Help with upgrading PC and Win XP.

  • Thread starter Thread starter ADAM
  • Start date Start date
A

ADAM

I am planning on upgrading my PC soon and want to ensure
that I will have no problem with WinXP activation. I'm
planning on getting a new motherboard, CPU, and Video
Card. If I change all these things will Windows XP still
work or will it think I put it in a new Machine? If I
install them one at a time will it make a difference? Any
words of caution or advice is much appreciated.
 
Adam;
May as well change all components at once.
Changes are monitored over a 120 day period so unless you are planning
on installing one component every 121 days, there is no advantage.

After replacements, a Repair Installation may be required to properly
detect the new hardware:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/repaxp.htm
 
Not sure if it will work or not. But what I do know is
that you better completele reinstall your system after
replacing the mother board, especialy if it's a different
brand chipset.
 
Greetings --

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

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

This will also 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
 
Repair Install to SET XP to New Motherboard
1. Do Not BOOT into Windows XP on first boot after Motherboard or Hard Drive change! If booting from CD is not an option, return to BIOS and make sure booting from CD is the first boot option. Booting into Windows is only an option when you do a direct replacement of the Motherboard, otherwise it is like playing Russian Roulette. If you lose, it is fatal!
2. If your computer does not support booting from the CD, check your OEM or Motherboard makers web site for updated BIOS.
3. Perform a Repair Install by following the step by step below.
When you see the "Welcome To Setup" screen, you will see the options below
This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft
Windows XP to run on your computer:

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.
Press Enter to start the Windows Setup.
Accept the License Agreement and Windows will search for existing Windows installations.
Select the XP installation you want to repair from the list and press R to start the repair.
Setup will copy the necessary files to the hard drive and reboot. Do not press any key to boot from CD when the message appears. Setup will continue as if it were doing a clean install, but your applications and settings will remain intact.

You will also loose all updates to your version of XP, so do make sure that you are prepared for this.
 
It doesn't have to be a complete reinstall. A repair
install will work fine. It will detect the new hardware
and install any temp drivers for it until you load it up
and intstall the manufacturer's drivers.
 
Hi "BAR":
With reference to your point #1 concerning the presumed danger of first
booting into XP after a motherboard and/or hard drive change and before
running a Repair install...

I have seen similar comments to yours from a number of posters but I've
never read (or experienced) why doing so would result in a "fatal" result. I
assume by "fatal", you mean that the drive containing the XP OS would become
so corrupted that it would no longer be bootable even following a Repair
install.

Would you amplify your statement re this issue? In my own experience of
installing XP after making a motherboard and/or hard drive or other major
component change, I have NEVER run into a situation where a "fatality"
occurred because I first attempted to boot up with the new components before
undertaking a Repair install. As a matter of fact, in every situation where
I've made any component change, I ALWAYS first try to boot up with the new
components installed before determining whether a Repair install is
necessary. While I haven't kept any detailed records on the percentage of
times the computer would boot up immediately after major components were
installed, it seems to me it has been a significant number, thus negating
the need for a Repair install. And in those cases where the computer did
fail to boot, a Repair install was undertaken without incident. In short, I
have never run into any subsequent problem by first attempting to boot up
after making any major component changes and then performing a Repair
install should the initial bootup fail.

Art


BAR said:
Repair Install to SET XP to New Motherboard
1. Do Not BOOT into Windows XP on first boot after Motherboard or Hard
Click to expand...
Drive change! If booting from CD is not an option, return to BIOS and make
sure booting from CD is the first boot option. Booting into Windows is only
an option when you do a direct replacement of the Motherboard, otherwise it
is like playing Russian Roulette. If you lose, it is fatal!
2. If your computer does not support booting from the CD, check your OEM
Click to expand...
or Motherboard makers web site for updated BIOS.
3. Perform a Repair Install by following the step by step below.
When you see the "Welcome To Setup" screen, you will see the options below
This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft
Windows XP to run on your computer:

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.
Press Enter to start the Windows Setup.
Accept the License Agreement and Windows will search for existing Windows installations.
Select the XP installation you want to repair from the list and press R to start the repair.
Setup will copy the necessary files to the hard drive and reboot. Do not
Click to expand...
press any key to boot from CD when the message appears. Setup will continue
as if it were doing a clean install, but your applications and settings will
remain intact.
You will also loose all updates to your version of XP, so do make sure
Click to expand...
that you are prepared for this.
 
Back
Top