Changing MBs

  • Thread starter Thread starter Len
  • Start date Start date
L

Len

Hi folks,

Have just made the plunge into AMD 64 CPU and an ASUS A8N-SLI Dlx MB. It
should be here in a couple days! Currently my system is Intel with the
865PE chipset on an ASUS P4P800 Dlx. Has anyone found a less than painful
method of changing the OS - XP Pro SP2 - from an intel MB to the A8N-SLI?

Am aware of the maintenance reinstall method for XP and have a slipstreamed
XP Pro SP2 disk available. Unfortunately in my experience this method does
not always work! Just curious if anyone has used a different method that
works for them.

Thanks for any input,
Len
 
Len said:
Hi folks,

Have just made the plunge into AMD 64 CPU and an ASUS A8N-SLI Dlx MB. It
should be here in a couple days! Currently my system is Intel with the
865PE chipset on an ASUS P4P800 Dlx. Has anyone found a less than painful
method of changing the OS - XP Pro SP2 - from an intel MB to the A8N-SLI?

Am aware of the maintenance reinstall method for XP and have a slipstreamed
XP Pro SP2 disk available. Unfortunately in my experience this method does
not always work! Just curious if anyone has used a different method that
works for them.

Thanks for any input,
Len
Click to expand...

When mobo is changed, Windows XP is best re-installed,
especially if the two mobo are so different like this.

Whether you have any gain or not, you may have some pain.
 
Len said:
Hi folks,

Have just made the plunge into AMD 64 CPU and an ASUS A8N-SLI Dlx MB. It
should be here in a couple days! Currently my system is Intel with the
865PE chipset on an ASUS P4P800 Dlx. Has anyone found a less than painful
method of changing the OS - XP Pro SP2 - from an intel MB to the A8N-SLI?

Am aware of the maintenance reinstall method for XP and have a slipstreamed
XP Pro SP2 disk available. Unfortunately in my experience this method does
not always work! Just curious if anyone has used a different method that
works for them.

Thanks for any input,
Len
Click to expand...

Honestly, you have to be out of you mind to think you can just swap.
Fresh complete install is in order.
 
Honestly, you have to be out of you mind to think you can just swap.
Fresh complete install is in order.
Click to expand...

I agree, a fresh install is the best option. He can go ahead and do the
repair install and it may work. But problems may arise after the install.
 
Len said:
Hi folks,

Have just made the plunge into AMD 64 CPU and an ASUS A8N-SLI Dlx MB. It
should be here in a couple days! Currently my system is Intel with the
865PE chipset on an ASUS P4P800 Dlx. Has anyone found a less than painful
method of changing the OS - XP Pro SP2 - from an intel MB to the A8N-SLI?

Am aware of the maintenance reinstall method for XP and have a slipstreamed
XP Pro SP2 disk available. Unfortunately in my experience this method does
not always work! Just curious if anyone has used a different method that
works for them.

Thanks for any input,
Len
Click to expand...

Not a good idea Len, but nothing lost in trying it. You may wish to
investigate the "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard" in XP, it will save you
a lot of work in terms of backing up files and customisations. I realise
that it seemsa daunting and time consuming task to reinsytall your OS afresh
for your new mobo, but I really do feel that I would opt for a clean
install. By the way, great choice of board. The A8N-SLi is terrific. Just
make sure you flash it up to version 1003, as the previous versions were not
without problems. You'll be be pleased with it I feel sure.

Jon
 
Gordon Scott said:
Honestly, you have to be out of you mind to think you can just swap.
Fresh complete install is in order.
Click to expand...

Everything is possible :) but you will be wasting your time with a very
buggy and unstable result. Old references in the registry, obsolete
(chipset)drivers, ini's and much more.
A clean install looks like a lot of work, but it's peanuts compared to
getting the first to work properly.

Nickeldome
 
HI Len,
I relish a fresh install after changing the main components on a computer!
Almost always the new system starst up clean and fast, and, lets face it,
WIndows XP really benefits from a fresh install, especially if it's
connected to the internet and can do all of the updates in one swoop. You
need a hard drive or partition of at least 15MB for XP, IMHO. Every time
I've tried keeping the original Windows installation when changing
Motherboard, Hard drive, Intel to AMD or vice versa , I've always ended up
having to wipe the slate clean, and start from the beginning. As I said,
it's worth it. Have fun with the new system! Dave

PS: BTW,still having trouble with my A8n-SLI recognizing SATA drives, in
case anyone is having the same problems. I'm really impatient to get my new
system up and running,
 
I dunno if this would work, but it's something I want to try myself some
day. If you try it, let me know how you go.

1) Install a PCI hard drive (IDE or SATA) controller card into your old PC
2) Install the drivers for the PCI card
3) Remove main hard drive from motherboard controller and attach it to PCI
card controller
4) Boot PC and make sure everything is working smoothly

5) Transfer PCI controller card (with main hard drive still attached to it)
to new PC
6) Boot windows, install new motherboard drivers etc
7) Plug main hard drive into new motherboard controller
 
865PE chipset on an ASUS P4P800 Dlx. Has anyone found a less than painful
method of changing the OS - XP Pro SP2 - from an intel MB to the A8N-SLI?
Click to expand...

A re-install with migration of data *is* the least painful route - trust us
:-)

Rob.
 
John said:
I dunno if this would work, but it's something I want to try myself some
day. If you try it, let me know how you go.

1) Install a PCI hard drive (IDE or SATA) controller card into your old PC
2) Install the drivers for the PCI card
3) Remove main hard drive from motherboard controller and attach it to PCI
card controller
4) Boot PC and make sure everything is working smoothly

5) Transfer PCI controller card (with main hard drive still attached to it)
to new PC
6) Boot windows, install new motherboard drivers etc
7) Plug main hard drive into new motherboard controller
Click to expand...

There is nothing wrong with what you are proposing. The geometry of the
drive will be taken care of nicely, BUT you are still left with the drivers
for the original mobo, and that is where the potential problems will occur.
There is no clear cut and failsafe way of moving the O/S to another board.

Jon
 
I recently updated my MB and just did a repair from XP. Had to install new
drivers using F6...came up fine! That was a huge change in MB too. Old MB
was 6 years old and not asus. I say its possible...its just few try it.
The system I am using now was originally an NT system...then updated to
win2000, then updated to XP, now updated to new MB.

Give it a shot. I say it beats 100's of hours to install and re-tune a new
system to get back to where you were. I would even say its impossible to
get back where you were. Yeah..that good sometimes too. I do not see any
degredation in the new system. I did use registry mechanic, adaware, spy
bot search and destroy and virus scanners to clear the crap out.

Good luck

news:[email protected]:
 
I recently updated my MB and just did a repair from XP. Had to install new
drivers using F6...came up fine! That was a huge change in MB too. Old MB
was 6 years old and not asus. I say its possible...its just few try it.
The system I am using now was originally an NT system...then updated to
win2000, then updated to XP, now updated to new MB.

Give it a shot. I say it beats 100's of hours to install and re-tune a new
system to get back to where you were. I would even say its impossible to
get back where you were. Yeah..that good sometimes too. I do not see any
degredation in the new system. I did use registry mechanic, adaware, spy
bot search and destroy and virus scanners to clear the crap out.

Good luck

news:[email protected]:
Click to expand...

Just for the sake of interest, in versions of Windows prior to XP, I
recall being advised to delete all the "ENUM" keys in the Registry
immediately prior to swapping motherboards. This forced the OS to
re-detect all hardware and to install appropriate drivers. Has anyone
tried this approach in Windows XP? Could it hurt anything as a last
resort before reinstalling? Would it be more logical to just try a
"repair install," instead?

====Parenthetical stuff=====
I ask because reinstalling all software is not a pleasant option. I
think it would take all the spare time I have for a few MONTHS to get
back to the system I have. In fact, this task is so daunting that the
last time I built a new computer, I didn't even try it. I just got a
KVM switch and kept my old 98SE (networked) right beside the new one
under the desk. Little by little, I installed the software I use most
on my new computer until it became my main system.
Ron
 
milleron said:
Just for the sake of interest, in versions of Windows prior to XP, I
recall being advised to delete all the "ENUM" keys in the Registry
immediately prior to swapping motherboards. This forced the OS to
re-detect all hardware and to install appropriate drivers. Has anyone
tried this approach in Windows XP? Could it hurt anything as a last
resort before reinstalling? Would it be more logical to just try a
"repair install," instead?

====Parenthetical stuff=====
I ask because reinstalling all software is not a pleasant option. I
think it would take all the spare time I have for a few MONTHS to get
back to the system I have. In fact, this task is so daunting that the
last time I built a new computer, I didn't even try it. I just got a
KVM switch and kept my old 98SE (networked) right beside the new one
under the desk. Little by little, I installed the software I use most
on my new computer until it became my main system.
Ron
Click to expand...

In Windows 9x it was possible to delete the enumerators. But with NT it is
impossible. The reg won't let you delete the enumerators (from experience).
Repair install or fresh (preferred) is the way to go.
 
Clark Griswold said:
In Windows 9x it was possible to delete the enumerators. But with NT it
is impossible. The reg won't let you delete the enumerators (from
experience). Repair install or fresh (preferred) is the way to go.
Click to expand...
The 'preferred' way, if you want to get as close as possible to a clean
install, without doing such an install, is to use 'SysPrep'. This is on
the XP CD, and is designed to strip the system of it's security
identifiers to allow a clone install on multiple systems for larger users
installing multiple identical machines. One of the options, resets the
system's hardware checking as well, so it comes up, just like a 'fresh'
install, and redetects all the hardware (it will also require reactivation
after this). However it leaves the already installed software intact (this
is again so a 'clone' install, can have a suite of software already
installed for use on a site).

Best Wishes
 
Roger Hamlett said:
The 'preferred' way, if you want to get as close as possible to a clean
install, without doing such an install, is to use 'SysPrep'. This is on
the XP CD, and is designed to strip the system of it's security
identifiers to allow a clone install on multiple systems for larger users
installing multiple identical machines. One of the options, resets the
system's hardware checking as well, so it comes up, just like a 'fresh'
install, and redetects all the hardware (it will also require reactivation
after this). However it leaves the already installed software intact (this
is again so a 'clone' install, can have a suite of software already
installed for use on a site).

Best Wishes
Click to expand...
Sysprep is a powerful tool and if used on a working machine it will remove
the unique security identifiers from your machine. One of the consequences
is the inability to access files in your user profile. In other words
sysprep is used to make an image of your machine.
Roger, please post back how to use sysprep when installing a new motherboard
without losing your security settings.
 
Sysprep is a powerful tool and if used on a working machine it will remove
the unique security identifiers from your machine. One of the consequences
is the inability to access files in your user profile. In other words
sysprep is used to make an image of your machine.
Roger, please post back how to use sysprep when installing a new motherboard
without losing your security settings.
Click to expand...

I presume that if your user profile has administrator privileges, you
can still get at everything. Correct?
Ron
 
milleron said:
I presume that if your user profile has administrator privileges, you
can still get at everything. Correct?

Ron
Click to expand...

Well, let's look at it this way. If you're using sysprep, then you would
naturally have administrator rights, and it is not in your best interest to
run sysprep on a working machine. Only use it on a machine set up to be
cloned.

There is a pnp switch that forces full hardware detection on reboot, but,
the question still remains about the security identifiers. Roger... you out
there?

Anyone care to test out the pnp switch?
 
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