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Wont boot on clone machine blinking cursor only



 
 
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  #11  
Old October 25th 05, 02:01 PM
Ben Myers
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Default Wont boot on clone machine blinking cursor only

What? Either I do not understand what is stated here, or ????

What is "Compaq locked"? Please explain this unique phrase.

"You can't even get Compaq drivers to work if the component isn't in a Compaq."


I disagree. Strongly. From at least the early Pentium II days, Compaq has used
commodity chipsets and commodity add-on parts (graphics cards, sound cards,
modems, etc.) in its systems. The Compaq drivers are little more than
repackaged commodity drivers. The Compaq BIOS may prevent some commodity
software from working at all, e.g. Intel's sensor monitoring software for P4s,
which requires a stock Intel BIOS. The industry has finally matured enough for
name-brand vendors to have a bit of economics common sense. In earlier days,
Compaq and others twisted arms of chip manufacturers to build proprietary chips
for them. First, cost of software support became a factor. Next, pricing to
build the chips themselves was the clincher.

You are correct about Nero, Record Now and other commercial CD burner products.
Bundled versions are often tied to either the system motherboard BIOS or to the
brand of CD-RW drive.

No further comment... Ben Myers

On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 07:34:25 GMT, lid (dannysdailys) wrote:
SNIP

I believe I answered this question befo

No, it won't work, period. I would dare say, your Compaq system is
Compaq locked and no amount of coaxing will undo it. You can't even
get Compaq drivers to work if the component isn't in a Compaq. It
doesn't matter if the component came from a Compaq, it only matters
if the component is in a Compaq.

This is very similar with programs like Nero. Nero comes bundled with
half the CD burners in the world, but each copy will only work with
the burner it came with. They're bios locked.

The posters are right about the OS bios issues as well. Generally, an
OS will not run on a computer that isn't just like the computer it was
installed in. Sometimes they will be able to search and find drivers,
but not normally. Windows ME is the only OS I've had that could pull
it off.

This is the same problem with Ghosting a full system and OS as backup
on CD. By the time you may need the backup, the original machine is
usually long gone, giving you a useless piece of plastic.

I agree with you, if you're tossing the Compaq, you should still own
Windows shouldn't you? Not a chance.

But, somehow I feel that's not what you're trying to do is it? You're
most probably trying to get a free OS for the clone and transferring
the drive was the first step in seeing if that would work.

Microsoft is smarter then that and you'll have to pony up the 89
bucks.

If you are trashing the Compaq, raise cain with them and see where
that gets you. You'll probably hear the double-speak that says, no,
you don't own the software, only the machine. The software was only
for that machine; so in effect, you rented it.


  #12  
Old October 25th 05, 07:31 PM
dannysdailys
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Default Wont boot on clone machine blinking cursor only

Ben Myerswrote:
What? Either I do not understand what is stated here, or ????

What is "Compaq locked"? Please explain this unique phrase.

"You can't even get Compaq drivers to work if the component isn't in

a Compaq."

The Compaq drivers are little more than repackaged commodity

drivers.



I beg to differ, have you ever downloaded a Compaq driver from their
web site? for something as silly as a modem card, then tried to
install that driver on a separate machine? It ain't gonna happen.
They don't even come as drivers, they come as "ComPacks." I've tried
this numerious times, in the time frame you mention and much later;
and have never had success. This is obviously a Compaq custom bios
question more then anything else.

Try it, try it today. Take a component out of a Compaq, put it in
your computer, go to the Compaq site and see if you can get the
driver for it to work. It'll say; "this Compaq (whatever) can only
be installed on a Compaq computer. Good Luck... So, you're out a
modem card that you paid for! Forget the computer it came in. It's
just like Windows itself. The drivers are only at the Compaq site or
in the Compaq restore CD; which naturally, won't install on anything
other then the exact machine it came off of.

I found a Toshiba Laptop, that broke and Toshiba fixed, that wouldn't
accept it's restore disk; because Toshiba fixed it with something
probably better, but was not on that disk. This is quite common,
where have you been?

You have to go to the original vendors site and hope. That's if you
can figure out who the vendor is. That's Compaq locked. That's
Proprietary and that's why you don't want to buy a store bought
computer period! I don't care what it is...

The average consumer is much better served by their local white box
shop. They have the highest customer satasfaction ratings for a
reason.

You get all your disks, you have no crap to weed out, and you have
someone right down the street who built it. Like Duh???

And, a totally compatable computer to whatever you want to do with it.

  #13  
Old October 25th 05, 10:24 PM
Ben Myers
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Posts: n/a
Default Wont boot on clone machine blinking cursor only

Well, in the last couple of years I've sold a stack of Compaq computers, Pentium
3 or Pentium 4. Most of them came to me with a bare hard drive and a Windows
2000 or Windows XP sticker. I set them up exactly the way I set up any computer
from scratch. I load the operating system for which there is a sticker, then
find drivers for them. Now you ask where did I find the drivers? NOT on the
Compaq web site. I have been in the computer biz long enough that I can examine
a motherboard or add-in card and determine which chipset(s) is on it. Then I go
to the chipset manufacturer's web site and download the drivers, which I then
install. For motherboards in business computers (NOT Presarios), Compaq uses
Intel chipsets almost exclusively (Intel 810, 810e, 815, 845 etc). Most, but
not all, graphics are ATI. Compaq motherboards or Compaq-branded network cards
use Intel Ethernet chips (82557, 82558 or 82559). The sound chip varies with
the age of the computer, but it is always a mainstream audio chip. Compaq uses
modems with various chips, but, once again, drivers are easy to find.

Based on the above scenario, you can understand why I claim that no Compaq
hardware is "Compaq locked" or anything of the sort. Instead, Compaq sets up
many of its Softpaqs so they are keyed to a Compaq identifier in the motherboard
BIOS. The not-so-special Compaq hardware can be used in any compatible computer
as long as one knows where to find the generic drivers for the hardware. Are we
clear on the concept now???? ... Ben Myers

On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 18:31:46 GMT, lid (dannysdailys) wrote:

Ben Myerswrote:

What? Either I do not understand what is stated here, or ????

What is "Compaq locked"? Please explain this unique phrase.

"You can't even get Compaq drivers to work if the component isn't in

a Compaq."

The Compaq drivers are little more than repackaged commodity

drivers.



I beg to differ, have you ever downloaded a Compaq driver from their
web site? for something as silly as a modem card, then tried to
install that driver on a separate machine? It ain't gonna happen.
They don't even come as drivers, they come as "ComPacks." I've tried
this numerious times, in the time frame you mention and much later;
and have never had success. This is obviously a Compaq custom bios
question more then anything else.

Try it, try it today. Take a component out of a Compaq, put it in
your computer, go to the Compaq site and see if you can get the
driver for it to work. It'll say; "this Compaq (whatever) can only
be installed on a Compaq computer. Good Luck... So, you're out a
modem card that you paid for! Forget the computer it came in. It's
just like Windows itself. The drivers are only at the Compaq site or
in the Compaq restore CD; which naturally, won't install on anything
other then the exact machine it came off of.

I found a Toshiba Laptop, that broke and Toshiba fixed, that wouldn't
accept it's restore disk; because Toshiba fixed it with something
probably better, but was not on that disk. This is quite common,
where have you been?

You have to go to the original vendors site and hope. That's if you
can figure out who the vendor is. That's Compaq locked. That's
Proprietary and that's why you don't want to buy a store bought
computer period! I don't care what it is...

The average consumer is much better served by their local white box
shop. They have the highest customer satasfaction ratings for a
reason.

You get all your disks, you have no crap to weed out, and you have
someone right down the street who built it. Like Duh???

And, a totally compatable computer to whatever you want to do with it.


  #14  
Old November 5th 05, 04:34 AM
Ben Myers
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Wont boot on clone machine blinking cursor only

But I will state without reservation that Compaq SoftPaqs suck! Why? The
dumbass SoftPaq number does not give you a clue as to what is inside. Dumb,
dumb, dumber. The Softpaq files have various ways of unpacking themselves, no
overall consistency. The command line options to override the default unpacking
(as in Windows Desktop! or current folder) are damned obscure. But it's all
water over the dam now, and HPaq ain't gonna fix'em.

This tirade is prompted by three downloads of audio SoftPaqs to install the
right drivers in a Compaq iPaq desktop PC. FOUR (count 'em) four downloads are
available when you search for the drivers for the model, but which one works?
Aha, good question.

If the stinking little iPaq wasn't so damned difficult to take apart, I would
have done my usual trick of looking for the audio chip on the motherboard.

Oh, well. The client is at least paying for my work to set up the thing again.

.... Ben Myers


On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 18:31:46 GMT, lid (dannysdailys) wrote:

Ben Myerswrote:

What? Either I do not understand what is stated here, or ????

What is "Compaq locked"? Please explain this unique phrase.

"You can't even get Compaq drivers to work if the component isn't in

a Compaq."

The Compaq drivers are little more than repackaged commodity

drivers.



I beg to differ, have you ever downloaded a Compaq driver from their
web site? for something as silly as a modem card, then tried to
install that driver on a separate machine? It ain't gonna happen.
They don't even come as drivers, they come as "ComPacks." I've tried
this numerious times, in the time frame you mention and much later;
and have never had success. This is obviously a Compaq custom bios
question more then anything else.

Try it, try it today. Take a component out of a Compaq, put it in
your computer, go to the Compaq site and see if you can get the
driver for it to work. It'll say; "this Compaq (whatever) can only
be installed on a Compaq computer. Good Luck... So, you're out a
modem card that you paid for! Forget the computer it came in. It's
just like Windows itself. The drivers are only at the Compaq site or
in the Compaq restore CD; which naturally, won't install on anything
other then the exact machine it came off of.

I found a Toshiba Laptop, that broke and Toshiba fixed, that wouldn't
accept it's restore disk; because Toshiba fixed it with something
probably better, but was not on that disk. This is quite common,
where have you been?

You have to go to the original vendors site and hope. That's if you
can figure out who the vendor is. That's Compaq locked. That's
Proprietary and that's why you don't want to buy a store bought
computer period! I don't care what it is...

The average consumer is much better served by their local white box
shop. They have the highest customer satasfaction ratings for a
reason.

You get all your disks, you have no crap to weed out, and you have
someone right down the street who built it. Like Duh???

And, a totally compatable computer to whatever you want to do with it.


 




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