Changing out motherboards

[Runfox]

I got a question for you all, I had an EVGA 133-K8-NF41-AX in my comp, it had two bad DIMM slots and so EVAG RMA it, pretty cool for an 2005 MB. Anyway, I bought a replacement MB MSI K8N NEO4-F SOCKET 939 MOTHERBOARD.

So my question is when I get this board , will I have to reformat my main drive ? I guess I will as the Win Xp on it would not work with a different MB setup right?

 

[kmote]

That would be correct. Microsoft view it as a different computer.

 

[memory]

What if it was the same model?

 

[Hefemeister]

You can always try a repair install but a clean install is the best way to go.

 

[Runfox]

One more question, my main hard drive, my c:, drive with my WinXP on it, I know Ill need to reformat it, can I put that drive in an external SATA case and get back some files off it with out formatting it?

 

[Hefemeister]

Yes or you can just temporarily hook it up internally on another machine as well.

 

[Runfox]

I guess I messed up...
I had 2 gig of ram in my computer , but thought it might perform better with 4, it has 4 DIMM slots for 4 GIG. So I bought 2 more GIG. after reading all through the " Difference Between 32 Bit (x86) and 64 Bit (x64)" sticky, I guess my Win7 32bit operating sys wont use but 3.5 of this memory anyway. SO I'm wondering if I will see any improvements from 2GIG ram to 4GIG ram with a 32 bit op sys??? Guess not........
I have been reading all through the forums trying to learn as much as I can since Ihave to swap MBs, basically a new build.
I guess in contruction the saying goes " measure twice, cut once" and in computers the equivalent would be, " research twice, buy once"!

I have a new MB coming from EVGA that will take 8GIG of ram, so I am pretty sure I will install WIn7 64 bit on it when I build that one.