changing motherboard

[joe030303]

i think my procssor is going as when i try to load certain programs it shuts off and a lot of times it just will not boot.
5-6 years ago when this happened it was a bad processor.
my question is if i change to a new upgraded motherboard and processor will i have to change any settings to get it to boot or will win xp just recognize it and boot properly?

 

[Boo_Compaq]

It should boot fine...windows tends to detect all this stuff automatically.

EDIT: Even if you do change the stuff and it doesnt boot, you can always change back, so take some comfort in that

 

[crjdriver]

NT based os are not like win9x based os in this regard. If you swap mb, your computer MAY not boot. If the chipset mb drivers were installed for your old board, then most likely it will not boot. There is a way to swap boards without a clean install, however a clean install of the os is the best way to go.

If you do not want to clean install the os, then here is how to swap boards without a problem.
During this process do not reboot the computer when it asks to reboot; tell it later.

1) Uninstall any software that is dependent on your old board such as onboard sound, hardware monitoring software, etc.

2) Uninstall your AV software

3) Remove any devices from device manager that are related to your old board, such as ide controller floppy controller, etc

4) Now shutdown and swap boards. Restart the computer and enter the bios; set CD as first boot device and save settings. Restart with your xp cd in the drive. After setup loads you will get a menu giving the choice of install or repair. Choose to install not repair; then next menu will show any previous xp installs and offer to repair it for you. Let it do so.

When you are finished you will need to install your chipset mb drivers, reapply sp1, DirectX updates, any hot fixes and or patches. You will now need to reactivate xp since a mb swap most likely will require reactivation.

Again a clean install is the better way to go.

 

[Bob Cerelli]

I recently switched from an AMD to Intel processor.

All that was required was a repair install. This dectected all the new hardware, kept all my applications and settings, and didn't need to delete or do anything else beforehand.

 

[mobo]

Most times you will look at reinstalling the operating system but not always. It depends on the hardware changes that have taken place and each one may be unlike another. I recently switched a motherboard with xp and it picked up every change and loaded it automatically. I don't think this is something too common so be ready to reinstall as a precaution.

 

[Boo_Compaq]

I figured XP would pick up the changes automatically....

But remember, if it doesnt, it just wont boot....in that case, you can swap back and try the other methods CRJ and Bob suggested.

 

[Bob Cerelli]

I've done a reasonable amount of fairly drastic changes to the hardware. In all instances, a reinstall was never necessary. The Repair Install worked fine. I suppose as a last resort that is always an option but would rather try less drastic options first.

 

[joe030303]

i am upgrading from an amd athlon 1700+ to an amd athlon 2400 so that should make the swapout a little easier correct?

 

[mobo]

Same mobo ?

 

[Bob Cerelli]

If the processor is the same, then likley nothing needs to be done and XP will just boot like before.

If the motherboard is completely different, likely just a repair install will take care if it and again, no apps or settings will need to be redone. Even going to a completely different CPU and Motherboard manufacturer and it still worked fine. Given the processor speed he is looking at, it should only take about 1/2 hour.

 

[mobo]

Usually the problems occur as a result of different chipsets

 

[joe030303]

hey guys it took me 3 hours to boot today so i could write to you guys one last time before i try the swap also in answer to an earlier post i am upgrading the chip but with a new motherboard also. i will let you all know if everything goes according to plan and thanks for all the responses.