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So I've built my Gigabyte X99 with Intel i7 6850K and 64 GB RAM.

Running Memtest right now, and I'll let it run all night.

So for the OS (Windows 10 Pro), I don't want to re-install it and then reinstall all of my software. I'd prefer to restore my original boot partition from a backup. I use Macrium Reflect, and I have several backups available. The most recent full+incremental set should be just fine.

Before I start, I will back up the current OS partition via macrium from a bootable DVD, then I want to follow the "redeploy to new hardware" function. Does anybody have any advice for me on that, or do the Macrium instructions pretty much work fine?

The memtest hasn't even gotten out of the first pass, so I reread the help file for Reflect. I don't think I need to do a restore, since there's nothing wrong with the disk or partition.

Redeploy requires that you do a restore, but I think that's only if you're restoring to a new disk on a new system. I'm not doing that. I'm just reusing the same disk on a new CPU, motherboard, and memory. Because of this, I think I can just do a "redeploy" on my OS partition.

Your thoughts?

Run Memtest from Hiren, not within Windows. Beyond that I'd deploy your backup, delete all drivers within device manager except for network and run Windows update, then manually hunt down drivers for things like USB3, chipset and video and replace what Windows installed. Then use an application like regcleaner (http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/regcleaner.html) and carefully remove entries that no longer need to be there, or leave it alone if you're not sure.

*This is what I'd do, I'm sure the very next poster is going to give you better advice.

I would personally image my os drive and appropriate drives that might be linked.  Then I would boot them to see if they work. 

Then I would go through the process of of restoring, etc. 

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I'm lazy when it comes to restores, I would then proceed to boot the current drive in the new system and see if it boots (yea I'm lame).  Then I would delete/ and install the appropriate drivers that no longer exist.  If I remember correctly you have an x79ws.  I assume your os drive is in port 1 or 2 (the only 2 intel sata 6 drives)? 

I don't have macrium reflect, so I don't know how well it doesn't or does work in redeploy.  I've only ever used it for imaging.

Hi and thanks!

I'm running Memtest from a DVD that I made a couple months ago; it's not from within Windows. In fact, all my hard drives are currently unplugged.

I suppose it is possible that the chipset drivers for the old X79 will just not get loaded with the new X99. But I'm hoping that Redeploy will remove any unneeded cruft even before my first attempt to boot the system.

By the way, I decided to upgrade my license of Reflect from 5 to 6, so I did that today. It was cheap; $70 for 4 computers (I'm only using 2 of these licenses). Next, I installed version 6 to my laptop, then created a rescue USB from said laptop, including the Win 10 PE environment. Hopefully there won't be any trouble using this rescue thumbdrive to get the process going on the workstation.

Here's my plan for the workstation:

1. Finish up Memtest
2. plug in the SSDs and hard drives, then boot to Macrium Reflect 6 from the new rescue thumbdrive.
3. Take a new backup of my C drive. Not planning to use this backup, but I definitely want a fresh one backed up with Reflect version 6, just in case there's trouble using 6 to restore backups taken under 5.
4. Not do a restore. As mentioned in prior post, I don't think this step will be needed.
5. Use Reflect standalone PE version booted from USB stick, perform Redeploy on my C partition.
6. Boot up, run Windows Update. See what's broken, see what's not.
7. Uninstall any old Asus software associated with the old motherboard.
8. Install any new Gigabyte software for the new motherboard.
9. Go to Corsair and see if there's an update for CorsairLink (management software for the new H80i V2 water pump).
10. Test and update some software. Keep digging, find out if something else is broken. See if I can get F@H running, and join Frankie's Folding party.
11. Take a backup, shut down, install UAD-2 and Firewire cards.
12. Test UAD-2 and make sure I can insert its FX into audio projects.
13. Close up the panels, make sure all fans are running, boot into BIOS and fine-tune fans, etc.
14. Move the system into its permanent location (home office), make all the monitor and USB connections. Plug in the firewire audio interface. Test USB devices and said firewire card and make sure I can get audio/MIDI into/out of the computer.
14. Perform any updates requiring big downloads for my software (everything's gonna be a month or two behind).
15. Take another backup.

I can't think of anything else, but I'm sure things will arise.

Okay, so forget that whole plan above. It seems I over strategized it.

After my backups were done, I thought I'd boot it just for grins. Windows had to apply that big update, and now I realize that it was trying to boot a couple weeks ago and couldn't. There were a ton of pending updates queued up, including that big "feature" update from a week or two ago.

So I let Windows do its thing. I think it booted itself at least 6-8 times.

Came up fine but for F@H complaining about a missing OPENCL.DLL file, so I reinstalled both F@H and my Geforce drivers. Problem fixed.

So far, the system seems to be running just fine. I'm letting a few F@H work units finish up, then I'll install the UAD and firewire cards and move on.

I do still need to clear out the old Asus software and put in the Gigabyte software, but I guess a "redeploy" wasn't needed after all. I wonder if maybe it was because I was going from 2011 to 2011 V3?

Maybe there were just enough similarities that Windows is fine, or maybe there are hidden problems waiting to bite me. No way to know right now.

I found as long as they are the same platform (amd & intel) and correct type of sata mode, they would install correctly.  I can't remember any problems, with doing this.  One time I even went from a laptop to a desktop and just changed the windows key.  I probably would have uninstalled the asus stuff before transferring, but eh, it should uninstall anyways.   

My most recent problem was when I cloned my os drive with samsungs tool, it broke my drives bootloader...  What are you going to do with your old stuff, since I know it was flakey and you couldn't narrow it down.

    

Yeah, uninstalling the Asus applets before the upgrade would have been nice, but I couldn't get the system to boot.

I'm happy now that it's working, however!

BIF wrote:

Yeah, uninstalling the Asus applets before the upgrade would have been nice, but I couldn't get the system to boot.  

I'm happy now that it's working, however!

Ahh, having a working main pc is always better.  Hopefully everything continues to go well

BIF wrote:

Came up fine but for F@H complaining about a missing OPENCL.DLL file, so I reinstalled both F@H and my Geforce drivers.  Problem fixed.was because I was going from 2011 to 2011 V3?  

Yeah, that's the Anniversary Update's fault. The openCL file is still there but for some reason F@H has problems until the NVIDIA drivers are reinstalled.

I don't think you'll run into any problems, worst case the ASUS utility drivers might muck with Gigabyte's utilities until you clear them out but that should be it. 

I had a hell of a time getting rid of AI Suite II; wouldn't uninstall and the "cleaner" from Asus didn't work.

I ended up booting into safe mode, then renaming my C:\program files(x86)\Asus\AI Suite folder to ~(old). That stopped several unwanted services from starting, though it's a bit messy. I still have to go find all those tumbleweeds and remove them from my registry.

I did install several of the Gigabyte motherboard tools and their "apps" applet. Not bad. There's an app for changing the color of the LED, although it doesn't do me much good because my radiator and push-pull fans do a pretty good job of blocking my memory slots and the part of the motherboard where those LEDs are located.

I also installed the latest versions of Reflect and Corsair Link.

Taking backups now and getting ready to vacuum the room where it's going to go. More tumbleweeds. I can't believe dustballs are mostly skin, hair, and clothing. But then I have to clean out the dryer lint trap and I realize how much dander humans slough into the air. It's like we're made of carpet or something worse than wookies!

One of the best things about Windows 10 is that it supports almost everything without the need for GODDAMN ASIAN SOFTWARE.

I have been in the PC business for nearly two decades, and an enthusiast for longer. My loathing of Asian software utilities and "drivers" is not without substantial, numerous, and depressingly-repetitive reason.

Not sure how that applies, except that maybe there's a cultural root cause that results in less (or poorer) collaboration between hardware makers and driver developers.

That's what I think it is. Bad drivers and unreliable or bad management software happens when there's no communication between the hardware and software teams. And maybe that happens more often in some parts of the world than in others.

There was a time when nearly ALL motherboard management utilities were so bad that they would result in BSODs. This hasn't been a problem for me now for at least my last 3 or 4 hardware upgrades.

It's just a guess.

Hmmm, now that I think about it, things started getting better when I got rid of all of my Norton software about 15 years ago. Could there be a connection?

thecoldanddarkone wrote:

I found as long as they are the same platform (amd & intel) and correct type of sata mode, they would install correctly.  I can't remember any problems, with doing this.  One time I even went from a laptop to a desktop and just changed the windows key.  I probably would have uninstalled the asus stuff before transferring, but eh, it should uninstall anyways.   

My most recent problem was when I cloned my os drive with samsungs tool, it broke my drives bootloader...  What are you going to do with your old stuff, since I know it was flakey and you couldn't narrow it down.

   

As long as matching SATA and UEFI/Legacy boot mode are set, windows 10 can actually detect other hardware changes during boot-up and apply driver changes accordingly. This process takes longer and requires a reboot, then everything is normal afterwards. 

Fascinating. "System, heal thyself!"