All righty. It looks like I -may- finally be upgrading my computer. Friend of mine is going to give me his motherboard and processor- 800 Mhz Pentium III. Now, my current setup is a 450 Mhz, and I know my current motherboard only takes up to 700, so obviously the whole board needs a swap-out. Assuming the physical end of it is done correctly, will I need to re-install my OS or anything alarmingly annoying like that?
Simple answer…no. As long as your hard drive and new motherboard is compatible.
If you’re running Windows XP that may be a different case. Windows XP turns your hardware config into a serial number that it can use to make sure it’s still on your computer (antipiracy measure). If you swap out your motherboard that may be construed as an “unreasonable change”, and therefore you may have to go and reinstall Xp with a new serial number.
It is always best to re-install the OS when doing an upgrade on the motherboard. You may be able to get away with it but it may cause problems. Make backups in any case. If you are using XP currently you may have to call them to get a new activation code but I found it pretty easy and painless.
I have never reinstalled an OS when doing a MB upgrade. (I just did one yesterday.) But I am also extremely careful about what goes onto my computer.
What you need to do for a MB upgrade is get all the new drivers for the new MB, unpack them (preferably on the HD) and have them ready to go when you first boot up. The OS will find lots of new hardware and ask where to look for drivers, you point to the directories where you unpacked them. (If they do not already come with the OS.)
If you are changing video due to onboard video on either MB, then first change to a generic VGA driver first.
(If you have drivers on a CD, sometimes the OS can’t access the CD during driver changeovers. I revert to DOS CD drivers ahead of time to avoid this issue.)
One big caution on MB upgrades: Some proprietary makers (Dell, Compaq, etc.) use non-standard power connectors, etc. Double check that all connectors are compatible. Having just the same shape isn’t good enough. Make sure the wires are connected the same.
Thank you very much for the advice so far. I am using Windows 98 SE, and I’m still awaiting word as to whether I’m getting the new motherboard (hand-me-down) or not. Assuming the previous owner’s computer is cobbled together as well, what’s the best way to find out the necessary info to get the new drivers for the board?
I think your current motherboard should work fine with the new CPU. If the motherboard supports the FSB and voltage that it requires, the CPU will set the multiplier itself and run at the proper speed. Anyway, you can find out what chipset the motherboard uses by looking at the largest chip on the motherboard, then going to that manufacturer’s website and downloading their drivers. If the new board uses a different chipset, you’ll need to reinstall windows for best results. Preferably a clean reinstallation.
Okay, as stated before- my current motherboard will -not- support the new chip. I’m swapping out both 'board and chip. Will this require a fresh install, or just new drivers?
How did you verify that your current board won’t support the new chip? The manufacturer’s compatibility list won’t be able to tell you, as it will only show CPUs verified when the board was newly released. Anyway, if you replace the motherboard with one using a different chipset, you may experience symptoms ranging from working fine with a driver update to windows refusing to boot, even in safemode. I would suggest that, for best performance and proper operation, you do a clean reinstall, but it may not be necessary.
When I was working in PC repair, it was perfectly possible to change mobos on a 98 machine without reinstalling the OS but we preferred not to since there was sometimes all sorts of funky instability issues that required another trip back to fix. It’s not hard to format and re-install so if you have the time, I would reccomend doing it.
I concur with Shalmanese. Over Xmas break, I upgraded my bro’s Win98 PC from an Intel P3-500 to an AMD 1800+. This required a new MB and new memory. The new MB came with a driver CD, and installation of new drivers was simple, since Windows found new hardware on the 1st boot.
You’re getting an already working CPU/MB combo, so you shouldn’t have any problems there. You can probably go to the MB manufacturer’s web site and download the correct drivers to have ready when you do the upgrade. Ask your friend if he still has the driver disk. I forsee no major problems. ftg also has good advice.