Motherboards and windows

[Dmitry Tarasev]

I am going to upgrade my motherboard and some poepl say i
have to reinstall windows when i do that. Is this true?
Is it required or just recommended? Normally it wouldnt
be a problem but I my computer came with windows and i
dont think i can reinstall it considering i dont have the
system on discs. All i have is whats on my computer. So
any help would be really good.

 

[Jim Macklin]

You need to contact the computer manufacturer about the
motherboard upgrade. You may be stuck with buying the mobo
from them and that will limit your choices. Or you can buy
a new motherboard of your choice and a retail copy of
Windows. It is possible that the computer mfg'r can sell
you a copy of your software that can be used to reinstall,
that is one of the questions you need to have answered. But
changing a mobo will often require new drivers for the new
chipset, the CPU may be different and features on the new
mobo may not have any drivers at all without installation
from CDs or by download.
You can get EVEREST from www.lavalys.com and identify the
exact make and model of your present mobo and compare that
to what you want to upgrade to, this will help you
understand what you are doing.

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.


| I am going to upgrade my motherboard and some poepl say i
| have to reinstall windows when i do that. Is this true?
| Is it required or just recommended? Normally it wouldnt
| be a problem but I my computer came with windows and i
| dont think i can reinstall it considering i dont have the
| system on discs. All i have is whats on my computer. So
| any help would be really good.

 

[Yves Leclerc]

Windows XP that came installed with a PC are considered OEM and you can not
replace the motherboard, unless the dealer who sold it to you allows you to
do this or if you replace the motherbaord with an exact replacement
motherboard.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many OEM licenses are
not transferable to a new motherboard), 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.

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
--
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