Motherboard/HDD problem

[Cire]

Ok, so I've decided to get a new motherboard because my other one has **** the bed on me. I plan on getting a new and different motherboard than the one I had before. The problem is I can't access any of my files on my computer to back them up before I make a switch.

If I go ahead and buy the new mobo and hook everything up, will the hard drives need to be reformatted before they are rendered usable?

 

[shdwsclan]

It depends on what operating system you have.

Most OSes are plug and play and they will automatically detect the changes in major components without a problem.

 

[Mr Wizard]

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE SAME CPU TYPE (INTEL or AMD) BEFORE PLUGGING IN THAT MOBO.

Windows XP will see the change in hardware and it will adapt just fine, unless you switch cpu types. If you go from AMD to Intel, or Intel to AMD, then the HDD will not work with that Motherboard until it's reformated.
The reason is that the drivers for Intel are Different then AMD, and you can't switch them.

 

[Cire]

Thanks for the help. I'll report in when I get everything set up.