New hardware, reinstall windows?

[tytech]

Just purchased a new mobo, cpu, and ram for a computer I built a couple years ago. Never upgraded hardware before. Is it best to reinstall windows? If so, should I reformat the drive before I take out the old parts and put in the new, or after?

Thanks.

 

[einstein4pres]

First try to "repair" your windows installation. Otherwise, the new mobo will confuse Windows to no end. This will entail booting up your new computer with the Windows install disk in the drive. Check the interweb for directions.

A fresh install will, of course, work. You may also get a performance benefit as the registry will be much smaller.

I believe that when you go to install from scratch, that the FAT will be erased, so unless there is no need to preformat the drive.

 

[g-paw]

There are two schools of thought on the need to do a clean install with a full format with a new mobo. I always do a clean install because it will get rid of all the drivers from the old mobo as well as get rid of the stuff that's accumulated over time. Purging while a pain in the a$$ is sometimes good. The best way to do it is to install the new parts and boot off the Windows installation CD. When asked, do a full format before installing. Unless your OS is on a separate partition, back up your data because formatting will wipe everything out.