Switching a HD to a new mobo

[Squill]

Okay so I'm gonna be upgrading a friends computer, he doesn't wanna lose any of the data on the Hard-drive, I was wondering if I put in a new motherboard (he's currently using a Compaq mobo, I'm installing an ASUS mobo) I was wondering if it'll boot properly, or if I'll have to backup the files and just reinstall the OS.

[Thrax]

You'll have to back it all up and reformat or do a repair install. But for something as important as a mobo change, I'd do a reformat.

[MediaMan]

As Thrax says you should back up the data first. It's always the best route to perform a clean install.

[Tex]

It might be better if your OS is filled with crap and stuff but I have computers in the house I have changed back and forth on five differant computers with old and new VIA chipsets, SIS chipsets off a ecs and back to a dual AMD XP and now on to a dual opeteron and now back to a single opteron in a asus and I have never had any probs. You can actually delete the keys in the registry relating to the old hardware config but I have never had to do it. A repair install always works I often go back through and make it show the hidden devices and manually clean out the old hardware but it all works correctly.

[jimraelee]

you should be able to drop the hdd in the new motherboard and work not optimally at first... windows will prompt the **** out of you when you boot up about "found new hardware, installing now" so have the xp cd ready... and it would be best to write down all the dirvers that pertian to the old system so that you can remove them onthe new system..... some times I have run into issues but it can work... jim

p.s. I have a genaric winnt and winzp and dos hdd at home used for testing boot up issues on pcs.

[Tex]

Depends on how close the chipset is. If its real differant it will more often then not just bsod going into windows xp. Old win98 would usually do what your saying and I have once or twice had xp make it5 up but if you do a repair install it will fix everything