New motherboards & Windows

[Guest]

One of my friends told me that if I unplug everything from my old motherboard, uninstall it, and replace it with my new motherboard (and assume that everything is compatible), that Windows will not run properly. Can anyone verify this and tell me if there is anyway around it (other than reinstalling) if it's true? Any help would be great

-symband

 

[Arrow]

It's preferable to start with a fresh format and installation of Windows after changing your motherboard... BUT Windows should detect your new motherboard and ask for drivers where appropriate readily.

Rob
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[Renegade87]

symband,

Your friend is basically correct. You need to install the drivers for your new motherboard before windows will work properly. As Arrow stated, sometimes it's easier to just
backup all your data, reformat your hard drive, and start with a nice clean install of your chosen OS.

You can however leave your system the way it is, install your mobo, and then install the new drivers for it. Usually though, you end up with many device conflicts afterward.

The easiest way around this is to delete any and all devices with multiple listings in the device manager.

This can be tricky to the novice, but then again so can doing it all from scratch after a reformat. Do your homework first, and download all the latest drivers for every piece of your hardware. Backup all your data. Then, get your buddies with experience to help guide you through it.
Otherwise this can be a frustrating learning experience. Trust me, I learned the hard way.

"This was no boating accident"

 

[extremity]

Your freind is quite correct, providing that the M/B`s chipset is the same as the one on the M/B you are removing and you place all your cards in the same slots you had them in the first place.
In practice as both other posters noted, it can lead to some difficulty and the CORRECT procedure is to treat it as you would a new system manufacture and start from scratch.......however, if the chipsets are the same ie: VIA, SIS, AMD, INTEL then have a go!.

On the Edge of Extremity
Microsoft Registered OEM,DSP,MCP
Custom Building of PC`s.

 

[khha4113]

I had done it with my Abit KT7-RAID (KT133 chipset) with the new Asus A7V133 (KT133<b><font color=red>A</b></font color=red> chipset), and Windows runs OK. After first start, Windows reinstalled all chipsets and peripherals in my comp. When it asked for drivers, I directed it to Windows\INF folder since I wasn't be able to use CD-ROM (it didn't load driver for IDE controller yet). Both of my motherboards are basically use the same chipset, but others I don't know and wouldn't recommend to do that.

Good or Bad have no meaning at all, depends on what your point of view is.

 

[Guest]

I would treat this as a wonderful opportunity to 'clean house'. Yeah - it's painful, especially when you have a lot of software installed but it's amazing the amount of 'crap' the typical user has laying about on his/her system from incomplete uninstalls, etc.

I was amazed how much faster my system ran after I did that.

Of course, it could be just pyschological - like the feeling you get after completely washing and vacuming out your wheels.