change mobo=reinstall os?

[ben dover kid]

do i need to reinstall windows if i change my mobo? im also putting in new cpu.

[Tuloth]

Yes. 

 

EDIT:  Very yes.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Tuloth

[Moondrelor]

Yes, when your Windows Key is registered, it "binds" itself to your motherboard. You should be able to change any component in your computer without affecting your Windows copy, besides your motherboard.

[ben dover kid]

oh fuck please no i dont want to it sucks

[FruitBasketSilex]

oh fuck please no i dont want to it sucks

Pull out your phone!

[CalebTheEternal]

Yes, when your Windows Key is registered, it "binds" itself to your motherboard. You should be able to change any component in your computer without affecting your Windows copy, besides your motherboard.

You know, this is weird because my old windows 7 key from my old Alienware X51 was used on 5 motherboards and CPUs before it finally gave out. Usually keys like that are very strict on what hardware is inside. I guess I got lucky?

[Moondrelor]

You know, this is weird because my old windows 7 key from my old Alienware X51 was used on 5 motherboards and CPUs before it finally gave out. Usually keys like that are very strict on what hardware is inside. I guess I got lucky?

 

Well, if you use phone activation you can use the same key 100+ times. Lel. As long as it is not in use anymore that is. Just say it's never been used to the robot.

[kelvindeschutter]

well hang on this should only apply to the oem version off windows because what would the point be off those test drives that lmg uses

[Moondrelor]

You know, this is weird because my old windows 7 key from my old Alienware X51 was used on 5 motherboards and CPUs before it finally gave out. Usually keys like that are very strict on what hardware is inside. I guess I got lucky?

Also, you can use the same key over and over as long as it is not in use honestly. Idk, I haven't used Win7 since 8 came out. I forgot about Win7, now that I'm on 10 lol

[Tuloth]

oh fuck please no i dont want to it sucks

 

Let me put it this way... Your computer MAY run without an OS reinstall.  But not well.  At all.

[CalebTheEternal]

Let me put it this way... Your computer MAY run without an OS reinstall. But not well. At all.

I have only reinstalled 1 time from my upgrades. Never had issues. I've gotten 5 motherboards and 4 CPUs. Only on the last install did it ask me for a key as well. Yes it's good to do a fresh install but it's not really NEEDED.

[ben dover kid]

i downloaded windows media creation tool. i am able to create a usb flash drive with windows 10 on it so i can install it on a pc. if i do one of those, will it work? what happens to the current windows 10 on my pc? i also have windows 7 usb flash so i can at least install that. what happens to my data(i use one of those password programs, i have 1 master password and then the program holds all others, i cant lose that data)? will it all work fine or should i do recovery disc?

[mluton]

Use windows 7 Backup to a USB External HDD then restore. Easily done.

 

Might need to install a few drivers after, but can be done.

[typographie]

I've actually had this work before. I bought a new CPU, motherboard, and memory and reused my SSD and HDDs. For some reason I missed the prompt to go to the boot menu, and it successfully loaded the Windows 10 install that was still on my SSD. It worked, though the drivers were obviously for devices I no longer had, and I think my activation was broken.

 

But yeah, definitely a good excuse to do a clean install.

[ben dover kid]

I've actually had this work before. I bought a new CPU, motherboard, and memory and reused my SSD and HDDs. For some reason I missed the prompt to go to the boot menu, and it successfully loaded the Windows 10 install that was still on my SSD. It worked, though the drivers were obviously for devices I no longer had, and I think my activation was broken.

 

But yeah, definitely a good excuse to do a clean install.

i dont want a clean install. i dont have to do fucking clean installs every fucking few months. sorry for my swearing. i put the new parts in my pc, if it boots up, then i can reinstall windows from windows... ok if that makes sense to you. in windows i can reinstall it to fix issues or other crap like that. only thing im worried about is my passwordprogram thingy, i made backups of that already. im not gonna pay for windows twitce

[brandishwar]

Reinstalling the OS when changing the mainboard has always been the recommendation. Though newer versions of Windows are better about not needing a reinstall, it's always best so the drivers are installed clean. At minimum, Windows will require you to re-activate. If you're swapping mainboards of the same chipset, you should not need to do a full reinstall -- for example, if you're going from one X99 board to another X99 board. Still recommended even doing that, though, but not absolutely necessary. If you're going from X79 to X99, for example, then definitely do a clean install of the OS.

[typographie]

i dont want a clean install. i dont have to do fucking clean installs every fucking few months. sorry for my swearing. i put the new parts in my pc, if it boots up, then i can reinstall windows from windows... ok if that makes sense to you. in windows i can reinstall it to fix issues or other crap like that. only thing im worried about is my passwordprogram thingy, i made backups of that already. im not gonna pay for windows twitce

 

Go for it. If it works for you, great. Like I said, it's probably going to boot up just fine but at the very least you're going to need to reinstall most (I recommend all) of your drivers. And the bigger issue is that your Windows activation may detect your new motherboard and not work. That's up to Microsoft, not us.

[boarder2k7]

I switched a Windows 7 key from an Asus G2S to a Gateway FX 7800 mid semester when my G2S died. (Thermal shutdown failure, it didn't sleep when I dropped it in my bag and it cooked itself sadly.)

I swapped the HDDs, booted into safe mode and uninstalled EVERY driver u could find. Rebooted and let it sort itself out and it worked fine for a few years until I replaced it.

I'll note that this was a Win 7 Pro key bought from a college, not a bundled key so I'm not sure if that makes a difference. It was a bit buggy here and there though, which I always attributed to the lack of re installation.

Best practice, you really should reinstall.