Windows 10 Installation Question.

StevenC · December 15, 2020

Hey All,

I'm getting ready to install a new CPU, Motherboard and Ram. I'm wondering if I have to do a clean install of Windows or can I just connect up my old hardware with Windows 10 and be good to go?

WhitetailAni · December 15, 2020

You will probably have to reinstall Windows.

You can boot into Recovery Mode (by mashing F11 while your system boots up) and reinstall from there - with that you can save your personal files but not programs (e.g. Documents, Downloads, Desktop, etc.)

Jae Tee · December 15, 2020

It should Boot up no problem, though it will have to install new basic drivers and of course you'll have to update them all in the windows environment.

aDoomGuy · December 15, 2020

Your old installation will most likely work fine. I booted into the Windows installation of my old PC by mistake when I built this, forgot to check boot priority again after connecting my SATA drives so it booted to my Crucial SSD hehe. I was tempted to just go like that but I wanted a clean install.

It's nice to be up and running in a jiffy but it's also nice with a clean install on a new PC. Either way will work.

GoodBytes · December 15, 2020

Windows 10 will detect the new hardware at startup and will start a hardware detection / driver install process at first startup. Then everything should be working. Check for updates and install any missing drivers and you should be good to go. Windows will need to reactivate.

That said, SOME people have reported, even YouTubers in the tech scene, strange behaviour at times when they do this, probably due to leftovers from old drivers.

So yes it will work, but to ensure the best experience, it is best to clean install.