NForce3 - New system build

[Caveman]

At what point in the process? Is the following right? Also, how does one install the NForce drivers for the MoBo?

I was going to do:

1) Boot and flash to latest bios
2) Install OS
3) Install SP1 and update "rollup" (don't want SP2)
This will install DirectX9.1b right?
3) Install latest NForce driver
4) Install video drivers
5) Install sound drivers
6) Install peripherals and other similar drivers

Am I on the right track here? It's been 3 years since I built my last rig andf I've never done an NForce MoBo...

 

[Megatomic]

Looks good to me Caveman. That's the order I typically follow (excepting the BIOS flash after I've owned the board for a while). Why avoid SP2? It's pretty solid IMHO.

 

[AwesomeJay]

1 - yep
2- yep if you are using a SATA drive you might need to hit F6 and use the floppy disk that came with the motherboard
3 - DirectX is an option in windows update to download
4 - you will have to use the cd that came with your motherboard to install the nforce drivers. then you can get updated ones from nvidia
5 - video
6 - sound
7 - any other drivers

 

[Regs]

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Looks good to me Caveman. That's the order I typically follow (excepting the BIOS flash after I've owned the board for a while). Why avoid SP2? It's pretty solid IMHO.

I have no problems with SP2 either. I actually like how Internet Explorer asks before it installs an unwanted active x control which could lead to spyware infestation.

 

[Megatomic]

I find it's best to prepare the NV UDP you plan to install in advance rather than use the drivers that come on the CD (they are usually way outdated). I keep my own remix zipped up on my storage drive at all times. You never know when you'll need it. Actually, I keep a copy of all the drivers I need on hand, as I said, you never know when you'll need them.

 

[2krazy]

Originally posted by: AwesomeJay
1 - yep
2- yep if you are using a SATA drive you might need to hit F6 and use the floppy disk that came with the motherboard
3 - DirectX is an option in windows update to download
4 - you will have to use the cd that came with your motherboard to install the nforce drivers. then you can get updated ones from nvidia
5 - video
6 - sound
7 - any other drivers

when do u hit F6? b4 formating?

 

[AwesomeJay]

Originally posted by: 2krazy

Originally posted by: AwesomeJay
1 - yep
2- yep if you are using a SATA drive you might need to hit F6 and use the floppy disk that came with the motherboard
3 - DirectX is an option in windows update to download
4 - you will have to use the cd that came with your motherboard to install the nforce drivers. then you can get updated ones from nvidia
5 - video
6 - sound
7 - any other drivers

when do u hit F6? b4 formating?

its pretty much as soon as you get into the windows xp setup.. look at the bottom of the screen it will say something like "hit F6 to install ......"

 

[ViRGE]

The only change I would reccomend is that you simply slipstream the Windows updates with Windows on to a new disc ahead of time, as it will save you a lot of time.

 

[Caveman]

Originally posted by: Megatomic
I find it's best to prepare the NV UDP you plan to install in advance rather than use the drivers that come on the CD (they are usually way outdated). I keep my own remix zipped up on my storage drive at all times. You never know when you'll need it. Actually, I keep a copy of all the drivers I need on hand, as I said, you never know when you'll need them.

Yes, I was a bit confused by the previous post. I'd assume I can just download the NV MoBo driver to a CD and use a "new" driver instead of the one that come with the MoBo?

 

[Megatomic]

Yes, just use the newest driver right from the get go Caveman. You'll get better results that way.

 

[TheGeek]

go to http://www.tweakguides.com/XPTC for a gret guide on installing Windows

 

[BillClo]

I found that with my single SATA drive, that hitting F6 to install drivers wasn't what I needed to do. It'd get through to the point where it loaded up the Nvidia drivers, and would hang before loading the OS. I tried this several times, same result. Just letting the system find the drive worked fine. (NF3 chipsets are supposed to have native SATA support, so I guess this makes sense in my case).

Just make sure that the SATA drive is the only hard drive connected, so Windows will assign it drive C. I've read about folk having problems with installing an OS who had both an IDE and SATA drive connected at the same time. Windows kept assigning the IDE drive as C:, rather than the SATA.

 

[DragonFire]

Originally posted by: BillClo
Just make sure that the SATA drive is the only hard drive connected, so Windows will assign it drive C. I've read about folk having problems with installing an OS who had both an IDE and SATA drive connected at the same time. Windows kept assigning the IDE drive as C:, rather than the SATA.

Or in my case you will want to delete the SATA partition but since IDE drives always get C first I deleted the IDE partition instead, I realized what I had done as XP started to copy its files.....I only lost about 30GB of data that I can never get back....