When upgrading a computer, the preparation process should always involve more than just asking whether you have the right parts to establish the harmony in your system to get it running quickly. Other than the hardware, you should also take note of how your existing operating system behaves in reaction to these changes. For many years, many people were left groaning as they found out they had to reinstall Windows just to get their systems to work with the new hardware. How about Windows 10? Can you change the motherboard without reinstalling Windows 10?
This Isn’t Always the Case Anymore
Since the earlier days of computing, when customers were often satisfied with their systems, and were so for several years, Microsoft has made immense progress in making its operating system adaptable to the needs of various niches of consumers. The growth of the enthusiast market helped this along, but it wasn’t until Windows 10 that things really became easier.
For the most part, if you plan to switch motherboards for a system running Windows 10, you usually don’t have to do anything. The operating system will simply realize that the computer needs it to speak another language and chugs merrily along, making friends immediately with the new hardware.
You’ll often find that instead of booting directly to the desktop, the OS interrupts the booting process with a screen that says “Setting Up Devices.” This is Windows gathering information about your new hardware and adjusting to the appropriate drivers.
What If You Get an Error?
In some cases, the installation doesn’t go as smoothly as described above, and Windows will throw an error at you. Usually, this is an activation issue where your operating system is trying to confirm that you’re transferring the license to a new computer as opposed to adding it to another. Some licenses limit the amount of PCs you can install Windows on, making things complicated for transfers of single licenses.
Since each Windows license is tied to your motherboard, you can sometimes confuse it by transferring it to another one.
The easiest way to get rid of this error is through the Windows activation troubleshooter. Access this by going to settings from your Start menu and clicking on “Update & Security,” then clicking on “Activation” on the left side of the window. You will come to a screen that shows whether or not your Windows is activated and the error it threw.
Once you click “Troubleshoot,” you’re taken to the troubleshooter.
At some point in the process, the troubleshooter will tell you that Windows cannot be activated right now. You can safely ignore that and just click on “I changed hardware on this device recently.”
You’ll be taken to a screen to sign in to your Microsoft account. Once you’ve signed in, you can associate your current computer eiyh the Windows license you’re trying to use and then activate it. When you’re done with that, your system should be all set!
If you’re still encountering errors, you may have to contact Microsoft. It’s possible that you’ve already activated the license enough times that it triggered an arbitrary limit and will no longer allow you to use Windows under that particular license unless you speak to a representative.
What About Other Errors?
If Windows has trouble running on your new system and the problem isn’t related to license activation, it’s possible that a hiccup happened in the setup process causing a driver conflict. For Windows 10, this is a rare thing, and you’ll have to solve this by booting into a recovery drive. Use the diagnostic and troubleshooting tools within it to try to work out a solution to the problem.
Inside the installation media, you should find advanced options that allow you to use a troubleshooter that gives you access to automatic repair. This should help fix the problem. Alternatively, if it is driver issues causing the errors, you can boot to Safe mode and disable those drivers.
This isn’t foolproof. though. If you’re not having any luck with it, your best bet is to get your computer working again. Unfortunately, it will be to do a clean reinstall of Windows.
In Closing
In most cases it is possible to change the motherboard without reinstalling Windows 10, but that doesn’t mean it will work well. To prevent any conflicts in hardware, it’s always recommended to install a clean copy of Windows on your computer after changing to a new motherboard. Windows’ ability to adapt to new hardware is there for consumer convenience but cannot always guarantee a clean transition.
With this in mind, you should always back up your important data, have copies of your most important applications on hand, and make sure you have Windows 10 installation media ready in case anything happens.
To have the best chance of success, uninstall drivers for core devices on the old system prior to moving Windows to the new hardware. This includes your graphics card and your chipset.
If you have any other advice or questions, make sure to leave them in a comment!
Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox
