Original guide by : Loyd Case, Extremetech
Original guide is posted here
This is not my guide, all credits go to loyd case@extemetech.
Images courtesy : Extemetech
___________________________________
Technology often marches asymmetrically. CPUs, graphics cards, and chipsets follow different development and shipping schedules. One example of this is Socket 939 Athlon 64 CPUs. When those shipped last year, many were installed into AGP motherboards using either VIA K8T800 or Nvidia Nforce3 chipsets. That meant users were limited to AGP graphics and Serial ATA 150-onlyâ€â€or more often, IDE hard drives. As newer graphics hardware emerged, some users wanted to upgrade their 3D hardware, which meant swapping in a new motherboard.
In some cases, you may simply want to retain most of your existing hardware but swap in a new CPU, motherboard, and possibly memory. Intel users wanting to move to dual core may be switching from a motherboard with an Intel 915 chipset using DDR400 memory to a 945 or 975 chipset board running DDR2, for example.
Whatever the reason, motherboard upgrades can be either difficult or straightforward. It all depends on how you approach it and how you prepare. We've upgraded motherboards quite often over the years, so we've learned a few lessons along the way. We'd like to share our knowledge, so that when you tackle this, you encounter minimal hassles. Our pain over the years is now your gain.
To Format or Not to Format?
This is not one of our ten tips, but it's worth thinking about. You should consider whether or not to reformat your boot drive and reinstall Windows.
For most of this article, we're assuming you want to retain your existing Windows installation. After all, you've invested lots of time adding new software, updating Windows, setting up your favorites, and so on. But if Windows has been getting slow and cranky, it may be time to reformat and reinstall Windows.
If you want to retain some of your key settings, use the Windows File Settings and Transfer Wizard to save key settings. The File Settings and Transfer Wizard is launched from Accessories > System Tools. But instead of just backing up every setting and system file, back up only those that are most useful. You may not need every single registry key or font that the Wizard wants to back up. This tool is an easy way to bring over passwords, network settings and other key systems settings that can be a pain.
Tip 1: Back Up All of Your Data
This may seem obvious. In fact, most people who plan on upgrading a motherboard think they do this before they begin. In one case, one user we know carefully backed up the My Documents folder and all his game save files. He forgot about browser bookmarks, document templates, passwords, ISP information and software serial numbers. When you sit down to back up the data on your old system, there are a number of steps you should consider:
Tip 2: Gather Software Serial Numbers and CD Keys
In the era of the modern, broadband Internet, we often buy software online, and download it to our systems. We mentioned earlier that you should back up your downloaded software. But be sure to gather up any needed serial numbers. These often show up in emails after you've purchased the application. One strategy is to keep a spreadsheet or text file of all software serial numbers and periodically print it out.
The most critical software serial number is the Windows CD key. It's amazing how often we've spoken to readers who have tried to reinstall Windows, only to discover that they've lost or misplaced the CD key. The same goes true for any application that requires online activation to work.
A corollary to this is to deactivate any applications that are normally activated. Many applications that require activation also allow for a deactivation or uninstallation process that allows you to reactivate on another system. A motherboard swap will often trigger the reactivation process. It's always easier to reactivate over the Internet, and deactivating first allows you to do this. You'll save yourself a phone call to the application's provider explaining why you want to reactivate something that's already been activated.
Our experience is that Microsoft software is generally forgiving. If it's been a few months since the last reactivation, you can usually just reactivate over the Internet. You'll need to do this for Windows and Microsoft Office. Adobe applications are more sensitive, but Adobe allows you to easily transfer activation via the Help menu of current Adobe applications. Online games are usually no problem, since most login info is kept on the server. However, some downloaded games, such as Wild Tangent titles, should be uninstalled first, then reinstalled.
Tip 3: Prepare the Work Area
You'll be removing all your internal hardware: It has to go somewhere. So you'll need a spacious work area. If you have them, gather up several of those antistatic bags that are used to store motherboards. They're very handy to as mats on which you can lay any expansion cards or drives. At the very least, have enough antistatic bags to store delicate expansion cards.
You should also be aware of static electricity issues. Modern semiconductors are much more resistant to static discharge than they used to be, but it's still possible to fry a chip with a high-voltage static spark. If you must work on carpet, try to do it barefoot. If you are working in an exceptionally dry climateâ€â€the desert, or somewhere very coldâ€â€consider using a humidifier or vaporizer to cut down the chance of static discharge.
The Milwaukee screwdriver gets the job done...fast.
You'll also need tools. You'll need a Number 2 Philips screwdriver at a minimum, and possibly a flat-blade screwdriver. A pair of fine needle-nose pliers or locking laboratory tongs (also commonly called forceps or hemostats) can be very useful when you're inserting jumpers or retrieving dropped screws.
If you decide to use an electric screwdriver, use a real electric screwdriver, such as the Milwaukee 6546. Don't use a power drill. Make sure your electric screwdriver has a clutch, and set that to the minimum setting to avoid stripping screws and mounting nuts.
Tip 4: Don't Overlook the Power Supply
You may be in for a rude shock when installing a new motherboard: You may need a new power supply.
Many older boards use an older version of the ATX 2.0 power supply. These older units have 20-pin connectors, plus the 4-pin ATX12V connector for the CPU. Most of today's motherboards adhere to the ATX 2.2 standard, which uses a 24-pin connector. A few now even have EPS12V connectors for the CPU, which have eight pins instead of four.
In theory, you can plug in a 20-pin connector into the 24-pin connector. It only goes in one way. But you risk delivering inadequate power to your peripherals and the processor. So if you're running an older ATX power supply with a 20-pin connector, it's best to get a new power supply.
What if your motherboard has an EPS12V 8-pin connector instead of a 4-pin, ATX12V connector? You can plug the 4-pin connector into the 8-pin socket. In this case, you should actually be okay, unless you're running an Intel dual-core CPU that's 3.0GHz or faster. Then you might consider getting a power supply with an EPS12V connector, such as one of the new Antec NeoHE (500W or larger).
Tip 5: Disconnect and Remove All Cables and Wires
Last year, we were swapping out a motherboard. When we finished removing all the screws, we pulled out the board, neglecting to actually disconnect all the little wires. The result was about a half-hour with a soldering iron, re-attaching the power switch and reset jumpers that had pulled out of the chassis switch block.
The big connectors are easy to notice. An IDE connector, or 24-pin power supply connector, is pretty obvious. Less obvious are the small connectors, like the power switch, serial ATA connectors or front panel USB blocks. Check and double-check to make sure you remove every connector that's attached to the motherboard. Many motherboards now have floppy or IDE connectors mounted on the edge of the printed circuit board facing out. It's easy to miss those, too.
Don't forget these connectors: power switch, serial ATA connectors, or front panel USB blocks.
Tip 6: Remove All Hardware
Most PC cases have limited space inside. We've seen numerous cases where, for example, the hard drives overlap the motherboard edge slightlyâ€â€or sometimes by a lot. In other cases, you can't really fold the power supply cable completely out of the way.
When you go to install the new motherboard, you discover that you have to angle the board in a funny way to slip it in. In some cases, you may even have to bend the board slightly.
This is a really bad idea.
Just remove everything that obstructs the motherboard compartmentâ€â€hard drives or drive bays and power supplies (if the main power cable can't be folded out of the way). Some cases have a large metal bar over the motherboard area to add rigidity to the case. If you can, take this out, too, though in some cases it may not be removable.
Tip 7: Don't Forget CPU Fan Power!
It's amazing how easy it is to overlook this vital step.
So you've got a really killer heat sink. You've set up CMOS, and Windows setup is running. Suddenly, your PC sounds like a submarine klaxon sounding general quarters. A few seconds later, your PC shuts down.
You've forgotten to plug in the power connector for the heat-sink fan.
The good news is that today's motherboards and CPUs work together to prevent damage from overheating. Intel CPUs will first throttle back the clock rate, and then shut down if they get too hot. Athlon 64 motherboards will simply shut down after sounding a warning. Still, it's preferable not to risk frying something vital, so be sure to plug in the CPU fan.
Tip 8: First Boot and Settings
You should try booting the system with just the CPU, memory, and graphics card installed before attaching other peripherals. This way, you can go into the BIOS setup program and tweak the motherboard settings. For example, if you're using a PCI sound card, make sure you disable the onboard audio.
This is also where you want to set the time and date of the system initially. Otherwise, you may get strange error messages from the Windows update site. You'll want to change the boot order so you can boot from the operating system CD at this point, too.
Sometimes, you may buy a used motherboard, or the reseller may actually test the board before shipping it out. If you start to boot the system, but nothing displays, clear the CMOS memory before you get too worried. Resetting to basic operating parameters often cures a non-boot problem. Then you can set the CMOS to your heart's content.
Tip 9: Prepare the F6 Floppy
If you're a Windows XP user, you can pretty much live without the floppy disk driveâ€â€except when actually installing Windows.
Note that if you're simply attaching all IDE hard drives and optical drives, you won't need a floppy. But you will need the floppy if you
If you want to use a Serial ATA drive but don't care about NCQ or RAID, you shouldn't need an F6 floppy. Most motherboard SATA controllers effectively look like an IDE drive to Windows. Note that you may have to check your BIOS Setup and ensure that the SATA controller is set up as an IDE drive.
You may only need to use a floppy once.
Tip 10: Perform a Repair Install of Windows
If you're installing Windows, and you want to retain your existing system, you'll want to perform a repair installation of Windows.
Note that this is different from running the recovery console, so ignore the "Press F2 to run the recovery console" message when you run Windows setup. Instead, you follow the normal steps to setting up Windows, including using the F6 floppy, if you need one. Eventually, you'll get to the point where Windows will detect an existing version of Windows on your hard drive.
If Windows does not detect an existing operating system and instead offers to reformat your drive, stop the installation. What's probably happened is that you need an F6 floppy to install a custom disk controller or RAID driver. Another cause could be that you're trying to install to a SATA drive, but the BIOS setup has the SATA drive configured in Enhanced or RAID mode. In this case, you should check the BIOS setup to make sure the SATA parameters are set to "compatible" or "IDE."
Once Windows setup does see the existing Windows installation, you'll want to press the R key to perform a repair installation. What then happens looks pretty much like any Windows install; you'll still need to enter the CD key.
Once you boot, you'll find all your existing drivers and applications installed, but you're not quite done: You still need to install the chipset drivers and run Windows Update to download all the service packs and updates. At that point, you should be good to go.
Original guide is posted here
This is not my guide, all credits go to loyd case@extemetech.
Images courtesy : Extemetech
___________________________________
Technology often marches asymmetrically. CPUs, graphics cards, and chipsets follow different development and shipping schedules. One example of this is Socket 939 Athlon 64 CPUs. When those shipped last year, many were installed into AGP motherboards using either VIA K8T800 or Nvidia Nforce3 chipsets. That meant users were limited to AGP graphics and Serial ATA 150-onlyâ€â€or more often, IDE hard drives. As newer graphics hardware emerged, some users wanted to upgrade their 3D hardware, which meant swapping in a new motherboard.
In some cases, you may simply want to retain most of your existing hardware but swap in a new CPU, motherboard, and possibly memory. Intel users wanting to move to dual core may be switching from a motherboard with an Intel 915 chipset using DDR400 memory to a 945 or 975 chipset board running DDR2, for example.
Whatever the reason, motherboard upgrades can be either difficult or straightforward. It all depends on how you approach it and how you prepare. We've upgraded motherboards quite often over the years, so we've learned a few lessons along the way. We'd like to share our knowledge, so that when you tackle this, you encounter minimal hassles. Our pain over the years is now your gain.
To Format or Not to Format?
This is not one of our ten tips, but it's worth thinking about. You should consider whether or not to reformat your boot drive and reinstall Windows.
For most of this article, we're assuming you want to retain your existing Windows installation. After all, you've invested lots of time adding new software, updating Windows, setting up your favorites, and so on. But if Windows has been getting slow and cranky, it may be time to reformat and reinstall Windows.
If you want to retain some of your key settings, use the Windows File Settings and Transfer Wizard to save key settings. The File Settings and Transfer Wizard is launched from Accessories > System Tools. But instead of just backing up every setting and system file, back up only those that are most useful. You may not need every single registry key or font that the Wizard wants to back up. This tool is an easy way to bring over passwords, network settings and other key systems settings that can be a pain.
Tip 1: Back Up All of Your Data
This may seem obvious. In fact, most people who plan on upgrading a motherboard think they do this before they begin. In one case, one user we know carefully backed up the My Documents folder and all his game save files. He forgot about browser bookmarks, document templates, passwords, ISP information and software serial numbers. When you sit down to back up the data on your old system, there are a number of steps you should consider:
Norton Ghost is a handy utility to back up your data before you lose it.
If you can afford it, buy a hard drive image backup tool, like Norton Ghost or Acronis' True Image. Then perform an image backup of your boot drive, either to another hard drive or to optical media. These utilities allow you to create bootable CDs, too, which can be a lifesaver.
If you can afford it, buy a hard drive image backup tool, like Norton Ghost or Acronis' True Image. Then perform an image backup of your boot drive, either to another hard drive or to optical media. These utilities allow you to create bootable CDs, too, which can be a lifesaver.
- Once the image backup is done, use the Windows File Settings and Transfer Wizard to save key settings. The File Settings and Transfer Wizard is launched from Accessories --> System Tools. Just back up all your settings, as a safety measure. That way, if you run into major problems and are forced to perform a clean reinstall of Windows, then you'll at least have preserved your system settings.
- Now back up all critical data. That should include:
- Internet favorites/bookmarks
- ISP information
- Document templates
- Game save files
- The My Documents and Shared Documents folder
- Serial numbers for software if you've bought software via download rather than on CD.
- Note that it's worth browsing the entire Documents and Settings folder on your primary drive. But you should use Tools > Folder Options on any folder window to enable the viewing of hidden folders and files or you may miss something critical.
- Back up software you've bought online. If you've downloaded software you use daily, back it up to optical media or some other system.
- Back up to external media. By this, we mean anything other than the boot drive. However, don't back up to a secondary partition that's on the same physical drive as the boot drive. You can back up to a secondary physical drive in your system, however.
Tip 2: Gather Software Serial Numbers and CD Keys
In the era of the modern, broadband Internet, we often buy software online, and download it to our systems. We mentioned earlier that you should back up your downloaded software. But be sure to gather up any needed serial numbers. These often show up in emails after you've purchased the application. One strategy is to keep a spreadsheet or text file of all software serial numbers and periodically print it out.
The most critical software serial number is the Windows CD key. It's amazing how often we've spoken to readers who have tried to reinstall Windows, only to discover that they've lost or misplaced the CD key. The same goes true for any application that requires online activation to work.
A corollary to this is to deactivate any applications that are normally activated. Many applications that require activation also allow for a deactivation or uninstallation process that allows you to reactivate on another system. A motherboard swap will often trigger the reactivation process. It's always easier to reactivate over the Internet, and deactivating first allows you to do this. You'll save yourself a phone call to the application's provider explaining why you want to reactivate something that's already been activated.
Our experience is that Microsoft software is generally forgiving. If it's been a few months since the last reactivation, you can usually just reactivate over the Internet. You'll need to do this for Windows and Microsoft Office. Adobe applications are more sensitive, but Adobe allows you to easily transfer activation via the Help menu of current Adobe applications. Online games are usually no problem, since most login info is kept on the server. However, some downloaded games, such as Wild Tangent titles, should be uninstalled first, then reinstalled.
Tip 3: Prepare the Work Area
You'll be removing all your internal hardware: It has to go somewhere. So you'll need a spacious work area. If you have them, gather up several of those antistatic bags that are used to store motherboards. They're very handy to as mats on which you can lay any expansion cards or drives. At the very least, have enough antistatic bags to store delicate expansion cards.
You should also be aware of static electricity issues. Modern semiconductors are much more resistant to static discharge than they used to be, but it's still possible to fry a chip with a high-voltage static spark. If you must work on carpet, try to do it barefoot. If you are working in an exceptionally dry climateâ€â€the desert, or somewhere very coldâ€â€consider using a humidifier or vaporizer to cut down the chance of static discharge.
The Milwaukee screwdriver gets the job done...fast.
You'll also need tools. You'll need a Number 2 Philips screwdriver at a minimum, and possibly a flat-blade screwdriver. A pair of fine needle-nose pliers or locking laboratory tongs (also commonly called forceps or hemostats) can be very useful when you're inserting jumpers or retrieving dropped screws.
If you decide to use an electric screwdriver, use a real electric screwdriver, such as the Milwaukee 6546. Don't use a power drill. Make sure your electric screwdriver has a clutch, and set that to the minimum setting to avoid stripping screws and mounting nuts.
Tip 4: Don't Overlook the Power Supply
You may be in for a rude shock when installing a new motherboard: You may need a new power supply.
Many older boards use an older version of the ATX 2.0 power supply. These older units have 20-pin connectors, plus the 4-pin ATX12V connector for the CPU. Most of today's motherboards adhere to the ATX 2.2 standard, which uses a 24-pin connector. A few now even have EPS12V connectors for the CPU, which have eight pins instead of four.
In theory, you can plug in a 20-pin connector into the 24-pin connector. It only goes in one way. But you risk delivering inadequate power to your peripherals and the processor. So if you're running an older ATX power supply with a 20-pin connector, it's best to get a new power supply.
What if your motherboard has an EPS12V 8-pin connector instead of a 4-pin, ATX12V connector? You can plug the 4-pin connector into the 8-pin socket. In this case, you should actually be okay, unless you're running an Intel dual-core CPU that's 3.0GHz or faster. Then you might consider getting a power supply with an EPS12V connector, such as one of the new Antec NeoHE (500W or larger).
Tip 5: Disconnect and Remove All Cables and Wires
Last year, we were swapping out a motherboard. When we finished removing all the screws, we pulled out the board, neglecting to actually disconnect all the little wires. The result was about a half-hour with a soldering iron, re-attaching the power switch and reset jumpers that had pulled out of the chassis switch block.
The big connectors are easy to notice. An IDE connector, or 24-pin power supply connector, is pretty obvious. Less obvious are the small connectors, like the power switch, serial ATA connectors or front panel USB blocks. Check and double-check to make sure you remove every connector that's attached to the motherboard. Many motherboards now have floppy or IDE connectors mounted on the edge of the printed circuit board facing out. It's easy to miss those, too.
Don't forget these connectors: power switch, serial ATA connectors, or front panel USB blocks.
Tip 6: Remove All Hardware
Most PC cases have limited space inside. We've seen numerous cases where, for example, the hard drives overlap the motherboard edge slightlyâ€â€or sometimes by a lot. In other cases, you can't really fold the power supply cable completely out of the way.
When you go to install the new motherboard, you discover that you have to angle the board in a funny way to slip it in. In some cases, you may even have to bend the board slightly.
This is a really bad idea.
Just remove everything that obstructs the motherboard compartmentâ€â€hard drives or drive bays and power supplies (if the main power cable can't be folded out of the way). Some cases have a large metal bar over the motherboard area to add rigidity to the case. If you can, take this out, too, though in some cases it may not be removable.
Tip 7: Don't Forget CPU Fan Power!
It's amazing how easy it is to overlook this vital step.
So you've got a really killer heat sink. You've set up CMOS, and Windows setup is running. Suddenly, your PC sounds like a submarine klaxon sounding general quarters. A few seconds later, your PC shuts down.
You've forgotten to plug in the power connector for the heat-sink fan.
The good news is that today's motherboards and CPUs work together to prevent damage from overheating. Intel CPUs will first throttle back the clock rate, and then shut down if they get too hot. Athlon 64 motherboards will simply shut down after sounding a warning. Still, it's preferable not to risk frying something vital, so be sure to plug in the CPU fan.
Tip 8: First Boot and Settings
You should try booting the system with just the CPU, memory, and graphics card installed before attaching other peripherals. This way, you can go into the BIOS setup program and tweak the motherboard settings. For example, if you're using a PCI sound card, make sure you disable the onboard audio.
This is also where you want to set the time and date of the system initially. Otherwise, you may get strange error messages from the Windows update site. You'll want to change the boot order so you can boot from the operating system CD at this point, too.
Sometimes, you may buy a used motherboard, or the reseller may actually test the board before shipping it out. If you start to boot the system, but nothing displays, clear the CMOS memory before you get too worried. Resetting to basic operating parameters often cures a non-boot problem. Then you can set the CMOS to your heart's content.
Tip 9: Prepare the F6 Floppy
If you're a Windows XP user, you can pretty much live without the floppy disk driveâ€â€except when actually installing Windows.
Note that if you're simply attaching all IDE hard drives and optical drives, you won't need a floppy. But you will need the floppy if you
- want to set up a RAID array;
- use a PCI or PCIe disk controller (RAID or not);
- want to take advantage of NCQ (native command queuing) on an Intel motherboard, so need to install the AHCI driver.
If you want to use a Serial ATA drive but don't care about NCQ or RAID, you shouldn't need an F6 floppy. Most motherboard SATA controllers effectively look like an IDE drive to Windows. Note that you may have to check your BIOS Setup and ensure that the SATA controller is set up as an IDE drive.
You may only need to use a floppy once.
Tip 10: Perform a Repair Install of Windows
If you're installing Windows, and you want to retain your existing system, you'll want to perform a repair installation of Windows.
Note that this is different from running the recovery console, so ignore the "Press F2 to run the recovery console" message when you run Windows setup. Instead, you follow the normal steps to setting up Windows, including using the F6 floppy, if you need one. Eventually, you'll get to the point where Windows will detect an existing version of Windows on your hard drive.
If Windows does not detect an existing operating system and instead offers to reformat your drive, stop the installation. What's probably happened is that you need an F6 floppy to install a custom disk controller or RAID driver. Another cause could be that you're trying to install to a SATA drive, but the BIOS setup has the SATA drive configured in Enhanced or RAID mode. In this case, you should check the BIOS setup to make sure the SATA parameters are set to "compatible" or "IDE."
Once Windows setup does see the existing Windows installation, you'll want to press the R key to perform a repair installation. What then happens looks pretty much like any Windows install; you'll still need to enter the CD key.
Once you boot, you'll find all your existing drivers and applications installed, but you're not quite done: You still need to install the chipset drivers and run Windows Update to download all the service packs and updates. At that point, you should be good to go.