Installed new CPU, Windows XP crashed

[hobbenbobber]

Hi all, I recently upgraded my CPU from a Pentium 4 @ 2.4 GHz to a Pentium 4 @ 3.4 GHz with HT technology. I put it in with a new fan and tried to do my best not to overkill with the thermal paste. I started up XP first (bad idea). It loaded fine, found the processor, and installed hardware for it. I was a little confused by this cuz to my knowledge Intel CPUs don't need drivers, but restarted when it said to anyway. When I tried re-loading XP it didn't even show the boot screen, just restarted and kept repeating the cycle. I then tried putting in the Windows CD and doing a repair install, which didn't work, kept rebooting. Then I realized my BIOS might be too old to accept this fairly recent CPU, so I proceeded to flash the BIOS. I have a Biostar P4M900-M4, which the BIOS has a built in updating utility, just put the new BIOS on a floppy and it'll update from it. I did this and when it booted it showed the (i think it's called) POST screen, where it shows you how much RAM you have, your CPU clock, the BIOS version, etc. I noted that it did now say the processor was a 3.4 GHz and it said HT was now enabled.

XP still would not boot though. I think what happened is when I installed the new processor, the older BIOS version set it as something it wasn't, and when I opened up XP it must've installed the driver for an incorrectly labeled processor. My guess is this is what's causing it to not boot.

I tried using the Recovery Console to restore the system, going off of this Microsoft help page, but had to stop at Part 2 because the system still wouldn't boot. I'm reasonably sure I was able to put the registry back, but cannot check if I did it right
(I used command similar to "copy c:\windows\tmp\system.bak c:\windows\system32\config\system" (minus the quotes)).

I think if I could do a system restore it would probably fix the probably, but the only tool I found online that would do that when XP won't boot is Microsoft DaRT, but they don't offer a download for it. If anyone knows where I can get a copy, that might work.

Any help that can be offered is appreciated.


Forgot to say, have 2GB DDR2 RAM, 2 HD, one 20GB with XP Professional on it and one 120GB (i think) that I install my programs on, Pentium 4 @ 3.4GHz with HT, Radeon HD 4650 video card, and Biostar P4M900-M4 motherboard. The system worked fine before the install of the new processor.

 

[enigma067]

It is always a good idea to back up your data before an upgrade. If there are any problems after the upgrade is installed, you know your data is safe.

If the mobo does indeed support that CPU, make sure your running the latest BIOS.

You may have to format and reinstall the Operating System to ensure proper drivers are loaded. If you choose to do this make sure the Chipset drivers are installed after the OS.

e

 

[hobbenbobber]

I triple checked that the motherboard and processor are compatible before and after I bought it, and I flashed the BIOS to the most recent update, May 1st 2009.

 

[GhislainG]

What version is your motherboard? Greater than 6.1?

Windows XP updated hall.dll because you went from a single threaded CPU to a Hyperthreaded CPU. It should have been updated to ACPI Multiprocessor PC. This shouldn't prevent the system from booting.

Does it boot in safe mode or it just doesn't boot at all from the hard disk?

You could disable HT in the BIOS to see if it helps.

If all else fails, can you you reinstall the old CPU (assuming that you have heat paste like AS5)?

 

[starams5]

Hi H

I'm a little confused here, why are you OCed to 3.4GHz and you're not even stable? You can't even be sure it's not an OCing issue if what you are saying above is true.

 

[hobbenbobber]

To GhislainG
It wouldn't boot at all even to Safe Mode or using Last Good Configuration.

To starams5
I'm tired today and don't remember what OC means, or I've never known.

Update:
I found a copy of Emergency Repair Disk, which is a repair cd that comes with Microsoft DaRT. I ran it and it seems to have successfully restored my computer, it booted (yay!) and is letting me finish the repair install of XP I tried earlier. I'll keep everyone informed, but it seems to have been a problem with the driver XP installed under the old BIOS.

 

[starams5]

My mistake H, I see your CPU is a 3.4GHz. I would try a clean install of windows, the old CPU driver may not have been completely removed and conflicting with the new driver. A system restore or other recovery methods probably won't do any good, the cycle will just keep repeating itself.

 

[GhislainG]

My mistake H, I see your CPU is a 3.4GHz. I would try a clean install of windows, the old CPU driver may not have been completely removed and conflicting with the new driver. A system restore or other recovery methods probably won't do any good, the cycle will just keep repeating itself.

The only driver that gets installed is a different version of hal.dll (there are several flavours). Nothing else changes, even in a virtualized environment where changing the number of CPUs from 1 to 2 automatically causes hal.dll to be replaced (hopefully with the correct version).

 

[starams5]

"(hopefully with the correct version)"

That's my whole point, the only he'll be able to iron it out or confirm is with a clean install. If his partition is backed up he can always restore if it doesn't fix the problem and keep shooting.

 

[GhislainG]

"(hopefully with the correct version)"

That's my whole point, the only he'll be able to iron it out or confirm is with a clean install. If his partition is backed up he can always restore if it doesn't fix the problem and keep shooting.

That's an inaccurate statement. He can verify that the correct version is installed in System Properties, Device Manager, Computer. If he sees "ACPI Multiprocessor PC", then the correct HAL is installed. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309283/en-us

 

[starams5]

That's an inaccurate statement. He can verify that the correct version is installed in System Properties, Device Manager, Computer. If he sees "ACPI Multiprocessor PC", then the correct HAL is installed. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309283/en-us

Your option is not 100% I think you better read all of the notes in your article.

If you press F5 (when prompted to press F6) during a repair installation, you will get these options:

ACPI Multiprocessor PC
Applies to a multiple-processor ACPI computer.
• ACPI Uniprocessor PC
Applies to an ACPI multiple-processor board but with a single processor installed.
• Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC
Applies to a single processor motherboard with single processor.
• Compaq SystemPro Multiprocessor or 100% Compatible
Applies to a Compaq SystemPro computer.
• MPS Uniprocessor PC
Applies to non-ACPI computers dual processor motherboard with a single processor installed.
• MPS Multiprocessor PC
Applies to non-ACPI computers with a dual processor running.
• Standard PC
Applies to any Standard PC, non-ACPI, or non-MPS. The CPU may be a 386, a 486, a Pentium, a Pentium II, or a Pentium III.
• Standard PC with C-Step i486
• Other

I think the only reliable way to change it will be to re-install the OS since XP will only allow changes to a "reliable" HAL.

 

[GhislainG]

In addition, if the OP sees two CPUs in Windows Task Manager, then he can be 100% sure that he's got the correct HAL. I never reinstalled a system because I switched from uniprocessor to multiprocessor, either physical or virtual. It just doesn't make sense. Give it a try and you'll understand what I mean.

 

[hobbenbobber]

Okay, I used the ERD to do a system restore of the computer to yesterday (for some reason or another I luckily had a restore for then). I tried to boot into safe mode then but because I had tried doing a repair install previously it wouldn't let me. Strangely, when I then booted normally it showed my normal boot screen and logon screen, completely ignoring that I had started a repair install. When I tried to log on it took so long I figured it had froze and therefore reeboted. After I restarted I go the message that the System part of the registry had been corrupted. Luckily, since I had tried doing a system restore from the Recovery Console previously I had made a backup of the registry, restored that, and from then I got too tired and took a break. I'll see what else can be done now in a little while.

Going off of what starams5 said, when doing the repair install and I change the HAL, which option would you say I should choose? When I did the repair install it made the computer unbootable so maybe this is the problem and I need to change the HAL to something else.

P.S. I checked the BIOS and it's not giving me the option to turn off hyperthreading. I dunno why, since it's updated to its newest release and it sees that the processor uses hyperthreading.

 

[starams5]

Okay, you would change it to "ACPI Multiprocessor PC". Problem with that is if your old CPU is same thing there is nothing to change.

@G

"I never reinstalled a system because I switched from uniprocessor to multiprocessor, either physical or virtual. It just doesn't make sense. Give it a try and you'll understand what I mean."

If it doesn't make sense then why are you telling me to give it a try, that doesn't make any sense.

 

[hobbenbobber]

The repair install is running right now. When I changed the setting it was either set at Standard PC or Standard PC with C-Step i486, can't remember which, so I changed it to ACPI Multiprocessor PC. Hopefully that'll do the trick.

 

[starams5]

Good Job! I wasn't sure the repair option would work.

 

[hobbenbobber]

Nope, it did the same thing it keeps doing when I do a repair install. Every time I've done it it's finished the first part (where it works from the cd) successfully, then when it goes to boot up XP from the hard drive it crashs and reboots before it even displays anything. I'm gonna go ahead and try using the ERD to restore the system to a different date then I did before.

EDIT:
In a little while

 

[starams5]

Almost had it, too bad "almost" only count in horseshoes. There's always that other option. I'll only spend so much time researching before I pop that installation disk in to rule out the OS.

 

[hobbenbobber]

I don't want to do a fresh install cuz I have tons of programs, at least 35, and I use every one of them at least once overy month.

 

[hobbenbobber]

So I will probably drive myself insane trying to fix the current install just so I don't have to reinstall all my programs

 

[hobbenbobber]

I haven't done the restore yet, but was browsing around the features on the ERD and found that it has something related to drivers and services. Haven't checked it out, but I'm guessing it shows what drivers and services are active on the system.

 

[starams5]

35? I run close to a 100 apps counting driver's. I have a dir for maintenance (7), advanced maintenance (19), misc (34), misc editing (19), security (5), and P2P (4). It takes a full day to get back up and running.

 

[hobbenbobber]

I just went to do the restore and it gave me the option to undo the last restore, but didn't give the option to do a new one. So I undid the last one and booted up XP to see what would happen and it's actually gotten to the next part of the repair installation! Maybe I won't need to check the drivers and services part of the ERD after all!

 

[GhislainG]

Okay, you would change it to "ACPI Multiprocessor PC". Problem with that is if your old CPU is same thing there is nothing to change.

@G

"I never reinstalled a system because I switched from uniprocessor to multiprocessor, either physical or virtual. It just doesn't make sense. Give it a try and you'll understand what I mean."

If it doesn't make sense then why are you telling me to give it a try, that doesn't make any sense.

So that you can see that Windows XP will automatically update the HAL when you force an update of the Computer drivers (if it didn't when you booted it).

 

[starams5]

So that you can see that Windows XP will automatically update the HAL when you force an update of the Computer drivers (if it didn't when you booted it).

Okay, I'll try it but you go first.