mobo gone south

[ale52]

Got an Asus P4S800 that has gone bad (boots, goes into BIOS & stays the CPU is set wrong..it isn't, reboots and dies).  Done all the usual (stripped it to video, RAM & PS.  Swapped RAM & PS, reseated CPU, even benched the board) still a no-go.

Question is this: I've looked on Newegg and see that are variations of the P4S800 (D-X, VM, MX, & SE).  Does anyone think I can replace the original board with one of these and not have to go through all the girations of reinstalling the OS (W2kPro) because of the IDE controller on the board.  I'd sure like to avoid that at all costs.

Your thoughts appreciated.

Alan <><  

[GX1_Man]

They are probably more alike than different. I would not anticipate major problems. If so, you would have many MORE problems with any other solution or motherboard.

If you dread a reinstall, I would suggest a nice imaging program like Acronis True Image, etc. In case of disaster your hard drive can be restored from a variety of image files you have made (bare, fully loaded with all drivers and updates, etc.) in a few minutes all by itself.

If you are prepared it is not an ordeal.  

[ale52]

Thanks GX1_Man.  I posted on another BB and one fellow made mention that Asus warranties their boards for 3 years & suggested contacting them.  I'll give that a whack and see what they say.

In the meantime I'll look into Acornis or Norton Ghost as an imaging solution.

I'm also going to purchase some software called ISR-First Defense.  It's sw that images your hdd so if your system gets trashed by some Trojan or whatever, you can boot to this mirror image and you're good-to-go.  

http://leapfrogsoftware.com/

It doesn't, however, eliminate the need for a good backup image to another media!

Appreciate your comment.  

Alan <><  

[GX1_Man]

Acronis is top rate imaging and backup software with great support for about $30 through www.newegg.com (usually) or a little more on the Acronis web site. I have never heard of that other program personally. It has made my life a WHOLE lot easier. I urge you to check out the Acronis web site.

[ale52]

I can do that...I have the technology  

Alan <><