That works too, but you must still install updated drivers, especially chipset . I usually browse thru device manager and check driver dates. Dont rely on windows update.
Careful, this doesn't always work smoothly. It really depends on what you have on your hd. Good luck.
I'll have a clone of my hd, so even if it doesn't go well and the drive gets trashed for some reason, it won't be a problemo. Thanks, H
Don't fret. Some of us use cloning as our backup routine. If something goes wrong, it still doesn't damage the original source drive, just fails to make a good copy and you can try again. However when you replace the systemboard with different chipset, you need to be prepared to do a fresh install of the OS.
I agree, gnome. Good advice. I have been through this so many times before. Without a fresh OS install, you start to discover strange behavior later on which will take time to figure out and troubleshoot. It is so much cleaner and easier to just do a fresh install.
I am puzzeled by the answers on this thread: On linux I take the HD out of one machine, put it in another machine and its works: At most I might have to change one line in a couple of configuration files. Pretty simple. I dont need to buy another HD if the current one works. In addition the out of the box linux software includes the HD smart controller which lets you easily look at all the disk parameters including number of hours on and expected available lifetime. On $soft, with the new registration database that watches your hardware, I thought that any component change would require that you reverify your registration - my last recollection is that this also recorded the HD id. Is this not the case ?
I have actually added all kinds of components and removed others and have never had to reverify my registration. I do a clean install on a routine basis on my machines. I like the security of having a clean setup with no files left over from stuff that I no longer use. I was never required to reverify anything. I personally believe that the Activation database at MS is purged once every 6 months or so, because I have transferred the same key from one machine to another on several occasions and replaced WinXP on the old machine with Win2k without a hitch.
Quite so on Linux. You mention IDE 'smart' HD diagnostics. More people dependent on their computers should make themselves familiar with smart. It can warn of impending HD failure when there are no obvious symptoms. I think there is a Win version of some of the open source smart stuff.
Win2K does not use the registration database in the same way. The last time I did what you suggest with XP there was a whole set of annoying, time consuming steps that made the whole process a gigantic time sink. Even with site licensing this is still a huge administrative cost - as of the last time I played with all of this at the beginning of the year. If something has indeed changed on the $soft desktop I certainly will give it a look.....