Hi,This is not another "is this CPU, GPU or MB good for MSFS?"- thread, rather a basic PC-build question.But I am planning to swap my entire MB with CPU, GPU and RAM with a new one. I would keep my good cabinet and Harddrive, and also my current PSU, since it is more than adequate for the new Hardware I have in mind.I would also keep the harddrive, mainly because it has my OS, and last but not least; it has tons and tons of add-ons that would take me weeks if not months to reinstall.So my question is; is it possible to change Motherboard and its component, keep the harddisk, and then avoid a complete reformat of the harddrive?Best regards,Anders

It´s possible at all. I did so, swapped exactly the same (except from the GPU) and it worked. But I had te problem that my windows would´t start after I insterted the new parts but some guys at my local computer shop got it working again without reinstalling. I think my failure was not to install the new MOBO and CPU drivers before I changed the parts. Maybe you can do this prior to swapping in safe mode. I think then it should work.

Hi,A re-format is not always necessary, but a fresh install of the OS is often best. Too many drivers and settings are carried over. Yes, some things would need to be re-installed, but not nearly as much as with a re-format.

So my question is; is it possible to change Motherboard and its component, keep the harddisk, and then avoid a complete reformat of the harddrive?

With W7, yes. Plenty folks report having done so successfully on this forum.Cheers,- jahman.