Windows xp, new motherboard but same settings and programms.

[Guest]

Hello to everyone. I am thinking of upgrading my computer and I want to
change my motherboard and the cpu. I know that by doing this windows xp will
lock up and I have to reinstall it again. I have heard about repairing the
installation but I think that my settings and programms will have to be
reinstalled. That is what I don't want to do. Is there a way to bypass this
or at least if somehow I could repair my installation and my settings and
programms will not have to be installed again. If anyone knows the solution I
would be very grateful. I don't mind to activate windows xp again, only that
my programms, my games and my settings will be the same and not to install
them again.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hello to everyone. I am thinking of upgrading my computer and I want
to change my motherboard and the cpu. I know that by doing this
windows xp will lock up and I have to reinstall it again. I have
heard about repairing the installation but I think that my settings
and programms will have to be reinstalled. That is what I don't want
to do. Is there a way to bypass this or at least if somehow I could
repair my installation and my settings and programms will not have to
be installed again. If anyone knows the solution I would be very
grateful. I don't mind to activate windows xp again, only that my
programms, my games and my settings will be the same and not to
install them again.

There is no guarantee that you can do what you want to do. You will at the
very least have to do a repair installation. If that works properly, all
your programs, games, settings, data, etc. will be maintained.

A repair installation usually works. However, be aware that it sometimes
(rarely, but sometimes) doesn't and you may have to do a clean
reinstallation, which will mean reinstalling all your applications, and
restoring all your data from backups.

 

[Haggis]

There is no guarantee that you can do what you want to do. You will at the
very least have to do a repair installation. If that works properly, all
your programs, games, settings, data, etc. will be maintained.

A repair installation usually works. However, be aware that it sometimes
(rarely, but sometimes) doesn't and you may have to do a clean
reinstallation, which will mean reinstalling all your applications, and
restoring all your data from backups.

as Ken stated...

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

 

[Plato]

Hello to everyone. I am thinking of upgrading my computer and I want to
change my motherboard and the cpu. I know that by doing this windows xp will
lock up and I have to reinstall it again. I have heard about repairing the
installation but I think that my settings and programms will have to be
reinstalled. That is what I don't want to do. Is there a way to bypass this
or at least if somehow I could repair my installation and my settings and
programms will not have to be installed again. If anyone knows the solution I
would be very grateful. I don't mind to activate windows xp again, only that
my programms, my games and my settings will be the same and not to install
them again.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=315341

 

[Ron Martell]

Hello to everyone. I am thinking of upgrading my computer and I want to
change my motherboard and the cpu. I know that by doing this windows xp will
lock up and I have to reinstall it again. I have heard about repairing the
installation but I think that my settings and programms will have to be
reinstalled. That is what I don't want to do. Is there a way to bypass this
or at least if somehow I could repair my installation and my settings and
programms will not have to be installed again. If anyone knows the solution I
would be very grateful. I don't mind to activate windows xp again, only that
my programms, my games and my settings will be the same and not to install
them again.

If your Windows XP is a "BIOS Locked" OEM version then you will have
problems unless your replacement motherboard is from the same company
that produced your original computer.

To determine if your installed Windows XP is an OEM version open
Control Panel - System - General and look at the 20 character product
i.d. code that is reported on the last line of the "Licensed to:"
section of the window. If the second segment of that code reads OEM
then your Windows XP is an OEM version. Note that the 20 character
product i.d. code is different from the 25 character product key code
used to install Windows XP.

To determine if your OEM version of Windows XP is BIOS Locked look on
the Start Menu in the Accessories - System Tools section for an
"Activate Windows" menu item. If there is no "Activate Windows" menu
item then your OEM version of Windows XP is BIOS Locked.



A Repair Install is almost always necessary when the motherboard is
replaced. This will preserve all of your installed applications,
configuration settings, and user data files. Windows Updates will
have to be reinstalled.
See http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm for detailed
instructions.


The reason for the concern about BIOS Locked OEM versions is that
Windows will have to be reactivated after the Repair Install. BIOS
Locked OEM versions are self-activating on systems where the
motherboard BIOS is from that specific computer manufacturer/assembler
and have been blocked from Microsoft from activating over the
Internet. Also telephone activation requests for these versions will
normally be declined.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hello to everyone. I am thinking of upgrading my computer and I want to
change my motherboard and the cpu. I know that by doing this windows xp will
lock up and I have to reinstall it again. I have heard about repairing the
installation but I think that my settings and programms will have to be
reinstalled. That is what I don't want to do. Is there a way to bypass this
or at least if somehow I could repair my installation and my settings and
programms will not have to be installed again. If anyone knows the solution I
would be very grateful. I don't mind to activate windows xp again, only that
my programms, my games and my settings will be the same and not to install
them again.

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed 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

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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