Do I have to Reinstall Windows After Installing a New Processor?

[Nightmare225]

I was planning on upgrading my processor and was wondering if it would be necessary to reinstall the applications and Windows after replacing it? I heard somewhere that this is only necessary if u replace your motherboard...

 

[Noema]

No, but it is recommended. Here's a thread that deals with some techniques to be able to swap motherboards or CPUs without a reinstall.

 

[Nothinman]

Replacing the CPU in the same motherboard isn't necessary or recommended. If you're going from single-core to dual-core you'll probably want to switch to a SMP HAL so you can use both cores, but that's it.

 

[Nightmare225]

Nope, from a Pentium D to a Core Duo 2, think that'll go smoothly?

 

[tricon]

I have an issue where my install of windows only uses one core on a dual core system, how would I go about switching the HAL?

 

[xtknight]

If you are only upgrading your processor, you shouldn't need to do anything, unless you are going from single-core to dual-core in which case you will need: a) a BIOS new enough to recognize the dual-core CPU; and b) an SMP HAL for Windows to be able to use the second core. There should be a way to load the HAL without reinstalling. Chipset changes may entail extra needed drivers. Furthermore if you change your motherboard and you still have the same chipset, you may not need to do anything unless you used a chip that was exclusive to the old motherboard such as a Silicon Image SATA controller that your new board new longer has.