Is there a "workaround" when upgrading the MOBO and processor when using XP? The last time I did it I had to reload winxp and you know the rest, ALL my FS goodies. I don't want to have to do it again. Last I heard about a year ago was that it isn't uprade friendly. Thanks for your thoughts,Rob

I don't think any OS is very friendly when you change the hardware and expect the OS to just pick up the pieces and play-on! The OS has drivers for the hardware, especially different CPU manufacturers and controller chips. All of a sudden, it doesn't recognize the information coming from the MOBO.You can try installing you new MOBO, boot to the safe mode, delete some of the installed drivers that you know will be different, reboot, and hope the OS picks up the default drivers so you can install updated drivers.Another reason to reformat the OS and install a fresh copy is the pollution of the system registry. You would not believe all the hooks left in the registry over time for programs you thought you uninstalled completely. When booting, the OS reads the entire registry and tries to place things. You will be amazed how fast the OS boots with a fresh copy over a well-used copy.Lastly, remember to update the OS with all the service packs.

You might wanna consider investing in a second hard drive. Install the drive before changing your hardware and copy your FS2002 stuff onto it.Then you're free to make a nice, fresh install of Windows (I'll second wsieffert's advice on not keeping your existing OS. I recently tried it and it caused the system to be quite unstable... and it may interfere with your diagnostics if the setup doesn't work quite right when you first start up. Systems often seem to need a bit of tweaking here and there, Bios settings, drivers, etc when installing new MBs and CPUs. A clean install of Windows will help you iron them out, without the need to be too precious about an old Windows setup.Once your new system is up and running, simply install FS2002 and replace the new FS2002 folder with your backed-up folder! Bingo!A fairly small Second hard drive to meet your needs will cost very little in cash, but perhaps will save a good few hours of your time!Somewhere in the region of

Another problem you may face is activation of Windows XP after a complete reinstall. Changed my AMD 1900+ to a 2400+ and upgraded the MoBo to a newer Gigabyte VT400 board. When attempting to reinstall XP, Microsoft activation would not work. It must have thought I was installing on another machine. This calls for a phone call to Microsoft and an exchange of about 54 numbers....You to them then them back to you....takes about 10 mins......XP does'nt like you changing out components....I bought the full version of XP and I will have to go through this every time I reformat and reinstall. I have a backup slave drive to keep all my files and as suggested that is the way to go.... JayDub