Easiest way to change mobo etc?

[Len Cuff]

XP Home installed and working fine. I now have the chance to upgrade
from current Socket A to a 939 mobo/Athlon64 3500. I really don't want
to have to install everything from scratch again so what's the easiest
way to change the hardware and keep XP as it is? Been suggested that
go Safe Mode and delete/uninstall all the System entries in Device
Manager and let XP find the new ones?

Any ideas as to whether that would work?

TIA


cheers,
Len

 

[Og]

My response at end:

XP Home installed and working fine. I now have the chance to upgrade
from current Socket A to a 939 mobo/Athlon64 3500. I really don't want
to have to install everything from scratch again so what's the easiest
way to change the hardware and keep XP as it is? Been suggested that
go Safe Mode and delete/uninstall all the System entries in Device
Manager and let XP find the new ones?

Any ideas as to whether that would work?

TIA


cheers,
Len

You will need to perform a repair install in order to rebuild the HAL.
"How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install"
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
Steve

 

[Anna]

You will need to perform a repair install in order to rebuild the HAL.
"How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install"
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
Steve

Len:
Steve is essentially correct in that the likelihood is you will have to
undertake a Repair install of XP following the motherboard installation. But
let me add a few comments...

While a Repair install of the OS will probably be necessary, that isn't
always the case - even when the new motherboard is a completely different
make & model of the one that is being replaced. Sometimes you luck out in
that the system will boot straightaway following the new motherboard
install. Although unlikely, we've experienced this a number of times.

Assuming you need to undertake a Repair install of the OS the process is
relatively straightforward. It would be roughly akin to making a fresh
install of the OS, but in nearly every case your existing programs &
user-created data would be retained. Notice I said "nearly". While it would
be a rather rare situation where data would be lost or corrupted as a result
of the Repair install, and as unlikely as it may be, it *could* happen.

So if there are any programs and/or other data on your present drive that
are absolutely crucial to you and you could not tolerate its loss, then I
would strongly suggest that before installing the new motherboard you first
either make a clone of your existing HDD (using a disk imaging program) or
use some other means to copy whatever data you want to some other media.

While I really don't want to overemphasize the possible negatives in this
situation because in the overwhelming amount of cases where a Repair install
is undertaken there's no problem with loss or corruptions of data occurring.

There are a number of websites that contain step-by-step instructions for
undertaking a Repair install. Let me assure you that it's not a difficult
process and not terribly time-consuming. If you do a Google search on "XP
repair install", you'll be pointed to many of these sites. Here are a couple
beside the one Steve mentioned...
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=138

Assuming the Repair install is successful, you should use your A-V program
to immediately check out your PC for any virus infestation. Also, you will
need to download/install *all* the MS critical updates since SP2. (I'm
assuming that if the Repair install is necessary, you will be undertaking it
with a XP CD that contains SP2). That, of course, is one of the downsides re
using a Repair install. It's usually an onerous task to download all the
Critical Updates from MS especially if you have a dialup phone connection
rather than broadband.
Anna

 

[Len Cuff]

Len:
Steve is essentially correct in that the likelihood is you will have to
undertake a Repair install of XP following the motherboard installation. But
let me add a few comments...

While a Repair install of the OS will probably be necessary, that isn't
always the case - even when the new motherboard is a completely different
make & model of the one that is being replaced. Sometimes you luck out in
that the system will boot straightaway following the new motherboard
install. Although unlikely, we've experienced this a number of times.

Assuming you need to undertake a Repair install of the OS the process is
relatively straightforward. It would be roughly akin to making a fresh
install of the OS, but in nearly every case your existing programs &
user-created data would be retained. Notice I said "nearly". While it would
be a rather rare situation where data would be lost or corrupted as a result
of the Repair install, and as unlikely as it may be, it *could* happen.

So if there are any programs and/or other data on your present drive that
are absolutely crucial to you and you could not tolerate its loss, then I
would strongly suggest that before installing the new motherboard you first
either make a clone of your existing HDD (using a disk imaging program) or
use some other means to copy whatever data you want to some other media.

While I really don't want to overemphasize the possible negatives in this
situation because in the overwhelming amount of cases where a Repair install
is undertaken there's no problem with loss or corruptions of data occurring.

There are a number of websites that contain step-by-step instructions for
undertaking a Repair install. Let me assure you that it's not a difficult
process and not terribly time-consuming. If you do a Google search on "XP
repair install", you'll be pointed to many of these sites. Here are a couple
beside the one Steve mentioned...
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=138

Assuming the Repair install is successful, you should use your A-V program
to immediately check out your PC for any virus infestation. Also, you will
need to download/install *all* the MS critical updates since SP2. (I'm
assuming that if the Repair install is necessary, you will be undertaking it
with a XP CD that contains SP2). That, of course, is one of the downsides re
using a Repair install. It's usually an onerous task to download all the
Critical Updates from MS especially if you have a dialup phone connection
rather than broadband.
Anna

Anna, Steve,
Thanks for the info. I have done a few repair installs for
other people and as you say they 'normally' work fine. I have had the
odd occasion where XP has asked for new accounts and that's when you
know you have problems! So what would happen if I tried the new mobo
and it didn't work/boot? I assume I could do the repair from that
point with nothing lost? It is a different mobo manufacturer but the
chipset (VIA) is the same so maybe it would work?

I have all my important data backed up anyway on a external USB drive
and also to my NAS box so nothing will be lost!



cheers,
Len

 

[Anna]

Anna, Steve,
Thanks for the info. I have done a few repair installs for
other people and as you say they 'normally' work fine. I have had the
odd occasion where XP has asked for new accounts and that's when you
know you have problems! So what would happen if I tried the new mobo
and it didn't work/boot? I assume I could do the repair from that
point with nothing lost? It is a different mobo manufacturer but the
chipset (VIA) is the same so maybe it would work?

I have all my important data backed up anyway on a external USB drive
and also to my NAS box so nothing will be lost!

cheers,
Len

Len:
Answering your last question first...
There's no way of telling that I'm aware of to determine if a Repair install
will not be necessary following a new motherboard install. The fact that the
chipset is the same is not an accurate guide in this respect.

As has been pointed out, the likelihood is that you will have to perform a
Repair install and assuming no hardware problems and further assuming the
user (you!) properly installs & configures all components, there should be
no problem in arriving at a bootable, functional system following the Repair
installation.

And it is well that you have a backup of the data that's important to you.
Anna

 

[Bruce Chambers]

XP Home installed and working fine. I now have the chance to upgrade
from current Socket A to a 939 mobo/Athlon64 3500. I really don't want
to have to install everything from scratch again so what's the easiest
way to change the hardware and keep XP as it is?

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed OEM
installations are BIOS-locked to a specific chipset and therefore are
*not* transferable to a new motherboard - check yours before starting),
unless the new motherboard is virtually identical (same chipset, same
IDE controllers, same BIOS version, etc.) to the one on which the WinXP
installation was originally performed, you'll need to perform a repair
(a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at the very least:

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341

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

The "why" is quite simple, really, and has nothing to do with
licensing issues, per se; it's a purely technical matter, at this point.
You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the OS. (If
you don't like -- or get -- the rug analogy, think of it as picking up a
Cape Cod style home and then setting it down onto a Ranch style
foundation. It just isn't going to fit.) WinXP, like Win2K before it,
is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to accepting any
old hardware configuration you throw at it. On installation it
"tailors" itself to the specific hardware found. This is one of the
reasons that the entire WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so much more stable
than the Win9x group.

As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any
important data before starting.

This will also probably require re-activation, unless you have a
Volume Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more than
120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key, you'll most
likely be able to activate via the Internet without problem. If it's
been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone call.

Been suggested that
go Safe Mode and delete/uninstall all the System entries in Device
Manager and let XP find the new ones?

Any ideas as to whether that would work?

Only in very rare cases, where the two motherboards are based on the
same "family" of chipsets, and contain pretty much the same (or very
similar) integrated components.


--

Bruce Chambers

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