installing new mb keeping installation os

[pompeyboy]

Hi guys, i need some advice
I have rma'd my dfi expert motherboard and just heard back its beyond repair,in holland(where i had to send it) they dont have any new/refurbed ones available, the engineer said he has contacted taiwan stating a replacement is reuired for (through no fault of my own).This he said would take at least another 7 days at earliest.
Problem is i cant wait any longer i need my pc up and running and need to keep my current os in place. Im thinking of buying another motherboard(second hand) and installing it into current rig, What im really asking is have any of you done a mobo swap and got away without installing windows again?
I doubt taiwan will have expert as i doubt they still being manufactured

 

[V|per]

i have, as long as the chipsets are the same though, still ends up buggy, and a re-install will be needed at some point

 

[kevpuk]

Also done it, with varying degrees of success.....have had a perfect 'migration', and also a bad 'un

Tbh, I reckon it is a great excuse for a fresh install (which I otherwise might not have got round too !)

 

[Topitoff]

This PC I am using now had a DFI Ultra-D in it and I swapped it with a DFI SLI-D and I've had no problems at all with the O/S, didn't even need re-activating. So if you can get a very similar board you should be OK.

Hope this helps

 

[Jumping]

Usually moving motherboard from one install to another will work fine as mentioned earlier. With Windows repair being your friend if there is to much difference between your chipsets.

I wouldn't recommend you to swap back again though, get a new board if you really need your pc now and then keep running this board. Swapping boards again in a few weeks/days when you get the RMA back just sounds like unnecessary hard work.

Only if your 2nd hand board is lacking features your RMA board had and you really need save yourself the work of rebuilding your box and run the 2nd hand board.