Changing important components, need to reinstall Windows?

Zenoth

Diamond Member
Jan 29, 2005
5,202
216
106
It's going to be my first 'major' upgrade since a couple of years. I'll be upgrading (changing) the Motherboard, the CPU and the Memory, although I'll keep the GPU for now (will upgrade too, but next year instead). Normally, back a few years ago, whenever I happened to be upgrading an important component (like the Motherboard for example) I would simply backup everything and just reinstall Windows completely.

However, for my next upgrade I really don't feel like doing that since there's a ton of games installed and customized after months of tweaking on so many of them. Plus a lot more things. In short, I just don't want to, if at all possible. So I'm wondering, which steps if any would I have to do in order to NOT have to reinstall Windows while the next time I boot it it's going to be on a completely different chipset and CPU. Will Windows go bunkers on me for changing so many components? Will I have to do some sort of black magic incantation to ensure that it won't stay in an infinite booting loop of doom?

On a side note, the last time I made an upgrade like that I was on Windows 7, but I've moved to Windows 10 since at least two years by now. I'm not sure if Windows 10 is 'more sensible' with that stuff or if in fact it's actually "better"' maybe? What I have in mind as far as the only 'steps' to do that might help to stabilize the sudden change in components would be to simply uninstall the motherboard's chipset drivers, the audio and the video drivers too perhaps and any software I would have that'd happen to be associated with my current chipset or CPU or even on-board audio stuff.

So yeah, typing a lot for such a simple question but, to reiterate it: can I change major components without having to reinstall Windows?

Thanks for your time and help guys.
 

RLGL

Platinum Member
Jan 8, 2013
2,115
322
126
Make an image of the drive prior to the switch. Verify the image by an install to another blank drive.... then go for it. windows should be able to handle it. Then verify the latest drivers are installed for the Intel MME and chipset to match the mother board.
 

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,559
248
106
From others' experiences on this board, it will probably come up de-activated right after the upgrade. Give it a day or two and it will probably re-activate.

Also, if you have the computer signed in through a Microsoft account, I would recommend switching to a local account before the upgrade.