Hardware Upgrade

I wish to upgrade my MB and CPU, my OS is set up in a raid array. If i change
the motherboard then will i have to reinstall Windows

Theo
Thu Feb 08 06:53:33 CST 2007

Most likely. When you install Windows it requires hardware
drivers for the configuration at the time it is installed
and a new motherboard would probably have different hardware
than your current one. This includes, but not limited to,
the board chipset, sound chip, drive controller(chips),
video card, etc.

When you change the MB and try to boot from the hard drive
Windows tries to load the drivers for your new hardware
while also trying to load the drivers for the old hardware
and there usually is a conflict. The result is usually a
system crash and an inability to boot from that hard drive
because of system corruption.

Rickey wrote:
> I wish to upgrade my MB and CPU, my OS is set up in a raid array. If i change
> the motherboard then will i have to reinstall Windows

Rickey
Thu Feb 08 07:08:00 CST 2007

Thanks Theo,
I was hoping to avoid this, the motherboard has the same chipset as the old
one but it is a 939 where the old one is a 754. I have a large external
drive, is there any way to back up the contents of my boot drive and restore
them later?

"Theo" wrote:

> Most likely. When you install Windows it requires hardware
> drivers for the configuration at the time it is installed
> and a new motherboard would probably have different hardware
> than your current one. This includes, but not limited to,
> the board chipset, sound chip, drive controller(chips),
> video card, etc.
>
> When you change the MB and try to boot from the hard drive
> Windows tries to load the drivers for your new hardware
> while also trying to load the drivers for the old hardware
> and there usually is a conflict. The result is usually a
> system crash and an inability to boot from that hard drive
> because of system corruption.
>
> Rickey wrote:
> > I wish to upgrade my MB and CPU, my OS is set up in a raid array. If i change
> > the motherboard then will i have to reinstall Windows
>

Theo
Thu Feb 08 08:05:25 CST 2007

Details of the old and new MB would be useful.

Files and Settings Transfer Wizard would be one way to
transfer information between the two.

Rickey wrote:
> Thanks Theo,
> I was hoping to avoid this, the motherboard has the same chipset as the old
> one but it is a 939 where the old one is a 754. I have a large external
> drive, is there any way to back up the contents of my boot drive and restore
> them later?
>
> "Theo" wrote:
>
>> Most likely. When you install Windows it requires hardware
>> drivers for the configuration at the time it is installed
>> and a new motherboard would probably have different hardware
>> than your current one. This includes, but not limited to,
>> the board chipset, sound chip, drive controller(chips),
>> video card, etc.
>>
>> When you change the MB and try to boot from the hard drive
>> Windows tries to load the drivers for your new hardware
>> while also trying to load the drivers for the old hardware
>> and there usually is a conflict. The result is usually a
>> system crash and an inability to boot from that hard drive
>> because of system corruption.
>>
>> Rickey wrote:
>>> I wish to upgrade my MB and CPU, my OS is set up in a raid array. If i change
>>> the motherboard then will i have to reinstall Windows

Aaron
Thu Feb 08 08:50:25 CST 2007

I've had luck in the past running a Windows XP repair install immediately
after moving the drive to a new PC. (In this case, replacing the
motherboard with a different one would be like moving the drive to a new
PC.)

If you are using a RAID array, then you would also have to be able to set up
the RAID array on the new board without losing data for this to have any
chance of working. I guess that depends on what you are using for your
RAID.

- Aaron

"Rickey" <Rickey@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:CFE768ED-3371-476F-9633-BE252A9DFD67@microsoft.com...
>I wish to upgrade my MB and CPU, my OS is set up in a raid array. If i
>change
> the motherboard then will i have to reinstall Windows

Charlie
Thu Feb 08 09:19:22 CST 2007

Aaron's suggestion of a repair install is a good one. You'll need to have a
floppy disk with your RAID controller driver available and press F6 when
prompted to install the RAID drivers.

If your RAID array is a different controller in the new system from the old,
you may have issues. Please make sure you do a full and complete backup
before you start - depending on the RAID type and controller, you may need
to recreate the array from scratch.

Whatever you do, you will need to re-activate Windows. Changing the
motherboard will always trigger an activation event.

Charlie.
"Rickey" <Rickey@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:CFE768ED-3371-476F-9633-BE252A9DFD67@microsoft.com...
>I wish to upgrade my MB and CPU, my OS is set up in a raid array. If i
>change
> the motherboard then will i have to reinstall Windows

Theo
Thu Feb 08 09:37:33 CST 2007

I agree the Repair Install is worth trying, but I just moved
a hard drive from a MSI K8T800 Neo FSR socket 754 board to a
MSI K8T800Pro Neo2-F socket 939 board and trying to do the
Repair Install failed to update the system. The system
would crash during Windows boot so I finally gave up and did
a clean install. When I started I thought there would be
enough compatibility between the 2 boards to allow a Repair
Install, but it didn't work.

Charlie Russel - MVP wrote:
> Aaron's suggestion of a repair install is a good one. You'll need to
> have a floppy disk with your RAID controller driver available and press
> F6 when prompted to install the RAID drivers.
>
> If your RAID array is a different controller in the new system from the
> old, you may have issues. Please make sure you do a full and complete
> backup before you start - depending on the RAID type and controller, you
> may need to recreate the array from scratch.
>
> Whatever you do, you will need to re-activate Windows. Changing the
> motherboard will always trigger an activation event.
>
> Charlie.
> "Rickey" <Rickey@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:CFE768ED-3371-476F-9633-BE252A9DFD67@microsoft.com...
>> I wish to upgrade my MB and CPU, my OS is set up in a raid array. If i
>> change
>> the motherboard then will i have to reinstall Windows
>

Charlie
Thu Feb 08 15:07:32 CST 2007

Yes, that's certainly possible. But the potential savings make it worth the
effort.

--
Charlie.
http://msmvps.com/xperts64


"Theo" <theo@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:eKRDTc5SHHA.4832@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>I agree the Repair Install is worth trying, but I just moved a hard drive
>from a MSI K8T800 Neo FSR socket 754 board to a MSI K8T800Pro Neo2-F socket
>939 board and trying to do the Repair Install failed to update the system.
>The system would crash during Windows boot so I finally gave up and did a
>clean install. When I started I thought there would be enough
>compatibility between the 2 boards to allow a Repair Install, but it didn't
>work.
>
> Charlie Russel - MVP wrote:
>> Aaron's suggestion of a repair install is a good one. You'll need to have
>> a floppy disk with your RAID controller driver available and press F6
>> when prompted to install the RAID drivers.
>>
>> If your RAID array is a different controller in the new system from the
>> old, you may have issues. Please make sure you do a full and complete
>> backup before you start - depending on the RAID type and controller, you
>> may need to recreate the array from scratch.
>>
>> Whatever you do, you will need to re-activate Windows. Changing the
>> motherboard will always trigger an activation event.
>>
>> Charlie.
>> "Rickey" <Rickey@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:CFE768ED-3371-476F-9633-BE252A9DFD67@microsoft.com...
>>> I wish to upgrade my MB and CPU, my OS is set up in a raid array. If i
>>> change
>>> the motherboard then will i have to reinstall Windows
>>

Rickey
Thu Feb 08 18:48:01 CST 2007

Thanks Guys,
the new MB has the same chipset as the old one. The only difference is the
old one is a socket 754 and the new is a socket 939. Both are MSI boards with
the G force 4 chipset.

"Charlie Russel - MVP" wrote:

> Yes, that's certainly possible. But the potential savings make it worth the
> effort.
>
> --
> Charlie.
> http://msmvps.com/xperts64
>
>
> "Theo" <theo@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:eKRDTc5SHHA.4832@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> >I agree the Repair Install is worth trying, but I just moved a hard drive
> >from a MSI K8T800 Neo FSR socket 754 board to a MSI K8T800Pro Neo2-F socket
> >939 board and trying to do the Repair Install failed to update the system.
> >The system would crash during Windows boot so I finally gave up and did a
> >clean install. When I started I thought there would be enough
> >compatibility between the 2 boards to allow a Repair Install, but it didn't
> >work.
> >
> > Charlie Russel - MVP wrote:
> >> Aaron's suggestion of a repair install is a good one. You'll need to have
> >> a floppy disk with your RAID controller driver available and press F6
> >> when prompted to install the RAID drivers.
> >>
> >> If your RAID array is a different controller in the new system from the
> >> old, you may have issues. Please make sure you do a full and complete
> >> backup before you start - depending on the RAID type and controller, you
> >> may need to recreate the array from scratch.
> >>
> >> Whatever you do, you will need to re-activate Windows. Changing the
> >> motherboard will always trigger an activation event.
> >>
> >> Charlie.
> >> "Rickey" <Rickey@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> news:CFE768ED-3371-476F-9633-BE252A9DFD67@microsoft.com...
> >>> I wish to upgrade my MB and CPU, my OS is set up in a raid array. If i
> >>> change
> >>> the motherboard then will i have to reinstall Windows
> >>
>

NuTCrAcKeR
Thu Feb 08 22:06:54 CST 2007

if its the same chipset, you should be good. The big problem with moving
boards seems to be support for the disk controller.

I recently took a drive from an XP system using a gigabyte Athlon XP 3200+,
and attached it to an ASRock 939 board. It fired right up. Had to do a
couple reboots for the new PNP devices to be detected and device support
installed ... but largely it was seamless.

- NuTs

"Rickey" <Rickey@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:D5FFC90E-F7EF-408E-A16F-AF71DAE2A38C@microsoft.com...
> Thanks Guys,
> the new MB has the same chipset as the old one. The only difference is the
> old one is a socket 754 and the new is a socket 939. Both are MSI boards
> with
> the G force 4 chipset.
>
> "Charlie Russel - MVP" wrote:
>
>> Yes, that's certainly possible. But the potential savings make it worth
>> the
>> effort.
>>
>> --
>> Charlie.
>> http://msmvps.com/xperts64
>>
>>
>> "Theo" <theo@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:eKRDTc5SHHA.4832@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> >I agree the Repair Install is worth trying, but I just moved a hard
>> >drive
>> >from a MSI K8T800 Neo FSR socket 754 board to a MSI K8T800Pro Neo2-F
>> >socket
>> >939 board and trying to do the Repair Install failed to update the
>> >system.
>> >The system would crash during Windows boot so I finally gave up and did
>> >a
>> >clean install. When I started I thought there would be enough
>> >compatibility between the 2 boards to allow a Repair Install, but it
>> >didn't
>> >work.
>> >
>> > Charlie Russel - MVP wrote:
>> >> Aaron's suggestion of a repair install is a good one. You'll need to
>> >> have
>> >> a floppy disk with your RAID controller driver available and press F6
>> >> when prompted to install the RAID drivers.
>> >>
>> >> If your RAID array is a different controller in the new system from
>> >> the
>> >> old, you may have issues. Please make sure you do a full and complete
>> >> backup before you start - depending on the RAID type and controller,
>> >> you
>> >> may need to recreate the array from scratch.
>> >>
>> >> Whatever you do, you will need to re-activate Windows. Changing the
>> >> motherboard will always trigger an activation event.
>> >>
>> >> Charlie.
>> >> "Rickey" <Rickey@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> >> news:CFE768ED-3371-476F-9633-BE252A9DFD67@microsoft.com...
>> >>> I wish to upgrade my MB and CPU, my OS is set up in a raid array. If
>> >>> i
>> >>> change
>> >>> the motherboard then will i have to reinstall Windows
>> >>
>>

Tony
Fri Feb 09 11:15:40 CST 2007

I've noticed this too. Rebooting has it's own way of lining things up,
sometimes. I had trouble once getting sufficient power to one device,
without draining the rest. I disconnected everything, and moved all the
connectors around and when I booted quite a number of those devices wasn't
recognized, most importantly the RAID. Like you said: one warm and one
cold-boot and everything was back in business.


Tony. . .


"NuTCrAcKeR" <nutcracker@internationalhacker.org> wrote in message
news:OnlW9%23$SHHA.4632@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> if its the same chipset, you should be good. The big problem with moving
> boards seems to be support for the disk controller.
>
> I recently took a drive from an XP system using a gigabyte Athlon XP
3200+,
> and attached it to an ASRock 939 board. It fired right up. Had to do a
> couple reboots for the new PNP devices to be detected and device support
> installed ... but largely it was seamless.
>
> - NuTs
>
> "Rickey" <Rickey@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:D5FFC90E-F7EF-408E-A16F-AF71DAE2A38C@microsoft.com...
> > Thanks Guys,
> > the new MB has the same chipset as the old one. The only difference is
the
> > old one is a socket 754 and the new is a socket 939. Both are MSI boards
> > with
> > the G force 4 chipset.
> >
> > "Charlie Russel - MVP" wrote:
> >
> >> Yes, that's certainly possible. But the potential savings make it worth
> >> the
> >> effort.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Charlie.
> >> http://msmvps.com/xperts64
> >>
> >>
> >> "Theo" <theo@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> news:eKRDTc5SHHA.4832@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> >> >I agree the Repair Install is worth trying, but I just moved a hard
> >> >drive
> >> >from a MSI K8T800 Neo FSR socket 754 board to a MSI K8T800Pro Neo2-F
> >> >socket
> >> >939 board and trying to do the Repair Install failed to update the
> >> >system.
> >> >The system would crash during Windows boot so I finally gave up and
did
> >> >a
> >> >clean install. When I started I thought there would be enough
> >> >compatibility between the 2 boards to allow a Repair Install, but it
> >> >didn't
> >> >work.
> >> >
> >> > Charlie Russel - MVP wrote:
> >> >> Aaron's suggestion of a repair install is a good one. You'll need to
> >> >> have
> >> >> a floppy disk with your RAID controller driver available and press
F6
> >> >> when prompted to install the RAID drivers.
> >> >>
> >> >> If your RAID array is a different controller in the new system from
> >> >> the
> >> >> old, you may have issues. Please make sure you do a full and
complete
> >> >> backup before you start - depending on the RAID type and controller,
> >> >> you
> >> >> may need to recreate the array from scratch.
> >> >>
> >> >> Whatever you do, you will need to re-activate Windows. Changing the
> >> >> motherboard will always trigger an activation event.
> >> >>
> >> >> Charlie.
> >> >> "Rickey" <Rickey@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> >> news:CFE768ED-3371-476F-9633-BE252A9DFD67@microsoft.com...
> >> >>> I wish to upgrade my MB and CPU, my OS is set up in a raid array.
If
> >> >>> i
> >> >>> change
> >> >>> the motherboard then will i have to reinstall Windows
> >> >>
> >>
>
>

Puffnstuff
Thu Apr 19 14:06:01 CDT 2007

I'm in the same boat except I'm on 939, abit fatal1ty an8 with an opteron 175
and am moving to a msi p6n sli platinum with a c2d e6400 which also has an
nforce chipset. I'm going to do like I've done in the past and remove any
chip/mb specific drivers before shutting down to do the swap. I'm using
retail ultimate so if it screws up I'll just do a clean install however I'd
just like to swap my stuff out and not have to mess with the os installation
plus the software.