How to Swap from AMD to Intel CPU processor without reinstalling Windows : Step-by-Step Guide for a Smooth Transition 🔄🔧💻

You will confirm get bluescreen after changing CPU

I, like many others, used to wonder if a Windows PC running on an AMD Ryzen processor could be moved to an Intel processor PC. The general advice on forums is to perform a clean format and reinstall Windows OS. However, this can be a hassle, as it requires reinstalling all existing programs, configurations, and shortcuts. 

Initially after moving the hard disk from an AMD Ryzen PC to Intel PC, the PC will hit a bluescreen with SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED or INACCESIBLE BOOT DEVICE. The root cause of this is that there were the PC was booting up into an Intel PC but in the OS it is expecting an AMD PC hardware. As such, removal of the AMD Ryzen drivers are necessary.

I can attest that it is possible to do this without a full reinstall, as I have done it several times. 

Here are the steps to fix it:

1. Boot into Safe Mode by pressing F8 during PC bootup.

Windows Safe Mode is a diagnostic startup mode that loads only the essential system drivers and services. It’s used to troubleshoot and resolve issues such as software conflicts, driver problems, or malware infections. In Safe Mode, Windows operates with a minimal set of drivers and services, allowing users to identify and fix problems that might prevent the operating system from starting normally.

2. Select "Advanced options."

3. Choose "Safe Mode Type. To select 4 or 5 both are ok, then Windows will reboot"

4. Log into Windows.

5. Open "Programs and Features" locate and uninstall the AMD chipset software.

6. Delete or rename the following AMD directories/folders :

c:\AMD

c:\Program Files (x86)\AMD

c:\Program Files\AMD

7. Open Device Manager, select "View" and then "Show hidden devices."

Look for "Processors" and locate any greyed-out AMD processors under Processors category. Right-click and select "Uninstall" to remove them.

Browse through all items in Device Manager and remove any greyed-out AMD-related devices, as they are no longer relevant. Device Manager in Windows allows users to view, manage, and troubleshoot hardware devices and drivers. Greyed-out icons in Device Manager indicate that the hardware is either disabled, not connected, or not functioning correctly. 

Once done, reboot the PC, and it should boot normally into Windows without a blue screen. Additionally, I took the opportunity to replace the motherboard's CMOS (full name is Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) battery (CR2032) with a new one.

I’ve moved my hard disk between AMD and Intel PCs several times, as I’ve stopped buying new PCs in recent years. All my PCs are second-hand, which is why they sometimes have AMD processors and sometimes Intel. I find that PC processing power has reached a certain limit, and chips from the past 10 years are still sufficient for general tasks like web browsing and working on office documents.