Hotswap

Arclight · 06-22-10, 02:43 PM

Kinda.

Is it possible to swap out motherboards without reïnstalling Windows?

Was thinking I'd just uninstall all devices, swap out the board and pray Win boots, finds new devices and let's me install proper drivers without crashing.

JSLTIGER · 06-22-10, 04:58 PM

Generally no. If two or more devices change, you need to reinstall Windows. Since most boards are radically different, it's unlikely to work.

Arclight · 06-23-10, 01:06 AM

Reinstall it is. Another question: is it possible to rebuild a RAID array without losing data?

Currently have 2 drives in RAID0, controlled by hardware on the board (controller in the Northbridge iirc). Hoping I can rebuild it on the new one without losing everything on it.

Going from P35/ICH9R to P45/ICH10R btw.

Reece · 06-23-10, 05:18 AM

I have done it before but yes uninstall as many devices as you can, also you will have to have the same CPU type (AMD/Intel) also and even more importantly is the chipset, must be the same, and there are many types as you probably know.

Arclight · 06-23-10, 05:29 AM

Nothing changes but the board; it's an upgrade to a newer chipset. Finally got an PCI-E 2.0 slot for my card, and the new chipset should offer a slight performance boost and lower heat and power consumption.

Think I'll just do the reïnstall, bit worried about the RAID though.

Just one of those little geek upgrades. Current board then goes to a mate who's still using old PC. Same for my previous CPU and RAM (upgraded those while ago), should get him started on a decent system.

SteamWake · 06-23-10, 09:53 AM

The answer is maybe... (Win XP)

I recently did just that replace the mobo and 'recoverd' the windows installation and all data on the fixed disks.

See this thread http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=171134

The key is to have a windows CD boot from that and do a recovery...

There is a precise set of steps to take I will try to find the article and link it here.

BTW you will have to get all the freakin service packs re-installed which takes hours.

I would have simply reformatted but dident want to loose nearly a terrabyte of data.

http://michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

Arclight · 06-23-10, 10:56 AM

Win7 mate, reïnstall takes me at most 30 mins. Getting it up to date another 15, if Win7 doesn't get latest files during install (think it does).

Installing drivers, configure Win to my taste and getting my software up and running again, that takes a whole day though.

Everything critical is on other drives/partitions, the random crap in My Documents and such is already backed up. Just 1 neat 64GB partition, all for the OS and software.

Right, think I'll just swap 'm out now. That board is just begging to be put into service.

SteamWake · 06-23-10, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arclight

Win7 mate, reïnstall takes me at most 30 mins. Getting it up to date another 15, if Win7 doesn't get latest files during install (think it does).

Installing drivers, configure Win to my taste and getting my software up and running again, that takes a whole day though.

Everything critical is on other drives/partitions, the random crap in My Documents and such is already backed up. Just 1 neat 64GB partition, all for the OS and software.

Right, think I'll just swap 'm out now. That board is just begging to be put into service.

Well it can be done with win7 as well...

Just google "New motherboard old hard drive"

Arclight · 06-24-10, 04:22 AM

So, new board installed and running. First surprise: I look in BIOS and find it lists a RAID disk. Check the RAID bios and sure enough, my array is fine and functioning. Second surprise: it boots right into Windows without any complaints and proceeds to install some new devices.

Talk about quick and painless... Think I'll still re-format though, just to make sure I don't run into any conflicts down the road.

SteamWake · 06-24-10, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arclight

So, new board installed and running. First surprise: I look in BIOS and find it lists a RAID disk. Check the RAID bios and sure enough, my array is fine and functioning. Second surprise: it boots right into Windows without any complaints and proceeds to install some new devices.

Talk about quick and painless... Think I'll still re-format though, just to make sure I don't run into any conflicts down the road.

Probably wise who knows what kind of disastor waiting to happen is lurking in the registry

BTW I have had no issues at all with my machine just doing a recovery. I guess raid arrays and win7 are a tad more forgiving.

Arclight · 06-24-10, 09:44 AM

I guess so, certainly didn't expect it to simply detect the array like that. But then, it's a small step from ICH9R to ICH10R.

Of course, Windows now refuses to activate because it thinks it's a different machine.

06-22-10, 02:43 PM	#1
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	Hotswap Kinda. Is it possible to swap out motherboards without reïnstalling Windows? Was thinking I'd just uninstall all devices, swap out the board and pray Win boots, finds new devices and let's me install proper drivers without crashing. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

06-22-10, 04:58 PM	#2
JSLTIGER The Old Man Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Parkland, FL, USA Posts: 1,437 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Generally no. If two or more devices change, you need to reinstall Windows. Since most boards are radically different, it's unlikely to work. __________________ Thor: Intel Core i7 4770K\|ASUS Z87Pro\|32GB DDR3 RAM\|11GB EVGA GeForce RTX 2080Ti Black\|256GB Crucial M4 SSD+2TB WD HDD\|4X LG BD-RE\|32" Acer Predator Z321QU 165Hz G-Sync (2540x1440)\|Logitech Z-323 2.1 Sound\|Win 10 Pro Explorer (MSI GL63 8RE-629 Laptop): Intel Core i7 8750H\|16GB DDR4 RAM\|6GB GeForce GTX 1060\|128GB SSD+1TB HDD\|15.6" Widescreen (1920x1080)\|Logitech R-20 2.1 Sound\|Win 10 Home

06-23-10, 01:06 AM	#3
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	Reinstall it is. Another question: is it possible to rebuild a RAID array without losing data? Currently have 2 drives in RAID0, controlled by hardware on the board (controller in the Northbridge iirc). Hoping I can rebuild it on the new one without losing everything on it. Going from P35/ICH9R to P45/ICH10R btw. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

06-23-10, 05:18 AM	#4
Reece CINC Pacific Fleet Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Down Under Posts: 32,744 Downloads: 171 Uploads: 0	I have done it before but yes uninstall as many devices as you can, also you will have to have the same CPU type (AMD/Intel) also and even more importantly is the chipset, must be the same, and there are many types as you probably know. __________________ *Sub captains go down with their ship!*

06-23-10, 05:29 AM	#5
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	Nothing changes but the board; it's an upgrade to a newer chipset. Finally got an PCI-E 2.0 slot for my card, and the new chipset should offer a slight performance boost and lower heat and power consumption. Think I'll just do the reïnstall, bit worried about the RAID though. Just one of those little geek upgrades. Current board then goes to a mate who's still using old PC. Same for my previous CPU and RAM (upgraded those while ago), should get him started on a decent system. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

06-23-10, 09:53 AM	#6
SteamWake Rear Admiral Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 13,224 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	The answer is maybe... (Win XP) I recently did just that replace the mobo and 'recoverd' the windows installation and all data on the fixed disks. See this thread http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=171134 The key is to have a windows CD boot from that and do a recovery... There is a precise set of steps to take I will try to find the article and link it here. BTW you will have to get all the freakin service packs re-installed which takes hours. I would have simply reformatted but dident want to loose nearly a terrabyte of data. http://michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html __________________ Follow the progress of Mr. Mulligan : http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=147648

06-23-10, 10:56 AM	#7
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	Win7 mate, reïnstall takes me at most 30 mins. Getting it up to date another 15, if Win7 doesn't get latest files during install (think it does). Installing drivers, configure Win to my taste and getting my software up and running again, that takes a whole day though. Everything critical is on other drives/partitions, the random crap in My Documents and such is already backed up. Just 1 neat 64GB partition, all for the OS and software. Right, think I'll just swap 'm out now. That board is just begging to be put into service. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

06-24-10, 04:22 AM	#9
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	So, new board installed and running. First surprise: I look in BIOS and find it lists a RAID disk. Check the RAID bios and sure enough, my array is fine and functioning. Second surprise: it boots right into Windows without any complaints and proceeds to install some new devices. Talk about quick and painless... Think I'll still re-format though, just to make sure I don't run into any conflicts down the road. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

06-24-10, 09:44 AM	#11
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	I guess so, certainly didn't expect it to simply detect the array like that. But then, it's a small step from ICH9R to ICH10R. Of course, Windows now refuses to activate because it thinks it's a different machine. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.