# Upgrading Motherboard and CPU on a WinXP system...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 23, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299 "2003-07-23T02:50:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/1 "2003-07-23T02:50:48Z")
I am thinking of buying a new Mobo and CPU (and possible memory too - replacing my sdr ram with ddr ram)
I have Windows XP. Is there anything I need to know before I go ahead and do this? Will WinXP require re-registering? Or even re-installing? Or will it simply adjust it’self to the new bits? (like it should with peripheral upgrades)
Thanks.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/2 "2003-07-23T03:08:25Z")
Some information [here.](http://www.windowsreinstall.com/install/other/motherboard/winxp.htm) Solution 2 is the most likely route for a major mainboard upgrade.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/3 "2003-07-23T03:12:17Z")
Thanks **Q**
(can I call you **Q**?)
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/4 "2003-07-23T03:12:58Z")
You can call me “cheesehead” if the checks are big enough.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/5 "2003-07-23T03:40:55Z")
I only write Cheques
(actually I don’t even do that. I use my debit card)
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### Author:  [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/6 "2003-07-23T04:03:06Z")
You may run into a problem if the new board has a different type of HD controller. Take a look at this Knowledge Base article before you move the drive.
[You Receive a Stop 0x0000007B Error After You Move the Windows XP System Disk to Another Computer](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;314082)
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### Author:  [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/7 "2003-07-23T04:15:47Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \*
> \*\*Some information [here.](http://www.windowsreinstall.com/install/other/motherboard/winxp.htm) Solution 2 is the most likely route for a major mainboard upgrade. \*\*
In a case like Solution 2, however, you take a significant chance of overwriting the registry, thereby causing some of your programs (which can rely on registry values) to malfunction. My suggestion is, if you’re going to put a new motherboard and CPU in, just go ahead and back everything up, wipe your machine, and then reinstall.
Sure, it takes time, but you know–after installing your favorite software–that your programs are going to work.
Regardless of which method you choose, you should definitely back your system up.
> [@](#):
>
> You may run into a problem if the new board has a different type of HD controller. Take a look at this Knowledge Base article before you move the drive.
The reinstallation of XP (either in place or after a system wipe) should actually recognize the new board, install the appropriate drivers, and adjust its resource settings thusly. So, unless **Lobsang** is attempting to just reconnect his HD without a reinstall of XP, this problem should be avoided.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/8 "2003-07-23T04:25:33Z")
If needs be - I am quite happy to re-install XP.
My main worry (and perhaps I should have emphasised this more in the OP) is will Microsoft think I am trying to break the licence rules (by installing it again on a ‘different’ machine) if I re-register it (which I would have to do if I re-installed it)
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/9 "2003-07-23T04:27:00Z")
I think you can register XP up to 5 times, before it becomes an issue. After that, you’ll need to call product support and have a tech issue you a new product key.
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### Author:  [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/10 "2003-07-23T04:32:07Z")
Or, if you work in the wonderful world of education, you can get access to product keys that won’t require you to register regardless of how many hardware changes you make, or how many installs you do. 🙂
It sure makes life easier…
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### Author:  [@tourbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tourbot)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/11 "2003-07-23T11:56:18Z")
Um, yeah, Skip, if you have a volume license, you don’t have to go through product activation. But trust me, if you change to a different type of motherboard, you will most likely need to do a repair install as described in the link provided by Q.E.D. In fact, that is the exact link I bookmarked when I had to transfer the software image I had built to some older machines.
I did not run into any of the problems described by SkipMagic. All programs, including MS Office, NetWare Client, and some custom apps worked fine after the repair install. The only issue I found is that after the repair install you will need to reapply all service packs. Still faster than reinstalling all your apps and resetting all your desktop settings, etc.
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### Author:  [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/12 "2003-07-23T12:07:08Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by tourbot \*
> **But trust me, if you change to a different type of motherboard, you will most likely need to do a repair install as described in the link provided by Q.E.D.**
Absolutely. This is, of course, what was said; in fact, unless a person is replacing an old motherboard with the same model and version of the motherboard, you’ll almost always have to run a reinstallation.
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by tourbot \*
> \*\*I did not run into any of the problems described by SkipMagic. All programs, including MS Office, NetWare Client, and some custom apps worked fine after the repair install. The only issue I found is that after the repair install you will need to reapply all service packs. Still faster than reinstalling all your apps and resetting all your desktop settings, etc. \*\*
I think it’s great that you didn’t run into any of those problems. Occasionally, that does happen; however, those problems do arise, which is why I mentioned that caution.
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrading-motherboard-and-cpu-on-a-winxp-system/190299/13 "2003-07-23T15:18:07Z")
From the desktop:
START:H
Input in the box: license
Read…cause not all EULAs are the same.
BTW, you might read that part that says:BACKUP & RESTORING LICENSES