putting a Windows system disk in another motherboard (even it is the same model)?

Veryaton

Average Stuffer
Original poster
Feb 28, 2017
65
31
Hi. I have a question. I aks here because I don't know where ask.
I have two SFF equipments, and I want to keep only one, with the best components. That means putting the system disk A (Windows 10) on motherboard B with CPU B. The motherboards are the same model, but motherboard A loses the bios settings when power is lost.
I believe that being the same motherboard there should be no problem (same drivers) but as I have never done it I am not sure. Please, I need help, what do you think? Could to be problems putting a Windows system disk in another motherboard (even it is the same model)?
 

Popstar

Chassis Packer
Feb 13, 2016
19
14
You should be fine as far as drivers go.

Windows 8.1/10 are fairly tolerant of motherboard swaps even to totally different chipsets.

You may need to reactivate Windows however. So make sure you have your serial number handy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Veryaton

AcquaCow

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jul 14, 2017
113
84
I've moved my win7 install between 3 different motherboards, even moved it from x58, to z97, to x99...and then back to x58.

Just gotta make sure you have all the drivers pre-installed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Veryaton

rfarmer

Spatial Philosopher
Jul 7, 2017
2,588
2,702
Actually you don't even need to worry about installing the drivers before hand, Win 10 will install any that are needed after you boot up. Like @Popstar said you might need to reactivate Windows, that happens if it detects too many hardware changes and thinks it is a different computer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Veryaton

dfrgu

Trash Compacter
Mar 11, 2019
51
43
There is s tool called sysprep, located in Windows/system32/Sysprep. If you check the box "Generalize" and click OK, Windows will set it to the state like the system is just installed. After windows shut down, you can move you disk to another system and windows will configure it to fit the new hardware setup automatically.
 

VegetableStu

Shrink Ray Wielder
Aug 18, 2016
1,949
2,619
There is s tool called sysprep, located in Windows/system32/Sysprep. If you check the box "Generalize" and click OK, Windows will set it to the state like the system is just installed. After windows shut down, you can move you disk to another system and windows will configure it to fit the new hardware setup automatically.
commenting to save (W10 reset sysprep)
 

AcquaCow

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jul 14, 2017
113
84
Actually you don't even need to worry about installing the drivers before hand, Win 10 will install any that are needed after you boot up. Like @Popstar said you might need to reactivate Windows, that happens if it detects too many hardware changes and thinks it is a different computer.
Well, not true if win10 doesn't have your storage drivers natively. Jumping from sata to nvme isn't do-able w/o pre-installing the nvme drivers.
 

rfarmer

Spatial Philosopher
Jul 7, 2017
2,588
2,702
Well, not true if win10 doesn't have your storage drivers natively. Jumping from sata to nvme isn't do-able w/o pre-installing the nvme drivers.

I have actually cloned a 2.5 SSD to a M.2 SSD and installed that to a different motherboard with different CPU and Chipset, so actually it will work.
 

sheepdog43

Caliper Novice
Feb 17, 2019
25
12
Early installs of Win10 may have lacked native NVME drivers (I suspect it too may have) but that shouldn't be a problem on an up to date install or ISO.
 

AcquaCow

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jul 14, 2017
113
84
I have actually cloned a 2.5 SSD to a M.2 SSD and installed that to a different motherboard with different CPU and Chipset, so actually it will work.
Well, if it was m.2 sata, that would have been fine, m.2 does not necessarily mean that it's nvme.

There are similar issues with sata though in win7 and win10. If your bios has your sata operating in IDE mode and you switch to AHCI, if you don't have the proper AHCI drivers pre-loaded into windows prior to switching over, windows will bluescreen on boot when it tries to load the OS.
 

Valantar

Shrink Ray Wielder
Jan 20, 2018
2,201
2,225
Well, not true if win10 doesn't have your storage drivers natively. Jumping from sata to nvme isn't do-able w/o pre-installing the nvme drivers.
Well, it would be pretty difficult to move from SATA to NVMe with a drive transplant like the OP said, wouldn't it?
 

AcquaCow

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jul 14, 2017
113
84
Well, it would be pretty difficult to move from SATA to NVMe with a drive transplant like the OP said, wouldn't it?
I swapped my win7 install to a new motherboard that had an m.2 slot.

Upgraded it to windows 10, then plugged in the nvme drive, dd'd the data over to the nvme drive, then booted from it.

You've gotta make sure you get all the UEFI partitions/etc too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Valantar

Valantar

Shrink Ray Wielder
Jan 20, 2018
2,201
2,225
In case anyone should wonder just how robust Windows is in cases like this: I moved my boot drive from my ancient Core2Quad/DDR2/Asus Rampage Formula rig to my new Ryzen system. Drivers installed on the first boot, everything worked perfectly fine. Still reinstalled windows pretty soon on my new NVMe drive, but I had to see if it would work - and indeed it did! :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: Veryaton