Windows xp pro

[johnnqq]

ok. i'm going to order my a64 system in a few weeks. this is my first time building a computer from scratch. i basically know how to put it all together by just going around forums and looking at pictures (and looking at my own dell). the only thing (hah...ONLY) i don't know how to do is install bios, drivers, and windows. is it made for dummies, or do i need to know what i'm doing? the farthest i've gotten was dosbox...so i'm not sure if i can do this by myself.

comments?

(if anybody wanted to help me through it...that would be just chipper )

 

[ND40oz]

Make sure that in the bios, you have the first boot device set to cdrom. When you first turn on the pc, put the xp cd in the cdrom. Your computer should read the cd and start to boot from the cdrom. It may tell you to press a key to boot from cd. From there, it's a walk in the park. You may have to partition your harddrive but this is done during the setup process.

If your installing on a sata hard drive, you may need to load the sata/raid drivers. XP will tell you when it first starts booting that if you need to install raid drivers, press F6. You'll press F6 and make sure you have the drivers on a floppy disc, have that floppy disc in the floppy drive. The cd that came with your motherboard should have the drivers on it if you need them. Some even have a program that will create the floppy disc for you. Check your motherboards documentation to see if you'll need sata/raid drivers.

Post back here if you run into any problems.

 

[johnnqq]

i won't have the computer for a few weeks

so...why do people complain about how annoying it is to install windows? you called it a "walk in the park" :\

 

[ND40oz]

Sorry, I may have oversimplified it, but it is mostly a step by step procedure until you're in Windows. You mainly have to click next and decide what timezone you live in. Once you can get into Windows, it's mostly checking the device manager to see what drivers your missing and then installing them. Then its onto installing apps.

 

[pcgeek11]

Originally posted by: johnnqq
i won't have the computer for a few weeks

so...why do people complain about how annoying it is to install windows? you called it a "walk in the park" :\

Actually, I don't know why anyone would have a problem installing Windows XP. It is so simple a " Caveman " could do it. They should attempt an install of Redhat version 2. Really though if you get the system to boot from the CD Rom then just follow the steps... after windows is installed, install the chipset drivers and any other drivers that are needed... Done.

pcgeek11

 

[Phoenix86]

SATA drivers make the install much more painfull for the "average" person, that's of course assuming they have a floppy drive.

 

[nweaver]

the 3 reboots to install, 4-6 reboots to get all the updates is what I hate. I do it all (install+update) on my gentoo install.

 

[Phoenix86]

Originally posted by: nweaver
the 3 reboots to install, 4-6 reboots to get all the updates is what I hate. I do it all (install+update) on my gentoo install.

You can do that too, google "slipstreaming xp". See also, RIS and imaged based installs.

 

[nweaver]

imaging is very different form installing an OS. You can "Slipstream" XP, but you are manually doing what MS should have done during the install. Even with an image you have to reboot 1-3 times in order for the machine to be functional, and still go get the updates released after you created the image. I would feel much better about it if there was a single reboot to install the OS and get all updates.

 

[boomerang]

You do not need to "install BIOS". You would only need to upgrade your BIOS to a newer revision than your board came with if you needed to support a newer processor, etc.

You should be fine in that regard, so no worries there.

As far as drivers, your board will come with a CD and the majority of motherboard manufacturers have made that process very simple. The CD will autorun and install your drivers with probably one or two clicks by yourself.

You can find a number of guides for Windows installation online. Just do a search.

I do not agree about having to set your BIOS to boot off CD. That should not be required. The BIOS on a modern motherboard will automatically look for something bootable. As this is a fresh build, with a new HD (I assume), the BIOS will automatically boot from the Windows CD. You should not have to change anything in that regard.

Edit: There is a member here, mechBgon, that has a guide for building systems. He has lots of other good information there also. One of your big concerns will be securing your system during the Windows install. Read through that section carefully.

mechBgon's guide.

 

[Johnnie]

make yourself a stripped down version of windows

 

[Valkerie]

look, it's simple

all you need is a floppy drive with the correct drivers

your motherboard should have come with a CD, or is downloadable as a file, in which you will have to properly extract the files onto a working and formatted floppy disk.

in the BIOS, make sure your boot drive is CD-ROM, and place the WinXP CD in it upon restart, or you can hit the designated keyboard key to bring up a boot order screen when your system boots

your CD will be detected, WinXP, and press any key to continue when it shows up

make sure the floppy disk (with the *.oem file not in any folders) is inserted and that the BIOS recognizes it

right when the blue screen comes up, hit F6 to install your controller, so it can detect your SATA HD

after that, your HD should be detected, select WinXP and continue installation process