New build set-up order question

[Vallan]

Hi,

I just finished building a computer with the new Intel P965 board and a SATA II drive. I didn't have any problems with the build (yet, anyway) but now I'm not quite sure how to proceed. I have a disk that came with the board that says "Install this CD first" stamped on it - it's the "Intel Express Installer Driver CD." I also have a CD for my videocard (there's no on-board video) and 2 optical drives. There was no disk with my SATA 320 GB HD (but it needs drivers too, doesn't it?)
I know I need to Instal XP PRO to partition and format the HD.
Can someone help me with the order in which all these things need to be done?
Thanks!

[UkGamer]

Ok first of all make sure your hard drive is plugged into the first SATA slot on your motherboard and set the BIOS to boot primarily from your cd drive - which everone you are going to use.

Restart the computer with the windows cd in and let it copy its files to the hard drive. Then it will restart - at this point you should go into the BIOS and set the hard drive to the primary boot method. ( or it will loop copying the files over and over! ) it will go through the process and format your drive for you, all you have to do is type the size of the hard drive in (presuming you only want one partition, sounds a bit complicated but you'll see when you do it!)

Anyway once you get into windows put your motherboard cd - "Intel Express Installer Driver CD" in and install the features of your motherboard for example if it has a built in network port.

Last of all install your video drivers but I would reccomend if you can get the internet working on it you should go and download the newest driver from either ATI.com (http://www.ati.com) or nvidia.com (http://www.nvidia.com) depending on who made your card. This will ensure that it works more reliably on different games and applications.

[Vallan]

Sorry, still fuzzy...this machine has never been turned on. I was expecting it to give me a boot error to start with, but I need power to open the CD drive, no? Can I get to the BIOS?

Also- there's a specific plug required for the SATA drive? I have six, I think on the board. How do I identify plug 1?

Any partition size advice for a 32O GB drive?

Thanks for the quick reply and forputting up with a newbie!

Val

[UkGamer]

As long as the cd drives are plugged in (a long wide cable for the data and the smaller one with red, yellow and black wires for power) they will work. When you turn on your computer it should automatically set the boot device to one of the cd drives, but to be sure I would press del after you turn your computer on and set it in the BIOS.

The SATA port you connect might not be that important but to be safe I would put it in the first one. This will be in the motherboard manual or written in small letters under each port

And as for partition size if you only want one partition size i would just set the maximum, the installation will tell you what size is maximum.

Here are the steps again;
1. Make sure the optical and hard drives are fully connected (2 plugs to each)
2. Turn on the computer and press del repeatedly until the BIOS opens
3. There should be a tab called BOOT or something along the lines of that , go to this and make sure one of your cd drives is mentioned in the top 3 boot order
4. insert the windows disc in the cd drive while still in BIOS
5. go to exit and save changes in the BIOS
6. let the computer restart itself and begin installing windows
7. when it counts down to restart remove the disc and it installs itself from the hard drive
8. set partition size to maximum if you only want one
9. when windows opens install the other cds

[cros]

I'd plug everything in, startup, go to BIOS, tweak the settings around so that all the drives are detected in BIOS so that you can get a fast boot. Don't forget to set the ROM drive as the first bootup. While you still have the power on I'd put in the operating system bootup CD in now. Save settings, restart. Hit enter to boot from cd (if necessary).

Install operating system.

Install video card drivers if necessary.

Install motherboard extra drivers if necessary.

Install operating system updates if you feel like it.

[Vallan]

UKGamer,

3. There should be a tab called BOOT or something along the lines of that , go to this and make sure one of your cd drives is mentioned in the top 3 boot order

Does it matter if it's first?

6. let the computer restart itself and begin installing windows
So I should restart it? Or will it just go ahead when I save the settings?

7. when it counts down to restart remove the disc and it installs itself from the hard drive
Not exactly clear on what this means. COunts down? THe OS installs?

THANK YOU!

CROS,
Boot-up order set as the CD-RW-DVD ROM drive first? Then what's best as second and third? I have two optical drives (a DVD-RW and a CD-RW-DVD ROM) and a floppy, and of couurse the HDD.

THANK YOU TOO!!

Val

[mjc]

UKGamer,

3. There should be a tab called BOOT or something along the lines of that , go to this and make sure one of your cd drives is mentioned in the top 3 boot order

Does it matter if it's first?

It should be first, but if the hard drive is completely blank it would find the optical drive anyway...

6. let the computer restart itself and begin installing windows
So I should restart it? Or will it just go ahead when I save the settings?

It will automatically restart when you save the changes.

7. when it counts down to restart remove the disc and it installs itself from the hard drive
Not exactly clear on what this means. COunts down? THe OS installs?

Windows will start Setup and copy files over to the hard drive, at some point during this process it will want to reboot. At this point it will give you a countdown timer. You need to remove the CD at this time or the whole process will start over, instead of completing.

CROS,
Boot-up order set as the CD-RW-DVD ROM drive first? Then what's best as second and third? I have two optical drives (a DVD-RW and a CD-RW-DVD ROM) and a floppy, and of couurse the HDD.

You should set the first drive to which ever optical drive is set as Master on the Primary IDE channel or if there optical is on the secondary channel, that works, too. Or if there is only one IDE channel...just set it to the Master drive on that channel.

[Vallan]

Just to make sure I have this straight...

1. Turn on power. (Momentarily hiding face to avoid possible explosion.)
2. Hit DEL to get into BIOS, go to BOOT tab
3. Set boot order in Bios: (Master) DVD/CD-RW
Floppy
HDD
4. Set hard drive priority if needed. (No clue, lol, will look.)
5. Put in XP PRO CD
Save changes – computer will reboot itself.
Windows will start Setup and copy files over to the hard drive, at some point during this process it will want to reboot. At this point it will give you a countdown timer. You need to remove the CD at this time or the whole process will start over, instead of completing.
6. Tap F^ for “special drivers.” What qualifies as a special driver besides scsi?
What needs to be loaded here? <breathe>
7. Partition, set to maximum if only want one, and format drive (Any advice on partitioning a 320 GB drive? I’ve heard that keeping the OS and programs on one partition and data storage on the other helps, but if its too small there are defrag problems. I do play some games and do video editing, if that matters....)
8. load chipset drivers – On the Intel site, there are new drivers for this board, including the chipset. Should I just download them and burn them onto a disk and use that disk instead? Or use the original disk and then go try to update? (I get the feeling that the included disk is one that just installs all of itself –I’m not sure I can pick SATA drivers or chipset drivers off it, or if I would recognize them.)
9. Install video drivers – new download from card site.
10. Install other disks.
11. Go to windows update.
12. Build small shrine to folks at PC Guide.

Did I miss anything? (What was that about copying SATA drivers off the CD? When and where does that happen?)

Thanks,
Val

[mjc]

6. Tap F^ for “special drivers.” What qualifies as a special driver besides scsi?
What needs to be loaded here? <breathe>


On fairly new boards, you shouldn't have to do anything...the SATA should be 'native' and not need any extra drivers...SCSI, unless you are using a server board that has 'native' SCSI or a very common SCSI board still need to be loaded this way. (And even then it is a maybe...try it without and if it doesn't work you'll need to go back and use them--SATA or SCSI)

7. Partition, set to maximum if only want one, and format drive (Any advice on partitioning a 320 GB drive? I’ve heard that keeping the OS and programs on one partition and data storage on the other helps, but if its too small there are defrag problems. I do play some games and do video editing, if that matters....)

I'd make a couple of partitions...probably a 10 to 20 GB for the OS, and two or three larger ones...one for installing programs and the other(s) for data storage. The app partition I would make no less than 50GB but probably wouldn't go over 100. This cuts down a bit on defrag time and makes it a bit easier if you need to reinstall, as the data is separate... (My partitions for a 320 would be 20GB--OS, 75 GB--Apps, 125 GB--Data, balance--storage for images/backups).


8. load chipset drivers – On the Intel site, there are new drivers for this board, including the chipset. Should I just download them and burn them onto a disk and use that disk instead? Or use the original disk and then go try to update? (I get the feeling that the included disk is one that just installs all of itself –I’m not sure I can pick SATA drivers or chipset drivers off it, or if I would recognize them.)

Yeah, download the latest, burn them to disk and install those...trying to update after the fact is a headache waiting to happen.

[UkGamer]

I'd make a couple of partitions

Might I just add, that when you install windows, if you choose to have several partitions it only lets you make one for the installation. So you should type 10,000mb in the box for the OS installation and then when you get into windows you create the others by going to the disk managment which is under start> admin tools> computer managment.