Suppose I upgrade my mobo....

  • Thread starter Thread starter formerlyfzfile
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formerlyfzfile

formerlyfzfile

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Do I have to re-install all of the software???

I found out the Layla I bought super-cheap wont work with AMD K6-2 prcessors, which is what I have. But I know that the Layla is a good unit and I figure that I could get a new bare-bones kit for about 100-200 beans and install all my old drives and Layla and then slap another drive and old soundcard into the old unit and have two computers.

One to multi-track on and the old one to use like a master DAT 2 track.

I am more comfortable using a "real" mixer.

But can I just plug my drives right back in or re-load the whole kit????

-mike
 
You will need to re-format.
The new mobo will not have the same drivers, usb config. and controllers.
 
Wow....

...if I have one small drive (10gb) for the apps and and a larger (40gb) "data" drive with alll the audio, will I have to re-format both????


How would I save my audio files????

-mike
 
It's a little more complicated than that.

If you are using Windows 98 or ME, you should not have to re-format. When you first turn on the system after the upgrade the OS will flip out for sure, find lots of new hardware, but if you feed it all the right drivers it SHOULD come out OK.

If you are using Windows XP (which I doubt if you have a K-6) it is likely that the machine will not boot up. But even in this case you might not be lost. You would want to boot up from the XP CD, run Install, and select "repair an existing installation". You should then be able to finish the install and when done have a working system that preserves all your applications and settings.

However, a bigger problem is hardware. If you have a K-6 processor then you probably have what is known as an “AT” style motherboard and case. Any motherboard you buy today will be an “ATX” style and will not be compatible with your case or power supply. And in all likelihood not your RAM either.

If you want to do a decent upgrade, you will probably wind up buying a new case & PS / motherboard /cpu / RAM. You c an then re-use your hard drives, floppy, CD-Drives, video card, and sound card. If you have kids or friends who would benefit from a hand-me-down, or think you could use a second machine just for web surfing & such, you may just want to buy a whole new PC for music and keep the old one for web/general purpose use. - RW
 
I have XP Pro running on a K6/500 (FIC PA-2013). With 256mb ram, it is acceptable.

A fresh install is the right thing to do. You can attempt to lift up the radiator cap, and slide in a new car underneath it, but expect it to be problematic. Windows is problematic enough already, why ask for trouble?

If going this route, get a complete data backup first.

You will need it.

:D
 
Thats my plan RWhite....

I figure I can get a bare bones kit and put all the hardware in it.

I guess its no big deal to reformat the OS drive and re-install all of the apps ........but I got quite a bit of audio on the data drive and I got it all patitioned nicely.

98SE btw.

NOW>>>>>>>>>>

...................what kind of board should I be looking for???????

I'll do a search but feel free to give any input.


I dont want to spend more that $200 for case/mobo/chip/psu.

I dont "need" 2gig of processor.

I've been ussing a 500 for a while and its does the job.


thanks

-mike
 
IMO, you get what you pay for.

I use Antec cases because they come with Antec power supplies. Good stuff. The cases are well designed, have multiple fan bays and are great to work with. Expect to part with $100 or more for an Antec case and PSU.

I have good luck with ABit boards, and insist on boards that continue to provide the 4-hole mounting system for processor heat sinks. I refuse to use a clip-on heat sink on hot rod processors, because they far exceed the weight spec (300 grams) for the processor socket. I use Alpha PAL8045 heat sinks which are at least 650 grams alone. Add the fan, etc, and it gets heavy in a hurry.

Artic Silver heat paste is a must if you are running a processor with any amount of horse power. All processors run hot, and the premium grade paste transfers heat better to a premium grade heat sink. I pay about $50 for the PAL8045 with a Panaflo fan.

The purpose of building your own is not saving money. Buy a Dell if money is the first concern. They ship complete machines at prices I cannot touch at my wholesale cost for just the parts. Refurbished Dell machines are also something to consider. They either work, or don't. If they last 100 hours of power-on operation, they will last for the long haul.
 
FormerlyFZfile

I can confirm what RWhite says, having done precisely this same thing.

Win98SE bleated at me a few times about finding new hardware, but boot it most certainly did.

In the end though, I lobbed everything - including OS - onto a new WD 120GB drive simply because it's faster than my old 6.4GB drive.

I bought an Asus P4PE and a P4 2.4GHz cpu. Both these items can be bought at bargain-basement rates now because I suspect they are close to end-of-model runout.

--
Bluesmeister
 
For best results, I would install the OS on a new system AFTER formatting - do a clean install. I had my HD partitioned, so this wasn't a big deal. On partition was solely used for the OS, the others for apps and data. I'm running two WD HD's (120 gigs a piece) one for the OS and apps, the other exclusively for audio.

I'm running a Gina using a new Asus A7V8X mobo (VIA KT400 chipset), AMD XP 2100+ CPU, with 512 PC2100 ram (Crucial Memory). I've had zero problems with this setup. People have bitched about the VIA chipsets and yes, they may be problematic in some configurations, but with Echo products I've has zero troubles with VIA.

The above setup can be had for about $180. I purchased from Newegg.com and got good product with good service.

For CPU cooling I am using the Zalman CNPS6000AlCu. This thing runs pretty quiet (if you don't plan on overclocking - which I wouldn't for audio recording anyway). This will run you about $30-35, but is worth the investment. It WILL keep your cpu running cool. I used Arctic Alumina thermal compound on the CPU for good heat transfer to the cooler.

Good luck,

Warren
 
The Layla is defective.....

But I got back the mesely 120 buck I paid and with much hassle and a mic trade got a NEW Delta 44.

But I am still interested in upping my system.

The A7V8X-X is the board I'm looking at with an 1800+.

But as far as cases go........is there anything out there thats flat.....i.e. that a monitor would sit on.....like a Carillion case but not a rackmount .....just flat. ????????????

thanks

-mike
 
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