My RIG - need help with set up and software

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
M

Mattax

Senior member
Dec 16, 2004
277
0
0
Below is my computer parts I have ready to assemble.

What steps should I take on installing parts and software.

Obviously I want to assemble the case, PS, MB, RAM, CPU, fans, Video, KB and MOUSE to get started.

Will be installing Windows XP Professional.

Let me know.


CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX - Retail

HEATSINK&FAN: XP-90c Heatsink and Panaflo (92mm) fan

MB: DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD

RAM: OCZ PC4000 2G(2x1024) DDR500 EL GOLD GAMER EXT XTC OCZ5002048ELGEGXT-K DUAL CHANNEL KIT ENHANCED LATENCY 3-4-3-8

PS:SeaSonic S12-600 ATX12V 600W Power Supply - Retail

CASE:Antec Performance I P180 Silver Computer Case - Retail

HD 1:Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

HD 2:Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 ST3300831AS-RK 300GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - Retail

HD 3:Maxtor 300GB

BURNER/ROM: NEC Silver IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3540A - OEM

VIDEO: eVGA 256-P2-N517-AX Geforce 7800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

SOUND:Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Elite Pro 8 (7.1) Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail

 
S

Slugbait

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
3,633
3
81
Before you begin:
- be sure to have the latest drivers for the nVidia card...I used to suffer unexplainable system locks while doing the most mundane things up until last week when the latest drivers were posted.
- have the latest mobo chipset drivers, and perhaps the latest BIOS flash (if available)
- make sure your copy of XP is the SP2 flavor, or it's gonna be a pain recognizing the entire space of the larger hard drives (unless you follow suggestions below).
- get an AutoPatcherXP CD built with the latest criticals.
- download the HOSTS file from mvps.org
- have your imaging utility ready to install, you'll need it.

Start with just the Raptor, leave the other two drives out for now. Jumper your optical drive to primary.

Personally, only the OS, swap file and apps that must be on drive C go on my drive C, so I partition my primary to 20 gigs (primarily cuz I'll probably upgrade to Vista down the road, and also for performance). Regardless of how many apps and games I install, an image I create remains small for easy archiving, and restoring an image doesn't nuke data residing on other partitions or drives when I need to rebuild and be back in business in less than 10 minutes. You may have other plans for your drive, this paragraph is just a suggestion.

Do not plug in your net tap.

Let Windows format with NTFS. After install of the OS, immediately install the mobo chipset drivers. You might also consider flashing your BIOS at this time if a newer one is available. The mobo drivers will make installation of other hardware much simpler, and also give you that immediate perf.

Install the video drivers. If you are using CRT, set the refresh rate to 75 or higher.

If you do not have XP SP2, drop in AutoPatcherXP to update to SP2. This will allow Windows to recognize all the space of the larger hard drives when it comes time to install them. AutoPatcher will also install all criticals.

Go thru Add/Remove Components and nuke anything you will never need, like the MSN browser.

Right-click the Recycle Bin->Properties and drastically reduce the amount of space it will reserve. You might consider disabling Recycle Bin altogether. You may also want to reduce the size of System Restore (don't disable unless you're an expert).

Now for security: enable Windows Firewall, or install the flavor you prefer. Install your AV client. Modify your HOSTS file with the one you downloaded from mvps.org.

Delete any previous restore point created by System Restore. Disable the swap file and reboot. Defrag three times. Re-enable the swap file. You might consider making a permanent swap file to avoid getting it defragmented later.

Plug in your net tap, preferably to a router that has a built-in firewall. Validate Windows. Get the latest AV signatures. Hit Microsoft Update for Genuine Advantage and anything else like WMP10. Grab Spybot+signatures, AdAware+signatures, Defender+signatures. Install Flash Player.

Open Windows Explorer and set folder options to show hidden files. Go to c:\windows and delete anything that sez $NtUninstallKB...$". Go to C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download and delete everything in that folder.

Delete any previous restore point created by System Restore. Defrag three times.

Install your imaging utility to the second partition and create an image (saved to the second partion). This is your "clean" image should something go horribly awry later. If you are not partitioning the Raptor, then this is instead the time to install the Barracuda, install and save an image to the Barracuda.

Install the rest of your hardware. Consider not using the Maxtor.

Now customize windows to your heart's content, install apps and games (as above, I always prefer to install on a non-C drive), set cookies for websites you frequent (like logging into Anandtech automatically) set up your Favorites, install FireFox if you like, etc, etc. Once you are confident the system is stable, everything works, etc, create your "master" image...this is your working image that can be dropped later in case of a devastating worm or virus...or you simply want an easy way to quickly return your machine to "Day 1 performance".

Enjoy...
 
M

Mattax

Senior member
Dec 16, 2004
277
0
0
Thanks everyone for the info. Keep it coming and I will sort it all out to begin building next weekend.

Forgot to mention I have a LCD 20 inch widescreen. Have to check on the brand.

I have the copy of XP PRO before the SP2.

Can you give me more info on partitioning the C drive? This will be for OS only. Thanks.
 
J

jtgameover

Member
Nov 19, 2003
50
0
0
hey dude, i built a computer a few weeks ago for the very first time. some of the stuff online is helpful, but the most important thing is common sense and patience.
 
S

Slugbait

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
3,633
3
81
Originally posted by: Mattax
I have the copy of XP PRO before the SP2.
Click to expand...
Gold only recognizes disk sizes up to 128G. Since you'll start with a single, small drive, this should be fine, but you must upgrade to SP2 before you plug in the Barracuda.
Can you give me more info on partitioning the C drive? This will be for OS only.
Click to expand...
Partitioning occurs during OS install, it actually stops and waits for your input. If you will ONLY have the OS on the C drive, I recommend 8G, this gives you plenty of room. You just need to remember to occassionally delete files in SoftwareDistribution\Download folder and nuke the $NtUninstallKB...$ files. If you plan to upgrade to Vista later, I would recommend 12G.

Couple of things I forgot about...
- at the very beginning of install, during the file-copying phase, you will see at the bottom a short opportunity to press F6 for loading any drivers for SCSI. This also applies to SATA, even tho' it doesn't specifically say SATA, so you must do it...have your SATA driver floppy disc ready. Note: a USB thumbdrive will not work.
- with a partitioned hard drive, you may notice after OS install is completed that the optical drive will take drive D and the second partition will be assigned to drive E. It's a matter of preference, but I don't like my optical drive assigned a drive letter in the middle of my hard drives. If you want to change drive letter assignments, do it the first time that Windows loads. You need to assign the optical drive first (I prefer going way down the chain, like assigning it to the letter X). You'll then have to manually assign the second partition to drive D before installing the other hard drives.
- with a partitioned Raptor, you'll probably want your favorite games installed to the second partition to have faster level load times. Use the other drives for applications and storage.
 
M

Mattax

Senior member
Dec 16, 2004
277
0
0
Originally posted by: Slugbait
Originally posted by: Mattax
I have the copy of XP PRO before the SP2.
Click to expand...
If you plan to upgrade to Vista later, I would recommend 12G.
Click to expand...

What is VISTA?

Couple of things I forgot about...
- at the very beginning of install, during the file-copying phase, you will see at the bottom a short opportunity to press F6 for loading any drivers for SCSI. This also applies to SATA, even tho' it doesn't specifically say SATA, so you must do it...have your SATA driver floppy disc ready. Note: a USB thumbdrive will not work.
Click to expand...

Does the SATA disc come with the harddrive? If not where do I get the files needed for this?

- with a partitioned hard drive, you may notice after OS install is completed that the optical drive will take drive D and the second partition will be assigned to drive E. It's a matter of preference, but I don't like my optical drive assigned a drive letter in the middle of my hard drives. If you want to change drive letter assignments, do it the first time that Windows loads.
Click to expand...

How is this done? Is there a step here to allow it? I will have C, D, E, F to start but can have a total of 6 hard drives in the P180 case. So the first optical drive can be G, but should be J to allow for the other future Harddrives. Or will Windows automatically assign the other opticals in the G, H, and I slots if I do not assign it to G?

You need to assign the optical drive first (I prefer going way down the chain, like assigning it to the letter X). You'll then have to manually assign the second partition to drive D before installing the other hard drives.
- with a partitioned Raptor, you'll probably want your favorite games installed to the second partition to have faster level load times. Use the other drives for applications and storage.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have been told this by a few people including family.
 
S

Slugbait

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
3,633
3
81
What is VISTA?
Click to expand...
Microsoft Windows NT 6.0, which should be released in January. You can google Vista for more information on this future OS.
Does the SATA disc come with the harddrive?
Click to expand...
It should. Of course, you'll need a floppy drive.
How is this done? Is there a step here to allow it? I will have C, D, E, F to start but can have a total of 6 hard drives in the P180 case. So the first optical drive can be G, but should be J to allow for the other future Harddrives. Or will Windows automatically assign the other opticals in the G, H, and I slots if I do not assign it to G?
Click to expand...
Windows will automatically assign drive letters based on availability, but will not automatically re-assign drive letters. Start->Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Computer Management, expand Storage and click on Disk Management, then right-click the optical drive in the lower half of the right pane and choose Change Drive Letter...give it any letter you want based on future drives to be installed. BTW, if you really plan on six hard drives, plan on buying the most powerful PSU you can find and also plan how you are going to sufficiently cool the inside of your case.
 
1

1N0V471V

Senior member
Mar 13, 2006
410
0
0
I'm at work so I can't give you a direct link, but go to www.DFI-Street.com -> NVIDIA nForce 4 -> Initial Build Guide (With Pictures) <- this should be stickied. Follow that and you'll be happy you went with a DFI! PM me there at UncleDavid218 (if you decided to register) and I'll help you with anything you need.
 
M

Mattax

Senior member
Dec 16, 2004
277
0
0
One problem I have. The board in the DFI-Street link is different from mine. I have the Expert board. Which way do I mount the XP-90c HS? pipes over the power connectors or over the RAM?
 
M

Mattax

Senior member
Dec 16, 2004
277
0
0
ok, went ahead and mounted the XP-90C with overhang above the power connectors.

I will finish mounting the RAM, Video card and then hook up power supply, KB and mouse and see if she boots.
 
M

Mattax

Senior member
Dec 16, 2004
277
0
0
Originally posted by: Slugbait

- have your imaging utility ready to install, you'll need it.
Click to expand...

Where do I get this?
Start with just the Raptor, leave the other two drives out for now. Jumper your optical drive to primary.

Personally, only the OS, swap file
Click to expand...
What is swap file?
and apps that must be on drive C go on my drive C, so I partition my primary to 20 gigs (primarily cuz I'll probably upgrade to Vista down the road, and also for performance). Regardless of how many apps and games I install, an image I create remains small for easy archiving, and restoring an image doesn't nuke data residing on other partitions or drives when I need to rebuild and be back in business in less than 10 minutes. You may have other plans for your drive, this paragraph is just a suggestion.
Click to expand...
So how do I set up to create an image? Can this be done afterwards? I am currently setting my partition to 21000MB.

Thanks.

 
M

Mattax

Senior member
Dec 16, 2004
277
0
0
Originally posted by: Slugbait
Originally posted by: Mattax
I have the copy of XP PRO before the SP2.
Click to expand...
Gold only recognizes disk sizes up to 128G. Since you'll start with a single, small drive, this should be fine, but you must upgrade to SP2 before you plug in the Barracuda.
Can you give me more info on partitioning the C drive? This will be for OS only.
Click to expand...
Partitioning occurs during OS install, it actually stops and waits for your input. If you will ONLY have the OS on the C drive, I recommend 8G, this gives you plenty of room. You just need to remember to occassionally delete files in SoftwareDistribution\Download folder and nuke the $NtUninstallKB...$ files. If you plan to upgrade to Vista later, I would recommend 12G.

Couple of things I forgot about...
- at the very beginning of install, during the file-copying phase, you will see at the bottom a short opportunity to press F6 for loading any drivers for SCSI. This also applies to SATA, even tho' it doesn't specifically say SATA, so you must do it...have your SATA driver floppy disc ready. Note: a USB thumbdrive will not work.
Click to expand...

I missed this opportunity because I missed your follow up edit when doing the step by step install. How do I correct this?

Currently, I finished loading Windows and shut down the computer. According to your steps when I turn it back on, it should be install MB drivers.


 
E

ElTee

Junior Member
Sep 28, 2006
20
0
0
Creative's X-Fi cards and nVidia nForce chipset aren't a good combination as Creative admits that there are problems with the nForce4 chipset. There is however a rather long post where a user with the nForce590 has posted his interaction with Creative's Tech Support, and after one month of trying basically everything his X-Fi card is still not working properly. Most of his problems are snapping, crackling and poping sound. If you visit Creative's support forum you can read about lots of problems, mainly device not found on boot up and snap, crackle and pop.
 
M

Mattax

Senior member
Dec 16, 2004
277
0
0
Well I reloaded WINDOWS XP and did the press F6 for loading any drivers for SCSI. Finished loading Windows and am now formatting the D: part of the partition at 54GB.

After that I will install the MB Chipset drivers from NVIDEA 6.70.

 
M

Mattax

Senior member
Dec 16, 2004
277
0
0
Well, the year is at an end and I am looking to purchase a new video card or pair of cards for my RIG. What is the latest and greatest that will work with my set up?

Thanks.

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX - Retail

HEATSINK&FAN: XP-90c Heatsink and Panaflo (92mm) fan

MB: DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD

RAM: OCZ PC4000 2G(2x1024) DDR500 EL GOLD GAMER EXT XTC OCZ5002048ELGEGXT-K DUAL CHANNEL KIT ENHANCED LATENCY 3-4-3-8

PS:SeaSonic S12-600 ATX12V 600W Power Supply - Retail

CASE:Antec Performance I P180 Silver Computer Case - Retail

HD 1:Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

HD 2:Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 ST3300831AS-RK 300GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - Retail

HD 3:Maxtor 300GB

BURNER/ROM: NEC Silver IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3540A - OEM

VIDEO: eVGA 256-P2-N517-AX Geforce 7800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

SOUND:Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Elite Pro 8 (7.1) Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom