New mobo format HDD

Bikerz · 30 Sep 2007 at 12:09

Ok im going to change my cpu and mobo soon, but just had a shock and been reading on here that il have to reformat my hdd? True? I have 2 sata drives, can I copy all my data to my newer drive that i want (the one not running windows) and new mobo in and just plug in my windows one get it running and then connect up my other one with all my stuff on it? What sthe best way around it? Ive never done this before? Do i format before I change mobo, or connect up new setup then try and format?

Cheers

Sheldon

split · 30 Sep 2007 at 12:47

Many of us on here (myself included) believe there is nothing like a fresh install of windows when changing a major component like your motherboard. <note changing not swapping.

However, there are a few sites on the web that can show you how to un-install your drivers etc and do like a system repair.
Say for example this......
That carries a small risk so you should back your data up. If you have your data backed up why not do a fresh install anyway?
If your lucky enough for the repair install to work, you haven't got to re-install all your apps again....that's the plus side of a repair install.

The down side of a repair install is that it may not work, and it seems unclean to me.

A fresh instal is always best IMO.

You just need to back all your stuff up to your spare drive, and just hook up your windows hard drive to new mobo only.
Boot to CD and format it and re-install windows then add the second sata drive with all your data on.

Biffa · 30 Sep 2007 at 14:06

The only time I have ever had to reformat is if my system drive is on raid. Otherwise just switch all the proprietary drivers back to the microsoft ones and then do the swap.

And really you should be backing up all your important data regularly anyway so thats nothing extra that needs to be done.

split · 30 Sep 2007 at 14:48

Biffa....Don't tell me your on the original install from when XP came out?

Bikerz · 30 Sep 2007 at 16:59

Im a bit lost. So your recomending I get everythin onto a my 500gb hdd that i want to keep. put my 320gb hdd in new mobo, boot up and re nstall, or wipe and re intal windows with my old mobo?

mattyfez · 1 Oct 2007 at 11:12

almost, thers two options...

the one you want ie: back up your important stuff incase of faliure, then fit the new mobo and attempt to modify your current windows instal to work with the new mobo

and the best option...
back up your important stuff, format your harddrive and do a clean install with the new mobo.

This Is better for a number of reasons
1.Its a fresh install, so youll lose a lot of junk/registry entries you forgot you had.
2.it will force you to re-install all your drivers and apps thus insuring everything is up to date and ship shape.

spending an hour or so installing apps and drivers is a pain, but its for the best really.

Biffa · 1 Oct 2007 at 11:30

split said:
Biffa....Don't tell me your on the original install from when XP came out?

Heh, no actually I am on Vista 64 which did require a new install

However, I also have an XP box and a Windows 2003 Server box, both of which have had a complete hardware makeover without reinstalling.

XP was a FX51 AMD system, went to a E6420 Intel System which meant changing the mobo, CPU, memory type.

2003 was a Opteron 165 and went to a Q6600 which meant changing the mobo, CPU and memory type

Neither of which required a reinstall windows. But then my boxes are backed up daily incremental and weekly full so my risk of losing essential data is low.

As I said if your main drive is on a hardware raid partition then you are SOL but if its just plain vanilla single drive you will be fine just changing the drivers to microsoft ones (from the motherboard specific drivers you installed when you got your hardware)

Just go through your device manager and anything that has "Brand name" in the component description, right click change driver, choose the Microsoft alternative which should be the only one other than the branded driver you installed. Do it for everything without rebooting, then reboot at the end, your PC comes back up with the microsoft drivers then you are free to shut down change hardware, reboot and windows will come back up and ask you for the drivers it doesn't recognise.

Well thats been my experience, of course if it doesn't work you are no worse off as all you will have to do is a reinstall which you were going to do anyway.