Motherboard upgrade question

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Element

I was hoping to be able to upgrade my motherboard to something that actually has something other than a pci slot (granted there is one pci-e x1, but that doesnt do me much good when im trying to get a better gaming graphics card)

I have windows xp media center. I have read stories of people installing new mobos and then windows xp will not run from the hard drive, you would need a windows xp installation disk, and then repair after you run it

is there a way around this other than buying windows even though i already have it? thanks for the help =)
 
Not really. Windows XP can handle any major hardware change except for a mobo change, since the HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) gets all screwed up. XP will still work with the new mobo, but it will give u a lot of blue screens and the such. So the best thing is to get XP and run a repair. Why not get an XP install disk from a friend or someone else for this?
 
I will ask around to see if anyone i know has a windows install disk i can borrow, would i need a windows media center install disk, or would one like home run fine?
 
You would need a media center install disc if you were installing media center, a home installation disc would install home.

Upgrading mobos is a pain, i'd just build a whole new system.
 
can someone link me to where they buy media center install disk, there is only home and professional, and i just read that it only comes preinstalled on certain desktops (like mine) and i just need to repair
 
foozy said:
Upgrading mobos is a pain,
Click to expand...

Tell me about it...
I agree that upgrading a motherboard can be a pain. Especially for someone like me, who just got the PSU wiring inside of the case absolutely *perfect*
It is still very possible though, but I wouldn't be inclined to take apart the wire-job in my computer unless the new mobo can send it flying to Mars...

Element said:
can someone link me to where they buy media center install disk, there is only home and professional, and i just read that it only comes preinstalled on certain desktops (like mine) and i just need to repair
Click to expand...

If you buy a Windows operating system disc, you are only paying for the serial key. Every disc is completely identical, it's just the unique serial key that distinguishes each installation.

Did your computer come with an operating system disc? There are OEM MCE discs for sale, but you do not need to buy it.

You need to somehow find a Windows MCE disc and borrow it from a friend. This is perfectly legal because you are not asking for a CD key. Your own computer's Windows serial Key should be on a sticker located somewhere on your computer's case.

You already have your own unique installation of Windows, and your own unique serial key. You don't need to pay for anything else.
You need to somehow obtain a Windows disc, but just don't pay for it, it would be completely illogical.
 
my computer came with a system recovery cd, and according to the people at eMachines, (my computer brand) its specific to my motherboard, i wonder if there is any other way i can get a WMCE disk, all i know of are people that might have a home edition one. maybe dopwnload the files and burn them to cd?
 
well if i could get it cheap, maybe off ebay or something then i might, would i need the full version or just the upgrade if i wanted to reinstall the mobo after that, also my current video card cant handle the new aero theme
 
Jumping into Vista would be a little extreme, let them work out the bugs for a couple of years.PC Magazine says it is very demanding on the system hardware, you'd be better off building a new machine to run it and it cost $200 4 basic and $400 for the best version. I'd stick withe the mobo upgrade and WMC. Somewhere on the forums is a post on how to do it without reinstalling. Maybe look 4 that 1st, give ya a little more insight.
 
Im gonna buy it when I get the money, I dont do illegal things so i wont get viruses, i am running unprotected for like 3 months now no viruses.
 
Teaser if you come across that link could you please post it here, im gonna start looking but you pobably have a better idea of where it is thanks =)
 
We are getting off topic here. He does not need to upgrade to Vista right now.
Element, maybe you can use a torrent to download a Windows XP MCE CD off the net and use it to repair the install? I don't think it would be illegal since you have a valid serial key anyways, which is what you really pay for when you buy the OS. That being said, have you found where your serial key is located? It should be on a sticker somewhere on your case.
 
Hmmm... I'm not too sure about the prices in the US but it sounds pretty expensive for just the operating system. Where I live (China), a Vista's just 400-500 dollars on the internet (About 50 - 60 USD). A good mobo is around 125 USD, a GeForce 8800 GTX is somewhere around 300 USD, an AMD 3.4 GHz + is 200-ish USD, 2 GB of ram is around 200 USD, and a 200 GB HDD with good rotation is only 100 USD. If you add 40 USD for the 12V power supply, it's only 1150 USD tops if my prices are a bit lower than what it really is.

I heard from a friend in the US that his computer:

AMD 3.2 GHz Dual Core + 1800
1 GB RAM
nVidia 6600 GS
nForce mobo (forgot which model)
12V power supply

He got all of this for 1500 USD. I'm just wondering... Does shipping something from Asia take more than 350 USD?

Sorry about this sudden price check thing... I'm just surprised how much things are in the US.

On-Topic:

You COULD add a PCI-E x 16 slot but you'd hafta reroute the entire mobo. If you're not an expert then you could take it somewhere to add a PCI-E x 16 slot. I heard about adding more area to the mobo but it's quite expensive. If you look on the brighter side, it saves you the wait if you buy your OS off ebay and may even save more money than if you buy another mobo.
 
Thank you all for all of your input, i will definatly stay here at techspot in case there is anything i know that i can help other people with

=)
 
Borrowing or lending windows operating system media invalidates the license, so technically it IS illegal.

If you read the package on one of the OEM versions you can see all the stipulations - borrowing, lending, or copying in any way goes against the license agreement.

However, the only people that see harm in lending out discs when you have a valid key are MS's lawyers.

*shrug* if I were you i'd just run Linux.
 
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