How hard is it too migrate to a different processor?

[avatar8481]

Hello, I'm currently running an Athlon 1400 on an AMB760 chipset with DDR ram, and I'm considering migrating my system to a P4 with RAMBUS and an attendant motherboard, how difficult would it be to perform this change while keeping my current OS installation and all my other expansion cards (Geforce3, SB Live) and keep the same hard drive. Would the change of chip be transparent to the rest of the computer or would I need to reinstall everything? Thanks in advance.

 

[ceh4702]

One thing to consider is does the new board work with the RAM You have? Some P4 boards take DDR RAM and some don't.

If you set up a new motherboard and going from one type of chipset to another it might be advisable to save any data or documents like game saves and address books in a separate place on your hard drive. If you have 2 logical drives on your computer put all your documents on the D: drive and be ready to reformat the C:\drive and reinstall Windows. Sometimes everything works without doing that. For instance if VIA makes both chipsets the harddrive might be transferrable without many problems.

If it is too radical a change, you might have to reformat and reinstall. One thing I would do is to change the video card to the lowest setting just in case the driver doesnt work in the new motherboard.

Take inventory and collect all of your drivers before you start. Video Card, Sound Card, Network Card, Modem, Scanner, Monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc. Usually all of these disks are in a pile somewhere in the closet or in a desk drawer long forgotten. Make sure you have the license number for Windows also. If you dont have the windows license number that will be tough.

XP is hard to get rid of once you install. Ive never tried to format an XP drive. You should make a boot disk or something to be prepared to run FDISK or format a drive. A Win98 boot disk will work.

Just transfer the video card and floppy and put the new CPU in and test the motherboard to see if it will work with a boot disk. Dont try to set everything up at once. If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[mikecx]

It really all depends. My first question is why you would want to switch. Anything more than a gig is plenty for anyone not doing intensive server apps or playing multiplayer games and needing all the fps they can get. If you do decide to switch it can really range in difficulty. Some software will detect a major hardware change and require the cd or a cd-key be used to verify it. Most versions of windows should detect the switch relativly easily, but keep in mind you should use device manager in safe mode to clean out all references to the old hardware to prevent conflicts. You may need to re-install the drivers for all, some, or none of your new components. The motherboard itself will need new drivers/software to make it run more efficiently. Make sure to consider the amount of PCI slots you need when buying the motherboard and the type of processor/ram you want to use. Kinda makes you mad when you recieve all the parts and they don't fit together. All in all, if all goes well, you should only need a few cd's and some time to make it run the same OS, hardware, and software. On the other hand, if the Windows gods decide to spite you, the install could be worse than hearing "the most annoying sound in the world" 24/7.

 

[paparazi]

Trying to "get away with it" can be a very time consuming and futile business. It is in only a few intstances successful, you may just be lucky but the odds are against you!
My advice would be to bite the bullet, backup all you need and clean install everthing, you'll be glad you did it that way in the end. Martin Please let members know if there advice has helped any.

 

[DBSSP]

From my personal experiance, it's no big deal. XP is really good at picking up on the new hardware. I have to experience a complete format and reinstall with XP due to new hardware (major). Swap out the hardware, and boot it up. Have the new Drivers ready and away you go. Jay

"Jeezus-sqeezits Bob!"

 

[DBSSP]

Small correction. I mean that I have never had to format due to new hardware while on XP. "I have yet to experience a complete format and......" Jay

"Jeezus-sqeezits Bob!"