Question about changing motherboards and (not) having to reinstall Windows

suszterpatt

Senior member
Jun 17, 2005
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I'm due for a motherboard upgrade, and after a quick round of googling, it seems that a lot of times people can upgrade their mobo without having to reinstall Windows. What exactly determines whether or not you'll need a clean install? Is there anything I can do to improve the chances of the same Windows install working on a new mobo, or is it purely a function of the old mobo vs the new one?

In my case, it's an ASUS P5Q (LGA 775 socket) and Win7.
 

MustISO

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
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I've done it one some different hardware and sometimes it doesn't work. I'm not sure the deciding factor but I would guess the more similar the hardware (chipset) the easier it will be.
 

Fred B

Member
Sep 4, 2013
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Think the imprtant driver are the storagedrivers , stick in the same mode and windows boot again . For the P5Q the default is IDE and the newer boards are AHCI by default bios setting . For new hardware AHCI or RAID is the best thing , most other drivers are not so importent and can be upgraded later .
 

Whisper2

Member
Sep 17, 2009
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I replaced an i7 860 / P55 chipset with a i7 4770k / Z87 chipset last November. Both MB's were Gigabyte's. A current version of Windows 8.1 Pro was in place at the time. I pushed the power button and Windows detected the new stuff and loaded the appropriate drivers. It ran just fine.

I ended up doing a clean install last month because I wanted to switch to UEFI -- which required a clean disk.
 

davexnet

Member
Jun 2, 2001
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0
66
I replaced an i7 860 / P55 chipset with a i7 4770k / Z87 chipset last November. Both MB's were Gigabyte's. A current version of Windows 8.1 Pro was in place at the time. I pushed the power button and Windows detected the new stuff and loaded the appropriate drivers. It ran just fine.

I ended up doing a clean install last month because I wanted to switch to UEFI -- which required a clean disk.

What is the benefit of UEFI ?
 

code65536

Golden Member
Mar 7, 2006
1,006
0
76
What is the benefit of UEFI ?

* Support for booting off GPT (disks larger than 2TB and GPT is more robust than MBR; e.g., GPT drives have two copies of the partition table at opposite ends of the drive)

* Much faster POST

* Better OS integration. E.g., in Windows 8, you can control, from Windows, whether your next boot will launch UEFI setup or boot from an optical drive or USB stick, which eliminates the need for trying to hit a particular key during POST to get to those functions (and with the much, much shorter POST, this is necessary).
 

stinger608

Senior member
Mar 6, 2009
950
2
81
Just run sysprep just before shutting it down and changing hardware.

Go to "Windows>System32>sysprep

Do the "Enter System Out of Box Experience (OOBE)
Check the "Generalize" box

Set it to "Shut down" and then run it.

Once you change the motherboard/CPU it will boot up with 0 drivers installed and be just as if you had installed Windows for the first time.

Here is a good Sysprep tutorial. Be sure to read it:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/135077-windows-7-installation-transfer-new-computer.html

Doing Sysprep will insure that all works good and windows doesn't crash on ya when you install the new hardware.

Keep us informed.
 

theevilsharpie

Platinum Member
Nov 2, 2009
2,322
14
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What exactly determines whether or not you'll need a clean install?

On modern versions of Windows? Storage controller drivers.

If you're using a generic IDE or SCSI driver, or your storage controller is moving with you (e.g., you're using a hardware RAID card), you don't need to re-install. If you're using a 3rd-party driver specific to your storage controller, and your new PC has a different type of controller, you'll need to tell Windows to use a generic storage driver prior to switching out the storage controller.

If you can't use a generic driver with your storage controller, and you can't move it with you, you will likely get an immediate BSOD with a STOP 0x7B error code. If going back to your old hardware isn't practical, it's easiest just to re-install. There are ways to add drivers to your Windows install using the DISM utility, but that requires drivers to be distributed as bare drivers that can be directly added to Windows' driver database, whereas the drivers for many consumer devices are only distributed as executable installer.
 

suszterpatt

Senior member
Jun 17, 2005
927
1
81
On modern versions of Windows? Storage controller drivers.

If you're using a generic IDE or SCSI driver, or your storage controller is moving with you (e.g., you're using a hardware RAID card), you don't need to re-install. If you're using a 3rd-party driver specific to your storage controller, and your new PC has a different type of controller, you'll need to tell Windows to use a generic storage driver prior to switching out the storage controller.

If you can't use a generic driver with your storage controller, and you can't move it with you, you will likely get an immediate BSOD with a STOP 0x7B error code. If going back to your old hardware isn't practical, it's easiest just to re-install. There are ways to add drivers to your Windows install using the DISM utility, but that requires drivers to be distributed as bare drivers that can be directly added to Windows' driver database, whereas the drivers for many consumer devices are only distributed as executable installer.
Ok, let me see if I got this straight.

Here's the manufacturer's specs on my motherboard's storage:

Intel® Southbridge
- 6x SATA 3Gb/s
- Intel® Matrix Storage Technology with RAID 0, 1, 5 10 support
Marvell® 88SE6111
- 1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 for up to 2 PATA devices
Silicon Image® Sil5723 (Drive Xpert technology)
- 2 x SATA 3Gb/s
- Supports EZ Backup and Super Speed functions

It seems the motherboard has 3 different storage controllers. However, if I go to Device Manager, under "Storage Controllers" I only see "Marvell 61xx RAID Controller". From this, I conclude that Windows is using generic drivers for the other two, and since I'm not running a RAID setup, I'll be fine when switching to a H87 chipset (I'm already using an SSD, so AHCI drivers are installed).

Is that about right? Should I uninstall the Marvell driver before switching mobos just in case?
 

denis280

Diamond Member
Jan 16, 2011
3,434
9
81
From Bubaleone. and it works.Open Notepad and copy/paste the following:

set DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1
start devmgmt.msc

Name the file "setdev.bat", and save it to the Desktop as "All files" (not text document [*.txt]). Double-click setdev.bat and it opens an advanced MSC version of Device Manager. Select; View>>Devices by type>>Show hidden devices. You will now be able to see every single device that has ever been installed on your current Windows installation.

This view includes all currently installed devices, and all devices no longer installed or connected (non-existent). All the icons for non-existent devices will be "ghosted" (semi-translucent, pale gray color).

Starting at the top and working your way down the list ( click every + sign to expand each device), right-click each installed device icon, and each ghosted device icon and select "Uninstall".

Ignore any prompts to reboot the PC. When you're completely finished uninstalling all currently installed devices, as well as all non-existent devices, shutdown the computer, then remove the hard drive. It's now ready to install onto new hardware.
 

JackMDS

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 25, 1999
29,516
408
126
The fastest and most successful process is to get Acronis True Image 2014 Premium.

http://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/transfer-pc-files/

Make a bootable DVD (or USB)..

Use the Bootable to Back up the current computer to another Network computer or External USB Drive.

After changing the motherboard boot with DVD and do a Restore with the "to different hardware" option.

The restore puts the original Drive on but replaces the specific chipset Boot Drivers with generic drivers.

Once the new mob boots it will install the correct chipset drivers and every thing will be the same as before.




:cool:
 

stinger608

Senior member
Mar 6, 2009
950
2
81
Very true Jack, if the OP wants to purchase said Acronis True Image.

I was pointing out a free solution though.:hmm:
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
16,054
1,683
126
The fastest and most successful process is to get Acronis True Image 2014 Premium.

http://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/transfer-pc-files/

Make a bootable DVD (or USB)..

Use the Bootable to Back up the current computer to another Network computer or External USB Drive.

After changing the motherboard boot with DVD and do a Restore with the "to different hardware" option.

The restore puts the original Drive on but replaces the specific chipset Boot Drivers with generic drivers.

Once the new mob boots it will install the correct chipset drivers and every thing will be the same as before.




:cool:

I just stumbled into this thread, but this is a topic in another recent thread of my own, or contributions I made to someone else's.

I believe that owner-users of two or more computers who build their own should have a portable disk-cloning utility disc. I've got Acronis Disk Director 11 Home Update 2, and now I have True Image 2014 Premium. I had to get the TI Premium because DD11 will simply not allow you to proceed with a server-OS like 2008 R2 or WHS. A window pops up, and that's it. If you opened the software just to clone something, you "exit" because you're SOL. TI Premium'14 works with these other OS flavors.

But for "imaging," I have to ask this. Is TI in any significant way(s) better than the Windows built-in Back-up Imaging? I'm just a bit leery of painting myself into a corner with extra software. It IS a 3-PC license, after all. But I was sure you could do the same essential things with Windows Back-Up. KISS principle -- that sort of thing . . .

Ah -- my mistake. It has the "restore to other hardware" feature. I remember that. That makes it worth having, for sure . . .
 
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suszterpatt

Senior member
Jun 17, 2005
927
1
81
Just run sysprep just before shutting it down and changing hardware.

Go to "Windows>System32>sysprep

Do the "Enter System Out of Box Experience (OOBE)
Check the "Generalize" box

Set it to "Shut down" and then run it.

Once you change the motherboard/CPU it will boot up with 0 drivers installed and be just as if you had installed Windows for the first time.

Here is a good Sysprep tutorial. Be sure to read it:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/135077-windows-7-installation-transfer-new-computer.html

Doing Sysprep will insure that all works good and windows doesn't crash on ya when you install the new hardware.

Keep us informed.

This is not an option, I'm afraid. The tutorial says sysprep won't work on an upgraded version of Windows, and I'm pretty sure that mine was upgraded from Vista back in the day. Even if not, it also says that sysprep will erase all activation information, and I seem to have misplaced my activation key. I tried a few recovery tools, but no luck (yes, it's a legit copy).

Edit: yep, just tried to run sysprep, and it refuses to even start because my Windows has been upgraded.
 
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uallas5

Golden Member
Jun 3, 2005
1,568
1,789
136
This is not an option, I'm afraid. The tutorial says sysprep won't work on an upgraded version of Windows, and I'm pretty sure that mine was upgraded from Vista back in the day. Even if not, it also says that sysprep will erase all activation information, and I seem to have misplaced my activation key. I tried a few recovery tools, but no luck (yes, it's a legit copy).

Edit: yep, just tried to run sysprep, and it refuses to even start because my Windows has been upgraded.

Interesting, I wonder if that means anyone who upgraded from win8 to 8.1 won't be able to use sysprep as well.
 

stinger608

Senior member
Mar 6, 2009
950
2
81
This is not an option, I'm afraid. The tutorial says sysprep won't work on an upgraded version of Windows, and I'm pretty sure that mine was upgraded from Vista back in the day. Even if not, it also says that sysprep will erase all activation information, and I seem to have misplaced my activation key. I tried a few recovery tools, but no luck (yes, it's a legit copy).

Edit: yep, just tried to run sysprep, and it refuses to even start because my Windows has been upgraded.


Regardless on how a person switches the hardware a reactivation will have to be done. It should still have the product key intact though.

However, if you need to know your key you can download and run ProduKey:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Interesting, I wonder if that means anyone who upgraded from win8 to 8.1 won't be able to use sysprep as well.

Hmm, that is an interesting question indeed!
 

suszterpatt

Senior member
Jun 17, 2005
927
1
81
One motherboard change later...


So apparently if you go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Setup, there's a value called "Upgrade". Delete that, and sysprep will run fine.

I did have a small hickup during first boot where at the "Starting services" stage it would put up a messagebox saying "Windows could not finish configuring the system" and rebooted, but booting into safe mode once and then back in normal mode fixed that one.


So, +1 for sysprep! Thanks all.