New mobo - old HD with XP installed

[Virgin San]

Hi folks,
I am about to replace the motherboard in an almost newly installed system (1 week old only) - now I know that I can do a repair install from the XP cd which in theory should sort out the drivers etc - I just wonder if people have had successful experiences with this method or if it has caused problems?

Or perhaps the boot into safe mode and install drivers approach has met with success? Your experiences please :)

Obviously I'm aware that the other option is to format, and yes FG, I know cd's are round.

[TierraDelFuego]

Hey V.S.

I'm not one to read the rights to anyone, most of us are old and wise enough to do as we please.

No experience of doing this the ways you speak (being in an ITIL disciplined job - Best Practise gets drilled into your head), but did find a pretty good website with help on it, if you have not done this way before. Hope it helps.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

[Virgin San]

Thanks m8, actually it was reading that very site that got me thinking about an alternative to format - my normal instinct is to just reformat, I just wonder if any of these "alternatives" have actually worked well for anyone.

Presumably best practice is to reformat n'est-ce pas?

[TierraDelFuego]

Presumably best practice is to reformat n'est-ce pas?

but, of course.... but there's nothing like a bit of quick and dirty when need be.

[Virgin San]

.... but there's nothing like a bit of quick and dirty when need be.

Are we still talking about the PC or are you coming on to me ;)

I seem to remember HarryO often talking about doing this, I might as well give it a try - worse comes to the worse I can format if it all goes Pete Tong.

Anyone out there actually done it?

[Elaine]

If it's one of your computers, then I'd say go for it. However if it's for a customer, I'd format it just in case so you don't have to go around and collect it again.

[Virgin San]

Yeah customer unfortunately, though also a good friend. So more "customer" than customer, but none the less not mine!

[TierraDelFuego]

as long as everything is backed up, shouldn't make a difference, just a bit more work if everything goes PT.

sorry to disappoint VS, but was on about the PC :)

[duffy90210]

I personally found if the two boards are using the same chipset manufacture, then theres a good chance, but even before you do, on the old PC, before you remove the hard drive, uninstall ALL the drivers, inc USB and chipsets, this will give you a very good chance of the new PC accepting XPas the HAL is no longer hooked to the previous hardware, then do a repair.
It doesnt work every time, but you have a better chance.

HTH

[Van Nugent]

Also, make sure I/O-APIC is set the same way as it was on the old mobo. i.e. if it was enabled on the old mobo, it should be enabled on the new one. Of course, this is the I/O Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller that we're talking about, not the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface).

[handyguy]

The best way is to get another HD. They are cheap these days.

If you use your old hd & put it in the new system & then it can't configure, you could have a hd that won't boot on either system, old or new :-)

[Virgin San]

HANDGUY YOU ARE SUCH A TWAT, DON'T EVER POST ON MY THREADS.

If you had sense enough to even read the very first sentence of my thread, you would notice that I say the system is ONE WEEK OLD. Now how much intelligence does it take to figure out that the hard drive is the same age? YOU GIMP.

For Gods sake someone make this idiot a newbie again, how can anyone post over 8000 times and not even have learnt the first thing about ANYTHING :furious:

[Mr Snatcher]

Holy crap !! lmao

[PhilEnfield]

:laugh: PMSL :laugh:

@handygimp.... sorry guy

Repeat slowly after me :

In future I will read the complete thread, before posting inane comments and making a complete pratt of myself :D

[Virgin San]

:)

[handygirl]

OMFG!!! Handyguy! - Are you one of Jerry's kids? I cant believe I was falling for you. When I should have been running a telethon for you instead. Do have hooked on phonics or a sylvan learning center near by? Sign up!!!!! And if you graduate, and thats a big IF, maybe I will come around again.

I cant belive this!!! I am crying my eyes out. I thought I found the man of my dreams, instead I found a gimp. I am so heartbroken, where is my tissues......:(

[Neo]

The basic answer to your question is yes, it will work aslong as you do a repair install. I've done this several times and worked everytime.

You didn't state if the chipset is the same or not. Before I've managed to go into safe mode, and delete all the devices in the device manager. Then swap mobo's and it worked. This worked on a 845 - 875 swap.

-Who the F is handygirl, damn it? Is it Inso? Or a mod? Or just VS?

[Virgin San]

Not me m8, but I have a good idea who :)

The plot thickens - this matter all came about because of the Asus board I was having trouble with randomly powering off. I thought it was a Crucial RAM issue, but no. I thought the motherboard was shot so was going to substitute it - but on a whim, I took out the PSU (Antec true power) and swapped in one I had laying about - its been working fine ever since.

Now strangely, I put the Antec in another machine - and its been working fine there ever since too.

Now WTF could that be all about? I don't see how the PSU could work fine with one machine and not another ... ?

(by the by now, but yes - both nf2 chipets)

[Van Nugent]

RAM voltage and CPU voltage are among the most important factors to keep the system stable. That's why DRAM/CPU-voltage adjustability is a must have for OC'ers besides being able to adjust the voltage multiplier and the FSB. On a non-OC'ed system, a mobo that gives us these features would work fine with the majority of the add-on components whereas with mobo that doesn't have these options, the only thing we can do is trying to find the components that could work. It seems to me that Asus mobos are designed with very tight voltage-tolerance acceptance while mobos from other manufacturers such as Abit and BioStar would give you wider tolerance window to work with. On the other hand, on the more expensive Asus mobos which give you the luxury of adjusting the DRAM/CPU voltages, compatibility problems can easily be overcome in most cases.

[Neo]

Might just be that the other motherboard is just more tolerable of a less reliable PSU.

If swaping to a same chipset mobo, I recomend what I stated before. (safe mode + removing all devices).

This is so the OS will refresh itself with the components, since almost always all the devices will have new IRQ's, and you'll have different/new devices onboard if its a different mobo manufactor.

[Virgin San]

OK, well this is sorted now, the change of PSU has done the trick and I have learned something new - I have never experienced a board that was picky about PSU's before.

On a side note - have just this second finished knocking up a system with a nice ABit NF7 board - fan-bloody-tastic, never using another Asus board again :)

[Van Nugent]

:laugh:

I'm glad everything goes smoooooothly for you now, m8! I love my NF7-S very much, too. :)

[Elaine]

So glad to hear you're sorted, VS. Especially so as a m8 of mine purchased one recently and I'm sure I'll eventually have to find the time to go install it. All I remember is that he purchased Kingston ram and an Enermax PSU, which isn't bad considering we were giving advice over a cell (mobile) phone. :laugh: