Multi HD PC Motherboard & CPU upgrade

[bass4u]

Does anyone know if there is an easy way to upgrade my motherboard & CPU
without reformatting the HDs? I can boot from each HD. I have lots of
hardware including two different IDE HDs and a SCSI HD as well as an external
USB HD (not bootable) I would like to keep all hardware intact without
changing anything except the motherboard and CPU. I have the same XP software
on the three internal HDs. Can this be done without a hassle? Thanks in
advance for any help.

Richy

 

[philo]

Does anyone know if there is an easy way to upgrade my motherboard & CPU
without reformatting the HDs? I can boot from each HD. I have lots of
hardware including two different IDE HDs and a SCSI HD as well as an external
USB HD (not bootable) I would like to keep all hardware intact without
changing anything except the motherboard and CPU. I have the same XP software
on the three internal HDs. Can this be done without a hassle? Thanks in
advance for any help.

Richy

First thing to do when you re-build the machine
is to use a minimal hardware configuration.
Do not connect the external drive...
and as to the internal drive(s)...connect only the one you will be booting
from.

Then...you will still need to perform a repair installation.

Though repair installations usually work, there is no guarantee of course...
so be sure you have all your important stuff backed up first

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Does anyone know if there is an easy way to upgrade my motherboard & CPU
without reformatting the HDs? I can boot from each HD. I have lots of
hardware including two different IDE HDs and a SCSI HD as well as an external
USB HD (not bootable) I would like to keep all hardware intact without
changing anything except the motherboard and CPU. I have the same XP software
on the three internal HDs. Can this be done without a hassle? Thanks in
advance for any help.

Richy

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed OEM
installations are BIOS-locked to a specific motherboard 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

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Dustin Harper]

You can always do a repair install instead of a complete reinstall.

 

[Anna]

Does anyone know if there is an easy way to upgrade my motherboard & CPU
without reformatting the HDs? I can boot from each HD. I have lots of
hardware including two different IDE HDs and a SCSI HD as well as an
external
USB HD (not bootable) I would like to keep all hardware intact without
changing anything except the motherboard and CPU. I have the same XP
software
on the three internal HDs. Can this be done without a hassle? Thanks in
advance for any help.

Richy

Richy:
As you have heard from a number of responders to your query the likelihood
is that following the installation of a new motherboard & processor you will
need to undertake a Repair install of the XP OS. This assumes, of course,
that you wish to retain the previously installed XP OS on your current boot
drive along with the programs/applications on that HDD together with your
user-created data.

If you do a Google search on "XP repair install", you'll be pointed to many
sites that contain detailed info on this process. Here are a few...
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm#RI
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=138
http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxppro/installxpcdrepair/indexfullpage.htm

I did however want to point out that there's a chance - albeit a slight
one - that following your installation of a new motherboard & processor your
system will boot straightaway with your current boot drive. While this is
not likely - it does remain a possibility based upon our experiences in this
area. Unfortunately there's simply no telling whether such will be
successful. At least we've never found a reliable way to tell beforehand
whether such will be successful. Naturally even if you do "luck out" along
these lines you will still need to install the motherboard drivers in most
cases along with any other auxiliary drivers needed by your installed
components.
Anna

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Does anyone know if there is an easy way to upgrade my motherboard & CPU
without reformatting the HDs? I can boot from each HD. I have lots of
hardware including two different IDE HDs and a SCSI HD as well as an external
USB HD (not bootable) I would like to keep all hardware intact without
changing anything except the motherboard and CPU. I have the same XP software
on the three internal HDs. Can this be done without a hassle? Thanks in
advance for any help.

When you change the motherboard, unless the new one is identical to
the old, you have to at least do a repair installation of Windows. See
"How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install"
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

That's usually sufficient, but you should be aware that occasionally a
repair installation isn't good enough, and you will need to reinstall
Windows cleanly.

 

[Badger]

Does anyone know if there is an easy way to upgrade my motherboard & CPU
without reformatting the HDs? I can boot from each HD. I have lots of
hardware including two different IDE HDs and a SCSI HD as well as an
external
USB HD (not bootable) I would like to keep all hardware intact without
changing anything except the motherboard and CPU. I have the same XP
software
on the three internal HDs. Can this be done without a hassle? Thanks in
advance for any help.

Richy

I can't see any reason why this should be a problem. I have swapped HDs
between different boxes many times without any hassles and that's virtually
all you are doing isn't it? As long as the new motherboard can handle your
IDE and SCSI drives all should be well.
Badger