Is a new XP installation possible?

Hello everybody;

please forgive me barging in like this, it's quite an awful emergency for me.

My motherboard died off on my Windows XP/SP3 32-bit machine. I'll have to get a new mainboard and I'm worried because I'm afraid I won't be able to reinstall XP if I have to. Because the last time I did (in 2013) it was only possible to get XP activated by calling Microsoft per phone - and I've heard they won't activate the old XP anymore. What to do then?

My vague hope is if I'll find the exact same mainboard (ASRock H77 Pro4-M), my system won't need to change. Is that so? Guy in the shop said no.

I run a very lean XP on my machine (some 16 or 17 processes only), it never saw an official Windows update (was installed with WSUS Offline Update 8.3), runs with an old Sygate Firewall and Time Freeze and Sandboxie when online. I'd like to keep it, as it's a trusted and reliable thing and runs all my old favorite programs.

(And I already hate that stupid notebook a friend gave me so I can go online at all for as long as my machine is down. I'm typing on that thing right now and it's terrible...)

I don't know what to do right now? The ASRock H77 is out of production and all I could get would be a used one on eBay - which doesn't sound too enticing. Would cost around 100 Euro, too. Double that amount would get me a brandnew basic machine, but probably one that cannot run XP. I don't have much money, I need to act carefully.

All I want is my old machine back! I know I'll have to get some Linux or so in the near future, anf if only to go online with some virtual drive, but I need my XP machine first.

What to do? What to do?

Please advise, will you? I have an official XP/SP3 32-bit cd. I never used a cracked one, but I would do it if there's no other way to get my system back running. I'd do pretty much anything, except perhaps selling the cats or getting a modern Windows...

Thanks so much for every bit of help you can give,

a very desperate old owl


(p.s. It's XP/SP3 Professional, if that matters)

 

the drive should still be good, place in another pc to read it and copy the following from the old drive when you get the new motherboard. The product key that came with your pc is tied to the original motherboard and if you get the same motherboard back again in replacement then the wpa.dbl will work for activation. and microsoft is still activating xp, it just takes a lot longer and a lot of patience.


Create the Activation Status


Navigate to system32 folder.

Copy the wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files

Reinstall XP in the normal manner

Restart the computer and use the F8 key to bring up the Advanced Boot Options

Select Minimal Safe Mode using Up and Down Arrow Keys and press Enter.

Navigate to system32 folder.

Rename the existing wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files.

Copy the previously backed up wpa.dbl and wpa.bak files to the system32 folder.

Reboot the computer.

 

Thank you very much. The problem is I don't have another pc. Another problem might be that my XP didn't come with my old computer - it came with an old Dell that is gone for some years now. I bought my current pc five years ago as a naked machine (with no OS) and installed XP from the Dell reinstallation cd. That was probably the reason that I had to call Microsoft to get XP activated at all.

I wouldn't mind buying a completely new XP/SP3 cd if need be, though. (Especially if that would save me the hassle of phoning Microsoft). Do you think I should get a new XP cd or wouldn't it make a difference?

I also have to admit that I'm not very computer savvy. I have no idea how to access the hard drive in my old machine because it doesn't even start anymore - the mainboard is dead.

 

1. if you have the current xp install activated already then the wpa.dbl on the hard drive can be copied to activate the new install of the SAME os, ie pro and pro or home and home, etc.

2. either buy a new motherboard for your old pc, or a new pc that will take the same type of harddrive as the old one, for example is the drive sata or ide.

3. any drive can be placed in a carrier and attached to a working pc with a usb and read that way, it can be done at anyplace that works on pc's.

4. if above is still too complicated then you will have to take your pc to a shop and pay money to have it fixed.

 

Thank you again. I will show your answers to a friend of mine who knows a little more about computers than I do.
I do have an external carrier for my back up drive (unfortunately, it backed up only the data drives e: to g:, not the c: drive with the os). Maybe the computer hard drive can be put in there in order to access it.

I called a shop, they said the don't repair antiques like my machine and tried to sell me a new one with Windows 10.

 

you can probably find a motherboard online, the exact same kind as what was original.

your external carrier can also be used for the harddrive, take out the backup drive, insert the pc harddrive, and carry to a working pc and you will be able to read the original harddrive and download data from it to a flash drive, (such as the wpa.dbl) and the drivers, the name and versions of any programs.

you cannot back up the OS, you would have to do an image with say Acronis true image, but if you replace the MB and then put the original drive back in everything will be on the harddrive as it was the day the MB quit.

most shops will not work on xp, you will just have to search for one that will and who can replace the motherboard for you.