BleepingComputer.com: black screen with a mouse pointer

Ok so I'm working on an older computer running xp and a 160gb hdd. I decided to upgrade the system, and built out a new case, mobo, cpu, ram, and 500gb hdd.

Usually I just clone the old drive to the new one, stick it in the new box and uninstall old drivers then install the new ones. This time it didn't go so well.

The original computer had a virus on it yesterday. I don't know which one, but was told malewarebytes removed it. Today before cloning it, it scanned clean and operated. After the clone I put the new hdd with the old image into the new box and it goes past the windows xp splash screen to the black screen after, and hangs. The screen is black, with only a mouse pointer visible.

I booted in safe mode with the same result. The last thing that flashed on the screen was loading the mup.sys file, then screen goes black and mouse pointer!

I have tried scans with malwarebytes, combofix, avast.
I have tried putting the new drive back into the old computer and it still boots up there. Just not in the new computer.
I have tried chkdsk /p/r which said it corrected an error. I have done the fixmbr and the bootcfg. No change with anything.
I ran windows repair. no change. Ran windows repair from a different cdrw. no change.

This is feeling like an issue with the drivers but how can I remove the old drivers without being able to get into safe mode?

Also the old computer is no longer accessible to me.

Ideas?

also to make sure it wasn't an outright hardware issue, I put in a new hdd and loaded a fresh copy of windows (no image) and it loaded and booted up just fine. Something is in the image I'm working with

You cannot move a hard drive from one system/motherboard...and expect it to work successfully.

Changing a Motherboard or Moving Hard Drive - http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

Louis

You are telling me you can't change your motherboard? ok.

I've also tried disabling the onboard sound/usb/ethernet with the same result. Anyone else have idears?

He is saying you can't use the same hard drive from one machine in another computer with a different motherboard/model and have it work right.

I have never had that work right, only when it is same make/model/motherboard.

Best way is fresh install on a new machine.

well i have upgraded motherboards many times, or moved a harddrive to a new system. Usually just have to uninstall old drivers and install the new ones. I don't know what went wrong this time but I went ahead and reformatted to save time. Can close this topic.