Installing a new motherboard in an existing XP system - How to?

[cbx]

I plan to upgrade the motherboard/processor in my existing XP system,
can you advise the best way to handle the software part of the
upgrade?

One article I saw on internet said to do a Windows XP "REPAIR" after
installing the new hardware. Is this the best way to go to install
the drivers and hardware?

Thanks.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I plan to upgrade the motherboard/processor in my existing XP system,
can you advise the best way to handle the software part of the
upgrade?

One article I saw on internet said to do a Windows XP "REPAIR" after
installing the new hardware. Is this the best way to go to install
the drivers and hardware?

It's not a matter of "best" way. If you replace the motherboard,
unless it's to one identical to the old one, you normally *have to* do
at least a repair installation.

However, be aware that sometimes a repair installation isn't
sufficient, and you will need to do a clean reinstallation. So be
prepared for that possibility, and be sure you have a backup of
anything you can't afford to lose before changing the motherboard.

 

[Dave B.]

Adding to Ken's reply, if the new motherboard has a similar chipset to the
old one, it may boot up on it's own without needing a repair install. If the
chipsets are sufficiently different, there is a way to avoid needing a
repair install that I have used many times with success but it requires a
3rd party PCI hard drive controller.

 

[John Smithe]

I plan to upgrade the motherboard/processor in my existing XP system,
can you advise the best way to handle the software part of the
upgrade?

One article I saw on internet said to do a Windows XP "REPAIR" after
installing the new hardware. Is this the best way to go to install
the drivers and hardware?

Thanks.

Check this site for an installation guide.

http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html

Dwnload the free pdf file. Also, updated hardware will probably be
different enough to requie a fresh install; so, be sure to backup anything
you want to put on the updated system.

Good Luck

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I plan to upgrade the motherboard/processor in my existing XP system,
can you advise the best way to handle the software part of the
upgrade?

One article I saw on internet said to do a Windows XP "REPAIR" after
installing the new hardware. Is this the best way to go to install
the drivers and hardware?

Thanks.

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.


--

Bruce Chambers

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[Lil' Dave]

I plan to upgrade the motherboard/processor in my existing XP system,
can you advise the best way to handle the software part of the
upgrade?

One article I saw on internet said to do a Windows XP "REPAIR" after
installing the new hardware. Is this the best way to go to install
the drivers and hardware?

Thanks.

Generally speaking this is what I do BEFORE changing the motherboard and
other hardware:
1. Image the windows partition to removable media.
2. Backup IE favorites using the export function as bookmark.htm to
removable media.
3. Backup OE settings for email (if applicable) and news (if applicable)
using the export function of each account as an iaf file to removable media.
Similar is available in Outlook for email. If Outlook, I backup the
personal folder and subfolders to removable media as outlook.pst file.
4. I don't keep my personal files in the windows partition. You decide
what to do based on your usage.
The above should be done irregardless what kind of XP install you choose.

I shy away from repair installations, and prior XP installations that do
operate with the new motherboard if different than the original motherboard.
I always make sure I have the product key available before starting the
process of a new install. I always wipe the old windows partition, and
create a new one with the XP installation CD.

I install the new hardware in single hardware steps if beyond a new
motherboard and processor, after the install. The drivers for the
motherboard are installed after the motherboard and cpu is installed. In
some cases, there may be subsequent hardware drivers to install for USB 2.0
or onboard LAN to operate for instance. I like to reboot after each
instance of driver software installation. After install of said single
hardware, install the software drivers, shutdown and install subsequent
hardware. Make sure the new hardware is visible in the bios summary if your
PC has such before entering windows, this is a cue of hardware irq usage
being properly done. If not visible, there may be a hardware irq conflict.
Some things that should have their irq unshared at the bios level are LAN
and firewire by my own previous experiences. I don't connect any external
peripherals except keyboard and mouse during the process. I install the
internal new hardware first. Then, any remaining external hardware one at a
time per windows session.

I image the installation in the following manner:
1. Image with XP installed only with the imaging software if possible.
2. Image with motherboard drivers installed.
3. Image with all hardware installed, no 3rd party software.
4. Image with all hardware installed and XP updates installed.
5. Image with all hardware installed, XP updates installed, and 3rd party
applications installed.
6. Image as above, except, update all applicable 3rd party applications
first while online. This includes AV definition updates.
I retain all the stepped images in a folder on a removable hard drive in
lieu of something amiss that can't be fixed normally within XP.

Afterwards, I restore the IE favorites, OE and, if applicable, Outlook
backups. If applicable, I get Office updates online, and image afterwards.

If I am satisfied with the XP installation, I activate a few days later. I
refer to the above as a clean installation.

I wrote this in the first person. This is what I do, am not telling or
suggesting that you do anything. That is your choice. For reference, I use
an XP w/SP2 OEM generic installation CD for installation. For reference, I
keep image backups on an onboard hard drive and a firewire hard drive. For
reference, I keep my personal files on the same hard drive as the windows
partition, but on a different partition, there is an image backup for this
as well. For reference, I keep my IE, OE, and Outlook backups on a USB
thumbdrive and the same partition as my personal files.
Dave