Posted on 11/27/2008 8:44:51 AM PST by martin_fierro
I'm considering upgrading an older PC to a faster PC -- faster CPU, more RAM -- but with minimal disruption to my installed programs and without having to "upgrade" from XP to Vista.
Current PC uses include:
Current system specs:
| CPU: AMD Athlon 2600+ | |
| Graphics card: ATI All In Wonder 9000 Pro (64MB DDR AGP) |
|
| HD: Western Digital WD1200AB 120 GB |
|
Am also considering getting a Mac, but for this thread I seek feedback on whether I can just migrate my current HD and Graphics Card over to a faster mobo/cpu (do they even make AGP slots anymore? Will this HD slow down system performance?)
Feedback appreciated.
Tech Ping
How much are you expecting to spend on this upgrade?
Yes, many motherboards come with one AGP slot but they also come with graphics capability already built into the MB, making the card unneeded. Your hard drive would be better off as a slave drive because doing a fresh install on a new hard drive will give you a lot less headaches.
====whether I can just migrate my current HD and Graphics Card over to a faster mobo/cpu====
If you’re starting over, I highly recommend you start with a new or freshly formatted HD. Take all of the critical data off the current HD and put it on another HD. Once you get up and running, you can grab the data again.
The vid card needs a driver/software and it should work on any new computer if you have the correct slot.
Bottom line....build it from the ground up.
Consider buying a new box, and disk-copying your current drive into the new drive C:. I understand there is a disk- or partition-copying capability on the Vista CDs that can be accessed without actually installing Vista, or installing anything else on your disk drive. FRmail me if you’d like a link to that.
here's a decent article, emphasis on changing IDE controller to Standard. (Saves a lot of headaches with XP finding\installing drivers for your new hardware)
Here's also decent “how to”
http://www.theeldergeek.com/move_harddrive.htm
Good luck...when in doubt...dont! ask someone
Many new Mother boards come with raid built in. This allows you to use multiple drives like they are just one drive and with make your response time faster. I have 3 80GB sata drives on this machine. The smaller sata are cheep now. This set up and plenty of ram helps with video editing.
I’ve done this dozens of times. Among the things you have to consider are whether you are replacing the motherboard and whether your copy of XP is retail or OEM.
If you aren’t replacing the motherboard there is nothing to be concerned about. If you are, you need to consider whether you are switching to another brand of CPU. I’ve done both scenarios, and switching from Intel to AMD, or vice versa, is a pain, but it can be done.
For switching motherboards it is best to keep the old hard drive, until you get the new systen XP activated. XP will usually activate without a call to Microsoft if you don’t swap the hard drive. You will need the motherboard driver CD after the swap.
If you change brands of CPU, you need to do a repair/reinstall, which is a pain, but I’ve done it several times.
Did I mention that even if you are keeping your old hard drive, you should first clone it. Once you start down this road you need complete backup of the entire system. Preferabley done before you damage anything.
Once you have replaced a motherboard and gotten XP activatd you can upgrade the hard drive. Trying to do both at the same time will be interpreted as an attempt to install XP on two computers.
You can still get Windows XP pro from Newegg.com for $140.00
You will just have to buy a motherboard, processor, HDD, video card or some system componet at the same time.
Less than a Mac Pro. < |:)~
Finding a MB that has an AGP slot shouldn’t be too difficult, but your selection may be limited to older stock. Same goes for CPU and memory, but you might get lucky and find a board that has an AGP slot and an AM2 or LGA775 cpu socket.
The best bet for using the same hard drive without disturbing apps and data is to do a repair installation of windows with the new computer. This strips out the old system files and allows proper base driver selection for the new equipment. Alternately you could strip out the IDE drivers (delete when booted from the current system) then assemble the new setup and see if windows can recover on boot (can always do a repair install afterward if it fails).
Internet surfing
That I can believe.
I have to say your request is really quite odd. You’re considering a Mac, spending at least $1K, but you’re also trying to save as much money as possible by salvaging both your outdated graphics card and your outdated HDD.
Newegg has exactly three Intel motherboards with AGP slots and two AMD mptherboards with AGP slots. All are low-end by today’s standards, so I would recommend a new PCI-X motherboard (or, as others have suggested, getting a motherboard with integrated graphics). You won’t be able to do much, if any, “modern” gaming with an integrated graphics controller but it is useful for less demanding or older games.
As far as the HDD goes, every motherboard I can think of has IDE capability. Most drives these days are SATA, though. Still, no matter which route you take you will be able to use that drive.
Another thing to consider is your copy of XP - if it’s retail you’ll be fine, but if it’s OEM you might have to call Microsoft to activate. It shouldn’t be a major issue. Note that you can get a copy of Vista for 70 bucks on Newegg, and I assure you it’s at least as good as XP. It’s worth considering if you’re upgrading as today’s most popular processors (like the Intel Core 2 series) are 64-bit processors. 64-bit Vista versions are easy to find and give you options for more memory and generally faster applications (64-bit IE is much faster than 32-bit IE, for example).
If you aren’t replacing the motherboard there is nothing to be concerned about. If you are, you need to consider whether you are switching to another brand of CPU. I’ve done both scenarios, and switching from Intel to AMD, or vice versa, is a pain, but it can be done.
For switching motherboards it is best to keep the old hard drive, until you get the new systen XP activated. XP will usually activate without a call to Microsoft if you don’t swap the hard drive. You will need the motherboard driver CD after the swap.
Did I mention that even if you are keeping your old hard drive, you should first clone it. Once you start down this road you need complete backup of the entire system. Preferabley done before you damage anything.
Once you have replaced a motherboard and gotten XP activatd you can upgrade the hard drive. Trying to do both at the same time will be interpreted as an attempt to install XP on two computers.
What about moving to a Hauppage Video capture card....then you can get more recent motherboards with Mobo base Display drivers for your monitor.,
Yes.
Get a new motherboard with a SATA II chipset & connectors on it [Tyan or ASUS is the best bet].
Go to Storage Review to find the fastest and quietest SATA II hard drive you can afford:
http://www.storagereview.com
Once you get your new motherboard, attach your old ATA drive on the ATA connector, and it will be your "C:" drive.
Then attach your new SATA II drive on the SATA II connector, and it will be your "D:" drive [this requires that you create a partition and format it - and note that formatting one of these 500GB SATA II drives can take an hour or more, so don't be in a hurry that day].
After you have established the ATA drive as the "C:" drive, and the SATA II drive as the "D:" drive, then go here for instructions on how to seamlessly move all of your "Documents and Settings" and "Program Files" over to the new, fast SATA II drive [so that they still appear to be on the old "C:" drive, but are actually physically residing on the new, faster "D:" drive]:
http://www.tumfatig.net/docs/01_os/windows/How%20to%20move%20Program%20Files%20and%20Documents%20and%20Settings.htmlIn line with those instructions, I use "JUNCTION.EXE", which is now available for free from Microsoft [since they purchased SysInternals]:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896768.aspx
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