Question When a motherboard breaks, if i replace it with the same model, may i avoid reinstallation of windows/system?

[ashtekaros]

When a motherboard breaks. its very common for the technician to reinstall windows and "reset the system" of the pc, even if making backups. this is generally done when the motherboard is replaced.

The question if i replace the broken motherboard with a motherboard of the same model/type this may be avoided, as i hate having to reinstall all the programs of the computer.

 

[drea.drechsler]

When a motherboard breaks. its very common for the technician to reinstall windows and "reset the system" of the pc, even if making backups. this is generally done when the motherboard is replaced.

The question if i replace the broken motherboard with a motherboard of the same model/type this may be avoided, as i hate having to reinstall all the programs of the computer.

It will most likely be successful if make/model and hardware revision level is the same.

Even if not it might be worth a try to see if it works for you. But in any case I strongly suggest making backups of your data files just to be safe. If it doesn't work out then you'll be able to do a clean install and recover all your data.

But in reality it will most likely start up even if there are significant differences. The problems will be things like unexpected BSOD's or system lock-ups where you never used to have them before, leaving you uncertain as to whether it's the new motherboard or Windows corruption. You might be able to fix them with a repair install with in-place upgrade (process described here). This will basically install the latest Windows over the existing install, in the process cleaning up most serious problems with hardware compatibilities. It takes no longer than one of the feature updates we get and as with them all user files, programs and customization's are left untouched.

 

[USAFRet]

When a motherboard breaks. its very common for the technician to reinstall windows and "reset the system" of the pc, even if making backups. this is generally done when the motherboard is replaced.

The question if i replace the broken motherboard with a motherboard of the same model/type this may be avoided, as i hate having to reinstall all the programs of the computer.

An exact same replacement, it will probably work.

But as always, be prepared for fail.