Configuration Change

  • Thread starter Thread starter mcl
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M

mcl

OK, my wifes hard drive died. She mostly just uses her system to browse the
internet & e-mail. The HD was a 40gb. So, on my system I had a 120 & 80 gb
drive. So I bought a new 250gb drive at Sam's for $119 and installed it in
my system and gave her my 80gb. Her system only has a system restore CD. So
I redid everything. Put it back to as it was when new but with this
"hand-me-down" HD. That worked for a while but then it stopped booting and
only showed "configuration change". So I did it again. Once again it lasted
for a while then did the same thing. So I assume this has to do with their
registration BS. Of course it down't say anything like that. It doesn't say
to contact MS or anything. So how do I fix it? I know when I used the
restore disk it didn't ask for a product key. So how do I get it
reregisterd?
 
Hi,

Define "a while". 10 minutes? A few days? Weeks? Activation (not
registration) would not be hamstrung by changing the hard drive. I doubt
that it has anything to do with it. If it did, it would occur during
installation, not at a later time. I would also run a drive diagnostic, as
the 80GB may be dying as well.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
I know it never asked for an activation code/number when I used the restore
CD.
This whole situation is greatly complicated bacause we are in a long
distance marriage. My job transfered some years ago. I was last home
memorial day week (re-did her system then bringing my 80gb after her HD
crashed).
Thought everything was fine but some weeks later it the configuration change
showed up. I really was not the one to fix it. I got my oldest son who is an
Electrical Engineer working for Boeing in St Louis to go there and do it
again. (Took forever to get him to come over and do that). My wife came here
for 4 July week. This last week (labor day) I would normally have gone there
but she wanted to go to Florida. She flew to Orlando and I drove there and
picked here up. I will not be back there till Thanksgiving. (BTW, "there" is
SW Illinois across from St Louis and here is Asheville NC, it's ~600 miles).
My son is a pain in the a** (He lives SW of St Louis about 40 miles away and
he told his mom it can wait till I get there for Thanksgiving). I've decided
to try and instruct my wife over the phone how to resore it (could lead to a
divorce, wives never listen to their husbands (;-)), BUT, I want to solve
this "configuration change" problem first.
BTW, my wife told me she wants a new computer (laptop) for Xmax/Chanukkah
(;-). I've already been doing a little looking around.
 
Hi,

So when precisely does the "configuration change" message appear? During
normal use? Or at boot up? Is this all there is to the message? It could be
as simple as some piece of installed software.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
Boot up. All she gets is a dos type message.
Booting in safe mode doesn't help. Same message.
You know with the usual prompts for safe mode or normal boot.
 
Boot up. All she gets is a dos type message.
Booting in safe mode doesn't help. Same message.
You know with the usual prompts for safe mode or normal boot.
 
And you are sure she's not adding any software/hardware to the system? Is
that all there is to the error message?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
My wife has no idea how to add software or hardware. I'm convinced it's a
product activation thing.

The first time I redid everything after adding the HD (I was back in
Illinois the full week of memorial day) I decided to add MS Antispyware
later in the week (yes, she's running Antivirus & Firewall software).
I have arthritis in my lower back and right knee. I use a cane and they want
to do a knee replacement. I also use reading glasses. I was gradually
restoring all software and settings (look and feel) to make things easy for
her. When I went to the website it said I needed the product key from either
the install disk or from the label on the machine. Her machine is a 933mhz
emachine. The activation code was not on the install disk. It was at night
in a partially darkened room.
It was hard enough getting down, pulling all off all the cables on that
stupid machine and taking it to a table the first day I was there to replace
the HD. (Wife had to carry it. Back is so bad I couldn't. Plus with use of
cane I only have one hand to use. If it doesn't have a handle and I can't
get my left arm around it securely I can't carry it).
Anyway, I wasn't about to try and lower myself to the floor and try to read
some stupid product code in a darkened room so I just cancelled out of the
install. As I said I'm convinced it's a product key problem. If I try to
talk her through another re-install how do I tell her how to make sure the
product key is installed? I suppose I could try to talk her through going to
MS to get the antispyware. It asked for the product key. (Wow, just the
thought of directing her by phone on doing something like that has divorce
all over it).
 
If it was a "product activation thing", then the message would read that the
product needs to be activated or reactivated and she would be given a prompt
to follow through with the steps offering a choice of internet activation or
phone activation, not locked on a "configuration change" screen. Even if she
declined to activate, she would be booted to safe mode, and not blocked from
the system. Configuration change on a black screen says that something in
the system has changed, or is being interpreted as being changed. It may be
something as simple as a CMOS battery failure where the BIOS no longer
retains the settings and reverts to defaults whenever the system is powered
off, this could be interpreted as a configuration change.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
Generally she never shuts the system off. Just lets it run.
Typically she would come home and try to use the system and instead of
windows she would get the dos type screen with the "configuration change"
notification.
 
Without knowing more, I cannot diagnose it further. I can only tell you what
the symptoms would be if it were activation. In addition to what I've
already stated, if it were an activation issue she would be continually
reminded that it needed to be activated every time she logged on (nagging).
What you are describing, at least in its briefest form, is not an activation
issue.

How does she clear the message? Does she reboot and it goes away?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
Well, I talked her through things last night. Took a good chunk of the
evening. First things were not working and we hung up. Then she called back
and said there are two CD's in here! Didn't realize that. She had put in CD
2.
(Rolling eyes). Well, she did the recovery. I had her load the
firewall/antivirus software (also like pulling teeth), windows updates
(getting low on teeth), entering her e-mail account (toothless).
But I know it never asked for a product ID (I did have her get it off of the
machine, it was in back) and when it asked her to register with MS &
emachines the LAN link couldn't be found yet. I'm sure after a while the
same thing will happen. You still haven't convinced my it's not a MS "big
brother is watching" situation.
 
Hi,

Registration and activation are different things. The first is totally
voluntary, the latter is mandatory. Have her do this: Click start/run and
type:

%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /A

If it is already activated or does not need to be activated, this will tell
her.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
mcl said:
...
BTW, my wife told me she wants a new computer (laptop) for Xmax/Chanukkah
(;-). I've already been doing a little looking around.
Click to expand...
... for a computer, I hope, not 'wife.'

Get her the new computer, with Windows XP Pro. You'll both be happier!
 
Well, I'm at work now. I'll have her do that this evening. Last night I had
her install the printer drivers (Epson 820). Teeth totally gone, ripping
into the gums.
 
Well, it isn't activation.

Rick "Nutcase" Rogers said:
Hi,

Registration and activation are different things. The first is totally
voluntary, the latter is mandatory. Have her do this: Click start/run and
type:

%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /A

If it is already activated or does not need to be activated, this will
tell her.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
Click to expand...
 
OK, I want to throw out a possibility here.
So far it's working.
Whenever it's crashed the BIOS seems fine. No indication of a battery
problem and loosing settings.
How about this. This is an emachine. When I was last home in late may and
replaced the dead HD I also bought her a USB Hub.
Of course it was 2.0 and powered (always do powered). Now her machine only
has v1.1 ports. It gave me a warning but worked as it (on paper) is supposed
to.
But, I've heard there is a problem with some emachine USB ports.
Now add to this some experience on my own machine with mixing USB 1.1 & 2.0.
Up until ~ Feb I was using a Gateway 400MHZ P2 that I got in 1998. It was
top of the line when I got it (14gb HD, DVD-ROM drive, 19" monitor, 128meg
Ram)
I pushed it as far as I could go; 384 meg RAM, kept upgrading HD's (needed a
card to support larger drives) and had 120 & 80 gb (she got the 80 and I
bought a 250gbwhen her drive died)
Upgraded from Windows 98, to Me, to Xp, etc. Video card from 8 meg to ATI
AIWR.
Plus added CD-RW & even DVD Writers, USB 2.0 PCI Card, etc, etc.
Finally I got in Feb a new bare bones system (Antec P160, 500W PS,
PCI-Express MB, AMD 64 3500+, 2 GB RAM (on two DIMMS so I can easily push it
to 4) , ATI PCI Express AIWR Video Card). Brought everything else over.
It worked great.
I also brought over an old USB 1.1 Hub I had with old system. Only had
"slow" items plugged into it like old webcam, etc).
Everything worked fine for a few weeks until it stopped booting. I unplugged
everything and then started plugging things back in. It was the USB 1.1 Hub.
Plugged in, system would not boot. Unplugged, no problem. There shouldn't
have been a problem but there was. Made me think about that v2.0 USB hub
plugged into the 1.1 port on that emachine. I mentioned it to my wife but I
think when I talk about things like USB Hubs all she hears is "Blah, Blah,
Blah".
I left a message for my pain in the **** son to go over and pull that hub.
Wouldn't hurt and might help.
 
I think you may be on to something. Lots of emachines have been known to
have hardware issues with their USB ports.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
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