Need info on mobo swap

[Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis]

So my question is this; Assuming I would decide to get a new motherboard, what kind of software prep would I have to go through? It'd be (not surprisingly) ideal to not have to do a fresh install of Windows.

[Redfern]

None at all apart from drivers

[Redfern]

Just always do a backup to be safe!

[Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis]

Well which drivers would be the most crucial to remove?

[Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis]

9 hours ago, Redfern said:

 

Just in case you didn't get notified.

[xGGAx]

just uninstall the chipset drivers, usb and video drivers. 

Swap motherboards and boot into safe mode just in case. Install the new drivers, reboot, then proceed to activate windows again.

9 hours ago, Redfern said:

Just always do a backup to be safe!

+1 on this. Do a backup before removing the old board

[Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis]

6 hours ago, xGGAx said:

[...] Install the new drivers, reboot, then proceed to activate windows again.

I'd have to reactivate? I assume I shouldn't run into issues with any existing registered copy?

6 hours ago, xGGAx said:

[...] +1 on this. Do a backup before removing the old board

Theoretically, if I create an image of my system disk on a separate SSD, I'd in a way have a clone of it and could just swap to the second if the first gets messed up. Am I correct?

[xGGAx]

You would have to call microsoft and tell them that you replaced the motherboard because the older one broke or something. They give you a new activation number and thats it. Technically you are using the same license you had on your old motherboard, but you need an activation number for the new one to work under that license.

 

And yes, you could clone the drive or  use the backup utility in windows.