How to reload OS without losing apps?

[Ed B.]

I need to replace the motherboard on my PC, but I have numerous apps
loaded and I don't want to have to reload them all. I know I'll have
to reinstall XP after replacing the system board with a new and
different one, but is there a way to keep from having to reload all my
apps? Is it a matter of backing up and restoring the registry, and how
is that different from doing a system state backup using the backup
utility?

Thanks,
Ed B.

 

[Jerry]

If you replace the motherboard/cpu/memory/etc you DO NOT have to reinstall -
you boot from the XP CD and do a 'repair' install. This will allow XP to
figure out the drivers,etc for the new hardware and then install the correct
drivers. All your stuff will still be there.

 

[Rock]

I need to replace the motherboard on my PC, but I have numerous apps
loaded and I don't want to have to reload them all. I know I'll have
to reinstall XP after replacing the system board with a new and
different one, but is there a way to keep from having to reload all my
apps? Is it a matter of backing up and restoring the registry, and how
is that different from doing a system state backup using the backup
utility?

Thanks,
Ed B.

Do a repair install, not a fresh reinstall. BTW there is no good way to
migrate apps from one installation to another, but you don't need to do
that.

See this link for tips on how to go about what you want to do.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

 

[Guest]

Ummm.
It appears I have done the irreversible and totally wrong thing....
I reinstalled XP after I installed a new motherboard and could not get it to
reload properly. It wouldn't even go into repair mode. Every option I tried
caused my computer to reboot. The only workable option I appeard to have was
to reinstall. So I did and now I cannot access any of my programs...
Is ther a way to "reconnect" to my programs or do I need to reinstall them
all? ANd will the reinstalls overwrite the old files or will I have tons of
garbage all over my hard drive.
And what about my music on the hard drive. Is it still there????

 

[Rock]

Ummm.
It appears I have done the irreversible and totally wrong thing....
I reinstalled XP after I installed a new motherboard and could not get it to
reload properly. It wouldn't even go into repair mode. Every option I tried
caused my computer to reboot. The only workable option I appeard to have was
to reinstall. So I did and now I cannot access any of my programs...
Is ther a way to "reconnect" to my programs or do I need to reinstall them
all? ANd will the reinstalls overwrite the old files or will I have tons of
garbage all over my hard drive.
And what about my music on the hard drive. Is it still there????

How did you reinstall the second time? A clean install? A repair
install? If a clean install then no you cannot run the programs, if
indeed any of them are still on the drive. The registry was recreated
from scratch so the entries for those programs in the registry are
missing and therefore most of them won't run. Reinstall them all from
the original media.

Whether the data files are present depends on how you did the reinstall,
did you format the partition first, where were the data files stored, etc.

As to whether there is any garbage left only you can tell by looking at
the drive contents. No way for us to know.