Upgrading mobo.

[catalina25]

I have an old PC that I build @ 7 years ago with an Intel mobo (D845PESV).
Never had problems with it but is about time to upgrade (need faster and more memory). I'm in the process of ordering an AMD Athlon 64x2 on a ASUS M3A78 Motherboard with G.SKILL 4gb of memory. My problem is that I have a 350gb WD hard drive with much stuff accumulated thru the years...would I be able to use it and boot from it? Any suggestion would be highly appreciated.:confused:

[The Wise Monkey]

You will be able to use the hard drive - do you have the original Windows installation CD? If so, you can run a repair on the OS and still keep all your files. To do a repair, follow these steps:

1. Boot the computer using the XP CD. You may need to change the boot order in the system BIOS so the CD boots before the hard drive. Check your system documentation for steps to access the BIOS and change the boot order.

2. When you see the "Welcome To Setup" screen, you will see the options below
This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft

Windows XP to run on your computer:

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.

3. Press Enter to start the Windows Setup. Do Not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R", (you Do Not want to load Recovery Console). I repeat, Do Not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R".

4. Accept the License Agreement and Windows will search for existing Windows installations.

5. Select the XP installation you want to repair from the list and press R to start the repair. If Repair is not one of the options, END setup. After the reboot Setup will copy the necessary files to the hard drive and reboot. Do not press any key to boot from CD when the message appears. Setup will continue as if it were doing a clean install, but your applications and settings will remain intact.

(taken from this website: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm)

[catalina25]

Thank you W.M. for your reply. I could'nt find my old Windows XP disk maybe I can borrow one from my frends...possibly will work.
I have been scouting Newegg for my new hardware (I'll be keeping my big case with 5 fans!) and following is what I have in mind :

1 ASUS M3A78-EM Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
$78.99

2 G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Memory
-$10.00 Instant
$77.98
$57.98

1 Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$79.99

1 SILVERSTONE SST-FP32-B Aluminum USB/1394/Audio Panel ( Black )
$14.99

1 Thermaltake W0093RU 500W Power Supply
-$10.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$79.99
$69.99

1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200 2.7GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor

1 Intel PWLA8391GT PCI PRO/1000 GT Desktop Adapter
$33.99


Grand Total: $392.92

any comments from you or anyone else would be appreciated. Gian.

[The Wise Monkey]

That CPU you chose is a few generations old now - this 7750 is very good for about the same price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103300

It should be fine if you use a friend's XP CD, but make sure that you know your product key first, otherwise you won't be able to activate it!

[catalina25]

Good suggestion W M ...lots of positive reviews with the only drawback is the poor heatsink. I do not plan to OC it so it should do fine. My case is an old server so lots of room in it. The rest of the hdwr seems compatible?

[The Wise Monkey]

Yep, everything else looks good. Do you really need the extra LAN card though, as your motherboard already has one built in.