How to switch from intel to amd

[cosmicharlie]

Not sure if this is the place to post this, if not a Mod can move.

My mobo is fried and need to upgrade processor while I'm at it. I currently have a Pentium 4 and want to go to an AMD. I've done some searching and there is conflicting info on if I'll lose all the info/data on my HD. I currently run XP as my OS.

So my question is...will I lose all the data on my HD if I switch from Intel to AMD, or will I lose data even if I stay with Intel. Thanks in advance

 

[xaira]

you can bakup ur data on an external hard drive or create a seperate partition

or you can just try to build the pc and see if windows loads, i used to get blue screens, but the last few times ive tried this, windows has loaded, but if u backup ur data ull be fine

an x2 240 will be a nice bump for you

 

[cosmicharlie]

I'm new to all this upgrading so bare with me. I can't access my current hard drive because the RAM slots are fried, so I can't back up the HD can I?

One thing I learned from this is never drink a 6 pack and try to work on you computer...it's not the same as working on your car.

 

[Emperus]

Go for a new build (can do in cheap with AMD).. Install the OS freshly in the new drive.. It should detect your old drive partition(s) easily.. From there you can access your data..

 

[loneninja]

You can either pull your old hard drive out and place it in an external enclosure and hook it up to another computer to transfer files off, or you'll probably need to get a new hard drive to install windows on and use your old as a secondary drive so the data remains on it. Judging from having a P4, your hard drive is probably already a few years old and I'd recommend a new one anyways, it'll perform much better and have higher reliability.

 

[hopar]

technically current Intel and AMD cpus are interchangeable, but the motherboard drivers probably aren't. Now you should be able to boot into your OS with a new AMD build, and back stuff up, but I would recommended a fresh format right after.

Win7 is an exception here, it does a great job of recognizing hardware changes an using appropriate drivers (unless its cutting edge hardware).

For example Win7 loaded all my 785G mobo drivers right away.

And definitely recommend a Athlon II X2 chip as well, they are cheap, power sipping and cool running, yet nearly match similar cloaked core 2 duos (will demolish Pentium Ds).

If you are on a super tight budget, a sempron 140 will do the trick to, its single core, but uses even less power and its dirt cheap.