Why do you need to reinstall windows after getting a new motherboard?

[Matt582]

I had to swap out my motherboard for an older one as it stopped working and I haven't reinstalled windows. Is there any way I can check if it stable or I need to reinstall windows?

 

[geofelt]

If the new and old are the same, there is no issue.
If the new is slightly different, and you can boot, you only need to install the new motherboard drivers that came with the cd for your new motherboard.

If the motherboard is entirely different, your old windows may not have had the drivers to allow it to boot.
In that case, you need a new install.

And.. if your windows was oem, you may have a reactivation issue if the motherboard was different.

 

[rchris]

You need to reinstall windows and then load the drivers that are specifically for the new motherboard: chipset, LAN, WiFi (if it has it), Intel storage and ME drivers, and more that I'm sure I'm forgetting. Your new MB should come with a CD with those drivers or get the latest from their online website.

 

[Matt582]

You need to reinstall windows and then load the drivers that are specifically for the new motherboard: chipset, LAN, WiFi (if it has it), Intel storage and ME drivers, and more that I'm sure I'm forgetting. Your new MB should come with a CD with those drivers or get the latest from their online website.

If it booted fine and seems to be running fine without doing anything to the drivers should I just keep it as it is? Or are there hidden things that I can't see that won't work

 

[geofelt]

If your new motherboard is the same make/model of your old, you need do nothing.
Otherwise what are the old and new motherboards?

 

[Matt582]

If your new motherboard is the same make/model of your old, you need do nothing.
Otherwise what are the old and new motherboards?

Old - Gigabyte Z77-ds3h. New - Foxconn H67M-S. It seems to be working fine though at the moment without reinstalling windows 10

 

[Paperdoc]

Very likely you have no worries. The "problems" that can arise in this situation are entirely around having the correct drivers installed. If you want to be SURE, go to Control Panel ... System ... Hardware and choose the Device Manager button. Scan through the list of devices and look for any with a Yellow triangle flag. That usually calls attention to an incorrect device driver. IF you find one or more, use the prompts to find and install a better driver. IF you find NO such warnings, you're golden with no problems.

 

[rchris]

Very likely you have no worries. The "problems" that can arise in this situation are entirely around having the correct drivers installed. If you want to be SURE, go to Control Panel ... System ... Hardware and choose the Device Manager button. Scan through the list of devices and look for any with a Yellow triangle flag. That usually calls attention to an incorrect device driver. IF you find one or more, use the prompts to find and install a better driver. IF you find NO such warnings, you're golden with no problems.

Sometimes a driver might be compatible, but not necessarily the best driver, e.g., the motherboard manufacturer may have tweaked their version of a driver to perform better. Or, as you point out, it might be "golden."