Possible to replace MB, CPU, Memory and recover the OEM OS?

[Fogyreef]

Dad's pc seems to be a victim of a power surge. Out of warranty. Drive is intact and spins, lights and fans come on, but zero video signal. No beeps.

He's elderly and I really don't want to disrupt what he's used to; where things are, what odds and ends he has installed, but I'm dying to upgrade his hardware.

Is there any way to upgrade the mb, cpu and memory and adapt the old OS to the new hardware? 

[Grzwacz]

Hi Fogyreef

My understanding on this is as follows:

Microsoft ties the operating system to the motherboard. So if you replace the motherboard using the exact part number used by HP it is possible to get the operating system activated after installation. Phone contact is the usual way this happens. You need the 25 character product key included in the COA sticker affixed to the tower.

If you upgrade the motherboard to a different product then Microsoft will probably deny activation.  HP will not help. You have created a new PC by installing a different motherboard. You will have to purchase a new Windows 7 product key.

Amazon is still selling Windows 7 product keys and installation media. 

Grzy

[Fogyreef]

Thank you.  I don't mind reactivating, my main concern is keeping his OS intact. He's got some oldtimey software on it and a file system he's familiar with that I don't want to mess with.

I was looking at replacing the motherboard:

A search for N-Alvorix-RS880-uATX (Alvorix) returns HP 620887-001 Pavilion Socket AM3 DDR3 SDRAM. For the purposes of satisfying the OEM OS, are these compatible?

[Grzwacz · Accepted solution]

Hi Fogyreef

You are welcome

Yes, that replacement MB will work.

You may have a problem using the HP Recovery disc set if you would ever need to recover to factory condition. HP inserts code in the BIOS that talks to the HP Recovery discs.

You should be able to load Windows 7 after replacing the damaged hardware if the HDD has not been damaged. You will probably then have to contact Microsoft to activate. 

But you may have to devise a whole HDD backup/recovery plan if you ever need to recover the operating system.

If you have to rebuild the system because the HP Recovery media does not work you can legally download a Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64 bit) .ISO image from Heidoc. You want to download the COEM version. You can then download drivers at this PC's HP Support site.

Grzy