Changing Motherboard From Intel To AMD - Windows 7

[magnusm]

I have recently acquired an AMD mobo for free, along with a CPU. These are both way better than my current Intel set up.

I was wondering if it were possible to change the mobo by simply unplugging the old components and re-plugging them into the new mobo. Then telling Microsoft I've changed mobo.

Or would I have take extra precautions because its going from Intel to AMD, does that make it any more difficult? Also would I have to reinstall all my applications and should I expect any lose of data and back everything up?

My old and new motherboards are both Asus, if that helps.

Thanks for your time
Magnus

 

[mubin]

Simply no. You need to install windows again as you change mobo. Windows will not boot.

But sometime it works if bios is same. You can try to boot. I am not sure about it.

 

[magnusm]

Yeah ok, i figured that might be the case with windows.

But what about all the programs installed on my HDD?

 

[jitpublisher]

It is best to do a fresh install, especially if changing platforms, such as this. Your Windows installation has been done with all the drivers for the Intel setup you had, and there are a LOT of them. Sometimes you can get the install to boot to a new machine, and with much effort and time, you can get the right drivers reinstalled, and all the old ones uninstalled, but even still, many times the situation will leave a buggy OS that never behaves or works quite right.
Rule of thumb, change the motherboard, regardless what you can or cannot make work, a reinstall is almost always the best solution in the long run, unless the new motherboard is something like a very-near-to-what-you-had replacement type of thing.

 

[magnusm]

Ah ok thanks, yeah sounds like a safe bet

But it terms of my HDD's. Will there be any complications when trying to access the data on them, when using my new motherboard? Because I heard that there might be, and I would like to be safe 😛

 

[rgd1101]

Backup your data before reinstall.

 

[mubin]

Yeah ok, i figured that might be the case with windows.

But what about all the programs installed on my HDD?

If those programs are install on windows drive, they will be gone too.

There will be no complications for accessing data if they are not encrypt.

If you backup some data from user folder from windows drive, they maybe not accessible. You have to change/edit ownership of that data by yourself to access it.

 

[Herr_Koos]

Simply no. You need to install windows again as you change mobo. Windows will not boot.

But sometime it works if bios is same. You can try to boot. I am not sure about it.

Not necessarily true. I've swapped mobo's without having to change a thing. Mind you, that was still AMD to AMD.

It would be less of a hassle in the long run to just back up your data and do a clean installation. Question is though, what version of Windows do you have? If it was pre-installed on the PC, you will not be able to transfer the licence when changing hardware. The retail copy can be reused.

 

[mubin]

Not necessarily true. I've swapped mobo's without having to change a thing. Mind you, that was still AMD to AMD.

Thats why i said sometimes it works with same bios.

 

[magnusm]

If it was pre-installed on the PC, you will not be able to transfer the licence when changing hardware. The retail copy can be reused.

I bought Windows 7 Professional under a student discount, and then burned it onto a DVD and have got the serial number. So im hoping there should be no issue there

Sweet, luckily for me I have got two hard drives, one with all my files and media which ill just keep. And the other HDD is partitioned into 2 with the OS and programs on one side and games on the other, so ill just wipe that whole thing.

Thanks for the help guys, I have much more confidence in this process now 😀

 

[Herr_Koos]

^Excellent, you should be OK then. Good luck and let us know if you need more help.