Hardware upgrades - has anyone tried this method

  • Thread starter Thread starter TJ
  • Start date Start date
T

TJ

Using Windows XP Pro, I'm going to be moving my drives, video card, etc to a
new case that has a new mobo, cpu, and ram.

Most of what I've read says that when you do this, you're supposed to do a
Repair Installation by booting from the Windows XP CD. This is fine and
dandy but seems like a lot of trouble. For one, you start from scratch with
updates and have to reinstall all the critical ones. For another, I just
don't trust the repair install to leave everything intact. I've spent a lot
of time fine tuning things..... That's all down the drain I'm sure.

As an alternative, what if I just go into device manager, select to
uninstall all devices related to the old CPU and motherboard, then shut down
and make the move to the new case. When I start back up, shouldn't XP start
detecting new hardware and installing them and prompting for new drivers as
needed?

Does anyone have any experience with this approach and can help me find a
procedure online for what devices are safe to leave alone?

Thanks
 
Hi,

You are thinking of doing this ala the old Win9x way. Unfortunately, this
will not be sufficient, you need to do the repair insallation after the
hardware change.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
You can follow this microsoft Knowledge Base Proceedure, but some may find this difficult compared with a repair install.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314082&Product=winxp

If this article prooves beyond you understanding or skills, the repair install steps below are easier to follow and will get you running.

Repair Install to SET XP to New Motherboard
1. Do Not BOOT into Windows XP on first boot after Motherboard or Hard Drive change! If booting from CD is not an option, return to BIOS and make sure booting from CD is the first boot option. Booting into Windows is only an option when you do a direct replacement of the Motherboard.'\
2.If your computer does not support booting from the CD, check your OEM or Motherboard makers web site for updated BIOS.
3.Perform a Repair Install by following the step by step below.
When you see the "Welcome To Setup" screen, you will see the options below
This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft
Windows XP to run on your computer:

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.
Press Enter to start the Windows Setup.
Accept the License Agreement and Windows will search for existing Windows installations.
Select the XP installation you want to repair from the list and press R to start the repair.
Setup will copy the necessary files to the hard drive and reboot. Do not press any key to boot from CD when the message appears. Setup will continue as if it were doing a clean install, but your applications and settings will remain intact.
Blaster worm warning: Do not immediately activate over the internet when asked, enable the XP firewall before connecting to the internet. You can activate after the firewall is enabled. Control Panel - Network Connections. Right click the connection you use, Properties, and there is a check box on the advanced page.
Reapply updates or service packs applied since initial Windows XP installation. Please note that a Repair Install from the Original install XP CD will remove SP1 and SP1 will need to be reapplied. When to reapply SP1
Activation
What happens when you change a motherboard or move a hard drive depends on the accumulated changes made within a 120 day period since initial activation. As a precaution the windows\system32\WPA.DBL and WPA.DBL should be copied to a floppy before doing a repair install.
It also depends on the version of Windows XP intended for the move.
Retail versions of XP
1. Retail versions of XP can be moved from and reinstalled as many times as you want as long as it is in compliance with the EULA. The EULA states: You may install, use, access, display and run one copy of the Software on a single computer, such as a workstation, terminal or other device ("Workstation Computer")
OEM versions of XP
1. OEM versions of XP preinstalled on systems according to the OEM EULA cannot be transferred to another computer. This is defined in the EULA.
2. OEM versions sold with a piece of hardware are thought to be tied to the original computer it is installed on. From the link [clarification], hardware can be upgraded and only the change of mother board will qualify as a non-original computer.
 
Greetings --

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many OEM installations
and licenses 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

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

The "why" is quite simple, really: 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.

This will also 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.


Bruce Chambers
--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. - RAH
 
Back
Top