motherboard upgrade

[TidusQ]

Is it possible to replace a motherboard without reformatting the hard drive?

[iisbob]

Yes, but i don't recommend it. When you do such a massive hardware change, it's best to reinstall your OS and let it enter the correct registry settings for your new hardware.

Save yourself a headache and possible future problems by doing a clean install.



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iisbob

CPU= 5mhz
Memory= 16 K
Storage=10.2MB's
Video=Onboard S3 4K
Modem=14.4 baud
Sound=ISA Yamaha 8bit
Mouse=2 button MS
Monitor=ACER 12.5"
OS= { dual boot }DOS 2.1 & WIN 3.1

My ultimate gaming system :)

[BigBlue66]

HOWEVER, if you have data on the harddrive that you want to save and have no way of backing up, there is another way. I just swapped out a motherboard recently without formatting and reinstalling.

This is assuming that you have a working system before you change out motherboards. Immediately before you plan to power down and replace the motherboard, run the registry editor (Regedit at the Run Command). Go to HKey_Local_Machine. Find the Enum folder and delete it. Yep, I said delete it! Now, power down and swap in the new motherboard.

Boot up as usual. At this point, Windows may or may not alert you to the fact that it has found new hardware. Once you're up and running, install the drivers for the new motherboard. Then, run the Add New Hardware wizard in Control Panel and let Windows find and install all the components that are associated with the new motherboard. You will probably have to have the original Windows installation CD for all this.

Try it. It works slicker than what you might think.

Cheers,

BB 66

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[Rick]

You may also want to copy the contents of the windows cd \win98\ cab files to your hard drive.
Nothing is more annoying than to have it ask for the cd when the ide and cd-rom drivers are not installed yet.

Just make a folder called win98 and use explorer to copy the cab files over Before you remove the Enum and reboot.

[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 02-17-2002).]