Problem with my new PC

2007excalibur2007 · **on:** July 31, 2010, 03:35:57 PM

So basically, I bought myself a new motherboard + all the other necessary hardwares (graphics, RAM, etc etc), except hard disk, in which I'm using my old one. The hard disk has 32-bit versions of Windows XP SP2 and Windows 7 Ultimate installed (dual-boot; they're in separate partitions). After I swapped my old system with the new one, both OS-es refuse to boot up, showing me the dreaded BSOD. I had to reinstall one of the OS with a 64-bit version, in this case, Windows 7. But I REALLY wanna be able to boot to XP, because that's where all my installed programs/games are.

My question: how do I fix this? I heard people are able to run 32-bit OS-es on a 64-bit machine, but how come it isn't working for me?

Here are my specs, in case you wanna know:
- AMD Athlon II X2 240 @ 2.8 GHz
- PixelView GeForce 8400GS (512MB VRAM)
- 2GB DDR2 RAM
- Seagate 7200rpm 250GB HDD

action9000 · **Reply #1 on:** July 31, 2010, 09:33:47 PM

It is completely possible to run a 32-bit OS on a 64-bit machine. Technically the only part of your computer that decides whether you can run 64-bit software or not is your CPU (processor). All CPUs, including yours, built in the last 5 years or so can run 64-bit programs. Also, all 64-bit CPUs can run 32-bit programs perfectly.

Was your old computer an Intel-based CPU? If so, you cannot just use the OS that was installed because when installing Windows, the files that are installed are chosen based on whether you have an AMD or an Intel CPU. If you came from an Intel CPU, there's your problem; you'll have to format it and reinstall both OS's.

Other than that, I'll think about the problem but I can't come up with any other solutions at this time.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #2 on:** July 31, 2010, 09:42:37 PM

You have to reinstall the OS. Even if you could get them to boot, you wouldn't want to run the system using drives from another computer. It's unstable and unsafe for your data. Tons of unused drivers are floating all through your OS that could potentially (and probably will) cause problems. Slave the drive, pull off your files, and reload Windows. You shouldn't still be using XP anyway if your system is new and more powerful. Get 7 if you have at least 3gb of ram and a dual core processor and forget about XP.

Pikkutassu · **Reply #3 on:** July 31, 2010, 11:33:12 PM

Yeah you'll need to do a complete reinstall.

2007excalibur2007 · **Reply #4 on:** July 31, 2010, 11:48:38 PM

Quote from: action9000,Aug 1 2010 on 08:33 AM

If you came from an Intel CPU, there's your problem; you'll have to format it and reinstall both OS's.

Heh, I was afraid of that. My previous system had an Intel Pentium 4 processor. Oh well, I guess it's the only way out... :unsure:

Quote from: landbeforetimelover on

...forget about XP.

XP? Forget? No way, dude! XP is my faithful companion, and always will be.

Windows 7 is good, though.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #5 on:** August 01, 2010, 04:29:45 AM

Quote from: 2007excalibur2007,Jul 31 2010 on 09:48 PM

XP? Forget? No way, dude! XP is my faithful companion, and always will be. Windows 7 is good, though.

Support for XP ends in 2014. You might as well move on. The era of the stable OS's is pretty much dead now. 7 is okay but it'll never reach the stability or reliability of XP. You have to have a super computer to run it decently if you want to do anything beyond the basics (a dual core processor and 3gb of ram is the minimum that I'd recommend. I need a minimum of 6gb and a higher-end dual core processor (like the e8400 or something similar) with Windows 7 for what I do).

I have Windows 7 on my master machine and it's pretty good. Would I prefer XP? At the moment, no. But that's because I have the hardware. If my computer could only handle 4gb of ram you can bet your butt I'd have XP. 7 just takes up too many resources, but if you've got enough ram and a decent processor, it shouldn't matter. What I recommend you do is upgrade your ram to 4gb and just install 7 (64 bit if possible). If your license isn't rated for 64 bit, download an UNTOUCHED copy of 7 x64 from the internet and try the key anyway. A lot of the time you're able to use the keys interchangeably so long as they're OEM based. Now if you purchased a retail copy, it probably won't work but it's worth the try.

DarkHououmon · **Reply #6 on:** August 01, 2010, 10:18:38 AM

Nevermind. Forget what I said. Post removed

Clawandfang · **Reply #7 on:** August 01, 2010, 10:27:25 AM

Deleted for justice.

DarkHououmon · **Reply #8 on:** August 01, 2010, 10:29:57 AM

Nevermind. Forget what I said. Post removed

2007excalibur2007 · **Reply #9 on:** August 02, 2010, 12:37:56 PM

This is just a silly idea that I had, but is it possible to do a repair installation on XP instead? What would happen to the OS selection boot screen? Will I have to use Bootsect to restore it?

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #10 on:** August 02, 2010, 12:46:36 PM

^^^Just....don't. It will only end badly. And if I remember correctly, it will just load all the same files that's on your current OS so it wouldn't help you anyway, and there's a chance of corrupting the files if you do a repair (for example if the electricity went out during the repair or if a bad sector was found on your hard disk that prevented repair from completing properly).