Will I have trouble....?

[ChicagoPCGuy]

I building a new PC, configured as follows:

Athlon64 3200+, Soltek nVidia nForce250Gb chipset motherboard
512Megs OCZ RAM, 2-3-2-5
XFX GeForce 6600GT AGP
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz Sound card
Hitachi Deskstar 120Gig SATA
NEC DVD 16X Dual Layer
In-Win 7 in 1 USB card reader (takes a 3.5" floppy bay)
LG 1720BK 17" LCD Display, 16ms response, will be using DVI

I intend to use WinXP. After a long and hard decision, and after having used Win2K successfully for many years on countless builds, I have decided to get with Microsoft's program.

I had purchased a while back the ORIGINAL XP Pro, w/o SP1 even. I put it aside, and opted to continue with Win2K after I heard the initial horror stories with XP.

I will be using that original copy of XP, although I have downloaded the network distributable SP2. My main questions are:

1. The nForce driver 5.10 requires SP1, but I need to load the SATA driver during text mode setup. Will I run into a problem since I cannot install SP2 until well after text mode setup?
2. Anyone see any issues with my hardware for XP, and make recommendations please. I want power and speed, which is why I built this machine this way.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[MrChad]

Welcome to the forums! :beer:

The best thing for you to do is slipstream SP2 onto your XP setup CD. (Link) When you install XP from this new CD, SP2 will already be integrated into the operating system. Not only will this save you time, but it will also ensure that your PC is more secure when you connect it to the internet.

Your SATA driver is likely different from your nForce drivers. Check the manufacturer's website for your particular driver model. Most SATA driver downloads allow you to create a floppy disk that you can install during XP setup. Alternatively, you can slipstream the SATA drivers onto your XP setup CD (after you slipstream SP2). This way you won't need to worry about floppy disks.

I don't see any issues with your hardware; it looks like you picked a great setup! Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Thanks MrChad....but it appears you have to be running XP already in order to do the slipstream. I am currently running 2k, so I would need to locate an XP machine to do this on. I gave it try, and it would not work on the 2k machine.

Thanks again.

 

[mechBgon]

Setup will probably work with your WinXP CD as-is. If you keep the computer disconnected from sources of worm attacks (other computers and/or your modem) until you've patched with SP2, that'll be ok. After SP2, install your nVidia drivers and reboot, then install your nVidia video drivers and other drivers as needed.

More security suggestions here under the Ongoing Prevention section if you need some Have fun with the new rig!

 

[mechBgon]

Oh, and if you're not doing RAID, then you should not need to use a driver floppy for the SATA. nF3 250 can emulate a PATA drive to Windows Setup if you're not doing RAID, as long as your drive is on a SATA plug that is "native" to the chipset, not to an add-on controller or PHY. Your manual will show which SATA jacks are run by what.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Thanks mechBgon. To avoid difficuties with the original XP vs. 5.10 nForce driver, I will do as you suggest and not use F6 during setup. The Hitachi will be connected to the native SATA nForce controller, and will not be in a RAID array.

Thanks!