Member Avatar for ep2002

Help !

My integrated board's video card must have gone (no comments pls., I didn't have enough money at the time), so we have to replace the WHOLE MB.

The problem is, Win 2000 doesn't allow you to just copy on top of itself.

So we have to reformat.

I have 4 drives on my puter right now & someone is suggesting I reformat H & then make it C & then move everything over.

How does this sound to you all & I need to know how move everything over from one drive to a next easily without screwing up any data.

Some of the programs I can reinstall, others I can't.

Thanks so much for any help you can give me :-|

I hope you are having a good Sunday !


Michelle

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Catweazle

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Short answer: you can sometimes keep a Windows 2000 installation after swapping the motherboard, but it’s risky and depends on the HAL and storage drivers; the safest, least-time-consuming route is a clean install and restore of your data. As noted, W2K can redetect hardware in some cases, but Microsoft documents the common failure modes (HAL / storage-controller mismatches) and gives preparation options. Microsoft KB 249694. (support.microsoft.com)

If you need to preserve the existing C: (because some programs can’t be reinstalled), follow a disciplined workflow:

  1. Full backups: image the system disk (not just file copy) and export user profiles.
  2. Collect drivers for the new motherboard (chipset and mass-storage drivers).
  3. Prepare the image: use Sysprep (Win2K deploy tools) to “generalize” the install if possible.
  4. Swap the board, connect only the imaged drive, then boot.
  5. If Windows won’t boot, use an imaging tool’s hardware‑independent restore (Acronis Universal Restore or equivalent) to inject the storage/HAL drivers, or run a Windows 2000 repair (in‑place) from the CD as a last resort. See Sysprep guidance and the Universal Restore procedure for details. Deploying PCs with Sysprep. Acronis Universal Restore. (itprotoday.com)

Quick practical tips and gotchas: disconnect other drives during the switch (Windows can move the pagefile and cause “pagefile missing” or boot problems if both old/new drives are present). Keep installer media and license keys for any software that is hardware-locked. If the image fails to boot, you can try the Windows repair (in‑place upgrade) from the CD, but only after you have a confirmed image. (Repair procedure reference.) (support.vcom.com)

Bottom line for : back everything up first. If reinstalling most software is possible, do a clean install and copy data back — that’s the lowest‑risk path. If you must preserve the existing Windows install, create a full image, collect drivers, use Sysprep or a Universal‑Restore-capable tool, and be prepared to run the Windows repair. How to perform an in‑place upgrade (repair). (ftp.zx.net.nz)

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Member Avatar for jackster

well.. in theory u can use the same instalation but i would not recomend it.

move all data off one hard drive,and use that to do a clean instilation.

BEFORE you take the machine apart, make sure that all the data you want to be available from your current windows profile is not on a section ofthe hard drive that is protected your your login...

Member Avatar for Catweazle

Damn sight easier with Windows 2000 than it is with Windows XP! Basically, all you need to do is uninstall the motherboard drivers, then install new ones when you reboot hooked up to the new motherboard.

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