Help with a motherboard problem

[K20206]

Hi im planning on getting a new motherboard soon along with some other new components to upgrade my current PC. I was wondering that when I get this new motherboard would I need to format my current harddrive which has the drivers for my current motherboard or I don't need to worry and just connect it to the new motherboard with the other ones drivers. Would there be a conflict between the two motherboard drivers? The main reason I worry is because I dont want to spend another $200 on a windows 7 key for when I format the HDD.

 

[sirstinky]

Windows has drivers built in that will work with most hardware. You shouldn't have to reformat the hard drive and reinstall Windows. You usually do that when you're building a new system from the ground up and install a HDD that doesn't have an OS.

It should be fine because your new MB will come with a disk with the drivers it needs on it. You power the machine up, boot from the disk, and it will install them for you. You MAY have to do a repair install though.

I do recommend making a backup of your system, like image/clone/ghost your hard drive. That's what we (I work in IT) do for installs onto new hardware. Be prepared that when you power everything on, it will act weird (sort of like Vista) until you install the motherboard drivers (like chipset, LAN, audio, video, storage, etc.).

In my experiences whenever we made drastic hardware changes, we have had to reactivate Windows (call the robot and get the code). Your existing license should work on the new hardware.

 

[K20206]

Windows has drivers built in that will work with most hardware. You shouldn't have to reformat the hard drive and reinstall Windows. You usually do that when you're building a new system from the ground up and install a HDD that doesn't have an OS.

It should be fine because your new MB will come with a disk with the drivers it needs on it. You power the machine up, boot from the disk, and it will install them for you. You MAY have to do a repair install though.

I do recommend making a backup of your system, like image/clone/ghost your hard drive. That's what we (I work in IT) do for installs onto new hardware. Be prepared that when you power everything on, it will act weird (sort of like Vista) until you install the motherboard drivers (like chipset, LAN, audio, video, storage, etc.).

In my experiences whenever we made drastic hardware changes, we have had to reactivate Windows (call the robot and get the code). Your existing license should work on the new hardware.

Would I need to reactivate it if im replacing everything except the hard drive?

 

[karthikparys]

I dont think so,

Recently i shifted from my bit old system gigabyte board to asrock,

When i install the old hard disk with old os on, it coiuldnt even boot. Comes till windows login logo and then restarts.

I have seen this more than once.

Let us know if it works for you.

 

[sirstinky]

I dont think so,

Recently i shifted from my bit old system gigabyte board to asrock,

When i install the old hard disk with old os on, it coiuldnt even boot. Comes till windows login logo and then restarts.

I have seen this more than once.

Let us know if it works for you.

I have experienced this as well when swapping machines for clients who rotate newer or new hardware to replace old or broken machines. You can't exactly just put a hard disk in with dissimilar hardware and not expect some kinds of weirdness, especially when you are dealing with ancient hardware. You will have problems which is why sometimes you may have to do a repair install, which isn't a full or fresh install and then reactivate Windows. It won't cost you a licensure though.

 

[K20206]

Yea that was my only concern with the motherboard, so im probably going to have to format the current HDD to be safe. Would it be possible to just move windows to an SSD for my new build when i get it so I dont need to re regester it and then format the old HDD?

 

[sirstinky]

Your best option if you wanted to go that route is to image your hard drive as it sits, then move that image onto the SSD before reformatting the hard drive. When you have formatted the disk, you can move the image back onto the hard drive, but that wouldn't fix the driver conflict problem. However, you shouldn't have to relicense Windows. The thing with Windows 7 is that you can use ANY serial key number from an unactivated copy, whether it came with your copy or not, to activate it. So, if you end up uninstalling Windows, you shouldn't have any trouble reinstalling it as long as you have your license key for it. It's only if you are going to be running two Windows 7 copies at the same time that you would need a separate serial key. Remember, one key per copy.