Microsoft Windows Server is tied to the hardware upon which it is installed, particularly the hard-drive controller. Moving an existing Windows Server computer to a new set of hardware requires the new hardware to use the same hard-drive controller. For this reason, it is recommended that you use a PCI or PCI-E hard-disk-drive controller card to boot a Windows server instead of the native motherboard ports. In the event of hardware failure or hardware transfer, Windows can still boot from the card and is not tied to the motherboard.
Instructions
1. Install the software drivers for the new hardware before migrating the server to the new hardware, if possible.
2. Physically transfer the server to the new hardware. For example, if the server is migrating from an older motherboard to a newer one, physically replace the older motherboard with the newer one.
3. Power on the Windows Server with the new hardware.
4. Install the software drivers provided with the new hardware.
5. Restart the server so the new drivers take effect.
Tags: hard-drive controller, Install software, Install software drivers, older motherboard, server hardware, software drivers, Windows Server