A7N8X Do I need to format HD with new MB?

[Nom]

Will this MB pick up a HD which already has Win XP on it along with
all my programs. I tried already and it just wont start, it goes so
far and even with 'Safe Mode' it will reset the computer. No problem
to bring up and operate a HD with Win 98 on it.

You don't "need" to reformat - but it's good practice.
You can usually get away with a Repair Install of XP, but there's no reason
not to do a proper job.

Reformat, and reinstall.

 

[eddie]

Rubbish, he's totally correct.

No he isn't and neither are you

Again, who cares ?

apparently you.

 

[eddie]

You don't "need" to reformat - but it's good practice.
You can usually get away with a Repair Install of XP, but there's no reason
not to do a proper job.

Reformat, and reinstall.

dude you're a day late an a dollar short.

 

[Milleron]

You don't "need" to reformat - but it's good practice.
You can usually get away with a Repair Install of XP, but there's no reason
not to do a proper job.

Actually there is a good reason to examine this question about which
method is proper. Many of us have so many apps installed that
starting from scratch can take literally 30-40 or more hours of work.
Therefore, if a Repair install will yield a stable fast OS, it's a
topic worthy of discussion, and I, for one, do appreciate knowing
about the experience of everyone in this thread. Taken singly, the
reports are all anecdotal. Considered together, they are more than
that.

Reformat, and reinstall.

Well, there's no doubt that this method will yield a system that
couldn't possibly be worse than a repair install, but if a repair
install gives me a setup that's of equal speed and reliability, then I
would almost certainly be willing to accept its resultant bloat as the
price of the saved time. If it results in a crash-prone system, then
it's not worth the time savings.

My approach: Perform the repair install. It takes less than 40
minutes. IF the results are not all the user hopes for, THEN go back
and start from scratch. The exception to this approach would be a
computer with very few programs installed, a gaming rig, for example.

Ron


Ron