[Failing Motherboard]Transplanting Windows 7 SSD to an identical lapt)

Hello,

lately my laptop is having motherboard failures. Previously I learned that if I take an SSD with W7 from one laptop to another laptop, it doesn't work.

Right now, I don't have very much choice considering that I have no other computer, or access to W7 image(no flash drive, DVD, I do know that there is an iso image online, but I just cannot flash it).

I've asked someone to buy and ship an identical model of the laptop, and I can salvage the Linux side for sure, windows I need help with.

Please let me know if you have an idea on how I should approach this.

In that case,
are you suggesting that this can only be done by fresh install, I cannot salvage the installation?

I was once on the same situation.
I had 2 identical laptops. The one I was using died and I tried to switch the HDD.
It worked without issues.

how identical are you talking about?

Because when I tried it before, the laptop models were identical

Same laptop but different brands and model. One was HP and the other Compaq.
Give it a try. Cant loose more than time.

SJLPHI said:

I learned that if I take an SSD with W7 from one laptop to another laptop, it doesn't work.

This is a common misunderstanding. With windows 7, as long as it detects the generic hard disk controller at the first boot up after moving your hard drive to a new motherboard, it will get you to the desktop where you can then install the drivers needed for the new motherboard. Here's a tutorial how to do it. I've done this a dozen times, most recently from a six year old AMD machine to a new Intel machine.

How to replace Motherboard without Reinstalling Windows - wintips.org - Windows Tips How-tos

This is totally aside from licensing issues - you need to figure that part out on your own.

You will want to download all the drivers for the new motherboard onto the hard drive before your final shutdown on the old machine, so you can easily install them once you've booted up on the new one.

ThrashZone said:

Interesting link only pciide was not set at 0 already it was set at 3 :/

Most of us can ignore that pciide setting change since it only applies if you plan to set your disk in bios to IDE, whereas 95% of us will set it to AHCI, so AHCI is the only setting that matters.

Alternatively one can also make this same change within device manager by updating the IDE/ATA/ATAPI controller driver to "Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller" right before the final shutdown. Its the old motherboard's unique chipset hard drive controller driver that causes the BSOD when you move hard drives between motherboards.