Rick? XP and Hardware Profile

[drdan]

I hope I'm not being pushy here. I am very interested in your idea Rick and want to start experimenting with it. I think I'm going to try an coordinate it with my computer repair friend. If I can get my system copied on another hard drive I will just use that to try booting into a different hardware configuration without crashing. Here's from the original thread below:

Rick, what you are saying sounds very promising but somewhat over my head and it seemed like some steps were missing (probably just my lack of understanding). Have you done this successfully with XP before?

I'm typing on my w2k system right now but I can see in hardware profiles that you can select for windows to wait until you select a hardware profile before prceeding. Are you saying that by selecting the "default" profile XP will not try to boot with the old profile but rather try to create a new one? Are you also saying that being able to select this new default hardware profle is what will keep XP from crashing as my computer repair friend and Microsoft both suggest it will? If yes, do you know how reliable this work around is? I'm kind of leery of booting four times before I know whether it worked. It seems like each time is an opportunity for it to irretrievably crash. If there's an "oops" I just lost about $800 worth of software (on a $300 computer).

When I bought the computer I looked at the included software as a surprise bonus. Now I don't think much of the computer but really like the software. Now I really wish I had the original install disks.

[Rick]

Yes I have done this before and It works.

On your hardware properties
Under the Profiles tab you can “ SAVE “ a profile.
The best one to save is the one your using now it is reliable and stable Correct ?
When you save your current “Hardware” profile it will allow you to return it without going through the hardware detection stages
** The reason for Select hardware profile was intended for those who Move drives from one machine to another **

Once you have the profile saved and you reboot at least once and select that saved profile at boot time to test the system and the saved profile.
You can then reboot again and select the original profile and proceed with any and all changes you wish to make. Knowing you can always return to the saved profile later by returning the system hardware to the original setup and use the saved profile
All of this is a fail safe for you..

Once you make the hardware changes and boot up using the original default profile.
Windows will do the hardware detection and install / remove the drivers as needed for the new setup


Before you begin removing and or installing new hardware ( M/B , Video , chipset)
It also wouldn’t hurt if you manually removed some of the hardware drivers and set them to standard devices. ( For example the Video if you intend to install a new card ) uninstall the
manufactures video control program and drivers.
Set it to basic vga /pci video .
Save these changes also under a Profile. “Basic” ( any name except default) for use with the new hardware ..

After you swap the hardware around and boot the system at the profile screen select the basic configuration profile for boot up.
Add the new drivers for the new chipset , video , and any others
Once this all setup and you have removed any unneeded drivers save it again..


All this does is allow you to swap back to the original configuration without to much worry



Will this totally guarantee you a crash free upgrade ?
NO
Your working with windows Nothing is crash free.
But it will give you a way to recover from it very easily

[drdan]

Thanks for giving me such a detailed reply (as well as hope LOL). I am not experienced enough to understand every step so far, so I'm going to ask some specific questions.

1. Under "Hardware Profiles" by "save" you mean to hit the "copy" button and give the copy a name like "saved old profile"?

2. Then you restart and select the saved copy to make sure it works properly. Correct?

3. You're saying to then make another copy of the hardware profile and name it "basic". Then remove third party drivers for the various hardware and instead install just basic windows drivers for everything you can. If yes, then how do you do this exactly? Can you give me step by step on that part.

4. Once I get a "basic" profile should I reboot and test that one?

5. Once I swap out motherboard and video card should I select the "basic" profile at startup? If the basic drivers are working, will it go through a search for better drivers at startup when it detects new hardware? If not, and it's working all right, should I start trying to install the latest drivers for everything? How exactly? If it does choose better drivers should I still go to the manufacturers site to get latest drivers. Should I have driver CD for new motherboard in CD-ROM at startup?

5. If windows does crash and I can't get it to boot, how do I go back to orignal profile and hardware?

[Rick]

Originally posted by drdan
Thanks for giving me such a detailed reply (as well as hope LOL). I am not experienced enough to understand every step so far, so I'm going to ask some specific questions.

1. Under "Hardware Profiles" by "save" you mean to hit the "copy" button and give the copy a name like "saved old profile"?

Yes

[i]2. Then you restart and select the saved copy to make sure it works properly. Correct?[/B]
Yes

[i]3. You're saying to then make another copy of the hardware profile and name it "basic". Then remove third party drivers for the various hardware and instead install just basic windows drivers for everything you can. If yes, then how do you do this exactly? Can you give me step by step on that part.[/B]
Yes

Some of the drivers should be listed in the Add remove program folder in control panel.
Just remove the ones listed. Also
In You have a VIA chipset you can run the Via setp/install program and use the Uninstall option

[i]4. Once I get a "basic" profile should I reboot and test that one?[/B]
Yes
But you will also find yourself rebooting a number of times when you remove some of the drivers.
Just remember to Only remove drivers from the basic profile.

[i]5. Once I swap out motherboard and video card should I select the "basic" profile at startup? If the basic drivers are working, will it go through a search for better drivers at startup when it detects new hardware? If not, and it's working all right, should I start trying to install the latest drivers for everything? How exactly? If it does choose better drivers should I still go to the manufacturers site to get latest drivers. Should I have driver CD for new motherboard in CD-ROM at startup?[/B]
Yes
When you install the new hardware (M/B) and boot the system.
XP will look for and find the new hardware for you.
It may even install the basic ( MS supplied ) drivers for some of it.
After it completes the updates Look at the system properties , (Your Looking Unknow hardware and any Yellow !!!!..

Add one new item at a time to the system.
Allow it to be found and install drivers for it ..


[i]5. If windows does crash and I can't get it to boot, how do I go back to orignal profile and hardware? [/B]

You will see a select screen each time you boot the system .
Allowing you to select the profile you want to use during that bootup.

To return to the Old hardware You would have to remove the new hardware and reinstall the old stuff..

[drdan]

Thanks again. Just a couple of more questions and I think I have it.

1. It appears that all the devices listed in Device Manager have an option to uninstall the driver. Should I just do it all there in Device Manager?

2. Should I uninstall all the device drivers I can find or just for the devices I am changing?

3. In the "basic" profile, do I only uninstall the drivers or do I also try to reinstall some type of basic driver before changing the hardware and rebooting?

4. If I do get it rebooted and functioning with all the new hardware, should I then try to find and install the latest drivers from the manufacturer, or should I just leave well enough alone? If I do try another driver from a manufacturer, should I save the current hardware profile first to go back to?

[drdan]

Okay some more questions already. I have an image of my hard drive that I made with Ghost 2003 which I then copied (restored) to a borrowed hard drive. My computer booted to the borrowed hard drive without a hitch so I assume that ghost worked well for backup. I decided to try removing all the device drivers in a basic profile using the "uninstall" option. After removing a few it required me to reboot. When it rebooted it started reinstalling drivers for everything I had just taken out. The "uninstall" option under the "driver" tab actually removed the device from the system so XP found "new" hardware when it rebooted. Plus it now said I had to reactivate within 3 days. I went back to the original profile and it also wanted me to reactivate plus my wireless DSL no longer worked in either hardware profile(the wirleless DSL card was one I uninstalled).

I reconected my original hard drive and my system is working fine again but I'm confused about what just happened on that trial run with the copy.

If all hardware profiles now require reactivation and the DSL no longer worked in any profile, that makes it seem that I may not be able to get back to where I was just by putting the old hardware back and choosing the old hardware profile. Also isn't there a limit on how many times you can reactivate?

1. How should I do this properly?

2. Is there a way to just remove the driver without removing the device from the system?

3. Were the drivers that XP reinstalled upon rebooting the "basic" drivers you meant. Should I just continue and until I've removed them all and XP has reinstalled just the basic drivers by rebooting?

[Rick]

For the Activation
Windows keeps the activation info in a file c:\windows\system32\Wpa.dbl
Make a copy of this file to another disk.
After you make your changes.
Simple copy the file back into the C:\windows\system32 folder


If don’t want to use the above
There is no limit that I am aware of on the number of times you can activate XP.
However
At some point ( After maybe 5 or was it 10 times ) you would need to call to get a new code.
After doing so it will allow you to redo windows without any hassles.


Are the files being removed from the system ? Or just from the profile and not deleted completely ?
It should only delete the files on those devices you select and install the basic winXP supplied
drives.

You now have a test drive to work with .
Great.
Drop the test drive into the new hardware setup and boot it up
After you have removed the drivers for the old hardware that is not going to be used in the new system

It should find any new hardware and install the correct drivers
You may want to limit the uninstall of drivers to those listed in the add/remove software
If infact XP is completely removing the devices.

And Yes ANY device not directly supported by XP will be disabled when you remove the drivers for them.. Specialty devices like the modem.
After you install the drive into the new system and it finds the new M/B , chipset and other hardware.
Just reinstall the device drivers supplied by the manufacturer

[drdan]

I know you're spending a lot of time on this and I very much appreciate it. I don't quite follow what you mean here though.

Are the files being removed from the system ? Or just from the profile and not deleted completely ?

What do you mean? I just went into "Driver" tab in Device Manager and hit uninstall. I think it removes the device from the system but I don't think files are deleted.

It should only delete the files on those devices you select and install the basic winXP supplied

What should delete files (what do you mean by "It")? What do you mean by supplied? Supplied by who?

I only have a test drive for a short period.

If I limit removal to drivers in Add/Remove Programs I can only remove modem, scanner and USB mouse. How will that help with installing new motherboard?

What drivers do I need to remove exactly and how?

[Rick]

By “It” I mean windows device manager

By now you should have a basic system setup
Just use the drive test drive to boot your new Motherboard,CPU and video


The basic drivers will/should be installed by Windows
They come on the Ms Xp CD