Anyone use SYSPREP.EXE (XP) to swap motherboard?

[Hobbes28]

I'm wanting to replace my Shuttle AK31 (KT266A) with a Shuttle AN35 Ultra (nForce2 400) and keep all the existing hardware and software intact. I'd like to reuse my CPU (2100+ TBred) and RAM (Samsung PC2700) if possible. Right now I have my rig OC'ed @ 2.175 GHz (15X145) and all my software and hardware installed and working perfectly.

I seem to remember some people having some success with sysprep.exe when swapping motherboards and would like your feedback on this process.

Also, anyone have a Shuttle AN35-Ultra (nForce2) with a 2100+ TBred? If so, what RAM are you using and what kind of OC have you been able to achieve?

Thanks in advance...

 

[klc314]

So far, 5 or 6 times at least, I've had extremely good luck in XP just booting from the CD, choosing install, and at about the 2nd or 3rd screen you're offered the option to do a repair. If you do, it will rebuild the driver database, and you can install the new chipset drivers. In each case, it put me back with the same OS and apps, just had to supply the mobo CD when it asked. As for the utility you name, it sound interesting. Might be safer, I'm not sure/
.

 

[SNC]

Sysprep does nothing more than remove the name and reg numbers, so that the next time it boots up it will ask you for your name and the CD Key. Nothing more than that. Selecting the 2nd repair option is really the only easy way to replace a mainboard with a different chipset.
If you are using a board with the same chipset not much is needed.
The only real problem is with the boot controller. If you use an external SCSI controller or add in IDE card you will not have to use the 2nd repair option.
I think I have rambled on long enough.
Let me know if you have any questions. There is another way but it requiers a real knowledge of what drivers are being used for the IDE controller and the bootini.

 

[Hobbes28]

klc314 and SNC,

Thanks for your replies, I guess I really didn't give enough info in my original post. I will be going from a VIA KT266A chipset (Shuttle AK31A v3.1) to the nForce2 Ultra-400 (Shuttle AN35N).

SNC,

I will be booting from an IDE controller card (PCI) that WinXP Pro and my BIOS sees as a SCSI card.

Thanks again for your replies...