Changing Asus Motherboards, Anything I need to know?

[denisonscott09]

I'm wanting to swap out motherboards. The original build was an Asus VivoPC M32CD Desktop with an Intel Core i7 and Windows 10, and I have an Asus Z270 motherboard I want to put in. The OS is on a SSD drive, but I also have installed another SSD drive that I have the majority of my programs installed on as well as a normal drive with all my music/pictures/other data. Would this be a relatively simple swap as far as system configuration? Anything I should be aware of?

Original build:
http://www.crazimart.com/products/Asus-%252d-VivoPC-M32CD-Desktop-%252d-Intel-Core-i7-%252d-12GB-Memory-%252d-128GB-Solid-State-Drive-%252b-1TB-Hard-Drive-%252d-Gray.html
(I originally bought from BestBuy, but they took their page down)

New Motherboard:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRUR9LE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[USAFRet]

1. Read and do this before you change any parts:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3164428/windows-build-1607-activation.html

2. For any motherboard swap, be prepared to do a full reinstall of the OS (and all your applications).
It might just boot up with the new hardware, it might fail completely.

Be prepared for if it fails completely.

 

[denisonscott09]

1. Read and do this before you change any parts:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3164428/windows-build-1607-activation.html

2. For any motherboard swap, be prepared to do a full reinstall of the OS (and all your applications).
It might just boot up with the new hardware, it might fail completely.

Be prepared for if it fails completely.

I have read about links and have taken those precautions, but if I bought the system with Windows 10 pre-installed, how would I go about reinstalling the OS if I don't have a disc or anything? How do I prepare to do a full reinstall?

Complete side note: @USAFRet, thank you so much for your service for our country.

 

[USAFRet]

1. Read and do this before you change any parts:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3164428/windows-build-1607-activation.html

2. For any motherboard swap, be prepared to do a full reinstall of the OS (and all your applications).
It might just boot up with the new hardware, it might fail completely.

Be prepared for if it fails completely.

I have read about links and have taken those precautions, but if I bought the system with Windows 10 pre-installed, how would I go about reinstalling the OS if I don't have a disc or anything? How do I prepare to do a full reinstall?

Being a prebuilt system, the existing license may not transfer to new hardware.
If you've actually got it linked to your MS account, it probably will.

You can create your own Win 10 install here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

To prepare?
Document all of your passwords and usernames
On a USB stick, save all the drivers for your hardware. Primarily the LAN driver.
Know where to get all the install files for your applications.

You'd be starting with a blank slate...a clean OS. Nothing worse than trying to install and register something, and not knowing what username or email you used with it originally.
I almost lost a $1,000 CAD package during my last full OS install. Couldn't remember the actual email address I originally used, 2 yrs previous when I bought it.


If you actually need to do a full reinstall, here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-3567655/clean-installation-windows.html

 

[denisonscott09]

Being a prebuilt system, the existing license may not transfer to new hardware.
If you've actually got it linked to your MS account, it probably will.

You can create your own Win 10 install here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

To prepare?
Document all of your passwords and usernames
On a USB stick, save all the drivers for your hardware. Primarily the LAN driver.
Know where to get all the install files for your applications.

You'd be starting with a blank slate...a clean OS. Nothing worse than trying to install and register something, and not knowing what username or email you used with it originally.
I almost lost a $1,000 CAD package during my last full OS install. Couldn't remember the actual email address I originally used, 2 yrs previous when I bought it.


If you actually need to do a full reinstall, here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-3567655/clean-installation-windows.html

Couple of things:

First:
Thank you so much for your help!

Second:
I have been reading all of the links you've given. From my understanding, the ideal scenario is going to be when I initially start the system with the new motherboard it automatically configures the hardware devices and boots from the OS on my SSD drive, but will ask me to authenticate my license for Windows 10. I do so with the account I set up. If that isn't the case, I am setting up a USB drive with the Windows 10 installation media. Do I plug in the USB and restart the computer? Or do I need to disconnect the hard drive with the old OS on it? Or should I even have all of my hard drives connected when I first boot the system?

Third:
I have another USB drive emptied to save the drivers for my hardware. When reinstalling, do I need to have that USB plugged in as well or is that something that I do after I've reinstalled Windows 10?

 

[USAFRet]

1. No prob. That's what we do here...

2. Have only the SSD connected when you try to boot is up for the first time.
Or when installing the OS, if that is required.

Just to be sure of things, test.
Before you change any parts, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the SSD
Power up.
Does it boot correctly? If so, good.

If not, then the boot partition lives on the 'other drive'. As often happens when 2 or more drives are connected during the initial OS install.

3. For the second USB with the drivers, you connect that after the OS is installed.

 

[denisonscott09]

1. No prob. That's what we do here...

2. Have only the SSD connected when you try to boot is up for the first time.
Or when installing the OS, if that is required.

Just to be sure of things, test.
Before you change any parts, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the SSD
Power up.
Does it boot correctly? If so, good.

If not, then the boot partition lives on the 'other drive'. As often happens when 2 or more drives are connected during the initial OS install.

3. For the second USB with the drivers, you connect that after the OS is installed.

Installed the new motherboard last night. On initial startup it automatically found and identified all devices and hardware connected to it, went to a bios setup and I was able to tell it to bbot from the drive I had my OS on, and it started everything up just as if I hadn't made any changes at all! Very convenient!
Only issue I'm having is that when I try to shut the computer down, either through the windows menu or from the power button on the front of the tower, it always restarts. The only way it has stayed off is if I hold the power button down. Any ideas what might be causing this?

 

[USAFRet]

Only issue I'm having is that when I try to shut the computer down, either through the windows menu or from the power button on the front of the tower, it always restarts. The only way it has stayed off is if I hold the power button down. Any ideas what might be causing this?

This might be part of a 3rd condition, that I failed to mention earlier.

1. It boot up, and works just fine
2. It fails completely
3. It boots up, but you find lingering issues later.

This may be #3.

Look in all the power settings in the BIOS and in Windows. See if anything looks out of place.