View Full Version : Changing motherboard in Windows XP
GotQuestion
09-24-04, 11:06 PM
Just bought a new motherboard. Will Windows XP see the new motherboard and just install the devices as usual or will it freak out and blue screen on me? I don't want to have to do a hard drive wipe and reinstall of the OS unless I absolutely have to.
SimpleSimon
09-24-04, 11:31 PM
It should be fine. Of course you should have a current backup image of your hard drive just in case. Also, WinXP may require you to re-activate it due to the hardware "signature" change.
I've always had the best of luck going into the device mananger, deleting all of the system devices, controllers, network cards, etc...anything that is integrated onto the motherboard. If it's going to change, remove it.
And as Simple Simon said...backups, backups, backups.
Danny R
09-25-04, 09:30 AM
It should be fine.
While XP often recognizes new boards without modification, its definately not always "fine". I've done about 20 motherboard upgrades in my department, and the success rate for the OS successfully booting without any modifications is only about 50% in my case. Many times one will get a blue screen.
However booting from the CD and doing a basic repair install after the upgrade has always fixed things.
cdru... interesting suggestion. I'll try that next time.
HappyGoLucky
09-25-04, 10:19 AM
A repair install would be the preferred method. Actually the best method would be a complete re-install from scratch, but the repair method is the second best. Note that with XP there are two "repairs" available. When you boot from the install CD, do NOT choose the first "Repair" that is available, go through like you're going to do an install. You'll be presented with the option to "R"epair or do an install. That is when you choose the repair function. It will appear to be doing a reinstall but it won't erase your installed programs or settings. You'll also need to do a reinstall of any service packs afterwards.
MikeSoltis
09-25-04, 03:39 PM
Happy, you can slipstream SP2 into your XP install CD, and make a new XP install CD with SP2 already... (see www.theeldergeek.com).
If you used this for your 'repair' (if necessary) it ought to keep you from having to re-install the SP2...
It should be fine.
While XP often recognizes new boards without modification, its definately not always "fine". I've done about 20 motherboard upgrades in my department, and the success rate for the OS successfully booting without any modifications is only about 50% in my case. Many times one will get a blue screen.
However booting from the CD and doing a basic repair install after the upgrade has always fixed things.
cdru... interesting suggestion. I'll try that next time.
i second that
Geronimo
09-25-04, 04:48 PM
I third it. In fact a 50% sucessrate seems high.
SimpleSimon
09-25-04, 09:11 PM
It HAS to be just coincidence, but I've noticed that the ones that have so much trouble with this are not conservatives. Of course that's for another forum, not here. :D
Thats because conservatives are against change, so they are justified when things go wrong with a change, not disappointed.
Geronimo
09-25-04, 09:39 PM
That's funny I noticed that the only guy who thinks it works fine has Simple in his name-----just kifdding buddy.
HappyGoLucky
09-26-04, 10:38 AM
Happy, you can slipstream SP2 into your XP install CD, and make a new XP install CD with SP2 already... (see www.theeldergeek.com).
If you used this for your 'repair' (if necessary) it ought to keep you from having to re-install the SP2...
Yes, I've already done that. I regularly make a slipstreamed install disc with any new service packs. But, I didn't want to go into that here as it is more complicated to explain to a newbie.
Running Windows XP you should reformat and reinstall every six months or so is what I recommend to my friends (I suggest monthly for Windows 9x, bianually for Windows NT/XP, and anually for MacOS X, Linux, BSD or any other Unix system) OR after a major hardware upgrade. So just take the new motherboard as an opportunity to do a (probably) long overdue reinstall. You'll be glad you did and your system will thank you.
SimpleSimon
09-26-04, 04:32 PM
Running Windows XP you should reformat and reinstall every six months or so is what I recommend to my friends (I suggest monthly for Windows 9x, bianually for Windows NT/XP, and anually for MacOS X, Linux, BSD or any other Unix system) OR after a major hardware upgrade. So just take the new motherboard as an opportunity to do a (probably) long overdue reinstall. You'll be glad you did and your system will thank you. :nono2: :nono:
boylehome
09-26-04, 07:21 PM
Running Windows XP you should reformat and reinstall every six months or so is what I recommend to my friends (I suggest monthly for Windows 9x, bianually for Windows NT/XP, and anually for MacOS X, Linux, BSD or any other Unix system) OR after a major hardware upgrade. So just take the new motherboard as an opportunity to do a (probably) long overdue reinstall. You'll be glad you did and your system will thank you.
Don't forget to backup everything that is important to you. Also, if you have a large capacity HD with lots of software and driver updates, be sure that you have nothing but time. I agree SimpleSimon :nono2: :( :eek2: :nono2:
Sure - it takes a Saturday. One. Every 1-12 months (depending on OS). The 1-12 months in between make it WELL worth your time.
SimpleSimon
09-26-04, 09:10 PM
Well, I just sent 2 Win98 PCs out of my shop that needed work. NEITHER ONE had been "reinstalled" since the factory - 3-4 years ago.
This laptop I'm using right now is a Win2K Server - been running for 4 years now.
I've got a Win2K Pro install in the office that's over 2 years old.
I also have at least a dozen client machines running WinXP Home that are fine after 1-2 years.
I re-read your post, and it looks like you said "biannually" when you meant "semiannually" - but that doesn't matter.
The only thing I've run into that really hurts is an AOL install on Win98 or WinMe. Trying to kill AOL is like trying to kill communists. Oh wait a minute - same thing. :D :lol:
Running Windows XP you should reformat and reinstall every six months or so is what I recommend to my friends (I suggest monthly for Windows 9x, bianually for Windows NT/XP, and anually for MacOS X, Linux, BSD or any other Unix system) OR after a major hardware upgrade. So just take the new motherboard as an opportunity to do a (probably) long overdue reinstall. You'll be glad you did and your system will thank you.I'm going to assume that you run a computer repair shop and get paid by the hour. Sure your computer will seem zippy again in some cases, but a blanket statement that says you should reinstall your OS every 1/6/12 months is just wrong. A major source of problems is people installing all sorts for software and then leaving them on there, or trying to use a broken installer to remove it, leaving behind all sorts of fragments of the original install.
I help admin several Unix servers that are just as fast today as they did when we installed them 10 years ago on a 486/66 (customers refuse to upgrade something that works fine). My home PC has been running XP more or less fine (known flaky hardware aside) for several years. My work has quite a few NT 4.0 and 3.51 workstations still that are reaching the end of their hardware life.
Ron Barry
09-27-04, 02:35 PM
I just went through a motherboard/CPU upgrade that turned into a nightmare. End result was harddrive corruption caused by the 137GB boundry. Not sure how things got started, but once they did it was down hill from there. I think thinks might have started to go bad, when I went from a Western Digital HD controller that came with the HD drive to a Mother board IDE controller. If you change HD controllers, you will blue screen unless you removed the drivers.
Like Simon Said.... BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP. Sometime it goes smooth others it goes into the toilet. Mine went into the toliet and I did lose some data. Long ugly story and I know what i am doing, but don't do this often enough to remember some caveats.
Personally, I would do a clean install if possible. This will clean up things and give you a nice clean start. If you have hard drives bigger than 137GB, make sure you OS that you install supports this. WindowsXP (SP1a) and Windows 2000 SP3 I believe.
Good luck! Mine was hell, but things have returned to normal and I am glad I upgraded.
boylehome
09-27-04, 06:30 PM
I'm going to assume that you run a computer repair shop and get paid by the hour. Sure your computer will seem zippy again in some cases, but a blanket statement that says you should reinstall your OS every 1/6/12 months is just wrong
I couldn't agree more! You are awesome cdru!! :D
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