New System-No Beep on Power Up?

[sblake]

1) I just completed putting a new system together using an ASUS P4P800 Deluxe. AI have not installed the operating system yet. As far as I can tell everything is working at power up. The manual says I should hear one short beep when the logo is being displayed. I have tried reversing the speaker connector to the motherboard but that did not produce a beep. Is there reason for concern or does anyone have an idea of the problem.

2) Should I update the Bios prior to installing the OS (WinXP Pro) or after? It came with version 1005. I have read on this board that I should go to 1006 before going to the latest (1010) but I can?t find 1006. Is it really necessary or can I just go from 1005 to 1010?

3) Is it necessary to install the Via RAID driver if I am not going to use RAID. I will be using the RAID connectors on the motherboard for my hard drives but not in RAID configuration.

4) Should I run Windows Update before or after installation of the drivers?

Thanks for any help anyone can give.

 

[Buz2b]

1) Usually the BIOS/System beeps are not reliant upon a speaker. Did you indeed boot into the BIOS? Do you have any drives (HDD/Optical) hooked up yet?
2) It would be easier in the long run to do the BIOS update first. Usually BIOS updates are cummulative and you do not need a previous version in order to update. However, there's always exceptions to the rule. I would wait for more info from someone familiar with the MB before proceeding.
3) No, not necessary. (YMMV though as I am not entirely familiar with RAID; I'm going on what I have seen posted here before).
4) No difference. I prefer to do the updates last. The exception to that would be Service Pack 1. I would install that right after OS install.

 

[sblake]

Yes I can hit the DEL key and go into the bios setup. My HDD and CDROM and CD-RW are all hooked up. The HDD is not formated but it is recognized at boot up. Did I understand that the beep does not come from the speaker?

 

[Buz2b]

Did I understand that the beep does not come from the speaker?

Yes, the "beeps" are not dependant upon the speaker system. However, this MB does have vocal BIOS warnings that may be. I did a quick look at the .pdf manual for the MB and it is a bit "lacking" as far as decent info Gee, is that a surprise? Ha! .It references software that must be loaded in order to interface the vocal BIOS warnings. At this point, I don't think this is where you need to be focused.
See if you can format the HDD first. If that works, (and you don't hear or see any warnings) I think you should update the BIOS and then install the OS. Then it's a crap shoot as to who you believe and what you want to do next. There are as many opinions as there are members here on AT. Personally, I would install the basic drivers first (video, IDE and sound, whatever is applicable to your situation). After that, do SP-1 and all Windows updates. Then start running some benchmarks to make sure the system is performing as it should.
Again, I would add that I am not familiar with your MB so the advice is fairly "generic". Tried and true, but generic..

 

[pspada]

Asus is run by the Devil.

 

[Buz2b]

Originally posted by: pspada
Asus is run by the Devil.

Now, now! One musn't let one's prejudices run amok! :frown:

I, for one, have used and enjoyed ASUS MB's for some time now. As I still run my rock solid A7M266, I am currently building a new system with yet another ASUS MB. I am not alone. Yes, ASUS used to be the "king of the crop" in times past and have slipped a bit lately. Mostly I would suspect due to intense competition and giving into cutting corners to remain competitive. Who knows and this is not the venue to argue it.

pspada,
You're pretty knowledgable; got any ideas as to the questions at hand?

 

[pspada]

Not much of a P4 guy, tho, and have never seen this mobo, which is why I've not tried to answer his question. And while I concur that Asus equipment is generally pretty good stuff, their tech support is non-existant, and I've NEVER be able to get them to honor their much vaunted "3-year warranty". It's bad enough that I refuse to sell anything Asus makes these days.