Help changing motherboards on 2 current Win Pro systems

I am going to update both my Win 7 Pro 32bit and Win 7 Pro 64bit machines...mostly each will receive a new mother board..

Here's the plan:

on the 64 bit machine it will hopefully be just setting up the system...board...etc...and then installing an Acronis image to the new drive

on the 32bit system...it will be setting up the box and then doing a clean install of Win 7 32bit.

My question(s) is/are anything tricky about either approach...and...how do I convince Windows/Microsoft that both these systems are not copies but original licensed DVD installs...not just cloning to a second/third etc machine.

I think a mother board change will cause an existing system to rebel...and also a response from Microsoft on the changed system components ?

Any advice will be appreciated ...!

TRinAZ

Depends on if Windows 7 came preinstalled on the machine, in which case Factory OEM license won't survive a motherboard change unless it's the same model mobo or you can get MS phone Activation to make an exception: How To Activate Windows 7 by Phone Step-by-Step Guide

If it's retail Full or Upgrade version then it can migrate to any new hardware of your choice. Retail Builder's OEM version also is restricted to first mobo installed upon.

gregrocker said:

...If it's retail Full or Upgrade version then it can migrate to any new hardware of your choice. Retail Builder's OEM version also is restricted to first mobo installed upon.

Sounds good....both DVDs are retail upgrade versions...liscensed and registered.

Should be no problem then ?

On the 64bit machine that I want to setup up via an Acronis image restore...will the system at first startup simply read the hardware changes and adjust accordingly to the new HDD and motherboard...etc ?

Thanks

Do you have Acronis with Universal Restore? It should adjust the image to the hardware change.

If not to be sure you can SysPrep the HD before moving it or its image to remove all drivers, SID, HID and activation: SysPrep to move HD to another computer

It's possible that Win7 will start up anyway with a mobo change but you cannot be certain of this.

gregrocker said:

If not to be sure you can SysPrep the HD before moving it or its image to remove all drivers, SID, HID and activation: SysPrep to move HD to another computer

Thanks for your patience...the new box will also have a new HDD to which I will transfer the current image. Do I then:

1) Create an image (via Acronis - no Universal Restore) within the old system on the new HDD

2) Run SysPrep on the new drive after cloning/imaging while still in the old system to remove drivers...etc...

3) Install cloned system on new HDD from old box into the new box and start new system

Anything in particular I should look for during this process to avoid catastrophe ?

Thanks...TRinAZ

If you image to the target HD you can swap it into new hardware to see if it will start first.

If not, move it back to SysPrep. The tutorial author Kari can consult if you need him.

I would not waste a whole lot of time trying to make it work when you can clean reinstall in minutes and have the best option of all: Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7

gregrocker said:

If it's retail Full or Upgrade version then it can migrate to any new hardware of your choice. Retail Builder's OEM version also is restricted to first mobo installed upon.

I have had a different experience with the Retail Builder's OEM version. Since Windows 7 was released, I have used the same Retail Builder's OEM disc on three different machines I have built for myself.

Did these require phone activation to get an exception from MS? This is what we've heard is increasingly happening since Win7 release.

I don't know for sure if the EULA has changed, but it seems the policy is loosening on this. Others?

I have never had to do Over the phone activation. Only entered the product key as normal.

Guess they are just getting lax on actually Policing or enforcing this rule.....