New Motherboard Won't Boot to XP

[Ken Hall]

I have just installed a new motherboard on a system that was working
properly and now it won't boot to XP.

When the boot starts the I get the error message:

Primary Channel -- Drive Not Found
Secondary Channel -- Drive Not Found

However the drive is present and correctly identified in the CMOS.

As it passes on, it gives the 'Windows was shut down improperly' (or
whatever is says). Do you want to:

Safe Mode
Safe Mode, Command Line only

Start Windows normally

No matter which of these is selected it restarts and cycles through
the same steps again (and again, and ... ).

If I boot with an MS-DOS floppy it boots properly and I can access the
C: drive and everything looks normal. Same with an old W89se recovery
disk.

When I reinstall the original motherboard everything works properly
again.

Anybody know what's wrong.?

Ken

 

[Rod Speed]

I have just installed a new motherboard on a system
that was working properly and now it won't boot to XP.

When the boot starts the I get the error message:

Primary Channel -- Drive Not Found
Secondary Channel -- Drive Not Found

Presumably given the next line, thats XP saying that ?

However the drive is present and correctly identified in the CMOS.

As it passes on, it gives the 'Windows was shut down
improperly' (or whatever is says). Do you want to:

Safe Mode
Safe Mode, Command Line only

Start Windows normally

No matter which of these is selected it restarts and cycles
through the same steps again (and again, and ... ).

If I boot with an MS-DOS floppy it boots properly
and I can access the C: drive and everything looks
normal. Same with an old W89se recovery disk.

What happens if you boot the XP CD on the visibility of the drive ?

When I reinstall the original motherboard everything works properly again.

Anybody know what's wrong.?

Most likely the new motherboard has corrupted what XP
wants to see at boot time. Maybe the MBR signature.
In which case its likely to be some problem with
access to the drive using the XP drivers for the drive.

Which specific motherboard and drive ?

 

[Ken Hall]

Presumably given the next line, thats XP saying that ?

I thought it was the motherboard.

Most likely the new motherboard has corrupted what XP
wants to see at boot time. Maybe the MBR signature.
In which case its likely to be some problem with
access to the drive using the XP drivers for the drive.

If something on the drive was corrupt why does it still work properly
with the original MB?

Which specific motherboard and drive ?

ASUS A7N8X Deluxe MB and an 80gig Western Digital drive.

Ken

 

[Rod Speed]

I thought it was the motherboard.

Unlikely given the next line.

Or do you mean that it can be seen in the cmos
settings, but not seen in a normal boot ? Does
it get listed on the black bios screen at boot time ?

If it doesnt, most likely there's just some problem
with the config of the cable or the drive jumpers etc.

If something on the drive was corrupt why
does it still work properly with the original MB?

There's a number of things in the MBR and it may
just be that XP has a problem reading it properly
when its using its own driver at boot time.

ASUS A7N8X Deluxe MB and an 80gig Western Digital drive.

You do realise that WD drives have a unique jumper config when
its the only drive on the cable and cable select isnt being used ?
That can give the oddest symptoms if you havent used that unique
jumper config with the drive sometimes being visible and sometimes not.

http://support.wdc.com/techinfo/general/jumpers.asp

 

[Tom]

When I reinstall the original motherboard everything works properly
again.

Anybody know what's wrong.?

Yes, I do.
You cannot just swap out motherboards like that anymore, at least not like
you could on 98 and older.

You need to follow XP's instructions on moving to new hardware.
It has backup facilites, etc, to move your programs, etc.
It's a huge pita, as far as I'm concerned because I have over 600 files on
my system and a boat load of installed files.
Takes me several weeks to get merged to new motherboard
That's one why I have several machaines, so I can stay up during these times

Good luck!
T

 

[Ken Hall]

Or do you mean that it can be seen in the cmos
settings, but not seen in a normal boot ?

I don't see any difference between my statement and yours? I mean the
drive can be seen in and correctly identified in the CMOS settings,
but if I don't enter the CMOS area then, near the beginning of the
boot sequence, I get the "Primary Channel -- Drive not found" error
message. This message appears about the time one would expect it to
list the drives it has found.

Does it get listed on the black bios screen at boot time ?

No. That's when I get the error message. I'm quite sure it is a
system message, not an XP message.

If it doesnt, most likely there's just some problem
with the config of the cable or the drive jumpers etc.

Same cable, same jumpers -- it works with the original motherboard.

You do realise that WD drives have a unique jumper config when
its the only drive on the cable and cable select isnt being used ?
That can give the oddest symptoms if you havent used that unique
jumper config with the drive sometimes being visible and sometimes not.

It's jumpered correctly.

Ken

 

[Rod Speed]

I don't see any difference between my statement and yours?

Focus on the use of the word AND in your original.

I assumed you meant 'is present' on
the black bios screen at boot time.

I mean the drive can be seen in and correctly identified
in the CMOS settings, but if I don't enter the CMOS area
then, near the beginning of the boot sequence, I get the
"Primary Channel -- Drive not found" error message.

OK, then likely the problem is that you arent
using the unique jumper config for the only
drive on the ribbon cable with the WD drives.

This message appears about the time one
would expect it to list the drives it has found.

OK, likely it is coming from the bios then when
no drives are listed on the black bios screen.

No. That's when I get the error message. I'm quite
sure it is a system message, not an XP message.

Yeah, thats now clear now that you have
spelt out the detail more completely.

Same cable, same jumpers -- it
works with the original motherboard.

You can get that effect when not using the unique
config for the WD drives when they are the only
drive on the ribbon cable, whether the drive is
seen varys with the motherboard and bios.

It's jumpered correctly.

Is it jumpered for single drive or cable select ?

Still looks very like that problem with WD drive jumpering.

Can you try another non WD drive for a quick test ?

 

[Rod Speed]

Yes, I do.

No you dont.

You cannot just swap out motherboards like that
anymore, at least not like you could on 98 and older.

The problem is that the drive isnt even seen by the bios
at boot time. Thats long before XP is involved at all.

You need to follow XP's instructions on moving to new hardware.
It has backup facilites, etc, to move your programs, etc.

 

[Ken Hall]

Is it jumpered for single drive or cable select ?

It has "no jumper" which is the configuration for single/Master with
no slave.

Ken

 

[Scott Alfter]

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It has "no jumper" which is the configuration for single/Master with
no slave.

I usually "store" the jumper on the lower two pins of the master and slave
positions so it's available if I need to plug in another drive. Those pins
are connected together on the circuit board, so the jumper across them has
no effect. If you do that, you won't have to go digging through your
junkbox for a jumper if you add another drive on the same channel.

_/_ Scott Alfter (address in header doesn't receive mail)
/ v \ send mail to $firstname@$lastname.us
(IIGS( http://alfter.us/ Top-posting!
\_^_/ rm -rf /bin/laden >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?

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[Rod Speed]

It has "no jumper" which is the configuration
for single/Master with no slave.

I'd try using cable select.

If that doesnt work either, it may well be some oddity
with that particular drive and motherboard. I'd ask WD
and Asus if its a known problem with that pair.

 

[Guess Who]

I didn't see this mentioned ... did you try to clear CMOS? Are you SURE the
cable is connected properly? If it's an ATA100 cable, is he blue end
attached to the motherboard and the black end to the drive?