Replacing faulty Motherboard

[Winkle]

I currently have an Asus P5KC motherboard that's caused me no end of trouble so i am returning it, i plan to get an Asus P5k deluxe (or something similar any suggestions?), when i do source my new motherboard what will i have to do to get the pc up and running again?

I only have 1 harddrive and obviously it already has the current mother board chipset drivers and Vista installed on it. Will i just be able to connect up the new motherboard and install the new drivers? I have heard something about Vista being tied to the mobo you install it on, my copy of Vista is OEM if that makes a difference.

[Rishi]

You'll have to get in touch with MS about the OEM Vista issue, it is tied to your current mobo. I think they are cool if your motherboard has to be replaced due to a fault.

Is this the one your looking for: HEXUS.net - Review :: ASUS P5K Deluxe WiFi Edition - Bearlake with all the trimmings : Page - 1/12 its a great board and pretty sweet at overclocking, not sure if your into that or not?

[Winkle]

That is indeed the board, although i really don't have any need for wifi, can you get the same board without wifi? Hopefully cheaper!

Is there any difference between the p5k premium and the deluxe?

[Rishi]

As far as I know I think its just the number of USB and SATA connections. I think the Premium also has WiFi too?

From a quick google there doesnt seem to be that much of a price difference between the two.

[Winkle]

After looking at the specs of the 2 mobo's it would appera that the premium and the deluxe are almost identical, however both come with wifi which i don't require.

I may go for the Maximus Formula instead, it's only £20 more but is probably one of the best baords around currently and hopefully a lot more stable than my dodgy P5KC.

[Winkle]

Back to the first question, if i replace the motherboard what will the HD do? will it recognise the new mobo and boot, or do i need to reformat it? currently with a faulty mobo i don't quite see how i can do this.

[azrael]

As long as you get the same HDD controller on the board, vista should boot and load the extra drivers, you will need to re activate though that isn't a problem really. The alternative if you wish to change chipset is to buy a cheap SATA or IDE PCI or PCIe add in HDD controller install and load the drivers in Vista before you send the old board back. Once you have the replacement, hook up your drive to the add in HDD controller, let it boot and install the drivers. Then you can power down hook it up to the on board controller and keep or sell the add in HDD controller.

[azrael]

Further to my previous post, if the difference in hardware is dramatic, you may need to do a repair by booting from the Vista Disc but the process leaves all your files and programs intact.