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Question

editing registry

Feb 5, 2014 5:01AM PST

I wonder if it is possible to edit the registry on a drive that is not booted up. My problem is pretty simple. I have a c drive and that c drive is connected to a motherboard that is toast. Now I have to move the drive to a new motherboard. To do that I am going to have to remove my enum directory from the current control set to force xp to reset its drivers to the new motherboard. I can no longer boot up on the old motherboard.

I can, however, hook the drive up as an external drive on another machine, I just don't know how to edit a registry when not logged into it.

Thank you..........

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Absolutely.
Feb 5, 2014 5:07AM PST

But how to do this has been written about so many times that I would be left guessing what real question you have here.

In parting google this -> How to change motherboards and save Windows XP?
Bob

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Answer
Not sure but have a look here.
Feb 5, 2014 5:08AM PST
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(NT) NTPASSWD. "I have the power!"
Feb 5, 2014 5:09AM PST
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Of course.
Feb 5, 2014 5:15AM PST

I overlooked that the drive can hook up to another machine. thanks Bob.

Dafydd.

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Answer
you want to boot from it?
Feb 5, 2014 11:33AM PST

Or just have it as an extra drive to use for data storage? If you put as a second drive in another computer and won't boot from it, there shouldn't be any problem, unless it's PATA type and all you have are SATA ports available.

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more specifics
Feb 6, 2014 3:58AM PST

Thank you for the replies.

Here is what I want to do. I want to take a c drive, from an existing machine with a bad motherboard, and delete HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG > SYSTEM> CURRENTCONTROLSET > ENUM (and then delete the ENUM registry key) This will remove the drivers from the bad motherboard. Then I can replace the bad motherboard, reinstall the drive with the registry I just changed and try to boot. In theory XP will then proceed to rebuilt the ENUM key with the new motherboard's drivers, thereby allowing that drive to actually reboot.

Thank you......

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NTPASSWD can do that.
Feb 6, 2014 4:48AM PST

Among other things.

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why not put in the other computer
Feb 6, 2014 8:48AM PST

and just boot to Safe Mode and do it? Have you tried Bob's suggestion?

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plan
Feb 6, 2014 1:45PM PST

Thanks for the replies!

I have the offending disk attached as an external drive. I also now have a bartpe booting cd. Tomorrow I will see how I do with that. If I fail then I will move onto ntpasswd. I was reading the faq and the suggestion was to do unix things. I do have a unix machine running (Ubuntu - use it for programming).So I now have some options and, hopefully, I will not screwup everything. My main fear is that I will end up having to reinstall everything which would be a genuine pain.

Anyway, I will forage ahead and, for the heck of it, report (irregardless of results <G&gtWink

Thanks again!

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OK so you want to do it that way.
Feb 6, 2014 1:48PM PST