mainboard swap?

[John]

Can I swap out a mainboard and processor without totally screwing up my
windows XP pro install? Any tips? I would really like to avoid
reinstalling if at all possible.

 

[David]

You will need to do a repair install

David

 

[Pete Baker]

John

During the initial installation XP configures itself to suit the hardware in
order to provide a more stable system. Because of this a major change in
hardware can cause problems.

**** If you have a XP installation CD ****

You should always back up any important files in advance of a hardware
change.

Many users, myself included, prefer to do a full clean install after major
hardware changes as you describe.

The alternative, and equally valid option, is the repair install (also known
as an In-Place Upgrade).

*However, it is not designed to be a time-saving option.*

See following Knowledge Base article for details. Pay careful attention to
the possible loss of data links in the MS article and read all instructions
carefully. You should follow the 'Boot from XP CD' procedure.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q315341

After doing this you may need to re-activate your installation of XP. If it
has been more than 120 days since you last re-activated you should be able
to activate over the internet, otherwise it will require a short phonecall.

After the repair install you will need to re-install any XP service packs
and updates that are not included on your XP Installation CD, but you will
not need to re-install any applications.

Hope that helps
Pete

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Normally, unless the new motherboard is virtually identical to the
old one (same chipset, same IDE controllers, same BIOS version, etc.),
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.

This may also require re-activation. 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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