Anyone have success swapping mobos using same HDD w/o a fresh OS install?

[EvilHorace]

Being that my new HDD is NG and it'll probably be a couple weeks until I see another, does anyone here have any good tips on how to re-use an existing HDD with a new mobo (keeping everything on the old HDD) w/o a crash? In the past, I havent been lucky and it'd crash when trying requiring a fresh OS install to function.

The mobos aren't the same brands, SCSI HDD with adaptor so F6 to install SCSI drivers, Win2K OS.

Ideally, if it'd work that'd be great as I really only need the new additional HDD for added game space being that todays game require so much and 18 gigs use to be more than enough.

[eGoCeNTRoNiX]

I seem to remember that FP or somebody mentioned that a good way to avoid the mobo switch problem was to install XP on a drive attached to an PCI IDE card? I could be wrong, but maybe the same will hold true for the SCSI? Hope it works for you.

eGo

[FlyingPenguin]

You can't do it with Win2K UNLESS the new mobo uses the same chipset.

What you can do is upgrade your existing Win2K installation to WinXP, then swap mobos, then do a repair install of WinXP (which erases the device manager, re-detects all hardware and re-installs all core files).

Don't bother doing any windows updates after the upgrade, because you'll need to do them again after the repair install.

Instructions: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

[EvilHorace]

COOL!!!

Then there's hope. It's definately worth a shot at any rate. Thanks

[canton_kid]

Ya know it seems there should be a way to save an old hard drive in a new install.

What about ghosting everything on the existing drive EXCEPT windows, or a plain backup. Copy certain windows files that contain all the settings and such EXCEPT the ones that screw us over.
Do a fresh install if needed, restore the backup or just files from the ghost, copy back the windows files with all the settings.

Alot of work, but it seems like it should work.

[EvilHorace]

The link above by FP should do just that. If it works I'll be happy as I'd rather use my existing C-drive with everything I've managed to collect over the last couple yrs. It's too time consuming to do a fresh OS install and re-install everything.

[CaterpillarAssassin]

Now if he's using a scsi adapter and scsi HD would win2k work with it on a new board? I would think it should. anyone try it?

[FlyingPenguin]

Win2K has serious problems with mobo swaps. It was never intended to do it. It has a problem is the HDD controller for the boot drive, or any of the mobo hardware (chipset) changes.

[EvilHorace]

I've already put the old stuff back together and upgraded it to XP Pro but my copy isn't bootable and has to be to try the repair methods listed in that link above. I'll have another bootable disc soon. The mobo swapping capability of XP made that the best reason yet to finally opt for XP afterall, I'm just hoping it works. Is it possible that it'll boot OK with SCSI w/o needing to do that repair method? I know that I'll have to F6 it with the new mobo when re-installed to install the SCSI adaptor drivers.

I now debate upgrading the laptop (running Win2K) to XP but I'm not sure that I have a good enough reason to do that. I know it'll work as it came with XP so drivers won't be an issue.

[FlyingPenguin]

I recommend that before you upgrade the laptop, you Ghost the drive (they sell adapters to connect a laptop drive to a standard IDE interface).

You can't avoid the repair install unless the mobos use the same chipset (I've swapped two mobos from different manufacturers that were both NForce2 chipsets and didn't have to do a repair install for instance).

Even if it seems to work, it may not be stable and the repair install is HIGHLY recommended.

[EvilHorace]

Good advice, as usual. Thanks.

[40wnks]

I would like to give a big "thumbs up" to FP for his advice and to EvilHorace for raising the question. Over the weekend I went from my:

Abit BL7-Raid board
Pentium 1.9
1 Gb of SDram
Nvidia GeForce 2-Titanium 200 video card (AGP)

to a:

Asus A8V Deluxe
AMD 64 (939 pin) 3500+
1 Gb DDR400 memory
Nvidia 6600GT PCI Express Video Card

I installed it all after "ghosting" my Hard Drive with Win XP to another hard drive and creating a ghost boot disk.
Then I turned the new system on (after flipping the power-on switch leads at the motherboard and plugging in the cd rom to power). It booted to the Win xp cdrom after a bios adjustment and I started the "repair" install while using the info from the link that FP provided.
Everything went smooth untillll......of course the expected glitch occured. Near the end it stopped due to an inability to find an "entry point". To make a long story short, I went to the Microsoft website and did a search concerning the file msdart.dll. Apparently this glitch occurs if Windows Media Player 10 (I think) has been installed before this repair install. By following the directions, it was easy to overcome and now I am running smooth as silk (after a reboot or two to find a driver or two that were missed the first time. Initially I had 3 yellow arrows in device manager and that was remedied quickly.
Thanks again guys.
Bill (40wnks)

[DoPeY5007]

Originally posted by eGoCeNTRoNiX
I seem to remember that FP or somebody mentioned that a good way to avoid the mobo switch problem was to install XP on a drive attached to an PCI IDE card?

I have done this with no problem.

My old BX board died, and the OS was on a PCI RAID.

I took the PCI card and put it into my nForce board and the OS ( XP Pro ) loaded just fine

[Pugsley]

With WIN XP its a snap. If it dont boot to a repair install and all is well again.

[MegaVectra]

I do this all the time on client"s machines, but it never seems as smooth as a fresh install.