A very senior moment...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I've been trying to clone the HD on one PC and put that into another to save reloading in everything since both machines are similar. I've used a free utility called HDcopy which reckons it can do this.

On installing the clone in the other PC it starts to load XP then locks up. I've tried repair using the XP installation CD, but that demands an administrative password. Which I've never actually bothered with, so I assume is the default one. I do have my administrator one - but that's not the same thing.

I have all the original installation CDs for the progs I use - was just trying to save some time.

[chunkyoldcortina]

Extremely senior. I read this message from you yesterday.

[Adrian C]

Another is CloneZilla.

1. Try booting into safe mode (F8 after start). There might be a driver trying to load that is incompatible with the new build.
2. Disconnect the network cable. The new machine might be a freaked out by a clone brother if its trying to advertise it's resources, as both will have the same machine security (Machine SID) identity.

However saying that (and googling with the other hand) microsoft is now saying in the context of cloning that generating new SIDs is now an unnecessary process?

Anyway, XP Home or Pro?

[John Rumm]

I take it the other PC does not have the same motherboard etc? When you boot XP on a different platform, it can react in a number of ways. Sometimes you get lucky - it spots the hardware changes and loads the right drivers etc in the process. Other times it will bluescreen or lockup during boot.

Another possible gotcha: Are the drives similar? How big is the first partition? (some BIOSs have difficulty booting on a partition that crosses the 1024 cylinder boundary).

If you install the clone in the original PC (disconnecting the original drive you just cloned) does it boot ok there? If it does, then at least you have some confidence you got a good copy.

If you need a decent clone package, download the maxblast ISO image from segate and make a CD from it. Its basically a version of Acronis true image. In theory it will only function on a machine with a segate or maxtor drive in it. However if you get the error popup saying no suitable drive was found, type ALT+T, ALT+O (for "technical override") and it will carry on regardless.

Have you tried just pressing return when prompted for the password?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It's the same make (Asus) of motherboard, but some three years older.

The 'master' a 240GB SATA, the clone a 500GB PATA.

Yes, that works.

Right. Obviously the next step.

Yup - just comes up with the same prompt. After three goes it quits.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Then you need to keep up. The similar one was posted on Monday.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Right.

That gives a page of errors? and locks.

Ah. Haven't tried that one.

Home. Thanks for the tips - I'll try them. What annoys me is the XP installation CD says it has a repair function but gives no clue.

[John Rumm]

May well be a completely different chipset then...

Which suggests the copy is ok then...

Well if the copy works in the original PC, there is probably no point in re-doing it.

In which case you need to run an XP password recovery tool on the original machine to get a list of all the passwords to continue with that route.

When you were trying "repair" using the CD, was that with the so called "repair" option or using the recovery console?

(you may be able to do a simple repair install. If you boot off the XP cd and let it do a full install onto the existing partition, in the same folder as before, it may not prompt you for a previous password. That should fix the underlying driver and HAL problems while still keeping all the applications installed. (Office XP or later will need reactivation).

[Adrian C]

Ignore the blogs reference, don't think there's much in the way of tips there...

I'll try them. What annoys me is the XP

That's not really the 'repair function'. Pressing R at that moment dumps you into the CLI bases recovery console, and you are expected to have swallowed half a ton of Microsoft documentation and training to know how to waddle around in there - or follow hints from web pages.

What you need is a bit further along in the Windows Setup thing that starts from the CDROM, which offers to repair a selected partition the tool shows you. However not all install CD's will have this option - and it would be very dangerous to proceed if this were a live machine with no backup.

Heed warnings on

was my "senior moment" a couple of weeks ago. Totally wreaked a good machine install, whilst in the process of trying to capture it for a virtualisation project :-(

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I was hoping someone knew the default administrative password, as I've not changed it. I tried my administrator one and that was rejected.

Recovery console.

Tried that but it removes the original installation and starts afresh.

[John Rumm]

Not really what you need in this circumstance.

Is this a Microsoft an OEM, retail, or Upgrade CD? Or is it a manufacturers "Recovery CD"?

The proper MS CDs should allow you to install over the top of an existing installation and not replace it, but basically fix it.

Some will prompt for an installation directory (in recognition that they have seen an existing install in say c:\windows). If you ensure this is set to the existing directory, it should do a reinstall.

"Recovery CDs" however can be evil! Many will attempt to reformat and replace everything on the drive so as to return the machine to its factory default. Some are more draconian than others. The methods also vary. If you have a recovery CD you may be lucky and find its one that included some OEM specific setup software, but basically a full version of windows as well. However there is a fair chance you would have to tit about making a new CD that skips the OEM specific bits of the recovery process.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It's the original XP Home Edition installation disc - I built the computer so didn't get one with it already installed. The recovery consul refers to the one on it.

Can't find that option.

[John Rumm]

So if you boot from the CD and do a normal install, how does it proceed? It should find a valid partition, and give you the option to format it (which you decline), and then let you go ahead and install. (don't go for recovery console or repair etc - just a normal install. Once complete you should have a fresh install, but still with the apps recognised etc.

[Andy Burns]

There is no default, search for Peter Nordahl's windows password recovery (bootable floppy/CD/USB)

[dennis]

The usual way to hack most XP installs is to start in safe mode, ctl-alt-del to get the password screen, use administrator with no password. This is because most users don't actually use administrator and don'y change the password or disable the account.

[Andy Burns]

But administrator doesn't default to blank password, it inherits the same password that the first created user is given (so if *that* was blank you may be in luck).

[dennis]

Not on any system I have installed.

[geoff]

In message , "dennis@home" writes

Spouting bollocks again dennis ?

[geoff]

In message , "dennis@home" writes

Laughs

[Dave Plowman (News)]

No, it deletes the existing Windows stuff and starts again. When booting from that the HD appears blank - all the other apps have gone.