10 Tips on Upgrading a Motherboard, Upgrade Motherboard

It happens to all of us eventually, the ExtremeTech staff probably more than most. Whether due to failure or obsolescence—or after you’ve run out of alternative upgrade paths—it comes time to pull a motherboard out of a working system and replace it with something different.That’s a job. It requires you to pull all of your expansion cards, disconnect and work around all the cabling, wrest the big board from sometimes-tight quarters within a case, prep the new board, wiggle it into that possibly cramped quarter, and, when you think you’re all done, you still have to coax Windows through the trauma of waking up with new hardware.

We find the process daunting but fun—but then again, we’re almost disgustingly techy. If it’s less of a treat for you, we’ve got, well, a treat for you. In the following pages we share our very best hints on swapping out a motherboard, culled from years of experience and scores of system builds and upgrades.

Now, remember—this is a series of tips, not a step by step how-to. Don’t expect a full-on motherboard installation manual; instead, use the manual that comes with your motherboard, and use our tips to make the job even easier.

Also, we’re assuming you’re keeping your existing Windows installation in place. In general, it’s better to perform a fresh operating system install if you’re replacing your motherboard, but practical realities often prevent this. So we’ve got a number of tips that should help you prep your Windows installation for the switch, then bring it up properly.

Preparing Windows for the Inevitable Freak-out
The first step in motherboard replacement is to prepare the operating system, and since most of the world runs on Windows, we’ll concentrate on that. Before you even think about pulling the board out of the case:

* Uninstall motherboard drivers. Anything you installed with the disc that came with your previous motherboard (or anything you downloaded specifically for that board) has to come out. You can do this easily through Add/Remove Programs (XP) or Uninstall a Program (Vista) in Control Panel.

* Don’t forget, during your uninstallations, to remove drivers for onboard devices. If your motherboard contains, and you installed drivers for, an audio codec, a graphics subsystem, a Wi-Fi network interface, a wired Ethernet interface, or what have you, uninstall the drivers for them.
* You may leave drivers for expansion cards in place, but you may have to reinstall them after the upgrade process. Graphics drivers are especially touchy.
* This is a good time for general maintenance: Clean up the hard drive. Empty the recycle bin, delete old files you don’t need any more, uninstall unused programs, run a registry cleaner if you’re into that sort of thing, and generally tidy up. Then, defrag the hard drive.
* Make a complete backup of your system. If you have the necessary software, create an image (in other words, an exact snapshot saved to a file) of your entire hard drive(s). If not, use Windows’ own backup software to create a complete backup. At the very least, save off your important data files to removable media. You must do this. Should something go awry and you lose the contents of the drive, you will regret it if you don’t back everything up.

Remember Your Activations!
If you have applications that require activation, those may be tied to some portion of your existing motherboard. The most obvious of these is Windows itself. However, a number of other applications, including some games and Adobe applications, may also require activations.

The best thing to do is to deactivate and uninstall these apps. This is particularly true for Adobe apps. You can then reinstall and reactivate as needed after your motherboard upgrade is done. Of course, you’ll also want the correct CD key or serial numbers for those apps. In the case of Windows, you may not be able to activate over the Internet, but will need to talk to a live human through the Windows activation phone line. We’ve never had a reactivation turned down using this method. Continued… Now that you’ve tidied up, backed up, and generally prepared the software, it’s time to do battle with the hardware. The first step, of course, is to remove the outgoing motherboard. Let’s hope your computer case doesn’t have any sharp edges. Tips ahoy:

* Make sure you have plenty of room to operate. Clean off a workbench and place the off, unplugged system upon it. Make absolutely sure there aren’t any metal shavings or other metal detritus on the bench.

* Be static-safe: Plant your feet and ground yourself before touching any electronics. If you move your feet, repeat the process.

* Have some sort of repository ready for screws that would otherwise roll or get scattered away. Old 35mm film canisters work well, as do paint can tops, shot glasses, or (clean) ashtrays. As you pull screws, drop them in the container for easy access later when you’re reassembling the system.

* Pull as many wires as you can from the board before you pull it out of the case. It’s easier to remove data and power cables with the board screwed tight into the enclosure.

* Leave the CPU, cooler, and memory in place until the board is out. It’s much easier to remove them (or just discard them if you’re upgrading everything) when they’re out of the case.

* Keep any expansion cards you remove from the PC in antistatic bags, especially if you plan to transfer them to the new system. Set them in a safe place until you’re ready to place them into the newly remodeled computer.

* Leave the cabling in place, but move it out of the way. Sure, you have to pull cables from the motherboard, but you don’t have to pull the other ends. Leave the cables in your system’s hard drive, optical drive, media card reader, and so on; simply pull them aside or cram them in a handy crevice to make room for board swapping.

* If your case has a removable drive mount rack, remove it to make more room for trading the motherboards.

* Pull the motherboard up by the edges as much as possible. If you must grab something else, grab a plastic expansion slot; don’t move the board by the CPU cooler, the installed memory, or the various north- and south-bridge heat sinks.

* Place the board and any components you won’t need in antistatic bags and keep them safe until you know you won’t need them (say, in case the new board is a nonworking dud). You might even place the old board in the box your new motherboard came in, relabeling it with a marker. Continued…

Now it’s time to reverse the process and install the brand-new motherboard, and any other new components, into the system currently under the proverbial surgical knife. Here are the tips:

* Unbox the motherboard and examine it. Familiarity will make life easier, especially if it’s significantly different from your old one. Know where the SATA and, if necessary, IDE and floppy ports are. Check out the CPU socket if it’s different from your old one (it’s quite a culture shock to go from an AMD-style ZIF (zero insertion force) socket to an Intel-style LGA (land grid array) socket).

* Also examine the extra stuff that came with your new board. You’ll probably have SATA cables, an IDE cable, a floppy cable, some expansion brackets for USB and/or IEEE 1394 ports with onboard headers, a book and CD or DVD, and, depending on the price point of your board and the generosity of the manufacturer, other goodies. Decide whether you plan to use any of it, and unwrap that which you will.

* Check the layout of screw holes in the board and brass standoffs in the case. Make sure they all match up, and move any brass standoffs that do not match with motherboard screw holes.

* Install the CPU, CPU cooler, and memory before you insert the board into the case. It’s far easier to do that on a nice, flat surface than it is when the board is deep within the confines of the enclosure.
* Lay the board on the corner of the case and attach as much cabling as you can. It’s easier to attach cables with the board out of the case than with it buried within. Attach SATA, IDE, and floppy data cables to their ports; front-panel connectors to the front panel headers; any expansion bracket ports you wish to use to the proper headers; and even the power supply cables.

* Lower the board into the case by the edges. Again, if you have to maneuver it by a component, avoid the RAM and cooling parts in favor of expansion slots.

* Screw the case into place with every screw available. Secure it solidly within the case. With electricity and fan action comes vibration: Using every available screw will cut down on vibration that can eventually cause premature failure of the board.

* Finally, replace any straggling wires, add expansion cards and you’re almost ready.

* When you first start the system up, do it with the case open. Make sure the PC will POST before you even think of sealing it up. You might even launch Windows once before you close the case. There’s some sort of law of nature that says if you close the case too early, something will be loose or unplugged and you’ll just have to open it again. Continued…

A Windows computer doesn’t relish the idea of getting new insides. Windows installs hoards of low-level subsystem drivers on installation, and when you change-up the low-level subsystems the OS gets fidgety. Here are some tips to make its reentry a bit smoother:

* Begin by letting it do its thing. It will run its driver installation routine for what might seem like hours. Let it install all its low-level stuff; anything you install manually will supersede Windows’ built-in drivers.

* As dialog boxes appear asking for discs or driver locations, click Cancel on them. You’ll install any drivers Windows doesn’t already have on your own.

* Windows will probably want to reboot between two and fifty times (we’re kidding!) before it lets you install drivers. Allow it to do so.

* When the time comes that Windows finally stops installing its own drivers, start installing your own. Do them in this order: Motherboard core INF files; then any other motherboard drivers (SATA/RAID, Ethernet, audio, and so on); then graphics; then any other devices that aren’t working.

* If you’re unsure about which devices need drivers, use Device Manager. It’s available in the System area of Control Panel and presents a list of devices in the computer. Devices lacking drivers will appear with an alert icon near their entries.

* When your drivers are all installed, you should be through with the process. Enjoy your new souped up computer!

Upgrading your motherboard doesn’t have to be an adverse experience. Our tips should help you streamline your motherboard install, reduce frustration, and enable a smooth transition.