Want to change Motheboard and CPU and Ram

[Guest]

I have my Win XP Home CD which is OEM and my motherboard just died. I have
another motherboard from another computer that I'm not using (this mobo has
different type RAM). Can I replace the dead motherboard with the other one?
If so, what do I have to do to make it work properly? What to do about
Activation? Will it let me do all this? The reason I ask is because this
will be like putting it another computer won't it, I mean the motherboard,
CPU, and RAM will be different. OR can I simply reinstall XP from the CD and
replace the small harddrive while I'm at it? Please help. Thank you.

 

[Jerry]

Most, if not all, OEM versions are tied to the FIRST system they are
installed on and cannot be used if the cpu, motheerboard, etc are changed.
Unless you get an exact duplicate of the original motherboard.

Looks like you will have to go to the store and buy a full, retail
version -which, if you had done so in the first place, would preclude this
type of problem as it can be used to swap out motherboards and cpu's.
..

 

[Anna]

Most, if not all, OEM versions are tied to the FIRST system they are
installed on and cannot be used if the cpu, motheerboard, etc are changed.
Unless you get an exact duplicate of the original motherboard.

Looks like you will have to go to the store and buy a full, retail
version -which, if you had done so in the first place, would preclude this
type of problem as it can be used to swap out motherboards and cpu's.

Laz:
Jerry's comment *may* be correct, but not necessarily so...

You said you have an OEM version of the XP installation CD. Is that a
"generic" type of the XP OS CD, one that you purchased retail, or is it a
version that accompanied the same computer in which resides the "dead"
motherboard?

If it's the former, you will most likely not have a problem activating the
system after you install your new MB, CPU, RAM, etc., especially if it has
been 120 days since that old system was activated. This is *not* a certainty
by any means, but in my experience this has been the case. If it has been
less than 120 days since the system was activated, then you will have to
speak to a Microsoft rep re the activation issue. Again, you *probably* will
be able to get the system activated after explaining the situation to the
rep ("My motherboard died and I had to replace it"), but again, there's no
guarantee that activation will be allowed. At least none that I can give
you.

If, on the other hand, your XP CD is an OEM version tied to your computer,
then it's virtually certain that activation will not be allowed. But note
I've said "virtually". This whole Microsoft activation process seems, at
times, nothing more than a crapshoot, so who knows? It sometimes seems that
what's really controlling is which MS rep you're talking to.

As for the technical process involved in installing a new MB, CPU, RAM,
etc., I'm sure I (and others) can provide you with some guidance in this
area. But first do a Google search on "replacing motherboard xp", OK?
Anna

 

[Guest]

If the other mobo is OEM from a Dell or HP etc..system, then no..
You need a mobo setup disk for the chipset drivers etc.. An OEM mobo needs
the OEM's setup disk and all the hardware that was originally connected, to
setup the board properly..A boxed retail mobo new or used with a setup disk
is your best bet and or a new build from scrach...
Or use a retail ver of 98se/XP and id the maker of the mobo and chipset on
the internet. Mobo's in brand name computers are harder to id if at all..
http://www.motherboards.org/mobot/

j;-)

 

[AJR]

There is much confusion about "OEM" and "Retail " versions of XP regarding reinstallation and activation. I am quoting information provided by Microsoft some time ago:

"Pre-activation" of Windows XP by the OEMs will be done in one of two different ways depending on the OEM's own configuration options and choices. Some OEMs may protect Windows XP using a mechanism which locks the installation to OEM-specified BIOS information in the PC. This technology works very similar to existing technologies that many OEMs have used over the years with the CDs they ship to reinstall Windows on these computers. We expanded and integrated the existing OEM CD BIOS locking mechanism with product activation, and call this method of protection "System Locked Pre-installation," or SLP."

"Every single piece of hardware could be changed on a PC with SLP and no reactivation would be required - even the motherboard could be replaced as long as the replacement motherboard was original equipment manufactured by the OEM and retained the proper BIOS. In the unlikely scenario that the BIOS information does not match, the PC would need to be activated within 30 days by contacting the Microsoft activation center via the Internet or telephone call - just as in a retail scenario."

BTW - The information used for activation hash is the processor type and serial number - not the system board itself. The "hash" procedure checks ten hardware items - reactivation is usually required by a change in 6 to 8 "items".

"For OEMs who do not employ either of the above two methods of pre-activation, a new PC acquired with Windows XP preinstalled must be activated by the customer. This activation is completed in the exact same way as would someone who acquired Windows XP by purchasing a boxed version at a retailer."

Also if reactivation is required, vice initial activation, you will have only a three (3) day grace period to reactivate.

So - go to it.

 

[Guest]

My CD was bought retail. But will I have to change certain settings or is it
just a matter of swapping the mobo and using the same hard drive?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I have my Win XP Home CD which is OEM and my motherboard just died. I have
another motherboard from another computer that I'm not using (this mobo has
different type RAM). Can I replace the dead motherboard with the other one?
If so, what do I have to do to make it work properly? What to do about
Activation? Will it let me do all this? The reason I ask is because this
will be like putting it another computer won't it, I mean the motherboard,
CPU, and RAM will be different. OR can I simply reinstall XP from the CD and
replace the small harddrive while I'm at it? Please help. Thank you.

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many OEM installations are
BIOS-locked to a specific chipset and therefore 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

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:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Anna]

(snip)

My CD was bought retail. But will I have to change certain settings or is
it
just a matter of swapping the mobo and using the same hard drive?

Laz:
It's *more* than merely "swapping the mobo" and changing "certain settings".
You should be able to use your current hard drive.

Again I say to you -- do a Google search on "replacing motherboard xp".
You'll be rewarded with a listing of websites that contain useful & detailed
information on how to install a new motherboard in an XP OS.
Anna

 

[Michael Stevens]

In

I have my Win XP Home CD which is OEM and my motherboard just died.
I have another motherboard from another computer that I'm not using
(this mobo has different type RAM). Can I replace the dead
motherboard with the other one? If so, what do I have to do to make
it work properly? What to do about Activation? Will it let me do
all this? The reason I ask is because this will be like putting it
another computer won't it, I mean the motherboard, CPU, and RAM will
be different. OR can I simply reinstall XP from the CD and replace
the small harddrive while I'm at it? Please help. Thank you.

Click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into the address box
if using the web based newsgroup.
Move XP to new hardware.
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html
--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com
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