Help! Please!

D

dustman

Hello all,

I have an older laptop, HP Pavilion dv8125nr, excellent nearly new condition 17" screen, maxed out on ram. Hadn't been used much, but I loved it. Original owner, registered and activated the same day I bought it from Best Buys. With todays lower prices, I still can't believe I paid $1,395 for it! .It was running Windows XP Medioa Edition 2005. I somehow got a virus that messed up everything. I had to wipe the hard drive and re install Windows XP. For some reason I was never offered the activation page.Everything went downhill from there. I could not load Windows service packs, Security Essentials, or get updates.

I went online and fouond that many people encountered the same thing after repair and reload of Windows XP. There are a few solutions that are very complicated (over 15 steps with a warning it may damage my computer). Or, contact Microsoft. After 2 horrible days of emailing, and calling and being disconnected repeatedly, being shuffled to one useless department after another, sales, the Store, corporate (with a recording that demanded employee extensions and names to proceed), and then hanging up. I got absolutely nowhere. Years ago I had purchased Windows XP Professional (for a now dead and gone computer) and tried loading that. Went perfectly, Windows verified & activated it fine, I registered again, and could get Essentials, updates,service packs, etc. I loaded the HP drivers disk, & put on virus and malware/spam protection.

Every single program I wanted loaded easily and works fine. One glitch. I can connect with ethernet cord. I can also connect wireless. BUT, it simply says "acquiring address" and never stops. It connects me to a low quality local wireless connection, non-security, and that's it. I went to Windows support. It wanted to download a program to see what driver updates I need. But that download failed. HP error code: 2350. Then it said I had no access to HP ActiveCheck/local. I did a search and it showed I didn't have it.So I went online to download it, and encountered dangerous sites offering it free, but trying to download other stuff into my computer. I got out of it. I cannot download HP drivers.I don't have ActiveCheck. Now what? I have the original HP Windows XP Media Edition disk. I can put it in the drive and open it or explore. Is it possible there is something on it that is the HP stuff I need? Some of it is in letters, numbers, codes, etc. All I need is to be able to update the HP drivers from HP, and hopefully get conected wirelessly without the endless "acquiring address" that never does acquire anything. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Dustman
 
media center edition is based on xp pro

when reloading MCE there should have been 2 disks for reinstall

however have you been here:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...en&cc=us&dlc=en&sw_lang=&product=1815930#N924

this is the hp site for driver download for your specific pc.

or have you been here and let hp scan your pc?

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareCategory?cc=us&lc=en&product=1815930

----------------------------

also read this on someone who had your same issue:

http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...nter-problems-with-laptop-drivers-610705.html

------------------------------

and last there is a patch that is required before you load sp3 on a hp

Courtesy of Tricky 300

Before you install SP3 read this article…
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950717
…and if your PC is an HP Pavilion, Presario or Media Center and has an AMD processor you need to install this patch before installing SP3…
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?cc=uk&lc=en&dlc=en&softwareitem=pv-60484-2
…to find out if you have an AMD processor...
• Hold down the Windows key (between Ctrl and Alt) and hit the Pause Break key
• Your processor type is shown in the Computer: section
Then install SP3 by downloading and running from...
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=24
…you can ignore the text that says that it is for network installations and also ignore the text advising Windows/Microsoft Update if only updating one PC.
Reboot twice after installing.
 
Hello, Elizabeth23,

Thank you for the response. I misspoke at one part of my thread. I went to HP, NOT Windows for the drivers. HP wanted to download the program to let them know what drivers I needed. That is where the download failed, with the HP error 2350. It said I was not allowed to access HP ActiveCheck. Since a search didn't find HP ActiveCheck on my computer, I went online to download it, and got the boogers trying to scam me. I thought I could snag it off of my original HP MCE disk, but don't know what I need or what I am looking for or what it's called. I can't get the drivers from HP. I have tried repeatedly. I have service pack 2 & 3 loaded. Do I still need the patch? Also, there was one MCE disk with my computer, one HP Drivers disk, and several program disks (CD writer, HP Zone Plus, HP Quickplay, and HP Lightscribe. Am I missing something? I will go to the sights you mentioned.

Thanks,

Dustman
 
you may not be able to scan the pc at hp, but you can download the drivers from the link I gave you.

also here are instructions on reinstalling media center and reinstalling xp:

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/instxpclean1.htm
With pictures of clean install
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-xp/help/setup/install-windows-xp
http://www.windowsxphome.windowsreinstall.com/sp2installxpcdoldhdd/indexfullpage.htm
http://www.blackviper.com/os-install-guides/windows-xp-professional-install-guide/
Clean installs of XP sites

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxpmce/installxpmcecdoldhdd/indexthumbnails.htm
XP Media Center reinstallations


----------------------------------

as for the patch, Tricky gives instructions to see if you have a AMD processor, if you do, then you should have this patch installed BEFORE you install sp3.

you do not need the patch if you do not have an amd processor

an easier check is to just right click on My computer and choose properties, it will bring up the same box as ctrl + pause/break
 
Last edited:
Elizabeth23,

Thank you so much for all your help. I tried everything. Then I got to thinking about the AT&T router. I checked and the only light that wasn't working was "wireless". I called them and they sent a signal that turned it on. We have had the service for over a year now, but by re installing Windows XP on the laptop, it lost all data. What AT&T DIDN'T tell us was that they had changed our network name and key. The lady at AT&T said look on the bottom of the router for the new name and key. We did, it was there. We were using our old key and didn't know why it didn't work. Now we know. So I was on a wild goose chase after all. I am now on the net wirelessly. Problem FINALLY solved. Thank you again, I really appreciate yoour efforts on my behalf. People like you make these forums worth while.

Best wishes,

Dustman
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top