[SOLVED] Will i need to reinstall windows when upgrading from b350 to b450?

[yeahok976]

Was wondering if I would be able to plug and play after swapping a b350 MB for a b450 in a build. Everything else would still be the same. Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 2720853]

Yes.

New motherboard, different chipset. Different drivers. Could cause a majority of issues that, trust me, you wouldn't want to spend time fixing. You always need to do a fresh Windows installation with a new motherboard.

Backup your stuff, unplug all drives except the drive you wanna install Windows on. Only plug in the other drives after you're on the clean Windows desktop.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/how-to-do-clean-installation-windows-10,36160.html

 

[yeahok976]

Yes.

New motherboard, different chipset. Different drivers. Could cause a majority of issues that, trust me, you wouldn't want to spend time fixing. You always need to do a fresh Windows installation with a new motherboard.

Backup your stuff, unplug all drives except the drive you wanna install Windows on. Only plug in the other drives after you're on the clean Windows desktop.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/how-to-do-clean-installation-windows-10,36160.html

What about if I switch it to a MB of the same chipset but different form factor? Im seeing a lot of threads online where people didn't have to format and just made sure to uninstall their drivers before switching (some even switched to a completely different chipset from intel to amd).

 

[jay32267]

What about if I switch it to a MB of the same chipset but different form factor? Im seeing a lot of threads online where people didn't have to format and just made sure to uninstall their drivers before switching (some even switched to a completely different chipset from intel to amd).

I still think there is risk.
I think it's possible to swap and not have problems...but in general I would expect problems.
In most cases I have seen this done....I've seen problems.
I've also seen this done and everything looks good....and problems pop up down the road...weeks later.
So...I wouldn't do this....as I wouldn't want to have to wonder...."when is my OS going to fail on me because I didn't do a clean install".

 

[King_V]

Clean install. Why try something that falls under the "might work, but more likely will give problems" and then have to chase down performance and stability issues for days, weeks, etc.

Save yourself the headache. Do a clean install of Windows.

 

[Deleted member 2720853]

What about if I switch it to a MB of the same chipset but different form factor? Im seeing a lot of threads online where people didn't have to format and just made sure to uninstall their drivers before switching (some even switched to a completely different chipset from intel to amd).

Same thing, always clean install.

 

[USAFRet]

Changing motherboard and old drive+OS, there are 3 possibilities:

1. It works just fine
2. It fails completely
3. It "works", but you're chasing issues for weeks/months.

#3 is becoming the most prevalent. People report initial "Success! You guys were wrong!!!"
Later - "hmm...maybe not so much"

 

[yeahok976]

I still think there is risk.
I think it's possible to swap and not have problems...but in general I would expect problems.
In most cases I have seen this done....I've seen problems.
I've also seen this done and everything looks good....and problems pop up down the road...weeks later.
So...I wouldn't do this....as I wouldn't want to have to wonder...."when is my OS going to fail on me because I didn't do a clean install".

How would I clean install and then import everything back into place though? (like with special folders like downloads and etc). I work with editing software that needs to have files stay in the same location.

 

[Wolfshadw]

A clean install means formatting the drive and starting with a fresh installation of the OS. Then you will need to reinstall any programs that you typically use. Then you need to either import your working files into the newly installed software so it can place there where it wants or you tell the software where your working files are located.

-Wolf sends

 

[USAFRet]

How would I clean install and then import everything back into place though? (like with special folders like downloads and etc). I work with editing software that needs to have files stay in the same location.

Document where everything is now, before you start.

This is why many people, myself included, have only the OS and applications on the C drive.
Other things...personal files, project files, etc....go on different physical drives.

 

[yeahok976]

Document where everything is now, before you start.

This is why many people, myself included, have only the OS and applications on the C drive.
Other things...personal files, project files, etc....go on different physical drives.

Smart, unfortunately I've had this set of drives for nearly a decade now (with upgrades here and there) so I never got around to doing it like that. At least if I do it now i'll be able to modularly switch back and forth.

So basically as long as I assign the right drive letters my editing software should be able to locate the files it needs on the non-boot drives?

 

[USAFRet]

Smart, unfortunately I've had this set of drives for nearly a decade now (with upgrades here and there) so I never got around to doing it like that. At least if I do it now i'll be able to modularly switch back and forth.

So basically as long as I assign the right drive letters my editing software should be able to locate the files it needs on the non-boot drives?

With the OS reinstall, you'll be reinstalling all your applications as well.
Then, just tell each application where those files are, and all should be good.

For instance, one of my drives is dedicated to photo work.
I'd just have to tell Paintshop Pro and Lightroom where that is.
plugins and cache space for those are on another diferent drive.

Another drive for CAD and video projects. Now that I'm doing a lot more video, that 250GB drive will be upgraded to a 1TB. Copy that data over, swap drive letters around...the relevant applications are none the wiser.