Reformat question

[GPRT]

I'm about to install a new motherboard and cpu and would like to reformat, so do i reformat before i change the mobo and then reinstall windows with the new hardware installed or completely reinstall and reformat before i change the hardware?

Thanks for the help

 

[sHaDdoW]

I Think U Would Have To Make Boot Disk Thats All I'm Going To Say On This Delicute Matter

 

[jabberwock95]

I would probably advise formatting, changing the hardware and then reinstalling windows (be aware that if you make too many hardware changes you will have to reactivate Windows XP).

 

[GPRT]

Yeah, but thats just a 5minute phonecall. I want to know if i should reformat before the hardware changethen put in my new hardware and then install windows

 

[Adidajs]

i just installed an amd 64 3000+ with an msi neo-fsr mobo. i didn't reformat the hd or reinstall win xp. i did uninstall the amd 2100+ chip driver and the sound card driver right before installing the board. i did have to reactivate winxp though.

 

[iamaelephant]

I'm in the same boat (in fact there is a thread almost identical to this one on this very forum). I just put all the new hardware in (waiting on CPU to arrive) and the first time I boot I will do the format. Adidajs - it's probably a good idea for me to format because I'm moving from a VIA chipset to nForce 3 and I've heard this can cause problems.

 

[staddydaddy]

what you should do is back up all your important stuff on removable media. build the new computer, install everything yada yada. Then when you boot the new computer for the first time, make sure that it boots from cd. Have your windows xp cd in the drive. It'll boot and prompt you with options to install windows for the first time. As you go throught his process, You'll be asked (and I think even forced) to format the drive that windows will be installed on.

that's my experience when I built my current rig.

 

[Dead-Inside]

Whoa, you people aren't professionals. Always keep it as a general rule to uninstall all software (Which includes windows in next to all cases) that link to the old computer. This to eliminate the possilibity of ghosts apearing in your new system.

Change your mobo and processor +any other things, then install windows again. You can keep any other files really, but format the windows-drive. Oh, and make sure you don't have any viruses on the other drives (I had Sasser on another drive of my 4, ... It jumped over to my xp instantly. Took me 2 hours before I realized *I HAD A VIRUS* and that's why it ran so slowly, rofl).