Well , I got it in today ! Whoo hoo ! Im so excited !

The motherboard is an asus M2R32-MVP crossfire ready motherboard , AM2 socket.

The processor is an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200 (65w) dual core (AM2 socket)

Im planning on moving it into a new case , with my old sata HD , 1 gb 533 ram , x1900 GTO , sound card , etc.

Only thing is... a friend told me I need a new OS. With my dell dimension 4700 , it had a feature that allowed me to make a cd copy of windows for installation. Do I really have to reformat my drive and if I do , will my cd work? I have an unopened copy of windows ME around my house somewhere , but I would prefer to keep XP.

I have the manual for connections and everything , but was just looking for a walkthrough on getting it up and going. Thank you ! (I have a lot of my first semester college coursework saved on my HDD , so the issue on whether I need to reformat or not is an important one O.o')

Hi NightJ

What happened to the original copy of XP?

I got my computer as a rent-to-own from aarons (paid off) it didnt come with a windows xp cd, they told me that I could simply burn it to disk in case my computer crashed. Ive reformatted several times with the disk , I just noticed the option wasnt available in the start menu anymore. I do have a sticker on the side of my micro atx case (would I be able to install the atx mobo in this?) with the serial# or w/e for windows xp.

Hey Guys,

.

Windows licensing is now identifying the computer specific to the original installation, if you change the PC they don't recognize it. Also, it may be that what you had was a restore CD, and not a full OS. In which case, you are going to have to purchase the OS if you want to use XP. You need an OEM version of XP. I've found them for as little as $79.00. Let us know if you need help finding a good price.

Looking forward to your reply,

TTFN

LGW

well , I tested the xp cd on another friend's computer (his dad is a comp tech and he has my computer right now) and it comes to the installation screen fine. I suspect that I do have an OEM copy, and have written down my product key. His dad is trying to do a repair install on my computer right now , but it's not working , it keeps crashing/hanging. I guess this means I would have to reformat. Im happy to say that it actually runs though , and that the processor is amazing as far as heat goes. My x1900 was idling well above 70c , and the heatsink for the processor was cool to the touch. Im going to head on over there now and see about picking it up.

Edit : in the case that I cannot install xp , I will use ME for now. Im broke until next month.

Hey NightJ,

Glad to hear that you have someone who can help you hands on. We'll be very interested in how this turns out for you. Keep us up to date.

Looking forward to your reply,

TTFN

LGW

Alright , well , here's my problem. I reformatted my hard drive , and put windows on both partitions. The thing is , as soon as I get to the windows loading screen , or to the OS , it crashes. A lot of times, the power comes on for it, but my screen , keyboard, etc , isnt getting a signal. Recently Ive been getting a series of blue screens telling me the drivers are corrupted or bad ... something .... header. Im working hard to attempt getting it back up again. As for the windows xp , the registration key isnt any good for the new computer , but there is hope as by contacting microsoft , they can fix it to where I can use xp on my new computer with my product key. Going to try that today, if I can ever get the OS up and running. If I can get into my computer , Im going to grab a couple of things and try a complete reformat. Im hoping there wont be any issues this time.

really frustrated on this... :s