntu and burn it to a disc.

Then you can create a partition on your hard drive, and install
another OS along side the existing one, to preserve your data.

No second drive is needed.

If you're short for cash, find a download of Windows 7 for now.


----------



## johnb35

zwalker said:


> Makes Sense..
> If I were to purchase the Original OEM motherboard should I just be able to boot
> Normally without a Windows Reinstall? Would this had made more sense?
> Thanks for your help by the way..



Why are you replacing the motherboard?  Did the original one go out?


----------



## zwalker

Yes, The original one will not pick up the screen. Not sure why..


----------



## zwalker

zwalker said:


> Yes, The original one will not pick up the screen. Not sure why..


Could this be something else?


----------



## johnb35

Did it have onboard graphics on it?  Could you have put in a dedicated video card?  Sounds like you didn't do a lot of troubleshooting.


----------



## zwalker

I really didn't.
I could try a dedicated video card. It does have on board graphics.


----------



## schw32m

zwalker said:


> Hello,
> 
> I just installed a new motherboard in a Acer Aspire M1640.
> It had the original Motherboard in it and I replaced it with an ASUS P5GC-MX/1333. The store I purchase the motherboard told me that after replacing the Motherboard the system should automatically recognize it and everything should be fine. Not So.. It will go to boot into Windows Vista then stop and say something along the lines of Windows is unable to start, this may be due to a recent software or hardware change. Start Windows Normally or Begin Repair or something.If I click Begin Repair it says it is unable to repair. I would run the Repair on the Windows CD but when I bought the computer it never came with one and apparently this is the case for a lot of people with Vista. What can I try.



For one I'd be willing to bet you didn't make a OP system recovery disk. Cardinal rule, always, always, always, make a recovery or boot disk BEFORE you attempt to do any major hardware change. That said if you can manage to get it to come up in some sort of recovery or repair mode you might have a chance (I do hope you have saved your COL sticker or it is still on the machine so that you can re-enter the key). 

The other option is to find someone with an OEM disk and do a clean install once you have everything ready to go. It should accept your current key and unless MS has gotten persnickety about it you should be able to re-activate and all that with no problem. The original boot problem will stem from the change in the chipset from the old to the new board so Vista is going to have to re-detect the setting for it. If I read the specs correctly the old Mobo used NVidia chipsets and the new one uses Intel. Big change in how they identify and Vista isn't going to like that since it was originally set up for the NVidia system. 


There is a lot of information on the net on how to do this without having to buy a new disk. 



zwalker said:


> I have the HD hooked up to Sata 1 (red) and the CD-rom hooped up to Sata 2. Is this correct?



Your drive hookup should be fine as long as the CD-ROM has its pins set properly. 



zwalker said:


> Also when I hooked the power source to the Motherboard I was a few pins short. The Motherboard has 4 extra pins. There is an extra power wire inside here that will fit those 4 pins. Should I use it. Please Help.



Read the manual that came with the Mobo. But to answer, if the 24 pin was covered correctly then there should be a 4 pin block someplace on the Mobo and that is where that little 4 pin plug goes. Use it, it is there for a reason.

Here are the specs on the new mobo P5GC-MX/1333 from the Asus website.


----------



## schw32m

zwalker said:


> Could this be something else?



If you have video in POST and in the initial boot screens, my guess would be that the video driver got trashed somehow and therefore under normal load won't kick over. Did you try booting in safe mode? I recall having one of my XP machines having a problem sometimes with loading NVidia drivers. Don't know if that is still an issue with Vista as that machine does not have NVidia anyplace in it.


----------



## bavaria-n

I have the same problem. Replaced mobo to: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150333772915&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
The computer starts now to the point where the Widows Vista is loading, then restarts, over and over…
I have the Windows Vista OEM CD, put it in, switched to boot from CD in the BIOS and same think, computer restarts!
My some one advice me what to do?

I just wan to ad that same think is happening in safe mode…


----------



## zwalker

Thanks Everyone for your help.
I managed to track down a Vista CD and reinstalled windows with my original 
Product Key stuck to the side of the computer.
Everything seems to work fine now, will not be returning to the store where I bought the MoBo. The "trained proffesional" there was no help at all. 
"Yeah just make sure you connect all the plugs the same as they where in the old Motherboard and it will start right up".


----------

