Upgrade hardware from Intel to AMD but without reinstalling Windows.

Hello,

Windows is more forgiving when you change CPUs or hardware than it used to be, since before, during the Windows XP ages, Windows would bluescreen and complain about the change of hardware and refuse to go to Windows entirely, but that's not the case anymore. Nowadays, you can change hardware for the most part and Windows will mostly act as if nothing happened.

Make sure that your new motherboard has a Windows license, and that you have linked your Microsoft account in your old build.

Once you have done that, go to Device Manager and uninstall all Intel related drivers and devices. You might have to enable hidden devices at the top to do that.

Once that's done, open a Command Prompt window and type shutdown -s -t 0 to shutdown your PC completely.

Then, change your parts as you wish.

After you do that, plug the hard drive in, make sure all of the parts are seated and inserted correctly, and then turn the PC on. Let Windows initialize the drivers and discover your parts, and then you should be able to log into Windows.

I would make a backup of your system just in case, whether that uses Macrium Reflect, AOMEI Backupper, EaseUS Todo Backupper, CloneZilla, RescueZilla, or even dd.

Some things to note:

• Windows might deactivate itself
  • After changing the motherboard, Windows will most likely deactivate itself. As long as the new motherboard has a Windows license, you'll be fine. If not, try using the Activation Troubleshooter to see if you can activate Windows.
• Compatibility problems
  • After significantly changing hardware, it is recommended to clean install Windows as it gets rid of everything Intel from before and replaces it with stock Windows with AMD things.

Hope this helps.

Hello,

By devices in Device Manager, I mean things like the processor, chipset drivers, and other things Intel.

By devices during the "Getting devices ready" screen, I mean your CPU, GPU, RAM, disks, WI-Fi cards, ethernet, and other peripherals.

Hope this clears things up.

Hello,

Windows is more forgiving when you change CPUs or hardware than it used to be, since before, during the Windows XP ages, Windows would bluescreen and complain about the change of hardware and refuse to go to Windows entirely, but that's not the case anymore. Nowadays, you can change hardware for the most part and Windows will mostly act as if nothing happened.

Make sure that your new motherboard has a Windows license, and that you have linked your Microsoft account in your old build.

Once you have done that, go to Device Manager and uninstall all Intel related drivers and devices. You might have to enable hidden devices at the top to do that.

Once that's done, open a Command Prompt window and type shutdown -s -t 0 to shutdown your PC completely.

Then, change your parts as you wish.

After you do that, plug the hard drive in, make sure all of the parts are seated and inserted correctly, and then turn the PC on. Let Windows initialize the drivers and discover your parts, and then you should be able to log into Windows.

I would make a backup of your system just in case, whether that uses Macrium Reflect, AOMEI Backupper, EaseUS Todo Backupper, CloneZilla, RescueZilla, or even dd.

Some things to note:

• Windows might deactivate itself
  • After changing the motherboard, Windows will most likely deactivate itself. As long as the new motherboard has a Windows license, you'll be fine. If not, try using the Activation Troubleshooter to see if you can activate Windows.
• Compatibility problems
  • After significantly changing hardware, it is recommended to clean install Windows as it gets rid of everything Intel from before and replaces it with stock Windows with AMD things.

Hope this helps.

I think the old/current Z97 build is linked to my Microsoft account. The X870E motherboard is brand new never been used, so I don't think it's licensed by Windows yet.

What devices are you referring to?

Hi Nick,

My name is Igor, it's a pleasure for me to help others and I'll try to help you.

Likely your current Windows installation will start with new hardware and install needed drivers during several reboots.

But for safety you may create a backup before trying.

If you want to move your installation from SATA to M.2 drive, you may use cloning tools. Personally, I moved Windows from MBR SATA drive with Intel hardware to UEFI M.2 drive on AMD using BootIt Bare Metal. Sorry, I can say nothing about EaseUs.