Boot Camp XP FUBAR from swaping graphics card

[bwillo]

Hello,
I was messing around with swaping graphics cards in my 2007 MP. I have been reading that as long as you dont care about using OSX you can put in a windows card, load the driver and boot straigt into XP. So I yanked out my 7300 and put in a 7900gtx, boots up no problem. I read yesterday that someone was able to get a 9800 to boot in Vista. So I went and got a 8800 GT a poped it in taped into the power for the second super drive and turned it on. It post video and as soon as the XP splash screen pops up I get a quick BSOD dump and the system reboots in a endless loop. So ok it is not going to work, so I will put back in my 7300 and wait. WELL I GET THE SAME THING, A ENDLESS BOOT LOOP UNLESS I HOLD ALT KEY AND BOOT TO OSX. IT WORKS FINE. BUT I BOUGHT THE MP FOR A KICK ASS XP BOX, AND IT IS (WAS). HAVE I TOTALY SCREWED MYSELF? I could install another XP partition but I have so much stuff on the messed up one it would take me a week to install everything back to where I was. I use Pro Tools with loads of plugs, and it is very painfull to re-auth everything. Anyone done this? Is there a way to fix my bone head mistake with out re installing Windows and all my apps and plugs? Any help apreciated.

Thanks
Brent

 

[MacFanBoyIIe]

When a system reboots in an endless loop it usually means there's an error during the POST. Go back to your original hardware configuration, boot into OSX, then try rebooting into Bootcamp/XP. See if that works.

EDIT: you need to get Bootcamp to re-recognize the old video card during POST. Your XP partition should be fine and your files ok.

 

[bwillo]

Can you elaberate on how to do that? I have booted into OSX and opened bootcamp and it seems as if it will only let you set up a new partition or deleat an existing.

Thanks

When a system reboots in an endless loop it usually means there's an error during the POST. Go back to your original hardware configuration, boot into OSX, then try rebooting into Bootcamp/XP. See if that works.

EDIT: you need to get Bootcamp to re-recognize the old video card during POST. Your XP partition should be fine and your files ok.

 

[CWallace]

Can you get your XP partition to boot into Safe Mode? Press F8 before you see the Windows XP splash screen.

 

[bwillo]

Nope, I have tried every option to boot in safe mode, including last known working configuration. It will post the xp splash starts to apear and then I see a blue screen. But then it reboots before you can even see the error. I am going to find the log file from OSX when I get home. Never expected this because I have seen many post of people using whatever card booting straight to windows. I wonder if the power from the optical drive spare power conector has enough power for the 6 pin conector going to the back of the 8800. I know there are two 6 pin on the MB but I didnt get that kind of cable with the card. I am sure I can find them on Ebay or something but would this cause this problem? If it is a kernal panic from lack of power for video wouldnt puting the 7300 negate that? Man I shuld of lef the thing alone. I know PC's preaty well, but XP on boot camp has caused me pain a couple of times. Like booting a DOS boot cd, it locks up when it goes to create a ram drive for the DOS APP, something to do with the fact that the MP dosent run a BIOS per say, not like PC's anyway. The thing absolutly rocks when I don't screw windows up

Can you get your XP partition to boot into Safe Mode? Press F8 before you see the Windows XP splash screen.

 

[bwillo]

Bump, Getting worried now

 

[CWallace]

If you can boot from a Windows XP CD and it can see your Windows installation, you can try the Recovery Console and see if that helps. I've never used the RC, so I can't offer any insight on how it works, but a Google or Microsoft.com search might help.

 

[Rankrotten]

It may be drawing too much power from the molex connector in the drive bay, I had this problem with a 3870x2. Try tapping into the PCIe power connectors on the motherboard if you can source a cable.

 

[GotPro]

Make sure that, before you install a new video card in Windows... that you uninstall the OLD drivers while using the OLD card... and run just generic VGA drivers.

Then install the new card... then the new drivers... and all should be well.

I'm betting that Windows just freaked out because it was trying to load drivers for your old card and it wasn't there.

You can do that on a Mac... you can't do that on a Windows PC.

(This advice isn't just for Mac Pros... it's for any PC... always uninstall the drivers prior to upgrading a component).

If you did this... then...well... I'm not sure what happened!

You may need to boot off the XP CD, as mentioned above... and try recovery... or simply re-install the OS.

 

[bwillo]

Thanks for the feed back guys. I think it is something in windows at this point. I can boot a XP cd and I have done check disk and scandisk, but I am not a strong command line guy so I dont know what to do. It has to be a driver conflict, but I wouldnt know how what I am looking at here. It could be driver isue or a milion other things. The card has plenty of power, but I missed it would only work on the new MP, Sucks for me, O well back to trying anything I can think of, why the heck cant I use DOS apps when I boot up to Doss boot cd like Hirens boot cd?

 

[bwillo]

What a mess. No go on anything. If I could just boot Hirens or the like I am sure I can get it worked out. But ....This sucks, self inflicted I know

 

[vansouza]

As was sort of suggested earlier, put the old card that worked before back in and after you boot to XP shift the video mode to the lowest generic setting. Then try the new card. Good luck.

 

[bwillo]

As was sort of suggested earlier, put the old card that worked before back in and after you boot to XP shift the video mode to the lowest generic setting. Then try the new card. Good luck.

Problem is I cant boot even in safe mode. It hangs on load and reboots, looking like a re install of windows

 

[MacFanBoyIIe]

If you need the data on your disk, i'm sure a 3rd party disk recovery tool (spinrite, etc.) will be able to get it. You will need the recovery software, and another hard drive to install XP on and recover the data to.
Or, you can just nuke this partition and start over, losing everthing.

 

[prismra]

Have XP do a "repair". This is a great way to fix the OS without losing everything. It has saved my proverbial bacon many times.

Start the XP setup like normal but choose the option to install XP not "use the repair console". It will scan the disk and find your current XP install. It will ask you if you want to repair or install a fresh copy. Choose to repair. It's pretty much automated. Hopefully that will install a compatible display driver or fix whatever file/registry corruption you have going on.

Good luck!

 

[4JNA]

put the original video card back in.

insert the xp cd, reboot, 'hit any key to boot from cdrom' so hit any key, wait.

...windows is starting... hit enter, f8 because i'm sure you read it all... windows is searching for a previous version of windows...

hit 'R' to run the automated repair (as above). this is also called an 'inplace upgrade' by microsoft. it will re-install windows over the top of your old windows and hopefully fix the problem. after it is done, you will need to run update and get the 100 or so updates that this has wiped out.

if this does not work, format install from scratch is the only easy option without exporting the registry files to be edited on another computer and lots of other geeky crap. best of luck.

 

[bwillo]

I can run the repair option but when I get to time to reboot, same oll story, looks like a long weekend of reinstalling everything. I know there has to be a way to fix this it pisses me off. But Guess thats what I get for trying stuff. But who would of thought that by just putting the card in it would screw up my XP boot, never loaded any drivers, so when I put back in the 7300 I should of been fine

put the original video card back in.

insert the xp cd, reboot, 'hit any key to boot from cdrom' so hit any key, wait.

...windows is starting... hit enter, f8 because i'm sure you read it all... windows is searching for a previous version of windows...

hit 'R' to run the automated repair (as above). this is also called an 'inplace upgrade' by microsoft. it will re-install windows over the top of your old windows and hopefully fix the problem. after it is done, you will need to run update and get the 100 or so updates that this has wiped out.

if this does not work, format install from scratch is the only easy option without exporting the registry files to be edited on another computer and lots of other geeky crap. best of luck.

 

[4JNA]

hail mary play.

I can run the repair option but when I get to time to reboot, same oll story, looks like a long weekend of reinstalling everything....

yeah, that's not good. did you have system restore running or had you turned it off? if you don't know, it's enabled by default and running unless you go turn it off. you might take a look HERE as a last effort. it can be run from the recovery console even if xp won't start and might let you roll back to a point before the card swap. best of luck.

 

[bwillo]

Now we are talking. Will get back with a report. I defiantly had it enabled. That is along the lines of the info I was looking for. I installed and repaired windows a thousand times. It is command line info that I hoped to find here, I know its a mac forum, but I know I am not the only one by far running windows almost exclusive.

On anothe note do you know how you can run DOS bassed boot CD/DVD/USB keys? I freeze up any time a DOS app tries to create a ram disk? Any links for the more bootcamp guys like me? workarounds and stuff. Thanks

yeah, that's not good. did you have system restore running or had you turned it off? if you don't know, it's enabled by default and running unless you go turn it off. you might take a look HERE as a last effort. it can be run from the recovery console even if xp won't start and might let you roll back to a point before the card swap. best of luck.

 

[bwillo]

No Go, Looks like a full ;;

Now we are talking. Will get back with a report. I defiantly had it enabled. That is along the lines of the info I was looking for. I installed and repaired windows a thousand times. It is command line info that I hoped to find here, I know its a mac forum, but I know I am not the only one by far running windows almost exclusive.

On anothe note do you know how you can run DOS bassed boot CD/DVD/USB keys? I freeze up any time a DOS app tries to create a ram disk? Any links for the more bootcamp guys like me? workarounds and stuff. Thanks