1

My motherboard died. I'll be installing a new copy of Windows 7 on a new machine, or replacing the motherboard in my current machine and then installing a new copy of Windows 7. There is nothing wrong with the old hard drive, however. I shudder at the idea of reinstalling all the old software (some of which was downloaded and the key is lost) and then carefully copying over the data files. Is it possible to install Windows 7 on a new hard drive, then copy over all files except Windows 7 files, then copy over the old Windows registry, and put myself back where I used to be?

Follow up: Windows would not boot on the old drive with the new motherboard, but this turned out to be because the new mobo BIOS was set to AHCI instead of IDE, and Windows had been installed with IDE. Once the BIOS was changed to IDE, Windows booted. Initially it did not recognize mouse or keyboard, but a reboot into safe mode and then a restart fixed that. After that, a question of installing the new drivers and uninstalling the old. So far so good. Many thanks to the community members for their help. Not yet clear if a new activation key will be needed -- so far the system hasn't wanted one.

user402824
  • 5
  • 1
Doesn't Hurt to Ask
  • 33
  • 1
  • 3
  • Just install the hard disk in the new machine and set it as the boot disk in the bios. No need to install or save anything. – Paul Dec 21 '14 at 12:39
  • Assuming you dont want to use the old HD as the new boot drive, for some reason, take a look at http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/how-to-reinstall-windows-but-keep-your-program-settings-1042920 my guess is (1) with the hardware changes and (2) with any complex software trying to use a previous Windows registry will be "tragically annoying" – Rusan Kax Dec 21 '14 at 12:41
  • Can't use the old hard drive as a boot drive on a new computer, as old Windows install will not work with different hardware components. (And of course also violates terms of Windows license.) Thanks for the link. I may try the custom install route, although I suspect that "tragically annoying" may prove an understatement . . . what kinds of programs are likely to have low-level access that goes around the OS? The article mentioned antivirus. What else? – Doesn't Hurt to Ask Dec 21 '14 at 12:57
  • 2
    Typically Windows will work just fine if you replace the motherboard and it most certainly does not violate the license. Worst case it will tell you that you need to call Microsoft and get them to reactivate it after you explain to them that you had to replace the motherboard. – psusi Dec 21 '14 at 15:15
  • @Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007, no, that question is about how to connect the drive to a working machine to pull the data off. – psusi Dec 21 '14 at 15:18
  • If the video, networking etc. are on-board the old mobo, then install a new mobo with the same drive etc. Boot into "Safe Mode" if the drivers are different (though usually Windows will automatically do it for you); from there, you can add the drivers you need. – Debra Dec 21 '14 at 15:22
  • 1
    A motherboard replacement other than an exact replacement for a defective motherboard under warranty counts as a new computer as far as Microsoft is concerned, and requires a new license. See http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/Pages/licensing_faq.aspx#fbid=XGtzxW6Pw5m. Unfortunately, it is an old mobo, no longer under warranty, and I can't find an exact replacement. – Doesn't Hurt to Ask Dec 21 '14 at 15:57
  • Why did this get downvotes? – ADTC Dec 22 '14 at 13:56
  • I assume the edit was from you. However, it is a different user name, which would indicate multiple accounts. This interferes with your ability to edit your own posts and accumulate rep. Please contact a moderator about consolidating your accounts. – fixer1234 Dec 30 '14 at 03:32
  • @user402824 Are you the same person as Doesn't Hurt to Ask? Why do you have two accounts? – ADTC Dec 30 '14 at 06:50
  • @Doesn'tHurttoAsk: I was just about to ask. Did you lose your cookie? – bwDraco Jan 01 '15 at 02:18

1 Answers1

3

The operating system and the software you installed resides in your hard disk, not in your motherboard. If your hard disk is working fine, you're safe as everything else in your computer is easily replaceable with absolutely no loss of data. As long as you can find the compatible replacement parts, that is.

Find out your busted motherboard's model number or part number, and look for an exact match in your favorite computer parts store or get it directly from manufacturer. If the model is hard to find, just get the closest match in terms of compatibility. Replace the busted motherboard with the new one you bought, and boot up the PC. Windows should start up just fine. It may install new drivers for the motherboard and restart a couple of times, but you will be back to the same old desktop setup with all your favorite software intact.

To be extra safe, you can use a HDD-to-HDD cloner or simply another computer to back up your data before you attempt the above. But chances of failure are very low since nothing resides on your motherboard in terms of personal data.

You may have licensing issues if Windows is activated with the old motherboard's fingerprint. Windows may warn you that it has been deactivated due to hardware change and give you a grace period to reactivate. Simply contact Microsoft and explain your situation. After verifying your purchase legitimacy, they will reactivate it for the new motherboard.

Edit: If you really do intend to install a fresh copy of Windows even if you can boot the old one, note that there is no easy way to restore your software and personal data. There are some tools provided by Microsoft to try to do this for you, but they are not guaranteed to work fine. Your software may crash or may not work at all. I would say it's much better to reinstall all software too rather than try to restore them. For personal data simply copy them out to another storage device before you wipe your hard disk.

ADTC
  • 2,974
  • 1
    Thanks for your answer. I cannot find an exact replacement for this mobo, which is why I anticipate having to reinstall Windows -- hence my question. Microsoft requires a new license if the mobo is not a defective mobo replaced for exact same under warranty. See http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/Pages/licensing_faq.aspx#fbid=XGtzxW6Pw5m. The likelihood that a different mobo will be exactly compatible seems pretty slim. – Doesn't Hurt to Ask Dec 21 '14 at 16:01
  • You don't have to aim for exact compatibility but a match as close as possible so that everything plugged in to the old mobo can be plugged in to the new one and the standards are all supported. I am sure your existing Windows installation will boot up fine, even if at least in safe mode (which will help you find and install drivers if such intervention is needed). Your mobo and even processor are replaceable without requiring a reinstallation of Windows. – ADTC Dec 21 '14 at 16:19
  • Once you get running, you should go through all your software's help screens and record any keys that you can just in case this happens again. Belarc Advisor (www.belarc.com) can be useful for retrieving the keys of some software as well. – LawrenceC Dec 29 '14 at 18:53