New Motherboard Installation

Hey guys,

My new motherboard (along with processor and ram) will be arriving either today or tomorrow, and I am aware that I will have to do a repair installation of Windows XP.

My first question is: I have two hard drives, one for my system, ie; program files etc, and one for storage of media, such as videos, photos, music. Will I be able to remove this storage HD and plug it back in after the repair installation? This disk contains NO system files, just media and the occasional installer. If not, what do I need to do to be able to remove it and plug it back in after repair? As there is too much data to back up.

My second is: I am running XP SP2, and have an XP SP3 installation disk. Am I able to repair install using the SP3 disk? Or is it wise to just install SP3 before I install my new motherboard, and repair afterwards?

Thanks in advance.

#525235

Just unplug your disk, it'll be fine.

As for your HD, why not just install SP3 after you insert the new stuff?

#525241

Thanks KAWSquared, thought so about the disk, needed a second opinion. Losing 160gb data is not on the agenda!

With the SP2/3 question, I just wasn't sure if it was a better option leaving it until after putting the new hardware in, but I guess it doesn't really make a difference?

#525242

The hardware shouldn't matter in your install... as long as you don't mess up and say you want to format your media drive and install Windows on that one, of course! If you're not confortable and want to be 100% sure, just plug in your first HDD, install windows on it and once you're booted and all ready to go, shut down your machine and plug in your second HDD. It should automatically be recognized and assigned a drive letter.

Remember if it's IDE drives (a really large and very flat cable) you have to set your second drive as slave (well... you don't have to but it helps). If they're SATA (narrow cable that plugs in similar to a USB) then you just plug and play.

Hope this helps!

#525248

Thanks technosinner. Hopefully I won't mess it up, haha. Yeah, it's an IDE drive and it's already set as a slave in my current setup, so that's not a problem. Thanks for the info!

#525250

Yeah, that's very important and key to you not messing up. Always disconnect a slave drive if you plan on reinstalling.

#525257

Yes you can use SP3 disc for your motherboard. If you want repair your motherboard then go to good hardware engineer for this.

#525279

Thanks guys, problem solved.

@Manish, i didn't want to repair my motherboard, it was brand new. I just needed to do a repair XP install so it would register properly.

#525354