motherboard change ???

[ajackson269]

Hi Folks im now looking to change my motherboard to gain an extra 2gb of ram to make 4 and in the future change my cpu but im wondering if my original parts will fit and run on the new board so firstly i was thinking of getting this board (GIGABYTE GA P31-DS3L) and this is my current setup

 

MSI MS-7301

INTEL PENTIUM D 820 2.8 GHZ ( with a zalman 7900 heatsink and fan )

ATX 600 WATT PSU

SEAGATE 200 GB HARDDRIVE

8600 GT 1GB NVIDIA PCI GRAPHICS CARD

CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER 5.1 SOUND CARD

2GB RAM

 

hope this info is enough i have had a look and i think it might all fit but i thought i would ask first before i take the plunge thanks

[Diurno]

Yes, they will fit and run on the new motherboard! Edited December 31, 2008 by Diurno

[ajackson269]

Ok cheers for that. One more question about when i instal these parts do i have to do anything in bios or with the operating system or can i build it and switch it on and thanks for all your help folks..

[ajackson269]

Hi Folks im now looking to change my motherboard to gain an extra 2gb of ram to make 4 and in the future change my cpu but im wondering if my original parts will fit and run on the new board so firstly i was thinking of getting this board (GIGABYTE GA P31-DS3L) and this is my current setup

 

MSI MS-7301

INTEL PENTIUM D 820 2.8 GHZ ( with a zalman 7900 heatsink and fan )

ATX 600 WATT PSU

SEAGATE 200 GB HARDDRIVE

8600 GT 1GB NVIDIA PCI GRAPHICS CARD

CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER 5.1 SOUND CARD

2GB RAM

 

hope this info is enough i have had a look and i think it might all fit but i thought i would ask first before i take the plunge thanks

 

its not a (zalman 7900) its a zalman super aero flower cooler

[ajackson269]

Ok cheers for that. One more question about when i instal these parts do i have to do anything in bios or with the operating system or can i build it and switch it on and thanks for all your help folks..

 

after looking through some other threads on this subject it seems i may have to do a complete reinstall of my os which brings me to a problem i have no disk as my os was preinstalled and i only have a master cd which i made when i first got the pc but im pretty sure it have all the data required as its just a recovery cd. I do have a product key on the side of my computer so if i get any os disk the same as i im running can i use my own key???

[Guest Wolfeymole]

Well you can try that cd Alan, it may or may not work and you may have to ring Microsoft and explain what you have done.

[Tootech]

Although not recommended, it is sometimes possible to swap a board/CPU combination and not have to reinstall Windows.

 

It does depend on the old chipset/new chipset combinations, and installed hardware.

 

Sometimes this has to be done due to faults developing on a mainboard.

 

The best advice is to backup all your data, uninstall all drivers, eg video, audio, and even hard drive/chipset drivers all in one go without rebooting. Include security software in the list too.

 

Shutdown your machine, swap everything over and restart

 

You may get a blue screen at this point - that's it - game over, full rebuild needed!

 

If it boots, go straight to Safe Mode. Log in and let Windows find all the new devices. Also, whilst in Safe Mode, install the network driver for the new board.

 

Reboot normally and as soon as you logon you will have to activate Windows. This may or may not work.

 

Depending of your specific version of XP, you may run into licensing issues. Basically if yours is a factory built system then the Windows license is in theory tied to the hardware. A retail license is legally moveable to a new machine or hardware.

 

Your recovery CD will not work with a new build, end of - it will attempt to install drivers for a system you don't any longer have. If you do the upgrade, it has no use.

 

As you have a preinstalled OS, be prepared to have to purchase a copy of Windows if it all goes wrong, £65 for XP Home, £88 for XP Media Center.

[ajackson269]

hi again thanks for the replies can i ask why i got a product key for windows when its as much use as a chocolate teapot

[Tootech]

Your product key, and COA, ie Certificate Of Authenticity is your proof of licence for your current machine.

 

Sometimes a Recovery Disk will ask for your product key, sometimes if you have a hidden partition which reinstalls Windows for you, is used you need that product key.

[ajackson269]

cool thanks for the advice again guys im still waiting for my stuff to come but when it does ill most likely be back in touch once i start to build ..

[Diurno]

Oki ajackson,

 

You know where to find us!

[ajackson269]

Hi Folks im now looking to change my motherboard to gain an extra 2gb of ram to make 4 and in the future change my cpu but im wondering if my original parts will fit and run on the new board so firstly i was thinking of getting this board (GIGABYTE GA P31-DS3L) and this is my current setup

 

MSI MS-7301

INTEL PENTIUM D 820 2.8 GHZ ( with a zalman 7900 heatsink and fan )

ATX 600 WATT PSU

SEAGATE 200 GB HARDDRIVE

8600 GT 1GB NVIDIA PCI GRAPHICS CARD

CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER 5.1 SOUND CARD

2GB RAM

 

hope this info is enough i have had a look and i think it might all fit but i thought i would ask first before i take the plunge thanks

 

Me again ive bought this case for my build aswell Advance - 8702B Turboost PC Case in black: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo thought i should get this as my present case has no case fans atol and i did notice that things have been getting hot recently

[ajackson269]

Hi folks just wondering what the installation process would be for this board once ive got it built do i then install the motherboard driver first or reinstall windows thanks

[Diurno]

I would reinstall windows then do all the drivers from the fresh installation.

[Tootech]

Did you end up buying a copy of Windows?

 

If you have, did you buy XP or Vista?

[ajackson269]

no not yet tootech i have a loan of a friends xp disc so heres hoping, im still waiting on more parts coming should be building at the weekend so im going to dig out my laptop so i can still pester you all with more annoying questions thanks for the help again guys

[Dalo Harkin]

Although not recommended, it is sometimes possible to swap a board/CPU combination and not have to reinstall Windows.

 

You cannot do this on Vista though - as the OS is tied to your specific Hardware and whenever you change anything major like the MOBO - you HAVE to reinstall the OS - with the amount of errors that you would get even if your new MOBO is the same chipset as the old - the drivers will be different and cause lots of issues -

If you replace a MOBO on any system - then reinstall the OS

[Dalo Harkin]

Also ajackson - why are you thinking of upgrading to 4GB - there are not many programs that utilise that type of RAM especially if they are not 64bit OS'

Dont opt for a 1GB GPU - the 512 version is cheaper and offers the same results (that you could notice anyway)

[Tootech]

The thread started with a motherboard swap. The advice given was aimed at helping you swap the board without too much trouble, and offering advice on what may go wrong.

 

It was also pointed out that you may need to purchase a new CD and licence.

 

Your latest post is somewhat worrying

 

i have a loan of a friends xp disc so heres hoping

 

If you consider simply running a full reinstall you should be purchasing a new licence.

 

Using another CD of unknown origin and your licence is considered stepping over the mark and is against Microsoft Licensing rules

 

We cannot offer advice in this situation and if your board swap does go wrong you should buy yourself a new CD and Licence.

 

Follow the advice I gave in an earlier post to maximise your chances of success and if all is ok, come back and let us know.

[ajackson269]

ok then which operating system would you advise i get XP or VISTA

[ajackson269]

Hi folks i built my system tonight and all is well:)) i didnt have to reinstall the os atol once i had built it i switched it on and recieved a msg from microsoft asking me to activate windows xp and give me a code so i phoned up microsoft free number and entered the code i had on the screen and hey presto im up and running so thanks for the help agian guys you've been great cheers :))

[Tootech]

Thanks for letting us know you are sorted now.

 

Very much appreciated.

 

Have you run the driver CD that came with the replacement board - it's important you do, and reinstall all your drivers.

 

Also, don't forget that your recovery CD will not work now.

 

Should your hard drive fail in the future you have no way of recovering your system.

 

If I were you I would buy something like Acronis True Image to create a new recovery disk.

 

Acronis True Image 2009 - Ebuyer

 

If you need help with that, come back and start a new thread.