Change motherboards without reinstalling Windows 7!

[stinger608]

Okay, maybe this has been done to death, the thread type anyhow.

With that said, does anyone know of a way to change the motherboard in a system running Windows 7 without reformatting, and reinstalling Windows 7?

The system I am referring to is a system that is getting a motherboard upgrade. Of course it is a different chip set, so naturally Windows will want to install different drivers in order to operate correctly.

Back in the day, one could completely delete the "ENUM" entry in the registry of Windows XP, shut down, change the motherboard, boot and away ya go. I have not found anything solid with Windows 7 however, and wondering if anyone has knowledge of this, or knows where to go to find knowledge on this.

Thanks in advance to all TPU members

 

[sneekypeet]

best chance at it is to:

1 boot to safe mode
2 remove all drivers
3 restart back into safe mode
4 run Ccleaner reg clean
5 turn off
6 boot new rig and see if the OS clears.

 

[JrRacinFan]

Don't even need to go through all those steps. Once you got into safe mode,windows 7 will rebuild it's drivers automatically. Boot normally and then install chipset drivers if not already in.

Edit:
One thing though, it gets hectic with RAID and you will NEED to reinstall/rebuild the array. Only circumstance where you will find driver conflicts.

Edit2:

See edit 1 peet.

 

[sneekypeet]

I just dont like taking the chance of even having the old drivers to trip things up. Only reason I posted the longer version

 

[stinger608]

Good points Sneeky and JR. I have often wondered if Windows 7 would build drivers correctly for the new motherboard.

Trying to talk this fellow into just reformatting and reinstalling, but you all know how people are LOL.

@JR: Crap, didn't think of that! He does have a Raid setup. Dual 320's. Crap, that might not work at all then. I told him to back everything up that was important in the event that it does not work without reinstalling.

 

[sneekypeet]

Trying to talk this fellow into just reformatting and reinstalling, but you all know how people are LOL.

Just tell him it wont work That is the better way to go anyways.

 

[JrRacinFan]

I just dont like taking the chance of even having the old drivers to trip things up. Only reason I posted the longer version

Did my method 4 times over the past 2 years. Until just recently reinstalled a fresh Windows 7 x64 to clean up odds and ends, basically "spring cleaning".

 

[sneekypeet]

Did my method 4 times over the past 2 years. Until just recently reinstalled a fresh Windows 7 x64 to clean up odds and ends, basically "spring cleaning".

I wasnt saying it wouldn't/shouldn't work, just that he will likely have to clean out the drivers anyways, unless he just wants them lingering, taking up space

 

[stinger608]

Thanks guys, that has been most helpful!!!! I think your right Sneeky, just tell him that it will not work LOLOLOL

 

[JrRacinFan]

Yup in the case of raid it definitely will not work.

 

[Completely Bonkers]

Can't you just run sysprep, then shutdown. then swap hardware. then boot.

Or was sysprep removed from w7?

 

[sneekypeet]

Yup in the case of raid it definitely will not work.

agreed! I mean unless you can get the raid drivers in via USB or floppy, you will never have a chance to see the OS

 

[stinger608]

Can't you just run sysprep, then shutdown. then swap hardware. then boot.

Or was sysprep removed from w7?

Sysprep?

 

[stinger608]

Yup in the case of raid it definitely will not work.

agreed! I mean unless you can get the raid drivers in via USB or floppy, you will never have a chance to see the OS

The guy wants me to install a single 1tb drive and give it a try. Hmm, will try to do an image backup using Acronis 2011 on a empty disk, change the motherboard, and hard drive, and then attempt to bring the image back on the single drive. Then reboot into safe mode.................Jeez, this seems like it is going to be a long process

I guess he is currently backing up everything that is important to him, and this will happen probably Friday afternoon or Saturday morning...............Well I am sure all said and done it will be about a fricking 10 hour ordeal.

 

[Completely Bonkers]

http://benosullivan.co.uk/windows/how-to-image-and-deploy-windows-7-a-complete-guide/

And google sysprep.

Sysprep will allow you to change hardware and maintain windows install and all installed programs. HOWEVER it resets user data... so backup anything/data in /users/. It will not harm other directories on the drive, or other partitions. So backup user data to a D: partition and you are good to go.

 

[sneekypeet]

http://benosullivan.co.uk/windows/how-to-image-and-deploy-windows-7-a-complete-guide/

And google sysprep.

Sysprep will allow you to change hardware and maintain windows install and all installed programs. HOWEVER it resets user data... so backup anything/data in /users/. It will not harm other directories on the drive, or other partitions. So backup user data to a D: partition and you are good to go.

Good call for a single drive, but with raid, there wont be an OS to boot to

@ Stinger I would think, as long as the 1TB is bigger than his raid array, he could clone out of raid, then re-clone back to the raid after the drives are configured?!?!

 

[stinger608]

Good call for a single drive, but with raid, there wont be an OS to boot to

@ Stinger I would think, as long as the 1TB is bigger than his raid array, he could clone out of raid, then re-clone back to the raid after the drives are configured?!?!

No he wants to get away from the Raid setup and just go with a single drive, I guess.

 

[JrRacinFan]

@Stinger

Give maxblast a try if you get a maxtor/seagate. You can clone his existing to the 1TB and then Safe mode boot.

@ Stinger I would think, as long as the 1TB is bigger than his raid array, he could clone out of raid, then re-clone back to the raid after the drives are configured?!?!

Possible to do that but, rather save time and just reinstall. EDIT: No wait, not possible unless you install the raid drivers before cloning, which Windows won't see RAID involved and poof, no drivers installed, catch 22.

On 4th thought, reinstall windows on his raid after a backup of his current stuff is made on a single drive. Keeping his raid array but rebuilding it for the new board.

 

[Formula350]

Um... I just plugged in the drive with Win7 32Bit, from a Socket 754, Sempron 2800+ with 2x1GB DDR1, onboard SiS video all on a HP by ASUS Motherboard RIGHT into my 890FX rig (specs to your left) and have yet to experience a problem

Now. Was it the best thing to do? Naw. Am I worried about performance? Not really given it's a 5400RPM 44pin IDE drive lol (don't ask).

All you need to do is make sure the drive you're booting off (which needs Boot Manager) has been set in the BIOS to boot from first

 

[JrRacinFan]

Um... I just plugged in the drive with Win7 32Bit, from a Socket 754, Sempron 2800+ with 2x1GB DDR1, onboard SiS video all on a HP by ASUS Motherboard RIGHT into my 890FX rig (specs to your left) and have yet to experience a problem

Now. Was it the best thing to do? Naw. Am I worried about performance? Not really given it's a 5400RPM 44pin IDE drive lol (don't ask).

All you need to do is make sure the drive you're booting off (which needs Boot Manager) has been set in the BIOS to boot from first

I agree but RAID is involved and I am 99.99999% sure the array will break when moved to a different board.

 

[Formula350]

I agree but RAID is involved and I am 99.99999% sure the array will break when moved to a different board.

Yea, if you want to boot off a RAID or use AHCI, you'll have to reinstall :\ I've tried getting around that and that pooched the registry far enough to make Safemode not even work Had to boot up my custom Win7Lite (meh, it's just 158mb WinPE3 with complete GUI, internet, HDAudio) and restore the .bak registry file...

 

[stinger608]

I agree but RAID is involved and I am 99.99999% sure the array will break when moved to a different board.

Not really caring if the raid breaks down. I am pulling his raid configuration and installing a single 1tb drive in place of the raid setup. I will be doing an image backup on a empty drive that I currently have, and then restoring the image to his new 1tb SINGLE drive. Can't remember what motherboard he has now, but he has had issues in the past with the raid being seen, therefore he wants to get rid of the raid at the same time as upgrading his motherboard.

Does that make any sense? He will not have a raid setup anymore.

 

[JrRacinFan]

Makes sense. Just boot up on the new drive into safe mode.

 

[stinger608]

Makes sense. Just boot up on the new drive into safe mode.

That is what I was thinking bro!!!

I am thinking that getting rid of the Raid setup will enable me to boot to his new drive? Hope so, I am already tired of hearing him whine about having to possibly reinstall Windows

Jeez, he has called me about 5 or 6 times in the last half hour whining!

 

[Formula350]

Jeez, he has called me about 5 or 6 times in the last half hour whining!

If he calls again tell him "Wait... you DIDN'T want me to reinstall 7?! Aww shit dude.. I'll see if I can restore any of the data, give me a few days!"