How to boot windows if motherboard is changed

sam9 · 04 Aug 2018

dalchina said:

No no no. Sorry, that is quite wrong.

The drivers used by Windows are provided by Windows. Either they are present in the OS when you install it or downloaded as necessary. They are on your disk, not in the BIOS. Some are periodically updated as you know. And in Win 10, you get a complete new set of drivers each time you upgrade.

Ok. You taught me one more thing. But then what is the meaning of three options in bios, I found i.e one windows 8 and 10, second win 7 and others, third is manual.

sam9 · 04 Aug 2018

dalchina said:

@NavyLCDR Would it be best to ask for photos of the BIOS settings?

I may be able to attach photos only after 2-3 days as I am away from my PC.

dalchina · 04 Aug 2018

I found i.e one windows 8 and 10, second win 7 and others, third is manual.

I would guess those are the typical defaults appropriate for those OS's. Manual means DIY of course.

(Of course you do need basic drivers when in BIOS to support the keyboard, screen, mouse etc etc - but Windows loads its own - typically .sys files e.g).

Can you quote your new MBO's manufacturer and type? That the BIOS refers to Win 7 offers some hope the MBO can be used with Win 7. If you have a look on the MBO's site you may find downloads by OS - just to confirm that. Nothing more.

SIW2 · 04 Aug 2018

If you switching from amd to intel, you will need to adjust the OS to boot on new hardware.
There are vatious programs to do it.

You can try this, it works for win7, though the provided boot cd needs to be booted in bios mode
Make Windows 7 bootable after motherboard swap - Windows 7 Help Forums

There are others, paragon did a free linux iso which can do the job. O&O DiskImage Pro 11 ( available on free giveaway) can also do it.

DiskImage Pro 11 on free giveaway
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Download Archive

Click "Change Computer Properties". Click the Load button to Browse to the afflicted windows directory, then Tick the boxes as in the screenshot.

There is no need to create and restore an image. The module works independently and can be pointed at a non booting windows drive.

How to boot windows if motherboard is changed-o-o_mir3.jpg

sam9 said:

Though this is about Win 7 but I think it will be same for others also. I have Win 7 running on AMD and I am trying to run my hard-disk on new Intel. I could not boot. I have new motherboard drivers. I tried to install these while my hard disk still in old PC but these did not install, may be drivers could not find new motherboard. How can I boot my hard disk in new motherboard. I can not go for fresh install for some reasons.

Bat 1 · 05 Aug 2018

I'd think the easiest way would be to do what View Profile: dalchina - Windows 10 Help Forums said in the first post and use Free download EaseUS Todo PCTrans Free (Recommended to me by Lobo) and make a fresh install.

I never had much luck moving Win 7 to different hardware until a friend BigReds suggested virtualizing the OS and removing the old drivers and putting in the new.

sam9 · 05 Aug 2018

dalchina said:

- no- there are additional BIOS issues in considering Win 10 compared to Win 7.
i.e. is your BIOS correctly configured?

Which is why you would be better posting this on
Windows 7 Help Forums

- a sister site dedicated to Win 7 so points relevant to Win 10 are not raised.

If you end up with no option but to fresh install, you could transfer most programs, settings etc automatically using a 3rd party program eg. Laplink's PC Mover or Easeus Todo's similar one. The neatest way (and cheaper last I knew for the one-off license) is to use a disk image of your system disk as the source. I've done that and it works well for, say, 95% of programs.

As you are so reliant on your PC/disk not dying, I hope you are using disk imaging - that would be essential to you avoiding a clean install in many cases.

Easeus todo free version will transfer only 2 application, so no use. Is there any totally free software. I am confused, you said system image restoration can work 95% but if a hard disk is not booting in other motherboard due to drivers issue than how it's image restoration can boot when this image will also have the same drivers which the hard disk is having.

dalchina · 05 Aug 2018

No you haven't understood the way that program works. And no, there's no such thing as a free lunch here. You pay for the license or you don't get to do the transfer. I'll try to put it simply to explain how it works.

1. You create a disk image of your existing system partition e.g. onto a USB disk.
2. You clean install Windows on a disk inside your PC.
So your PC now has the correct drivers available, hopefully!
3. You install the Laplink or Easeus program
4. You connect the USB disk with the disk image on it to your PC.
5. You run the program, choose the options, and point it at the disk image.
6. You let the program run.
7. The program transfers the programs installed on the disk image, and settings, to your new clean installed Windows.

If you spend a little time looking at the programs' descriptions you would hopefully understand this.

And the license fee is for a one-time use. I think it was around $40 last I looked a few years back- and it saved me a couple of days.

If you have only a few things installed, then you can do it all manually.

It's a question of how much your time is worth to you.

So there are two methods of solving your problem. A third would be to be lucky and have your PC boot up simply by installing the disk from the old PC with correct BIOS settings etc.

But probably the best is a redeploy method which others have mentioned.

SIW2 · 05 Aug 2018

if a hard disk is not booting in other motherboard due to drivers issue than how it's image restoration can boot when this image will also have the same drivers. Sam9

You seem to understand the problem.

Yet you haven't done what I suggested.

I already explained how to adjust to new hardware. It can be done easily using the ( currently free ) software O&O DiskImage Pro 11. I have done it many times. It is very simple. You could have done it by now.

cereberus · 05 Aug 2018

sam9 said:

Though this is about Win 7 but I think it will be same for others also. I have Win 7 running on AMD and I am trying to run my hard-disk on new Intel. I could not boot. I have new motherboard drivers. I tried to install these while my hard disk still in old PC but these did not install, may be drivers could not find new motherboard. How can I boot my hard disk in new motherboard. I can not go for fresh install for some reasons.

This is what sysprep is for to remove the hardware drivers, and force pc to go through oobe phase.

There are tutorials in the sevenforums sister site how to do this.

Alternatively, use paid version of Macrium Reflect Free, and use its "redeploy to new hardware".

This is where Windows 10 is FAR SUPERIOR to Windows 7 - it just sorts it all out in 90+% of cases.

sam9 · 05 Aug 2018

SIW2 said:

You seem to understand the problem.

Yet you haven't done what I suggested.

I already explained how to adjust to new hardware. It can be done easily using the ( currently free ) software O&O DiskImage Pro 11. I have done it many times. It is very simple. You could have done it by now.

Sorry, I could not respond earlier. I went to the site you suggested (Download Archive) but no where it is mentioned that it is free currently. May be time is over for free version.