Motherboard and RAM upgrade, do i have to reinstall windows + activation question

[arsenalbates]

Hi, im going to be upgrading my Motherboard and RAM soon, i have a few question im hoping you can help me out with.

1. do i need to do a reinstall of windows 7 (my current OS) after installing the new hardware and how if you have windows 7 pre installed when the system was bought.

2. My Microsoft licence on the case says windows 7 home premium OA Acer Group. does this mean that it will only install on the original hardware or will it work by entering the licence code in the activation box ? i saw some ware that some OEM versions only work on the hardware that was supplied with the original system set-up ?

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[andy1027]

The answer to both questions is no. RAM is plug and play, you do not need to re-install your operating system.
Just stick your compaitable brand new RAM in and away you go!

 

[arsenalbates]

What about my motherboard though ? If I change the Mobo will windows 7 still boot as usual ?

 

[andy1027]

Acctually I think you would have to yes.
if you didnt it would be like taking a HDD out of a pc and putting it into another PC (which has a different motherboard altogether) wouldn't boot at all as I have tried this before.

SO I suggest you back up all PERSONAL FILES like Documents and photos etc. and then go through the steps of changing the MOBO and then re-install your operating system

I say this because I know no other way of working around that. If somone else knows a work around then that would be appreciated as it would be a learning curve for me also.

 

[arsenalbates]

Thanks. I was hoping otherwise as I have a huge variety of programs that I will have to re install and will take ages ! Is there a way of imaging everything but the data of the hardware lol !

 

[detox1]

and sometimes no.. I just changed everything in my comp, and didn't have to reinstall. Windows7 just noticed a hardware changed and did the normal driver update.

 

[arsenalbates]

Brill some people say it works and others it dont. I'm getting my new motherboard this Friday it should be so I will just have to try it and find out ? My new specs will be much like yours detox but with an intel processor.

 

[andy1027]

The only problem I can think of is the motherboard...
Installing a new motherboard may make your system not be able to boot. The reason why I say this is because I put a new hard drive with its OWN Windows Operating system and it's OWN files etc etc. I attemped to boot the hard drive but it said that it didn't have a specifc file cannot remember what file it was lol (By the way this message appeared way before I could get onto windows, I think it was even before it booted drivers etc.) Now what I think the problem was the Chipset drivers on the hdd. The HDD would have had the Chipset Drivers from the computer I removed the HDD from, but because Im placing it in a PC that it hasn't got the relevant driver for the motherboard in the PC i was placing it into. I believe that was the reason why it didn't work.

Maybe there is a workaround for this issue, but I don't know of any. But I would like to know if there is one
Perhaps installing the chipset drivers for the new motherboard onto the HDD you want to use, using the old PC/Hardware.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Aastii]

It isn't to do with chipset drivers, it is to do with the key itself. OEM keys are bound to the system they were first activated on, so any major hardware changes, even if they are upgrades, count as a new system. Swapping motherboard to one with a different chipset is seen as a major hardware change, and so as soon as you connect to the net, or even if you are when you first activate windows, you will be told that the key is already in use, which it is (was) on your old computer.

The OS you have is an OEM copy, so yes, your upgrades will require you to get a new copy of Windows. If all you use your system for is the internet, word processing, music pictures etc, you may not even need to buy a copy of Windows, just download a copy of Ubuntu, or get them to send you one, it can do everything that Windows can, but as it is a Linux distro, it is free. The only time any issues pop up is if you try to play games, as very few "major" games have Linux support

 

[arsenalbates]

Na im a Windows user all the way !. thanks for your replies, im about to call microsoft to see if they are able to do anything or suggest anything. you never know its worth a try.

I will report back after

They are closed atm i will call another time