Upgrading Motherboard CPU and RAM, Format required? (Windows7)

iBMe · 02-20-2012, 03:44 PM

As title say I'm upgrading an old Athlon 64 3700+ system to a Pentium 1155 and I have been advised that I needn't format with windows 7 64?

What is this voodoo? Does it work hunky dorey? Do I have to uninstall previous chipset drivers etc first or will windows 7 sort it all out for me?

Would it be best to uninstall drivers, reboot with new hardware, let windows 7 do it's thing then continue to install latest drivers from website?

ty for help.

dosbox · 02-20-2012, 03:55 PM

Windows 7 is a lot more tolerant of hardware changes than XP. However, a major change like that might be pushing your luck.

Assuming you have a backup of any files you want, it won't hurt to give it a shot and update the chipset drivers after you've connected up the hard drive to the new motherboard.

Also, if you're running an OEM copy of Windows, you'll be breaking the terms of your license.

ElijahChondo43 · 02-20-2012, 06:35 PM

Well, what I would do and have done in the past is uninstall EVERY DRIVER you can find in the "Device Manager" control panel. Every, single, one.

When you load up your new CPU, Mobo, RAM either use the software discs for each new hardware component OR go to the website of the manufacturer and download the latest drivers

Good luck!

MagicPickle · 02-20-2012, 07:59 PM

the biggest pain in the tooshy, is trying to think of/remember what games have that pesky DRM that use up keys when you change hardware.

but otherwise imo, you should be fine with changing all that, I just know id do a fresh install for that new computer speed.

iBMe · 02-21-2012, 12:48 PM

Just to let you know, (and for search reference purposes) It worked perfectly, windows installed a whole bunch of drivers itself and then I proceeded to install latest manufacturers drivers, so much easier than a format and no long windows updates lol.

PS. windows hasn't said anything about DRM or licence keys? is it likely too? although I do have a couple of spare keys if need be.

Faravid · 02-21-2012, 12:55 PM

Problems you can end up with: Power management might not work right if you do not make a clean install.
Also if you previously had HDDs in IDE mode and you want to use AHCI or RAID with the new motherboard it probably will not work.
Also there can be a bunch of other problems, especially because you are updating from AMD to Intel.

If you get problems, repair install COULD fix atleast some of the problems.

bejayel · 02-22-2012, 08:43 AM

You might not need to reformat (You probably should), but you are definitely going to have to reactivate. Not sure if that will cause you any issues.

When you are asked to reactivate, if you are on an OEM version, it's going to decline your request. Simply phone them up and go through the phone activation process. At that point, it may or may not ask how many computers your windows is installed on, say 1 and it will often reset the activation license and let you reactivate (even though it technically shouldn't for OEM).

People give MS quite a bit of flak for the activation, but it's really quite lenient.

02-20-2012, 03:44 PM	#1
iBMe Join Date: Jul 2007 Reputation: 2475 Posts: 688	Upgrading Motherboard CPU and RAM, Format required? (Windows7) As title say I'm upgrading an old Athlon 64 3700+ system to a Pentium 1155 and I have been advised that I needn't format with windows 7 64? What is this voodoo? Does it work hunky dorey? Do I have to uninstall previous chipset drivers etc first or will windows 7 sort it all out for me? Would it be best to uninstall drivers, reboot with new hardware, let windows 7 do it's thing then continue to install latest drivers from website? ty for help.

02-22-2012, 08:43 AM	#7
bejayel Join Date: Jul 2010 Reputation: 589 Posts: 3,794	You might not need to reformat (You probably should), but you are definitely going to have to reactivate. Not sure if that will cause you any issues. When you are asked to reactivate, if you are on an OEM version, it's going to decline your request. Simply phone them up and go through the phone activation process. At that point, it may or may not ask how many computers your windows is installed on, say 1 and it will often reset the activation license and let you reactivate (even though it technically shouldn't for OEM). People give MS quite a bit of flak for the activation, but it's really quite lenient. Last edited by bejayel: 02-22-2012 at 08:45 AM.

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02-20-2012, 03:55 PM	#2
dosbox Join Date: Mar 2005 Reputation: 2290 Posts: 9,108	Windows 7 is a lot more tolerant of hardware changes than XP. However, a major change like that might be pushing your luck. Assuming you have a backup of any files you want, it won't hurt to give it a shot and update the chipset drivers after you've connected up the hard drive to the new motherboard. Also, if you're running an OEM copy of Windows, you'll be breaking the terms of your license.

02-20-2012, 06:35 PM	#3
ElijahChondo43 Join Date: Jan 2012 Reputation: 643 Posts: 1,524	Well, what I would do and have done in the past is uninstall EVERY DRIVER you can find in the "Device Manager" control panel. Every, single, one. When you load up your new CPU, Mobo, RAM either use the software discs for each new hardware component OR go to the website of the manufacturer and download the latest drivers Good luck!

02-20-2012, 07:59 PM	#4
MagicPickle Join Date: Nov 2008 Reputation: 22 Posts: 272	the biggest pain in the tooshy, is trying to think of/remember what games have that pesky DRM that use up keys when you change hardware. but otherwise imo, you should be fine with changing all that, I just know id do a fresh install for that new computer speed.

02-21-2012, 12:48 PM	#5
iBMe Join Date: Jul 2007 Reputation: 2475 Posts: 688	Just to let you know, (and for search reference purposes) It worked perfectly, windows installed a whole bunch of drivers itself and then I proceeded to install latest manufacturers drivers, so much easier than a format and no long windows updates lol. PS. windows hasn't said anything about DRM or licence keys? is it likely too? although I do have a couple of spare keys if need be.

02-21-2012, 12:55 PM	#6
Faravid Join Date: May 2011 Reputation: 3 Posts: 74	Problems you can end up with: Power management might not work right if you do not make a clean install. Also if you previously had HDDs in IDE mode and you want to use AHCI or RAID with the new motherboard it probably will not work. Also there can be a bunch of other problems, especially because you are updating from AMD to Intel. If you get problems, repair install COULD fix atleast some of the problems.