Is there some trick to upgrading a computers motherboard without having to do a clean install?

 

I've only tried to do it once before but it didn't work; every other time has been a clean install, so yeah how would one go about doing it?

Is it even possible?

I've done it with Windows 7, so it is possible, only you need to have downloaded the drivers since it will take the OS's basic drivers.

 

Why just upgrade the mobo? Why not the whole computer (except hard drive)?

I never said I was only changing the mobo.

Just the only bit I wanted advice on cause the 1 time i tried it in the past the system wuld not boot without a clean install.

Though I suppose tht culd be more to do with quite an old system trying to be patched onto a newish mobo.

 

I'm actually looking at a mobo upgrade to give more sata headers, while also gaining usb 3 and sata 3 capabilities.

Plus upgrading the cpu and the psu and will have to do the ram as well since I'm on ddr2 atm and the mobos im looking at all take ddr3

Edited March 20, 201115 yr by Sy_Accursed

As long as it's not a prebuilt computer, all should be fine.

I've done it several times.

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I've never had a problem with it, but I don't use a certain popular operating system that throws a tantrum when hardware changes.

 

I hope you're talking about Windows XP because I've never had that kind of problem with later versions of Windows.

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With my XP computer, it did require me to phone up MS to get a the product key (because I lost it) and enter it in before I could use it, but otherwise it should be fine.

It's weird, on Windows 7 I just put an old hard drive into a new computer, and the key didn't void.

With my XP computer, it did require me to phone up MS to get a the product key (because I lost it) and enter it in before I could use it, but otherwise it should be fine.

Happened to me too once.

I believe the reason was because with the new mobo, the computer thought the date was like year 2000.

 

But anyway, as long as it isn't a hard drive you are replacing, then there shouldn't be any trouble, just remember to install the drivers for the new mobo and don't forget to remove the old drives.

I believe CCleaner could be used for that. I'm sure there are other programs, but it's the first one that springs to mind.

One trick I remember, was to create a second profile, and then when booting to a major hardware change, instead of selecting a profile, you choose to create a new one.