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| Thread ID: 38690 | 2003-10-15 04:36:00 | Auction PC OS Problem | rocketeer (4703) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 183503 | 2003-10-15 04:36:00 | Hi Bought a HP vectra at auction with a W2K license but no onboard OS. Then bought a genuine HP W2K operating System CD under the belief this would load on the PC using the license. Get the following response when booting from the CD: "THE OPERATING SYSTEM CD THAT YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO INSTALL WAS NOT DISTRIBUTED WITH THIS COMPUTER. SETUP CANNOT CONTINUE" All well and good I accept that. What I am worried about is how will the bios respond to a legitimate full install of WinXP or any other OS I try and install? It can't be locked off on the original disc no matter what?? (I hope!) |
rocketeer (4703) | ||
| 183504 | 2003-10-15 05:13:00 | That Win2000 installation disk must be a recovery disk then. Does it have the Microsoft hologram thingies on it? | Jen C (20) | ||
| 183505 | 2003-10-15 06:45:00 | Jen C is right, it is the disk that is telling you this, not the BIOS & Computer. If the specifications are good enough for XP, then there will be no problems. Just ensure you get a CD with the operating system on it, NOT a "recovery" disk which are system specific. |
Pheonix (280) | ||
| 183506 | 2003-10-15 06:56:00 | Just to clarify, its the HP CD thats looking for the BIOS, and refusing to load because its the wrong one. Its not the BIOS looking for the right CD. A normal Windows XP CD will not check the BIOS for version before loading, only the OEM bundled Restore disks do. Windows XP CD can perform a compatability test though (recommended) and that will advise you of any likely problems. |
godfather (25) | ||
| 183507 | 2003-10-15 08:14:00 | GF is it possible to do a low level format and get rid of the proprietry hidden partion and start with a "clean" machine. I recall something like this from somewhere, but can't remember the details, and probably wouldn't understand them anyway. | Rod ger (316) | ||
| 183508 | 2003-10-15 09:09:00 | Has it actually got a "hidden partition? Only later HP Pavilions used that I thought . HP Vectras may not have, they were used for business mainly . If it had a hidden partition, your licenced OS would probably still be on it? As a Vectra, I would have thought it was ex-business, and that was why it had no OS (businesses volume license and cant on-sell a copy) However if it has a hidden partition, its interesting as to whats in it? |
godfather (25) | ||
| 183509 | 2003-10-16 00:38:00 | I think the problem is just that it's an HP CD. It will have their modified version to match the HP hardware. Wrong model; won't load. It's less likley to be a partition. Though that might become a feature now ... Compaq seemed to like putting a BIOS setup/maintenance partition on the DeskPros. HP seem to have been a bit clever: I was once asked to delete some old files on a disk which had been swapped into another, non-HP computer. The Windows would boot OK, let me do deltree /y to the database. But it wouldn't do a normal shutdown. This seemed to be the OS itself ... nothing running, but the OS had been patched to want to talk to some of the hardware before shutting down. I'd guess that a standard retail CD would install. (But I'd try it with one before giving Mr Gates lots of money for a licenced one. :D). |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 183510 | 2003-10-16 02:16:00 | In the end we just installed the old HDD from the WS it was replacing. Now the Vectra would not boot from the hp CD at all. So decided to take the HDD from the Vectra put it into another PC and set it as slave. Partitioned and formatted it. Popped the hp cd into the non hp machine and low and behold the W2K install program pops up. Set it to install to the Vectra slave disk. Goes right through the install procedure and then spits the dummy at the end. Took out the slave drive and now when the win98 pc boots it defaults to w2k only to announce the operating system is not installed! (you get the option to select between the 2 during the boot sequence, you just have to be quick) The person who sold the hp disc had sucessfully loaded it on to a Compaq WS even though it is clearly marked as an HP WS W2K OS disc. Anyway just another case of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing :) |
rocketeer (4703) | ||
| 183511 | 2003-10-16 03:59:00 | "FDISK /MBR" should fix your W98 box . :D Did the W2K disk work when put back into the Vectra? I saw half a dozen sealed packs of NT4 . 0 Corporate for HP VEi7 at an auction today . There's a reasonably clear notice on the CD envelope: "This CD ROM can only be used on VEi7 PCs . It will not function on other computer systems . This CD ROM contains Microsoft software for backup purposes only . " |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 183512 | 2003-10-16 07:20:00 | Is this an indication that it is best to stick with "generic" computers? As opposed to brand name systems! | Rod ger (316) | ||
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