new hardware, can i do a clean install with a retail upgrade version?

[nattylife]

my current setup is that i (believe) i did a clean install of win 7 prof over my old win xp. but in any case, i have a new mobo, cpu and ram and im assuming i have to reinstall windows because of the hardware change.

since this is an upgrade version, do i have to reinstall xp first before i install win 7? or can i just install the win 7 w/o having to bother with the xp at all?

 

[Brink]

Hello Natty, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Yeah, usually with a new different model motherboard you'll need to reinstall the OS.

You will not have to install XP first. The tutorial below can help show you how to do a clean install with a upgrade copy of Windows 7.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[nattylife]

thanks for the info! i assume i can use the windows easy transfer to move my current users and files onto the new system? would i do this after i activate windows?

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Get everything setup first then activate . Just in case it goes south.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome.

You'll need to use Windows Easy Transfer first to save what you have on the old system to another location (ex: external HDD or partition), then setup the new system and use Windows Easy Transfer to copy it back to.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/11470-windows-easy-transfer-transfer-computers.html

 

[theog]

First check to see if your new MOBO has a uEFI BIOS.
As the new MOBO's now have a uEFI BIOS.

When using a Upgrade to install, you will need to use those two tutorials together.
How to install Windows 64 bit on a uEFI BIOS:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...e-firmware-interface-install-windows-7-a.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html

 

[nattylife]

First check to see if your new MOBO has a uEFI BIOS.
As the new MOBO's now have a uEFI BIOS.

When using a Upgrade to install, you will need to use those two tutorials together.
How to install Windows 64 bit on a uEFI BIOS:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...e-firmware-interface-install-windows-7-a.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html

hmm, not sure. my new mobo is GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1156 - GA-P55-USB3 (rev. 1.0)

i dont see anything on google about it having uefi so?

 

[nattylife]

last question, i did a full windows backup of my current system. since the new mobo i got is a secondhand unit from a friend (who said it SHOULD work but no guarantees), if the new install doesnt work, i should be able to do a complete restore from the backup as long as all the original hardware was setup exactly the same correct?

 

[Brink]

If you did a system image backup, then you will be able to do a system image recovery with it to any HDD that is the same size or larger than the one you created it from, and if it's the same motherboard it was created from.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

hmm, not sure. my new mobo is GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1156 - GA-P55-USB3 (rev. 1.0)

i dont see anything on google about it having uefi so?

That motherboard was introduced at least a year ago and is very unlikely to have a UEFI BIOS.

Just proceed with the installation per this link:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html