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I am thinking of upgrading my CPU and Motherboard but am not interested in reinstalling my Windows 10 operating system. I know it is possible to keep my installed OS running, but I have read conflicting perceptions about how this may affect system integrity, in particular, how stable & functional the operating system is after such a drastic hardware upgrade.

One seemingly reputable person said here that upgrading the CPU & Motherboard without reinstalling the OS can cause serious havoc. In other articles people said it was fine. I suppose this will vary from OS to OS, but I am wondering how well Windows 10 will be at handling this scenario (like fixing driver issues etc) ?

In this thread that deals with a similar issue, the first answer explains how Sysprep can be used to mitigate the fallout of a drastic hardware change. It seems that this would be a good method, so my question is this:

Will using Sysprep before a drastic hardware upgrade prevent system instability? If so, why are so many people saying that that leaving the OS intact is so detrimental to system stability?

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    How is this different to the question you asked earlier today, where I said you could experience anything from no boot through to successful boot and a driver upgrade?
    – spikey_richie
    Commented Jul 15, 2020 at 19:23
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    it is different because the original question was deemed to broad (and shut down without my consent or input), so I chose to simply start a new question.
    – Kalamalka Kid
    Commented Jul 16, 2020 at 7:40

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Your scenario isnt what Sysprep is designed to do. Sysprep is a tool to "generalize" an image. It wipes out user, company, and some system information, so that the image can be distributed. In essence, it reverts to a "fresh install" of windows, that isnt fresh. It includes any of the good and bad things that were present before Sysprepping. Sysprep does uninstall custom drivers, but they are still present if needed. In your case, you might need to install custom drivers for the new hardware. So this doesnt benefit you in any way. You would in essence revert your machine to a less usable state and gain nothing for it.

You could swap the hardware and it might work perfectly. Alternately, you can do all the prep work and have any necessary drivers preinstalled and it might not work at all. Personally, on such a major upgrade, I would do a fresh install of Windows 10. It doesnt take long to install and you will actually have a clean, fresh install with nothing old lingering around. I think the time spent reinstalling software, copying data back, etc, is far faster, easier, and less frustrating than troubleshooting driver issues or dealing with a non booting machine.

See this Microsoft article of Sysprep for more information.

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  • thanks for weighing in. Some people say it will work, others say its not worth it, and some say use sysprep, while others say its not to be used for that. Since I have no experience in swapping hardware while trying to preserve my OS, I no longer know who to believe or what to do. I guess I ill just have to keep asking around and make a guess on the most widely accepted theory. Thanks .
    – Kalamalka Kid
    Commented Jul 16, 2020 at 4:34
  • @KalamalkaKid My answer isnt theory, its fact. Sysprep will do nothing to help your situation, as it isnt designed to do what you are asking. Did you read the article from MS I posted?
    – Keltari
    Commented Jul 16, 2020 at 11:42
  • yes I read it. I also read a lot of other articles that tell people its the right thing to do because it purges drivers that may cause conflicts. I dont disagree or agree. @Ramhound previously said here in his deleted answer that sysprep would fix everything. I just dont know who to believe!
    – Kalamalka Kid
    Commented Jul 16, 2020 at 16:59
  • @Keltari sysprep will remove specialised drivers, so you won't get a BSOD when booting with the new hardware. Then you can install new drivers from the manufacturer of the new components and get on with your live. At least this is what I understood from multiple articles. And I disagree, it is way more complicated to install a new Windows, set all preferences, install all apps and configure them, restore all bookmarks, licenses, etc. If you only use the PC for gaming, indeed, install Steam and you're done.
    – mBardos
    Commented Apr 12 at 13:21

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