Paul,
If done very carefully, you may be able to upgrade easier than you think. I
have upgraded computers several times, and Win 2K/XP does a pretty good job
of detecting and re-configuring the new hardware. HOWEVER, where the process
can go terribly wrong is the one hardware piece it simply cannot deal with,
and that is the disk controller. It needs to load the disk controller driver
and switch from the basic low level disk access very early on in the boot
process. If the proper disk driver is not loaded, then you get the infamous
"Inaccessible boot device" stop code. This is the one thing that usually is
different between motherboards too.
One technique that has worked well for me in the past is to just before
shutting down for the last time on the old motherboard, is to un-install the
motherboard/chipset specific disk controller, and install a generic IDE disk
controller from Microsoft.
If you don't do this, then even running setup again probably won't save you,
unless you do a fresh re-install, but this would wipe out all your settings
and installed programs.
Either way, just in case, make sure you backup all your important data,
during this type of process, anything can go wrong.
As to the activation stuff, I leave that to someone else. At work, we use
volume license installs, and they do not require activation.
Russ Poffenberger
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-----Original Message-----
From: PCBUILD - Personal Computer Hardware discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paul A. Shippert
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2005 2:38 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [PCBUILD] Mboard & processor change and activation
Greetings list--
I will (in the not too distant future) be replacing a motherboard, processor
and RAM in a Windows XP Pro Service Pack 2 computer. The change will be from
a Pentium III 1GB to a Pentium 4 3+ GB processor, a higher end ABIT
motherboard, and 1GB of DDR400 (DDR2) RAM from 256 MB of SDRAM (PC2700). I
know this will necessitate running setup again, as there will be major
changes to the HAL and so forth. My questions are as follows: Will setup run
properly from my original OEM installation disk, now that SP2 is installed?
When it comes to the point in the setup routine where activation occurs,
will there be a problem (with MS) due to the new hardware?
Thanks for whatever wisdom you folks can provide.
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