Changing motherboard on OEM with XP SP2

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rubix
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Rubix

Hi,

I am changing my dead motherboard on an OEM XP SP2 home machine and plan to
use an upgrade disk to XP pro SP1 to remedy any windows problems. Are there
any problems I appear to have not foreseen?

Rubix
 
Your primary obstacle will be that the SP1 CD will *NOT* be of any
use repairing a SP2 installation. You'll need to use the an OEM SP2
CD from the manufacturer of your computer, should any repairs to the
OS be necessary. Also, make sure that you get the replacement
motherboard from *NO ONE* but the computer's manufacturer, or your OEM
license, as well as your warranty, will become null and void.

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many OEM installations
and licenses are not transferable to a new motherboard - check yours
before starting), unless the new motherboard is virtually identical
(same chipset, same IDE controllers, same BIOS version, etc.) to the
one on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, you'll
need to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at
the very least:

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341

The "why" is quite simple, really, and has nothing to do with
licensing issues, per se; it's a purely technical matter, at this
point. You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the
OS. (If you don't like -- or get -- the rug analogy, think of it as
picking up a Cape Cod style home and then setting it down onto a Ranch
style foundation. It just isn't going to fit.) WinXP, like Win2K
before it, is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to
accepting any old hardware configuration you throw at it. On
installation it "tailors" itself to the specific hardware found. This
is one of the reasons that the entire WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so much
more stable than the Win9x group.

As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any
important data before starting.

This will also probably require re-activation, unless you have a
Volume Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more
than 120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key,
you'll most likely be able to activate via the internet without
problem. If it's been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone
call.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. - RAH
 
Thanks I had lots of problems upgrading previously so I never fully
installed from the upgrade disk. I thought it was going to be a problem
changing back from SP2 to SP1. Could an SP2 installation disk repair the
damage? I doubt it.

Anyway I have already ordered my m-board from a retailer, not the
manufacture...so the die is cast + I'm also changing the memory and video
card. You probably guessed that I am not very confident about the PC
manufacturer after a few months of really serious PC troubles.

I'm just trying to salvage something out of junk.Perhaps I should buy an OEM
XP disk?

Rubix
 
You might be able to do a successful repair installation with a
generic (non-branded) OEM disk and Product Key. You will, however,
eventually come up against the non-transferability of the new OEM
license, should you ever decide to completely replace the computer.
Of course, the incremental upgrading of individual components
shouldn't be a problem.

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. - RAH
 
Rubix said:
Hi,

I am changing my dead motherboard on an OEM XP SP2 home machine and
plan to use an upgrade disk to XP pro SP1 to remedy any windows
problems. Are there any problems I appear to have not foreseen?

Rubix
Click to expand...

Uninstall SP2 first (Control Panel | Add/Remove Programs).

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
 
Thanks Frank, I would love to do that but I am having doubts that Windows
will work when the motherboard is changed. Can I replace it on an OEM
machine and still use Windows?

Rubix
 
Rubix said:
Thanks Frank, I would love to do that but I am having doubts that
Windows will work when the motherboard is changed. Can I replace it
on an OEM machine and still use Windows?

Rubix
Click to expand...

If I had a real WinXP OEM CD and not a recovery disk, I would backup
everything I wanted to keep, then boot from the CD, format the drive and do
a clean install. You might have to remove everything but the video card
first.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
 
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