Necessary to format the HDD for a new mobo/processor?

[PnP]dredd · 7th February 2003, 3:35 PM

I am just about to upgrade from asus cuv4x/cele@950/sdr to epox8rda+/XP@>2100/ddr. I am running winXPpro.

I have a 40gb IBM HDD full of programs, documents, divx, and mp3s.

Should I reformat my HDD and reinstall everything (sigh) after installing the new mobo etc?

I will probably not format and see how things go. If problems come up I will try and fix them using the winXPpro CD. If problems still persist I will bite the bullet and reformat.

I need info now so I can decide whether to start burning all my crap onto CDs. 4x write will suck for 30GB (~50CDs arrrgh) of stuff.

looktall · 7th February 2003, 3:59 PM

reguardless of what you do, you should back up your stuff before hand as there is a good chance you may end up having to format.

it is a very good idea to just go straight to a full format and reinstall, but with xp, it is sometimes possible to do a repair install to fix it.

you could try uninstalling anything related to the motherboard in device manager. then installing the new hardware and rebooting.
xp may find all the new stuff and it should be ok.

if that fails, then boot from the xp cd and try a repair install. (not recovery console)
do like you would for a clean install by hitting enter when prompted.
it will scan the drive and see the old OS on there and give you the option to repair it.

if that fails, do a full format and reinstall.

EDIT: if you do end up doing a format, partition the hdd so you have one smaller one (say 5-6gb) to install the OS on, and the rest for storage.
that way, the next time you need to reinstall, you only have to format the small partition and your data will be fine. (assuming there's no cock ups

)

[PnP]dredd · 7th February 2003, 5:52 PM

I had forgotten you could just format one partition! I have a 12gb partition with the OS and my documents and MAME and stuff, so I can just back that stuff up and then format that drive.

However, doesn't this stuff up all the programs that have written anything anywhere on C: ? For example, the registry will be wiped completely, and all of those programs aren't going to be happy.

I will try the "OS repair" thing and see how it goes.

looktall · 7th February 2003, 6:01 PM

yeah you'll have to reinstall all your programmes.
a lot of them have the type of uninstaller that can also do repair on the install.
so if you've install a programme to say your d drive, you'll need to repair it.

gdunkley84 · 8th February 2003, 1:38 AM

I have tried this before. Trust me and just backup all the important stuff and re-install xp cause it is a real bitch to repair everything.

Pike · 9th February 2003, 6:11 PM

I have tried upgrading the mobo and using the same HDD with both WinXP and Win 98se. Never worked yet, for me, but I have heard of people just sliding a new Mobo underneath.

HDD's are so cheap just at the moment, I would just partition and format a whole new HDD when you put in the new motherboard, then add your old HDD as a SLAVE drive and when/if BIOS recoginises it, just drag across all your old files to the new drive. (Reinstall the progies, just drag the data across...that way, the registry will be happy about it all!)

Spose, you could just do this to a partitioned drive too.

Pike

DrSeuss · 11th February 2003, 12:25 AM

I have just upgraded from a DFI board running celeron 566 to a epox running a amd 1700+. Replaced mobo and cpu. booted up. No format. Running XP Pro. That was 3 weeks ago and havent had a problem yet.

kenny34 · 11th February 2003, 3:34 PM

When I did my board and chip, XP Pro just gave the blue screen, and said there was a registry problem. It siad to replace the registry with an older one.
Fat lot of good that is if everything is new.
So i re-installed XP and it detected the problem and offered to repair it.
All worked fine and everything was where it was supposed to be afterwards.

7th February 2003, 3:35 PM	#1
[PnP]dredd Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Canberra Posts: 346	Necessary to format the HDD for a new mobo/processor? I am just about to upgrade from asus cuv4x/cele@950/sdr to epox8rda+/XP@>2100/ddr. I am running winXPpro. I have a 40gb IBM HDD full of programs, documents, divx, and mp3s. Should I reformat my HDD and reinstall everything (sigh) after installing the new mobo etc? I will probably not format and see how things go. If problems come up I will try and fix them using the winXPpro CD. If problems still persist I will bite the bullet and reformat. I need info now so I can decide whether to start burning all my crap onto CDs. 4x write will suck for 30GB (~50CDs arrrgh) of stuff.

7th February 2003, 3:59 PM	#2
looktall Working Class Hero Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: morley.wa.au Posts: 17,935	reguardless of what you do, you should back up your stuff before hand as there is a good chance you may end up having to format. it is a very good idea to just go straight to a full format and reinstall, but with xp, it is sometimes possible to do a repair install to fix it. you could try uninstalling anything related to the motherboard in device manager. then installing the new hardware and rebooting. xp may find all the new stuff and it should be ok. if that fails, then boot from the xp cd and try a repair install. (not recovery console) do like you would for a clean install by hitting enter when prompted. it will scan the drive and see the old OS on there and give you the option to repair it. if that fails, do a full format and reinstall. EDIT: if you do end up doing a format, partition the hdd so you have one smaller one (say 5-6gb) to install the OS on, and the rest for storage. that way, the next time you need to reinstall, you only have to format the small partition and your data will be fine. (assuming there's no cock ups ) __________________ JoJoker endorses this product and/or comment. Last edited by looktall; 7th February 2003 at 4:04 PM.

7th February 2003, 6:01 PM	#4
looktall Working Class Hero Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: morley.wa.au Posts: 17,935	yeah you'll have to reinstall all your programmes. a lot of them have the type of uninstaller that can also do repair on the install. so if you've install a programme to say your d drive, you'll need to repair it. __________________ JoJoker endorses this product and/or comment.

8th February 2003, 1:38 AM	#5
gdunkley84 Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Perth, WA, 6164 Posts: 230	I have tried this before. Trust me and just backup all the important stuff and re-install xp cause it is a real bitch to repair everything. __________________ My Current Rig I can't remember whats in it anymore My Mini Rigs IBM X220 - Intel Core i5 2520M - 2.5 GHZ - 8 GB RAM - 300GB SATA HDD Asus Ultrabook - Intel Core i7 - 8GB RAM - 256GB SSD Last edited by gdunkley84; 8th February 2003 at 1:39 AM.

9th February 2003, 6:11 PM	#6
Pike Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Brisbane. Posts: 1,301	I have tried upgrading the mobo and using the same HDD with both WinXP and Win 98se. Never worked yet, for me, but I have heard of people just sliding a new Mobo underneath. HDD's are so cheap just at the moment, I would just partition and format a whole new HDD when you put in the new motherboard, then add your old HDD as a SLAVE drive and when/if BIOS recoginises it, just drag across all your old files to the new drive. (Reinstall the progies, just drag the data across...that way, the registry will be happy about it all!) Spose, you could just do this to a partitioned drive too. Pike Last edited by Pike; 9th February 2003 at 6:14 PM.

7th February 2003, 5:52 PM	#3
[PnP]dredd Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Canberra Posts: 346	I had forgotten you could just format one partition! I have a 12gb partition with the OS and my documents and MAME and stuff, so I can just back that stuff up and then format that drive. However, doesn't this stuff up all the programs that have written anything anywhere on C: ? For example, the registry will be wiped completely, and all of those programs aren't going to be happy. I will try the "OS repair" thing and see how it goes.

11th February 2003, 12:25 AM	#7
DrSeuss Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 2	I have just upgraded from a DFI board running celeron 566 to a epox running a amd 1700+. Replaced mobo and cpu. booted up. No format. Running XP Pro. That was 3 weeks ago and havent had a problem yet.

11th February 2003, 3:34 PM	#8
kenny34 Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Boronia Posts: 819	When I did my board and chip, XP Pro just gave the blue screen, and said there was a registry problem. It siad to replace the registry with an older one. Fat lot of good that is if everything is new. So i re-installed XP and it detected the problem and offered to repair it. All worked fine and everything was where it was supposed to be afterwards.