Swapping motherboards

[The_Lurker]

Was just wondering if I wanted to swap my hard drive from a MSI K7N2-L to a Shuttle SN45G, should I format or would all the system things be fine because they're both nForce 2's?

 

[Corporate Thug]

you'll prolly want to reformat to be on the safe side

 

[deadseasquirrel]

I'm interested in this as well. I hate the idea of completely reformating cuz I've got a lotta crap I'd havta backup. There might not be a way to get around it as-is, but is there a way to set up your harddrive and OS when you first install it, so that reinstalling the OS doesn't kill-off your installed apps, games, and data?

For example, if I were to take my brand new hdd and make 2 partitions. Install XP on the OS partition and everything else on the other. Then, a year later, when I make a big switch to another mobo, would I then be able to just wipe that OS partition and reinstall XP, keeping the other partition nice and neat with no changes to my apps, games, and data??

deadseasquirrel

 

[wicktron]

Yeah, you can do that. Unless the game/app is bound to the OS somehow.

 

[pspada]

If the HAL (hardware abstraction layer) is different, (like with a Intel vs. AMD processor, or a new chipset) Windows NT/2000/XP has problems. But you can usualy just start a fresh install, and when it asks where (what partition) you want to install you instead repair the original installation, it usually works just fine to fix the differences. And while it does leave your data and installed software intact, you again have to update the OS from windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

Now, assuming you were to install a bunch of apps or games on your D: drive (the 2nd partition), when you reinstall the OS on the 1st partition, you will again have to install the apps or games again, since the new installation of windows will not even know they exist on the 2nd partition/drive.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Originally posted by: pspada

Now, assuming you were to install a bunch of apps or games on your D: drive (the 2nd partition), when you reinstall the OS on the 1st partition, you will again have to install the apps or games again, since the new installation of windows will not even know they exist on the 2nd partition/drive.

k, that is what i was looking for. i was hoping to find a way to prevent that, if possible, for my next build. any suggestions on the best way to set up the OS and hdd so that a mobo shuffle in the future is easier to do without a complete format?

regarding this:

If the HAL (hardware abstraction layer) is different, (like with a Intel vs. AMD processor, or a new chipset) Windows NT/2000/XP has problems. But you can usualy just start a fresh install, and when it asks where (what partition) you want to install you instead repair the original installation, it usually works just fine to fix the differences. And while it does leave your data and installed software intact, you again have to update the OS from windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

so, if i were going from a VIA KT333 to an Nforce2 (both Epox), the "repair" option might work, but a fresh install is the safest bet (obviously ghosting the hdd before trying)? what about going from a VIA KT333 to a VIA KT400 or 600? is that easier and more of a sure-thing, since it's the same chipset?

sorry if i hijacked yer thread, The_Lurker. at least i've tried to keep it on topic

deadseasquirrel

 

[pspada]

No, DON'T pick the repair option from the main WinXP screen. It has a much lower track record of replacing the HAL. Tell it to do a fresh install, and it will ask where you want to install. You pick the current hard drive and partition, and it will find the original WinXP installation. Then it will ask if you want to repair this installation, and that option works much more reliably. I've done this to numerous client machines, as well as my own several times, and never had a problem, it's has worked every time.

the other option is to run a backup, including the system state. Then do a fresh install on the new hardware, and then boot to safe mode, and do a restore of from the backup. It works, mostly, but is a major pain in the a$$.

But hey, if you are gonna use Winblows, ya gotta deal with it. Linux can move from hardware to hardware without problems, unless you've specifically recompiled the kernel with hardware specific options.

Oh, and just because VIA makes them all, the KT333 is not the same as the KT400 or KT600 chipset. They are completely different, and would require the same options as above.

 

[brainwave]

pspada is correct. Choose the second REPAIR option and XP will install new drivers for your new mobo no problem. However, you may need to re-activate if you have also changed other hardware, such as processor and memory or NIC. You may avoid needing to reactivate XP if you copy the activation data file from c:\windows\system32\wpa.dbl before you repair, and then copy it back after the repair is done. This doesn't always work, in which case you can call M$ and they will reactivate you.

 

[KF]

One more possibility. The reason it is sometimes hard to do a HD over MB transplant is that XP may crash on booting the new combo even in safe mode. (It just happened to me going from SIS 735 to Intel 810) Once XP boots, it will redetect the hardware and you are all set. What apparently can cause XP to crash is loading the wrong drivers. So what you can BEFORE you switch is boot in safe mode, enter Device Manager and delete all drivers. According to one guru the really important drivers to delete are the AGP and some other chip specific board level drivers under System devices. If you can get back to generic VGA that is the safest. A Lot of video drivers have their own uninstall, but XP has a built in vendor specific driver for many, so you are liable to have to force it to use VGA.

I inadvertently did a perfectly painless transplant once. I was switching from an nForce 1 to a SIS 735. Just to see what would happen, I was going to boot in safe mode with the SIS 735 and delete the drivers, but missed the F8 key and XP proceeded to boot. It took a little longer, but it loaded up all the right drivers, although it didn't have a specific driver for some of the on-board stuff. The key I think was that XP realized the drivers were wrong and loaded its own "safe" drivers. Its when XP does not know a driver is wrong that is deadlly. In a lot of ways XP is amazing; in some other ways S**T!

A lot of applications work with a fresh XP install and no reinstall of the app, just create a shortcut. Others are missing a file it deposits somewhere in the Windows system directories when it installs, but the error reporting tells you what it is and where it should go. Others jack around the registry in major ways, so it is about hopeless without an app reinstall. The big reason I don't like to reinstall apps is they all have updates and patches. Another reason is I have about ten zillion little free programs I don't know where I got.

About activation. MS says they are not concerned about people activating a number of times; they just want to discourage casual XP "redistribution." But if you don't like activation, and have qualms about piracy, you can buy XP but use the Corporate version floating around. Corporate has no activation. Because of that, it worked even after MS did the SP1 thing that undermined the Home version crack. MS could change that of course. (I'm not advocating piracy. But activation is a PITA to hardware geeks.)

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Thanks for all the great replies, everyone. It's funny how choosing "repair" works so much differently than choosing a fresh install and letting it ask you if you'd like to repair. I woulda been one of those that tried to do a "repair" from the get-go.

Originally posted by: KF
One more possibility. The reason it is sometimes hard to do a HD over MB transplant is that XP may crash on booting the new combo even in safe mode.... So what you can BEFORE you switch is boot in safe mode, enter Device Manager and delete all drivers.

Hmmm. In my mind, I planned that I would boot straight to the CD of XP and go into the install steps. Would this not search for the correct drivers and install as necessary?

The big reason I don't like to reinstall apps is they all have updates and patches. Another reason is I have about ten zillion little free programs I don't know where I got.

Bingo! Exactly. Some of these games are a bitch to patch again (keeping all your saves intact, as well as your key configurations, etc), and then there's those little free programs that you were talking about. Of course, there's plenty of registry tweaks, services.msc changes, etc that are a pain to do all over again too.

(I'm not advocating piracy. But activation is a PITA to hardware geeks.)

I had the biggest PITA problem when trying to do my taxes with good ol' TurboTax. I had some hardware problems on the machine I activated it on, and needed to switch over to my other system. It took forever to get that to finally work through Intuit. It was such a pain that I looked into TaxCut and TaxAct. Preventing piracy is one thing, but pissing off customers is another. Intuit lost a lot of loyal customers with that move.

deadseasquirrel

 

[brainwave]

Yes, it is best to boot from CD when doing a Repair re-install.

It is a pain to need to reinstall apps. I keep an update folder for each app update file so that I can easily add the patches after reinstalling if needed. But a Repair reinstall is still easier than formatting and starting from scratch. If you reformat, you will definitely need to reactivate XP.

 

[pspada]

I've never had XP boot successfully after changing out the hardware, even after first removing all the old hardware drivers. Except, of course, when swapping out for identical equipment.

 

[KF]

>Hmmm. In my mind, I planned that I would boot straight to the CD of XP and go into the
> install steps. Would this not search for the correct drivers and install as necessary?

Yes. What I was talking about there was to NOT reinstall XP over itself. Just reboot after deleting the drivers. Reinstalling blasts away the updates and takes 45 minutes, not counting typing in the infinite length serial number and confirming the stupid time zone. XP already has the dang serial number from the first install. It also knows the time zone. Why can't I just start the install and leave? I mean it ALMOST does everything itself. Why the piddley idiocy? If they really need the serial number, ask me when they're done. It sometimes wants to find me an ISP and set up a LAN, whch I have already done. I have to dump Internet Messenger in the garbage again.

Oh yeah, If you try transferring without reinstalling XP, get rid of programs that load their own device or service on boot up to access hardware. They may be set up for hardware which is not present, causing a protected mode violation. Some may blue-screen XP so fast, if you blink you won't see it, and XP will do an automatic reboot. Temperature monitors. FSB tweakers.

 

[monkyskunk]

This might be a stretch, but would this work as well with a couple of RAID 0 hard drives. I think my mother board just bit it, since it won't even post no more, so I am hoping that I can get me a new one with RAID support and select the repair option when installing WinXP, in order to recover my files. So, is there any chance of this working or should I just kiss my stuff goodbye?

 

[awanSky]

Will this "Repair" or "Fresh Install on current OS" works on WIN2K?

 

[bcterps]

Is it that big of a deal to reinstall? As long as you have partitions on your drives for storage/installs/system, reinstallation is really not that bad. Now if you only have 1 partition for everything, then I understand how much of a pain it is.

Personally, even if doing the boot from cd/repair option works, I still wouldn't trust that installation to be stable. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

 

[pspada]

Originally posted by: awanSky
Will this "Repair" or "Fresh Install on current OS" works on WIN2K?

I've had it work just fine, but it's not quite as likey to work as on XP.

And again, I've never had a major hardware move work without having to reinstall windows as indicated above. I don't care how many drivers are dumped, different HALs just are not compatible.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Originally posted by: benchiu
Is it that big of a deal to reinstall? As long as you have partitions on your drives for storage/installs/system, reinstallation is really not that bad. Now if you only have 1 partition for everything, then I understand how much of a pain it is.

Yeah, 1 partition here. That's why I'd like to know of other options. If the "repair" option works, great, but, if there's a less risky method of preparing for such a drastic hardware change in the future when you first set up, I'd rather do that.

benchiu, what is the best way to partition your drive on set-up to make this easier then? And, upon fresh install, do any apps or games need to be reinstalled? or shortcuts updated? or all those little .dlls or system files that get copied over to a windows\system dir upon program installation?

deadseasquirrel

 

[bcterps]

Originally posted by: deadseasquirrel

Originally posted by: benchiu Is it that big of a deal to reinstall? As long as you have partitions on your drives for storage/installs/system, reinstallation is really not that bad. Now if you only have 1 partition for everything, then I understand how much of a pain it is.

Yeah, 1 partition here. That's why I'd like to know of other options. If the "repair" option works, great, but, if there's a less risky method of preparing for such a drastic hardware change in the future when you first set up, I'd rather do that. benchiu, what is the best way to partition your drive on set-up to make this easier then? And, upon fresh install, do any apps or games need to be reinstalled? or shortcuts updated? or all those little .dlls or system files that get copied over to a windows\system dir upon program installation? deadseasquirrel

You'll find that people have different styles of partitioning, but at the very least, you should have a system partition and an installs/storage partition. That way you can reinstall your OS if necessary, but you can keep all your personal files, etc.

Personally I have my partitions set up like this.

System/OS - 7 gigs
Installs - 20 gigs
Storage - The rest of the drive

You will have to reinstall your apps once you reinstall, but you can at least keep your personal files and settings if you need to. It makes reinstalling your OS much easier.