Formatting HDD

[RDOG]

Has any body had any luck switching MB and Processor without reformating the HDD? It seems like such a hassle to go through 2years worth of programs.

thanks,
RDOG

[Jorge442]

never done it

do you have a second drive?
maybe you should get a 2nd drive(audio -hint hint), plug it in as a slave and just copy everything onto it. Now you´ll be able to re-format (is that really necessary????)your system drive if you have to, while keeping a full back up.......and a new, fast audio drive [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

good luck

[RDOG]

I have a fast second drive for 2 years now. I just thought it would be nice not to install all of my programs again. Is there anyone one who truly knows.

Thanks.
RDOG

[citi]

you do not need to reformat your hd. it will work fine without the reformat. I have done it myself before

[RDOG]

I was talking to some tech guys and they said there is a 50% chance that the MB drivers will be correpted or I will see errors the big blue screen, because the MB will get confused on which MB it is running? Does this sound crazy?

thanks
RDOG

[JMS40]

I've done this many times.
There are things you can do to make the transition easier.
Uninstall and remove all hardware... network cards, extra sound cards, modem,etc., one at a time, rebooting each time. Don't worry, Windows will retain the drivers and put everything back easily when you go to reinstall each card... (Although, this would be a good time to check for driver updates.)
May seem like a pain, but there's a reason. Even if you plug each card into the same slots on the new board, they'll be assigned new/different resources and having them out of the way will save on the initial shock when you first boot on the new system. Your software, personal files and preferences will be fine, although, for safety's sake, I'd de-authorize D-Verb.
If your current board has a specialized onboard IDE controller (Highpoint, Promise, etc...), uninstall those drivers and get your drives set up on standard drivers... all this before the move.
These are the kinds of things that cause the problems you've heard about. Say you have a Highpoint controller on your current system and go ahead with the move. On first boot, not only will Windows discover a different controller, but it will have a completely incompatable driver for it. Having the standard drivers will keep this from happening. Think along these lines.
You can leave the floppy and CD drivers alone.
Assemble the New PC and boot first time with all drives and graphics card, only.
Expect it to be a slow boot, may be even a couple before the dust settles. Remember, there will still be surprises for the computer's registry.
Once botted up, install all drivers for the new motherboard and controllers.
Then start adding your hardware back, one at a time.
One more thought, If it's at all possible to start from scratch with a fresh install of windows, do so.
There will allways be leftover bagage from your first system.
Sometimes... not always, this can cause persistant, niggling problems.
Be patient, and good luck.
Sorry if any of this is incoherent... it's 5 AM and I just got home from a gig 3 hours away. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by RDOG:
Has any body had any luck switching MB and Processor without reformating the HDD? It seems like such a hassle to go through 2years worth of programs.
thanks,
RDOG<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[RDOG]

Wow what a great responce. That is what I was looking for. I have a adptec 29160 will i need to uninstall that as well?

thanks,
RDOG

[JMS40]

Got to be honest here and say that I've never gone through this process with SCSI drives, so this is just what I'd do.
I would Leave those drivers alone on the old system, and install the SCSI card in the same slot on the new board before first boot.
Windows will have the correct drivers and should be able to find the card, no problem. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by RDOG:
Wow what a great responce. That is what I was looking for. I have a adptec 29160 will i need to uninstall that as well?

thanks,
RDOG<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>