Replacing the motherboard without reinstallation. Replacing the motherboard without reinstalling Windows

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Quite often, a situation occurs when a user who has upgraded a PC and replaced its motherboard, then has to reinstall the system on the hard drive, and, accordingly, reinstall all previously installed programs. This is due to the fact that the PC simply does not want to start and displays “ blue screen"or another error when trying to activate. Let's find out how you can avoid such inconveniences and replace the motherboard without reinstalling Windows 7.

The reason that in the described situation a reinstallation of Windows is required is the inability previous version The OS will find the required drivers for the SATA controller of the new motherboard. This problem is solved by editing the registry or pre-installing drivers. Then you won't have to reinstall the system software.

Algorithm Windows settings 7 depends on whether you do it before replacing motherboard or after the fact, that is, when the reinstallation is completed and an error is displayed when starting the computer. Naturally, the first option is more preferable and a little easier than the second, but even if you have already changed the motherboard and cannot start the OS, you should not fall into despair. The problem can also be solved without reinstalling Windows, although this will require more effort.

Method 1: Setting up the OS before replacing the board

Let's immediately look at the procedure when setting up the system before the motherboard has been replaced.

Attention! Before you begin to apply the steps described below, be sure to check the system registry.

First of all, you need to see if the drivers of the old motherboard are suitable for replacing it. After all, if they are compatible, then no additional manipulations need to be performed, since after installing the new Windows boards will launch in normal mode. So click "Start" and open "Control Panel".

Next, go to the section "System and safety".

Click on an element "Device Manager" in the block "System".

You can also type on your keyboard instead of these actions Win+R and enter the expression there:

After this you should press "OK".
In the opened "Dispatcher" click on the section name "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers".

A list of connected controllers will open. If their name contains only the name of the controller type (IDE, ATA or ATAPI) without the name of a specific brand, this means that standard Windows drivers and they are suitable for almost any motherboard model. But if in "Device Manager" the specific name of the controller brand is displayed, in this case you must check it with the name of the controller of the new “motherboard”. If they are different, then in order for the OS to start without problems after changing the board, you need to perform a number of manipulations.

First of all, you need to transfer the drivers of the new motherboard to your computer. The easiest way to do this is to use the software disk that comes with motherboard. Just insert it into the drive and download the drivers to the hard drive, but do not install them yet. Even if for some reason you don’t have the media with the specified software at hand, you can download the necessary drivers from the official website of the motherboard manufacturer.
Then you should remove the hard drive controller driver. IN "Dispatcher" double-click on the controller name with the left mouse button.

In the controller properties shell, navigate to the section "Driver".

Next click on the button "Delete".

Then, in the dialog box, confirm your actions by clicking "OK".

After removal, restart the computer and install the controller driver for the new motherboard using the standard method.
Next in "Dispatcher" click on the section name "System devices".

In the list that appears, find the element "PCI bus" and double click on it.

In the PCI bus properties shell, navigate to the section "Driver".

Click on an element "Delete".

Same as when deleting previous driver, click on the button in the dialog box "OK".

After removing the driver, which may take a long time, turn off the computer and perform the procedure of replacing the motherboard. After turning on the PC for the first time, install the previously prepared motherboard drivers.

You can configure Windows 7 to change the motherboard and more simple method by editing the registry.

Type on the keyboard Win+R and drive in next command in the window that opens:
Then click on the button "OK".

In the left area of the displayed interface "Registry Editor" go sequentially to following folders: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" And "SYSTEM". Then open "CurrentControlSet" And "services".

Next in the last specified folder find the catalog "msahci" and select it.

Move to the right area of the interface "Editor". Click on the element name "Start".

In field "Meaning" set the number «0» without quotes and click "OK".

Further in the section "services" find the folder "pciide" and after selecting it in the right area of the shell, click on the name of the element "Start". In the window that opens, also change the value to «0» and click "OK".

If you use RAID mode, then in this case you need to perform one more additional action. Move to section "iaStorV" all the same directory "services". Here also go to the element properties "Start" and change the value in the field to «0» , remembering to click after that "OK".

After completing these steps, turn off the computer and replace the motherboard. After making the replacement, go to the BIOS and activate one of the three ATA modes, or simply leave the value at the default settings. Start Windows and install the controller driver and other motherboard drivers.

Method 2: Setting up the OS after replacing the board

If you have already reinstalled the motherboard and received a “blue screen” error when activating the system, you should not be upset. To perform the necessary manipulations, you need to have an installation flash drive or Windows 7 CD on hand.

Start your computer with installation flash drive or CD. In the installer start window, click on the element "System Restore".

Select an item from the list of funds displayed "Command line".

In the opened shell "Command line" enter the command:

The interface familiar to us will be displayed "Registry Editor". Mark the folder "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE".

Then click on the menu "File" and select an option "Load bush".

IN address bar opened window "Conductor" enter the following path:
C:\Windows\system32\config

Then click ENTER or click on the arrow icon to the right of the address.

In the directory that appears, find a file without an extension under the name "SYSTEM", mark it and click "Open".

Next, a window will open in which you need to arbitrarily specify any name for the new section. For example, you can name "new". Then click on the button "OK".

Now click on the folder name "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" and go to the recently downloaded section.

Then go through the directories one by one "ControlSet001" And "services".

Find the section "msahci" and after selecting it, change the value of the parameter "Start" on «0» the same way as was done when considering Method 1.

Then go to the folder in exactly the same way "pciide" section "services" and change the parameter value "Start" on «0» .

If you use RAID mode, you will need to complete one more step, otherwise just skip it. Go to the catalog "iaStorV" section "services" and change the parameter value in it "Start" from the current version to «0» . As always, don’t forget to click the button after making changes "OK" in the parameter properties window.

Then go back to the root of the folder "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" and select the generated section in which the editing was done. In our example it is called "new", but you can have it by any other name.

Next, click on the menu item called "File" and select the option there "Unload bush".

A dialog box will open where you need to click on the button to confirm the unloading of the current section and all its subsections "Yes".

Next close the window "Registry Editor", shell "Command line" and restart your PC. After the standard computer startup, install the hard drive controller drivers for the new motherboard. The system should now activate without a hitch.

To avoid having to reinstall Windows 7 after replacing the motherboard, you need to make the appropriate OS settings. Moreover, this is done both before replacing the motherboard and after this procedure. In the second case, manipulations are performed in system registry. And in the first situation, in addition to this option, you can also use the mechanism of preliminary reinstallation of controller drivers hard drive.

Despite all the Plug-And-Play claims of modern Windows operating systems, replacing the motherboard can lead to a blue screen and complete computer inoperability. This article is addressed to those who have decided to update the hardware of their computer and describes the procedure for replacing the motherboard without problems.

During the times of total dominance of Windows XP, when replacing the motherboard in the device manager it was enough to remove the main controller hard drives(sometimes additionally a USB controller), or by replacing its drivers with a standard controller.

Then HDD it was possible to connect to the new motherboard and the computer booted smoothly.
With the advent of Windows 7 and Windows 8 (8.1), the above actions are often not enough. That is, after connecting the hard drive to the new motherboard, the computer does not start. But fortunately, as part of the operating room Windows systems 7 has the Sysprep utility, which allows you to “untie” the installed operating system from a specific hardware. Using this utility, all unique information about installed system. This includes clearing information about installed drivers. In this case, the user’s programs and settings are not affected and remain “as is”.
ATTENTION!!! The utility should be used before connecting the hard drive to the new motherboard. That is, on an old computer even before replacing the motherboard. All actions are at your own peril and risk.

How to prepare your computer for replacing the motherboard

We launch the utility: to do this, press the “Win + R” keys on the keyboard simultaneously and enter the command: c:windowssystem32sysprepsysprep.exe, click “OK”.

In the window that appears, configure everything according to the figure below, namely “Actions to clean up the system”, select the option “Go to the system welcome window (OOBE)” and check the box “Preparation for use. In "Shutdown Options" select "Shutdown".

Click “Ok”.
The process of clearing the system of information about the “old hardware” will begin, after which the computer will turn off. Now the hard drive can be connected to the new motherboard.
That's all.

First launch of the operating system on a new motherboard

At the first booting Windows will install device drivers and ask you to specify regional settings. Everything will look as if you just reinstalled the operating system.

After this, you must specify your username. I recommend creating a new user, which definitely wasn't there before before replacing the motherboard. This should be done to ensure that the settings of existing profiles are not lost. Later, after the transfer is complete, when you have configured everything, this temporary user can be deleted. Don't forget to also delete his personal folder in the Users directory.

As you can see, everything is simple. The only BUT - Windows activation will fly off. And you will have to activate the operating system again.

Question about replacing the motherboard without Windows reinstallation 7 is not easy. Pitfalls will stand in the way of ordinary users. Therefore, do not cut from the shoulder. It’s unpleasant to download everything yourself, and then sit in front of the “screen of death” and think about what to do next. It is better to study this issue carefully. It is necessary to understand what steps need to be taken, what problems may arise and what ways to solve them.

Prerequisites

The matter is important and serious. Perhaps you are not satisfied with one of the components. Technology moves forward, but your processor can no longer cope with the tasks. Naturally, you need to buy a new chip. But it is often incompatible with specific model motherboard. Then you will have to change the motherboard along with it.

Or maybe you decided to buy new modules random access memory. Your old ones, based on DDR2, have long ceased to cope and are outdated. Even if you only want to expand the amount of RAM, finding modules of this type will be extremely difficult and even impractical. Therefore, it is better to take a closer look at DDR4. This is newer and higher-speed memory. But it requires special slots on the motherboard. Why not buy a new one? system board?

The same problems can arise with other components. New video card models require advanced slots - faster and higher quality. The hard drive is improving and has long switched to the third revision of Serial ATA. To upgrade your system, you need to study the aspects carefully because replacing the motherboard without reinstalling Windows 7 will be your main problem.

Demolish or keep?

Why is it necessary to save the operating system? After all, it’s much easier to just tear it down and install another one after assembling the PC. Of course, for many users this will be the most profitable option. But there are also users who customize the system for themselves down to the smallest detail. All personal parameters and necessary applications are important to them.

When you reinstall the OS, everything will naturally be deleted. And if for some this will be the beginning of something new, then for others it can turn into a great tragedy. It is necessary to eliminate all problems and preserve personal data.

Tools

In order not to lose the operating system and information, it is better to use a couple of tools. To replace the motherboard without reinstalling Windows 7, two utilities will be useful to us.

Sysprep is a built-in OS tool. It is used to clean hardware parts, reset OS activation, etc. In general, the software will allow you to create an image of an operating system that does not require hardware.

ERD Commander is a tool that you will have to download in advance. It helps even if it is damaged and loading is impossible. This is his main task. There are also additional features. In general, ERD Commander - useful software for programmers. It helps restore the system if it is blocked by ransomware viruses, selectively resume the operation of files from the registry, etc.

the main problem

Why is it even desirable to have a copy? The fact is that replacing the motherboard usually leads to a huge number driver incompatibility. And if this problem can still be corrected with some devices, then the main errors come from the ATA/SATA interface - ports for the hard drive. That’s why the “screen of death” appears so often, which brings an endless reboot.

Preparation

Start the whole process by working with Sysprep. To replace the motherboard without reinstalling Windows 7, you need this tool. It cleans all unique files and drivers. Therefore, this must be done before the new component takes up space on the motherboard.

To start working with the utility, you need to find it through command line Win+R. A small window will open in which we enter the path to Sysprep: “C:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe”. In the new window you should configure the software parameters.

First, go to the “Actions to clean the system” section and here you should select the line that goes to the system welcome window. Here you need to check the box next to “Preparation for use”. Now look for the section with “Shutdown Options” and click “Shutdown”. Don't forget to finish everything with the OK button.

After a few seconds of operation, when the tool has done everything necessary, the system will turn off. Then we move on to assembling the motherboard, installation and other similar matters.

Alternative

If you are replacing the motherboard without reinstalling Windows 7, you will also need the registry. To ensure that the installation does not lead to compatibility errors, whether it is changing the motherboard or changing the controller mode, you need to dig into the system while it is working correctly.

Open the command line Win+R and enter regedit. So you will launch that same registry and start working with it. Now you need to go through HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\msahci. Open the last folder and look for the Start line on the right. You need to change the value to zero. We return to the column on the left and look for the final pciide folder along the same path. Here again we set the value to zero. For users who use RAID arrays (multiple disks), we repeat the entire process in iaStorV.

Now you can replace the motherboard without reinstalling Windows 7 (64). Turn off the computer, install the updated motherboard in the case and turn on the computer. At correct actions the process will be correct. The operating system will load the drivers onto the controller on its own, and that’s all necessary settings you'll have to do more on your own.

Recovery

During all these operations, errors may occur. Incorrect input of values or erroneous actions cannot be ruled out. All this leads to the fact that it is impossible to launch the operating system. Let's try to download and load ERD Commander onto a flash drive. Replacing the motherboard without reinstalling Windows 7 should be easy. As we have already learned, this tool helps restore the system in difficult situations.

To use this program, you need to download it from the Internet and put it on a CD or flash drive if you don’t have a drive. Now when you turn on your PC, boot drive will see this software and start downloading from it necessary information. In the window, select ERD Commander 6.5 for the seventh OS, or for the version that you previously installed.

A notification about “renaming” the drives will now appear. We agree with this process. We don’t touch the network settings yet, don’t forget about the keyboard layout. If several operating systems were installed on the disk, you need to select the one previously used in the next window. If there is only one, then only one line will appear in the tablet. Click “Next” and watch what happens. It usually takes a few seconds until the system copes with problems, etc.

Now a window with “System Recovery Options” will open. Here you need to select the last item with MSDaRT recovery. Next, click on the registry. Now we don't need commands. Replacing the motherboard without reinstalling Windows 7 takes place in the registry window that is already familiar to us.

On the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM you will see the MountedDevises folder - you need to delete it. Above there will be a CurrentControlSet folder, in it you need to find the atapi folder, changing the Start line there to zero, and repeat this setting in the remaining archives.

The last step is to work with the Msahci folder. Here we change the value to zero again. The system should boot correctly. If nothing works, most likely the problem is much more complex. Here, among others software errors, we're talking about and about conflicts with the built-in video adapter.

Safe mode

Still can't replace the motherboard without reinstalling Windows 7? You can go to " Safe mode" When starting the PC, press F8. When the OS boots, go to “Device Manager” and remove the device that is failing. If you cannot identify it, then it is recommended to simply delete it PCI bus and download all the necessary drivers.

All these operations are designed for people who have at least some knowledge of PCs. Regular user He will definitely get confused somewhere and choose the wrong thing. After this, the system will become a “brick” and programmers will save it. If you are not sure what you are doing, either find friends who understand all this, or ask for help at a service center.

The result and painlessness of replacing the motherboard on a PC with Windows 7 depends on many factors. The version of the operating system is also important here ( OEM versions, for example, are attached to the hardware), and motherboard models (the more differences, the more likely it is that Win 7 will start acting up), and the platform (if you “move” from AMD to Intel or vice versa, then the likelihood of problems increases). Perhaps many remember what numbers Windows XP chipped off when replacing the motherboard... Seven, I must say, is not a gift in this regard either. Unlike Linux, simply changing the motherboard and then adding a couple of packages often doesn’t work here. To be honest, I only succeeded once out of six or seven. This, as you understand, does not lead to a stable result. Therefore, the question of how to replace the motherboard on a PC with Windows 7 without reinstalling the OS is still relevant.

Preparatory activities

Before starting such an operation, just in case, I make an image of the partition with the installed operating system. I try to have this image during any major iron replacement surgery. A couple of times, you know, it helped a lot. And I recommend it to you. This image is created using any program you like. For example, or.

Why does replacing a motherboard often lead to reinstalling Windows? The most common reason is incompatibility of motherboard chipset drivers. In particular, the incompatibility of the ATA/SATA controller driver with the new controller on the installed motherboard can become very sensitive. In order to avoid such problems, we can simply get rid of the drivers that can cause them.

How do we get rid of drivers? Yes, very simple! Using the sysprep utility. Perhaps someone is familiar with it from Windows XP. Personally, I used it to prepare reference images of system partitions with pre-installed software for mass installations on a PC 8 years ago.

This utility removes unique information from the installed Windows operating system. This includes cleaning the drivers installed on the system. Now it’s clear why I suggested creating an image with existing system? Software and sysprep does not touch user settings. This utility must be run before connecting hard disk with system partition to the new motherboard.

To launch the utility, press the key combination: “Win + R”. In the window that appears, enter the command: “ C:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe” and click“OK.” After this, a window with the utility settings will open (see screenshot). By the way, the screenshot shows the settings that I suggest you make. In the “System Cleanup Actions” drop-down menu, select the “Go to the System Welcome Window (OOBE)” option. Next to it is a place for the “Preparing for use” checkbox. It should also be activated. In the “Shutdown Options” drop-down menu, select the “Shutdown” option.

After that, press the “OK” button to start cleaning the system. After graduation this process the computer will turn off, which is why we set the last option.

Replacing the motherboard and starting the system

Only after the computer is completely turned off do we turn it off from the network (it is better to unplug the cord from the outlet). And now you can replace the motherboard or connect a hard drive with the operating system installed and processed by sysprep to a new system unit.

During the first boot, the OS will install device drivers (it may ask for proprietary ones, so keep them ready). In addition, it will definitely ask you to set regional parameters, since they are also removed by the utility.

When the system asks for a username, there is little trick. Do not enter a pre-existing username. Enter something else. Then delete this new user, but the system will not write anything unnecessary to your user profiles - the settings will not be lost. You will be able to access them after the first start of the updated system.

As a user, the system will ask you to confirm the date and time, as well as a number of other settings, including automatic installation updates. After you enter all these settings (this is much faster than installing the system again), the desktop of the user you created specifically for this process will load. This account can now be deleted and logged in under old users.

The sysprep utility greatly increases the likelihood of replacing the motherboard without reinstalling Windows. In addition, such preparation of a previously installed system takes about half an hour. The only inconvenience is that you will have to activate Windows 7 again, since a number of versions of this OS are tied to hardware. In particular, this applies to the most common legal Windows versions 7 - OEM (pre-installed on new PCs and laptops). They will have to be activated by phone, since activation via the Internet in this case, alas, is not available due to the fact that the system considers this operation reinstallation on another computer, which is prohibited by the terms license agreement this version.