Re-install windows on a new rig with an old HD?

[WhoIzHe]

Ok, I know this thread doesn't quite belong in this section of the forum but I didn't quite know where to put it, so I just opted for the CPU section of this forum instead.

To start off, I'm putting together a brand new rig with the help of my cousin. Here's my problem, I need to know whether or not I need to re-install windows entirely on my hard drive because of the fact that I plan on re-using my current IDE drive.

I've asked one of my friend's for help already, he tells me that I won't need to re-install windows because the motherboard would be able to detect the hardware or something like that.
If that's the case, after I finish putting it together, I hear that I would also need to remove the old drivers and reinstall the new ones for the card I will be using. Could anyone reccomend me a software that will allow me to do this?

The new rig will consist of:

E4300 Core 2 Duo
Asrock ConRoeXFire-eSATA2 (Motherboard)
7600GT (GPU)
Corsair HX520 (power supply)
x2 Corsair (CM2X1024-5400C4) 1024MB, DDR2-5300/5400 (667/675MHz)

Any feedback will be appreciared

 

[badge]

Ok, I know this thread doesn't quite belong in this section of the forum but I didn't quite know where to put it, so I just opted for the CPU section of this forum instead.

To start off, I'm putting together a brand new rig with the help of my cousin. Here's my problem, I need to know whether or not I need to re-install windows entirely on my hard drive because of the fact that I plan on re-using my current IDE drive.

I've asked one of my friend's for help already, he tells me that I won't need to re-install windows because the motherboard would be able to detect the hardware or something like that.
If that's the case, after I finish putting it together, I hear that I would also need to remove the old drivers and reinstall the new ones for the card I will be using. Could anyone reccomend me a software that will allow me to do this?

The new rig will consist of:

E4300 Core 2 Duo
Asrock ConRoeXFire-eSATA2 (Motherboard)
7600GT (GPU)
Corsair HX520 (power supply)
x2 Corsair (CM2X1024-5400C4) 1024MB, DDR2-5300/5400 (667/675MHz)

Any feedback will be appreciared

You will have to format your harddrive and reinstall windows when you move the drive over to the new MB. Remember Me Always.

 

[Wisecracker]

If the motherboard chipset on the new install is the same chipset of the old motherboard you may not have to reinstall Windoze. I have succeeded in this twice using XPsp2 - once was with an Asrock mobo with a Via chipset.

Also - if your copy of XP is OEM you may encounter substantial difficulty with the activation/validation.

 

[Grimmy]

Definitely better off doing a fresh installation of windows.

Also you might have to call the 1-800 number when you try to reactivate windows, which you type in a new set of numbers. It won't be a number you need to remember, since you still use your key or OEM number if you need to reinstall again.

It's just MS way of making sure you use only one copy per machine. So in theory, once you hit send for the new number you typed in, it should deactivate the other machines license, in place of your new configuration.

 

[BaronMatrix]

Ok, I know this thread doesn't quite belong in this section of the forum but I didn't quite know where to put it, so I just opted for the CPU section of this forum instead.

To start off, I'm putting together a brand new rig with the help of my cousin. Here's my problem, I need to know whether or not I need to re-install windows entirely on my hard drive because of the fact that I plan on re-using my current IDE drive.

I've asked one of my friend's for help already, he tells me that I won't need to re-install windows because the motherboard would be able to detect the hardware or something like that.
If that's the case, after I finish putting it together, I hear that I would also need to remove the old drivers and reinstall the new ones for the card I will be using. Could anyone reccomend me a software that will allow me to do this?

The new rig will consist of:

E4300 Core 2 Duo
Asrock ConRoeXFire-eSATA2 (Motherboard)
7600GT (GPU)
Corsair HX520 (power supply)
x2 Corsair (CM2X1024-5400C4) 1024MB, DDR2-5300/5400 (667/675MHz)

Any feedback will be appreciared

The easy fix is to start an upgrade with the old parts and then before it reboots put the old HDD into the new system and let Setup continue.

 

[CaptRobertApril]

Definitely better off doing a fresh installation of windows.

Also you might have to call the 1-800 number when you try to reactivate windows, which you type in a new set of numbers. It won't be a number you need to remember, since you still use your key or OEM number if you need to reinstall again.

It's just MS way of making sure you use only one copy per machine. So in theory, once you hit send for the new number you typed in, it should deactivate the other machines license, in place of your new configuration.

Yeah, I had to do that a couple of weeks ago. I had to explain exactly what I was doing, why I wanted to install a copy of Win XP that already was registered in another country, blah blah blah. I felt like I was trying to talk my way out of jail without posting bail. Another wonderful Microsoft Customer Experience! :roll:

 

[Wisecracker]

Yeah, I had to do that a couple of weeks ago. I had to explain exactly what I was doing, why I wanted to install a copy of Win XP that already was registered in another country, blah blah blah. I felt like I was trying to talk my way out of jail without posting bail. Another wonderful Microsoft Customer Experience! :roll:

In the past month I had to activate a a copy of xp pro over the phone. I screwed up one block of the 54 numbers. I couldn't get the computer to go back. On top of that everytime I said "Go on" my yeller dawg would cringe (He finally slunk away - gotta luv those Labs!)

A female (who was obviously 'Not From Around Here') came to my rescue(?). 3 times . . .THREE TIMES she asked me if my new OEM copy of xp pro had been installed on another box.

I clenched by teeth and said, "This . . .is . . .the . . the . . third . . .time . . I . . .have . . told . . you . . this . . is . . .a . . new . . copy . .. of . . xp pro .. . ." I was ready to spit bullets :x If I could have reached thru the phone and strangled her I'd of done it - - - didn't seem to bother her at all.

@ Vern

Install the new mobo drivers on the old setup and uninstall the old mobo drivers. Plug er in and it should be fine.

I've got an old K7N2 nForce2 socketA that's gone buggy on me. I'll try that with a K8N Neo4 and a Opty 165 I've got laying around - be a nice upgrade!

 

[WhoIzHe]

I guess we have abit of a mixed reaction here.

It seems that reformatting the hard drive and re-installing windows seems the way to go but there's alot on this Hard drive that I want to keep.

I'll discuss this over with my cousin and see if there's anything he can do to not opt for this route. If there's no other way, then I would just have to wait alitte longer for my brother's SATA drive to be repaired so I can keep his old IDE drive that he's currently using, which I will then use to install Windows on.

As for Verndewd's advice, it seems easy enough but I'd like to hear more opinions on this and if it can be done as easily as it sounds.

 

[valis]

You will have to format your harddrive and reinstall windows when you move the drive over to the new MB. Remember Me Always.

bullsh1t.

at least a half a dozen times i've upgrade my hardware, 4 times upgrading ALL components to even a new cpu architecture and in every case i've never had to reinstall windows.

at work we routinely move hard drives from one pc to a completely different one, keeping and retaining everything that is on that hard drive.

when your windows comes up for the first time on the new rig you will havfe to restart several times, probably download new drivers for a few things, but you should be okay. windows will detect a,ll the new hardware, get rid of the old, and start installing things.

Valis

 

[blue68f100]

I've had mixed results with MB replacements. With that said. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO DO A CLEAN INSTALL.

If the chip set are the same, your odds are good. If not it can be difficult. You will spend more time trying to get it to work than what it takes to do clean install.

MS has a Knowledge Base document on what must be removed before the install.

I would take this low time and start backing up your data to DVD's or another HD. I have some big NAS boxes I use for this, speeds things up particurtly with a gigabit network. Use a FTP client software for greater speed. My last backup took over 30+dvd using file compression. Took a long time even with 2 computer burning dvd's.

 

[utaka95]

Yeah you could just swap it, but for your personal machine wouldn't you rather a clean, new install? You could just save all the files and stuff onto a flash drive or external hard drive, and reinstall and replace those files after the new reload. Besides it's good practice for emergency reloads (say when a hard drive dies or lightning kills your machine).If I lose a drive in any of my machines, I'll have it up and running with a fresh install in less than 2-3 hours. Complete with all software, drivers, etc. Also, with the persistent march of hard drive technology, a new sata hard drive just wails on a 1-2 year old ide drive.

 

[tonyp12]

I and many people like me re-install Windows XP at least twice a year,
and that is on the same rig where nothing changed.

Windows just corrupt itself, blame Gates for that.


And if you are replacing mobo, re-install windows from scratch.
Save you a lot of head ace and your computer will run smoother.

 

[badge]

bullsh1t.

Never start a message with your middle name.

at least a half a dozen times i've upgrade my hardware, 4 times upgrading ALL components to even a new cpu architecture and in every case i've never had to reinstall windows.

OP has an AMD 754 moving to an Intel 775. If you have made that move state so.

at work we routinely move hard drives from one pc to a completely different one, keeping and retaining everything that is on that hard drive.

So...then we should believe OP can accompolish the task He is asking because of this? Or you are assuming OP has as much experience as the 'WE' at work you are referring too? Personally I would never take a personal flying lesson from you.

when your windows comes up for the first time on the new rig you will havfe to restart several times

What if OP can't get Windows to come up for a first time? Reformat and reinstall is bull$hit? .

probably download new drivers for a few things, but you should be okay.

OP is unfamiliar with his new MB. Following your detailed instructions to this point, "probably download new drivers for a few things, but you should be okay" sounds bull3shitty.

windows will detect a,ll the new hardware, get rid of the old, and start installing things.

K. Sounds like you have upgraded maybe six times. I'll give credit where credit is due.


@ OP: Last week I took my hardrive from my P5B-Deluxe 775 965P and transferred it directly to my P5B-VM DO 775 965G. The drive loaded up without as much trouble as Valis is describing. The Vista Home Premium installation shows as a "repaired" installation. Please, If you manage to transfer your old 754 installation to a new 775 instalation, let the forum know. Obviously it can be done. Valis may cry bull3hit, but just follow his detailed instructions if complications arise.

 

[valis]

I and many people like me re-install Windows XP at least twice a year,
and that is on the same rig where nothing changed.

Windows just corrupt itself, blame Gates for that.


And if you are replacing mobo, re-install windows from scratch.
Save you a lot of head ace and your computer will run smoother.

interesting, i've NEVER reinstalled the OS, and some of my pc's are windows 2000 with an OS drive that has gone through at least 3 computer setups.

sounds like USER ERROR to me, if you dont mess it up you shouldn't have to reinstall it.

Valis

 

[tonyp12]

interesting, i've NEVER reinstalled the OS, and some of my pc's are windows 2000 with an OS drive that has gone through at least 3 computer setups.

sounds like USER ERROR to me, if you dont mess it up you shouldn't have to reinstall it.

Install and uninstalling a couple of big programs and you computer starts acting up a little.

Get a few spywares and the computer starts slowing down.

Sure it still works,
but nothing is as smooth as new freshly installed WinXP.

Reformat the HD and no spyware survives that.
Get the latest drivers for you mobo/components from manufactures website at the time of re-install. (check for new BIOS too)

 

[BaronMatrix]

I guess we have abit of a mixed reaction here.

It seems that reformatting the hard drive and re-installing windows seems the way to go but there's alot on this Hard drive that I want to keep.

I'll discuss this over with my cousin and see if there's anything he can do to not opt for this route. If there's no other way, then I would just have to wait alitte longer for my brother's SATA drive to be repaired so I can keep his old IDE drive that he's currently using, which I will then use to install Windows on.

As for Verndewd's advice, it seems easy enough but I'd like to hear more opinions on this and if it can be done as easily as it sounds.

I used to work at MS. Just leave the machine as is and start Setup. When the machine reboots, take the HDD out of the old machine and put it in the new one. You won't need to reinstall any apps that use the Registry.

 

[badge]

Just leave the machine as is and start Setup. When the machine reboots, take the HDD out of the old machine and put it in the new one.

I have printed out and filed this instruction under:

Neighbors Needing Urgent HELP!: "I have everything my life is worth on that computer". "Can you DO SOMETHING!"

Sounds good.

 

[blunc]

Install and uninstalling a couple of big programs and you computer starts acting up a little.

Get a few spywares and the computer starts slowing down.

Sure it still works,
but nothing is as smooth as new freshly installed WinXP.

Reformat the HD and no spyware survives that.
Get the latest drivers for you mobo/components from manufactures website at the time of re-install. (check for new BIOS too)

It sounds like your "experience" with winXP has taught you these fine points in OS maintanence....

My "experience" has taught me the following:
1: defrag before any program install
2: full shutdown & reboot (writes a fresh copy of the registry and creates a restore point)
3: defrag after install

I agree with verndewd, proper drive/OS maintanence means you don't have to reinstall windows twice a year (the only time I've "reinstalled" is when a drive died, my current XP install has been running for 3 years).
[/quote]

 

[WhoIzHe]

Install the new mobo drivers on the old setup and uninstall the old mobo drivers. Plug er in and it should be fine.

Ok, One question, how do I uninstall the current motherboard drivers?

 

[Grimmy]

Might want to be in Safe Mode.

Depending on the vendor, you should be able to uninstall some drivers from the add/remove programs panel.

If your MB is using MS drivers, then in device manager, uninstalling the System Devices > PCI bus

Thing is, you really should have backup of files that you really don't want to loose.

I don't really understand why you wouldn't want to do a fresh install, cause the way I see it, its a pain in the butt no matter what you do. Why not get it done the right way the first time?

 

[nhobo]

Try this: Upgrading a Motherboard without Reinstalling

 

[jitpublisher]

Here is what you do. You DON"T have to reformat and do a fresh install, but that is the best cleanest method.

Follow these directions carefully to move a previous install over to a new machine with the least amount of hassle and problems. I have done this dozens of times.

Put your drive in new system, make sure that the system sees the drive and it is setup properly in the BIOS.
Boot with you XP disk, and we are going to start out like we are doing a complete reinstall, but we are not.
The first time windows prompts you to a New Install or use the Repair Console to repair a damaged or previous install, DON"T use the Repair Console. Go ahead AT THIS POINT and choose New Installation.

Windows setup will run for a minute and detect your drive with your previous Windows XP installation.

AGAIN, Windows will ask you if you want to do a New Install or repair the current installation you have. AT THIS POINT choose to do the Repair.
There will also be a warning at this point that if you choose "New Installation" all data on drive C: will be lost. Be sure you don't choose new install at this point!

Widows setup will run and do what appears is a fresh install. What is happening is Windows is erasing and re-writing your HAL format and the registry, setting everthing up for your new hardware. None of your programs or files/settings will be changed. After this, reinstall all of your device drivers, and bingo, you are good to go.

 

[badge]

I have filed your instructions for this procedure under:

Panic Calls: After midnight emergency messages...'Help!...are you there...PLEASE pick up!...I'm desperate!...I mean...Please!!!!...whatever you need, you got it!' calls. Thanks

 

[jitpublisher]

Did he use the repair console feature, as I warned not to?
I have had the same programs, and same XP installation for over 5 years, and as I said, in and out of over a dozen different motherboards.
I have never, ever had any problems. It will work out a lot better than just changing the drive and trying to fix everything manually.
And, on the last note, it is much better to just format and do a fresh reinstall.

 

[badge]

:lol: second filing you have made this weekend.

I am all ears. I'm learning a lot here. That's what the forum is all about. That and wild women. :lol: