Help Needed

[Just_learning]

Hi Guys ....... Im a TOTAL newby at this PC upgrade/building (but hey, one has to start somewere ...... ;) )

I need to put a new hard drive in our home PC to upgrade from win ME to XP (old drive only 10G and pretty full)

I want to keep the old drive as slave.

Is anyone willing to run through the prosess with me, on how to install the new HD and load OEM XP.

Thanks

[jlreich]

Hello Just_learning, and welcome to the PcGuide forums. :)

Hey we were all newbies at one time. ;)

The only thing to worry about is BIOS limitations on how big of a drive it will recognize. Since you are upgrading from ME your system is at least a few years old.

So what are your system specs and what hard drive do you have in mind already if any? Or do you already have the new drive?

Once we have that figured out it's easy breezy. :)

[Just_learning]

Hi jlreich,

My PC is a P3 950 celeron, with a Chaintech 6AIV motherboard (socket 370 with a Via PLE133 + VT8231 chipset) and 512Mb Ram

I'm looking to put in a 80G HD

Hope this is what you need and thanks a stack for your help

Cheers
Essie

[Whyzman]

With IDE cables, you would want to set the jumpers on the back of the new drive to Master and switch places with the old drive on the cable. Without knowing exactly how you have other IDE devices hooked up, I'm going to just suggest that you place the old drive also as master but on the secondary IDE. If you've already an optical drive on the secondary IDE I would just change the jumpers to slave.

Normal positions are Master on the end of the cable and Slave position is in the center.

Go into the BIOS and change the boot order to your optical drive (CD-ROM) being first in line. You would then shutdown and reboot with the WinXP CD in the drive. It is self-booting.

One thing you might want to seriously consider is partitioning this 80G drive into, say, 4-20s, or something similar. A drive this large works well to have Windows and your programs loaded onto one partition and your important data onto the others. That way, if you run into a problem with Windows you can reformat only its partition and it won't affect your important data...

[Just_learning]

Thanks Whyzman .....

I have other IDE devices hooked up so I will have to set the old drive to slave. I've been to SEAGATE (both drives will be seagate) and have checked the jumper settings, so I should be ok there.

The bit I'm still not sure about is "how/where" to set the BIOS to boot to CD drive....so more detail there will be VERY helpful

Also, once the new HD is installed, will I be able to access the date/programs on my old drive and how do I go about transfering those I want on the new drive over ????

[hockey man]

When ypu boot up your pc you should see something like "Press F1/Del to enter setup." Do what it says. Then you'll have to look around a find the boot order. Usually the CD drive is first, but you should double check. To access DATA just explore the drive for it. I'm not sure how you can runn programs, someone else wilpl have to chime in for that.

[Whyzman]

BIOS is usually accessed in most computers by tapping the Delete key right after you push the power button...

Once there, navigate to the boot order...varies depending on the motherboard...

Yes, you will be able to copy/paste, drag 'n drop, just as you would any file on a harddrive...

However, programs are another story. Once a program is installed, it locates the necessary files, etc., that it uses by drive path. You will find that your newly slaved drive acquired a new drive letter and this will undoubtedly mess things up...

You will need to reinstall the programs once you load XP...also, you will want to make sure that any programs you do want to load or XP compatible. Actually, the same holds true for your other hardware and drivers.

I believe there is a software download the checks your existing hardware for XP compatibility...I'm sorry I don't the link ...

[Whyzman]

Right now, I wouldn't worry too much about hardware compatibility, but I would check your motherboards website and see what they have for XP compatible drivers etc.,

[Just_learning]

Thanks, you guys are all great.

I've been to Chainteck and saved the drivers my MB needs to run XP, to a disk.

Will I get prompted when to install them, or is there a specific point I need to install them. Also are there other drivers I should save at this point, just in case I can't get to them after the new installation????

[Whyzman]

XP has gotten pretty comprehensive in their included driver support for a lot of the hardware. I would check for video card drivers if the video is not onboard...

[jlreich]

I would install the mobo drivers after you finish installing XP.

If you have a dedicated video card it would be good to have those drivers handy.

Is your modem or NIC onboard (part of the mobo)? If they are, then the mobo drivers will have everything you need for them. But if they are an add-on card you should be sure to have the drivers for them handy before you install XP.

[Just_learning]

I would install the mobo drivers after you finish installing XP.

If you have a dedicated video card it would be good to have those drivers handy.

Is your modem or NIC onboard (part of the mobo)? If they are, then the mobo drivers will have everything you need for them. But if they are an add-on card you should be sure to have the drivers for them handy before you install XP.

Thanks again jlreich ...... I'm on ADSL and my Billion 5120 modem is only 6 mts old. Would I need to recofigure it after installing XP.

Also would I need to find drivers for my DVD player, my CD Burner and my network card (also not onboard) Sound and vidio is all onboard.

Thanks again

Essie

[Whyzman]

CD-ROM and DVD optical drives don't require different drivers than XP will supply for them. However, if you're using Nero for burning or PowerDVD for playing you would need to reinstall those programs.

I suspect that you would need to reconfigure your ADSL modem/router

[jlreich]

Yes have the drivers for your network card handy.

I'm not sure what you may need for your DSL connection as I have cable. You can call your ISP and ask them what you need. You may not need anything, or you may need your ISP's software, it just depends on how they have it setup. Call them and ask. One of others that know more about DSL might pop in and give you a better answer.

You won't need any drivers for your CD/DVD drives, but you will need burning software to burn CD/DVD's. Something like Nero or the like.

Did you get all the drivers that you needed from Chaintech? I'm just asking because sometimes the video and sound drivers are separate from the rest of the mobo drivers.

Oh and don't forget a good AV and FW. Install them both before you get online. Then go get any windows updates you may need.

[Just_learning]

Thanks again ya all ....I think I'm feeling brave enough now. Will go and pick up the OS and HD just now (late afternoon here in AUstralia) and try and do the job tonight......


Did you get all the drivers that you needed from Chaintech? I'm just asking because sometimes the video and sound drivers are separate from the rest of the mobo drivers.

Yes thanks ...they had a 4 in 1 file with the drivers for the board ( VIA V4.53) ....or at least that's what there website said ..... ;)


Oh and don't forget a good AV and FW. Install them both before you get online. Then go get any windows updates you may need.

Already downloaded copies of my AV & FW installation software .....

[saphalline]

Just to keep the process going smoothly, here's a few pointers you might want to try:

1) Disconnect the old hard drive (slave) while you install Windows. Otherwise, Windows can sometimes get confused and install to the wrong hard drive or both. Not fun! Once Windows is done installing and you need the drivers, just shut it down, reconnect the slave hard drive, and turn it back on again.

2) Do not connect your DSL modem to your network card until you have the drivers and AV/FW up and running! The average time it takes for an unprotected system to catch a virus online is now down to 30 seconds! :eek: Don't connect to the internet, not even for Windows critical updates, until you have the security under control.

3) Before you go any further, burn all the drivers and software that you absolutely need onto a CD. This is a small, seemingly unnecessary step, but I find it helps to have a CD handy just in case. More than one media type for the same data never hurts.

4) Before installing a new OS on any PC, you must first make a sacrifice to the PC GODS OF FAITH AND FORTUNE!! Put two candles on the floor about 7 inches apart. Between them, you must burn a floppy disk in a small glass cup while praying for a smooth install.

Well... actually... number 4 is optional...

[jlreich]

4) Before installing a new OS on any PC, you must first make a sacrifice to the PC GODS OF FAITH AND FORTUNE!! Put two candles on the floor about 7 inches apart. Between them, you must burn a floppy disk in a small glass cup while praying for a smooth install.
Maybe Budfred should try this. :p

Oh and BTW the PC GODS demand nothing less than a DVD-/+R these days. A floppy just doesn't do it anymore. I recommend a DVD-/+RW for best results. :D

[Whyzman]

you must burn a floppy disk in a small glass cup while praying for a smooth install. Be sure to read the precautionary directions included with the stack of DVDs regarding doing so with adequate ventilation...

I can tell you from personal experience that the fumes are quite toxic and can result in a waking dream state lasting for days. I really didn't care if the newly built computer booted or not but it was quite disturbing when it would not stay still long enough for me to press the power button...

[saphalline]

it would not stay still long enough for me to press the power button...Hehe. :p Heh... Hehe...