How will Windows respond to swapping the motherboard, cpu, and ram?

[grazzhoppa]

Regarding Windows XP Pro, what will happen if I upgrade the motherboard, cpu, and ram of the system? Will Windows' activation think that it's being swapped into a different computer, so it won't boot?

I know that Microsoft uses some formula or has a limit to how many components can change in the computer that Windows was first installed on. I've already added a sound card, video card, and new cd rom to the same Windows installation, and I am thinking that when I upgrade the motherboard, etc. Windows' activation might lock me out.

Would this be a problem on a university/corporate licensed Windows installation?

thanks.

[Idle Mind]

Most likely...I heard that the mobo is the most important component in their system of doing things.

I'm not sure about a Corporate installation.

[Repo Man]

With Home, you'd almost certainly have to reactivate. If you have a version that doesn't require activation, no problem. You'll probably have to do a repair installation of Windows. Take a look here, http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm

[Stryder]

You probably would be fine if you were using an Upgrade disc, that upgrades 98 to XP Pro. However if you went for the full disc for "from scratch" installations, I'm guessing you will need to reauthenticate your hardware.

Personally I would just suggest backing up all important files/data and look at doing a complete reinstall with the new equipment rigged up, as it could save alot of heartache in the future.

[Terry Pennis]

If you ring up microsoft at activation time and explain what you've done they should give you a new key over the phone. You might have to do a repair installation first.

[Avatar]

The best thing is to have a (pirated) corporate version,
they require no such nonesense :cool:
of course the best for your karma and peace of mind is to use Linux :m:

[MagiAwen]

You are most likely going to have to reinstall windows.

When you replace the motherboard, hopefully it will boot and find everything on the motherboard but I have seen it not do that. Obviously there are several devices on a motherboard...more than 6 as required by home to reactivate.

Sometimes if you swap out a motherboard the computer still loads the last known devices, which will all be different when you replace the motherboard. Sometimes you have ONE boot up to replace ALL motherboard devices and drivers and will probably have to do so in Safe Mode for which you need admin access rights to do and if it's on a domain and the uni techies are worth their salt, you won't be able to do. Pro may take this in stride but you will want to back up any documents on your hdd.

I have never had a network install (site license) copy of windows xp pro ask to be re activated. But you run the risk of having to completely reinstall so you would want to have the corporate license key just to do that...although some don't ask but if you don't have the disk or the network share to reinstall you could be up shit creek without a paddle.

So to sum it up,
Motherboard replacement often requires o/s reinstall.

Pro should not ask you to reactivate unless it is a clean install.

Most site licenses will not ask you to activate at all after reinstall but most of the time you need the site license key to install.

[yellowratbastard]

From my experience, most of the time you are better off reinstalling Windows when swapping CPU/Mobo/Ram. Ive only had a few times where it handled the upgrade with no problems. Usually when the chipsets are simillar.

[Krazie]

I am about to do the same thing. But I am changing my harddrive along with my cpu, ram, and mother board. I know that I will have to reinstall it on the new harddrive, but i have a problem. I only have a upgrade windows xp disc, how do I istall this onto the new harddrive? I do have a harddrive with windows me already on it. Is their some way that I can copy ME off of this hard drive onto the new one, and then upgrade with the windows xp disc. I actually have not used the windows xp disc yet. I am using ME right now.

[grazzhoppa]

I do have a harddrive with windows me already on it. Is their some way that I can copy ME off of this hard drive onto the new one, and then upgrade with the windows xp disc
The only way to do what you want to do with the things you have would be to clone the drive with Windows ME to the new harddrive. The only program I know of that can clone a disk drive is Norton Ghost. I've used it when I bought a bigger harddrive, but wanted everything on my smaller drive to be on it.

Because you are only changing one piece of hardware (the hard drive), Windows activation probably won't ask you to re-activate it.

After using Ghost or some equivalent, you'll have the exact same data from the old harddrive on the newer one, including Windows ME. Then you can use the Windows XP upgrade disc with the new harddrive.

--------

I've decided to buy a new harddrive and just do a clean install of XP on the new mother/cpu/ram machine. I think I caught a virus that messed up my antivirus program and firewall, so a clean install isn't for nothing. I got a used IBM 40gb off of eBay for $31 (includes shipping). My current Western Digital harddrive sparadically stops spinning anyway...one day it'll crash won't boot back up, I just know it.

---------

On another note, I bought a Zalman 7000c heatsink/fan for my Socket A cpu and found out it was "incompatible" with my motherboard. I had to bend a capcitor a tiny bit and flip the heatsink clap upside down for it to clear the capictors near the cpu socket, and also find some longer screws, but it fits and works, and is nice and snug against the cpu core. When a heatsink is labeled incompatible, the company is just playing it safe.

The cpu is running very cool for idling. Can't stress test it because no harddrive in the computer yet.

Here's some pictures of the behemoth heatsink (pictures total about a 3 meg download, sorry 56k-ers):

I apologize if the large pictures annoy you.

edit : I should've made the pictures smaller..."Bandwidth quota has been exceeded. The web site would work again after 12 hours. Members are given an initial bandwidth quota of 1000 MB monthly." Pictures unavailable..:(

[Krazie]

That is f'ing huge man.

[neoclassical]

Regarding Windows XP Pro, what will happen if I upgrade the motherboard, cpu, and ram of the system? Will Windows' activation think that it's being swapped into a different computer, so it won't boot?

I know that Microsoft uses some formula or has a limit to how many components can change in the computer that Windows was first installed on. I've already added a sound card, video card, and new cd rom to the same Windows installation, and I am thinking that when I upgrade the motherboard, etc. Windows' activation might lock me out.

Would this be a problem on a university/corporate licensed Windows installation?

thanks.

I don't know about newer versions of XP Pro, but on the original version, I had no problems - it re-recognized hardware, I deleted old hardware, rebooted and it was fine.

Main question is the motherboard. CPU and RAM changes don't seem to bother it.

[RubiksMaster]

I recently swapped motherboards between two computers. I couldn't do a fresh windows install, because it IS against the license agreement. The installation discs didn't think my PC was still an HP. The motherboard is really the only thing you can change to make it not work. You can replace as many other things as you want.

Anyway, Windows loaded up and detected TONS of new hardware (not surprisingly). It had the drivers for most of it. However, I had to go on the internet and download the drivers for the intel chipset on one of them and the drivers for the on-board sound card on the other one. I removed the old drivers and i am fine now.

Although, I was on ME, not XP.