need a step by step if possible...

[sao95]

hey all, I'm starting over, reformatted my hd and erased all data, what I'm hoping for is that someone will be able to list step by step the procedures for setting up my system, including when to install os, when to install mobo cd componants, what to watch out for in bios (cpu mhz), et cetera, here are my componants,

mobo- asus a7n8x deluxe
proc- amd athlon xp 2500+ barton
vid card- AGP 64mb 8X
ram- 512mb
hd- 160 gig diamond max (is there a special driver I need since it's 160 gig?)
cd/rw- 52x24x52 maddog
floppy- a floppy
usb mouse
thermaltake office keyboard

thanks,
sao95

[Gettinbye]

What O/S are you going to install?

[sao95]

win xp home

[Gettinbye]

Put your XP home CD in the CD drive, set your BIOS to boot from CDROM, start system and the rest should be pretty basic...it will walk you through the install process...just make sure you have your CD-Key on hand. You'll have to call Microsoft to activate it (or you can do it via the web). Once XP is installed, you can check your device manager to see that all your devices are installed. If any are not, that's where you'll need the CD that came with your motherboard and/or peripherals, or you can do windows update to get the most current Microsoft signed drivers for your system.
For a 160g drive you will need SP1 for XP...otherwise it will probably only see the first 137g. You can install SP1 after you install windows.
Things to look for in BIOS-if you have the "boot sector virus protection" feature, make sure boot sector virus protection is NOT on...this feature will keep your boot sector from being written to, which is problematic when installing an O/S (as the boot sector NEEDS to be written).
You MAY have problems using a USB mouse for the install as your USB drivers may/may not be installed as part of the setup. I would recommend using a PS/2 mouse for the install, and switching after the installation.

[JohnE.]

Make sure you're not connected to the Internet then:

1. Operating System
2. Anti-virus/Anti-Trojan software
3. Blaster Worm Patch

Now you can connect to the Internet and install:

4. nVidia nForce chipset drivers (best to install latest 3.13 now, as upgrading later can be a major pita). Don't install the nVidia IDE driver if you plan to do any CD burning, stick with the default Microsoft IDE driver
5. 3Com LAN driver (only if you plan to use the Dual LAN for ICS)
6. DirectX 9.0b
7. Graphics adapter driver
8. Other device drivers
9. Windows Update - Critical Updates, SP1, etc
10. Run a virus scan
11. Office Suites, applications, games, etc

[sao95]

thanks for help all, I followed directions and everything was okay until i downloaded nvidea chipset drivers, I used the new version as suggested, does this point to a flawed mobo?

[JohnE.]

What kind of problem did you have installing the chipset drivers?

[sao95]

they cause the probs listedin this thread... http://www.resellerratings.com/forum/t96017.html

[Gettinbye]

Are the chipset drivers signed by Microsoft? If not ,you may want to try either rolling back your chipset drivers, or "updating" them and telling it to look in the i386 (typically, C>WINDOWS>DRIVER CACHE>i386) folder on your HDD. Once you can confirm that you're using MS signed drivers, test the system to see if the problem is resolved.

[JohnE.]

Hmm... well, you listed a lot of problems in that thread. Which, if any, of the problems you're experiencing was directly caused by installing the latest nForce chipset drivers?

After installing the chipset drivers did you proceed with installing DirectX, graphics driver, Windows Updates, etc., or did you stop working on it after installing the chipset drivers? Perhaps installing the rest of the drivers, SP1 and other updates will clear up some of the problems.

I'm afraid you're not being very clear about the specific problem you're having... the more specific you can be, the better we can help. I've got a few guesses about what "might" be the problem(s) but I just don't have enough information.

For example: "and my comp still shows programs instead of drives, but i didn't have to open in a new window to view these links" - I'm sorry, but I don't have a clue what you mean.

About the "strange drumming sound" - do you happen to have a USB mouse? If so, it could be related to that.

So, if you can be a bit clearer maybe we can sort out the problem(s) one at a time

Edit: Gettinbye... the latest (and also, the previous) nForce drivers are MS certified