Newbie comp builder needs some help :P

Ragnaros

Ragnaros

Ragnaros

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Solved: Newbie comp builder needs some help :P

Today i built my first computer. It was a horrible experience that took hours but i got through it with a little help from some stickys on this forum. :)

But i don't know ho to install Windows. Or atleast, i don't know what i should be doing with this partitioning... I have a 250Gb HDD, and it's brand new so is unpartitioned. I did this in college a while back but i've completely forgotten which way it should be partitioned.

Can anyone help? :S

Also, my other problem is that the BIOS didn't detect my DVD-drive. I put two in so i used the other one to put the Windwos disc, but is there any way i can get it to detect it without taking it back out? I forgot to do the runners thing but i can't remember seeing them on the back. I wouldn't care which was the master and which was the slave aslong as i could use them both. The one it recognises is the Slave, by the way.

Anyway, thatnks for any help. :P

~Ragnaros
 
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Hey

For installing windows (assuming XP?), make sure you set the cd drive you want to use as the first boot device in the bios and put the cd in the drive (obviously...)

Your computer should boot up from the cd and you then need to just follow the on screen prompts.

As for your DVD drive, have you plugged the IDE and power connector in properly? I always forget the power one :D

Jumpers should be set with one drive as master, one as slave - the guide for which position for the jumper should be in, is on the drive itself, either on a small label or engraved onto the drive.
 
First of all, are you SATA on you HDD or ATA? If SATA, you will need to press F6 as Windows is first loading so you can load in your SATA drivers from floppy.

Second, the easiest was is to install with a single partition - When you get to the partition selection screen, just 'create' a partition, and leave it at the numbers it suggests, which will be the whole of your HDD.

(If you do want more than one partition, reduce the number accordingly, and go through the 'create' partition sequence twice (or more if you wish many).

Once you have done this, you just pick the partition you wish to install on, and off the Installation will go (after you tell it to do a nice FULL format - don't cheat by doing a quick format, thsi will only cause you problems).

Any more probs, post again.

M
 
Ah, ok. I wasn't sure if i had to do multiple partitions, and if i was meant to use all available space.

About these SATA drives (yeah i have a SATA2 drive), i've been told that Windows doesn't need the drivers ALL the time. But what happens if i try to install without them? Will it realise right away or will it not be until like half way through? >_>

I guess it doesn't matter haha. It's just that i'm relying on a slipstreamed version of WinXP, that has the drivers in (i used nLite).
 
Ragnaros said:
Ah, ok. I wasn't sure if i had to do multiple partitions, and if i was meant to use all available space.

About these SATA drives (yeah i have a SATA2 drive), i've been told that Windows doesn't need the drivers ALL the time. But what happens if i try to install without them? Will it realise right away or will it not be until like half way through? >_>

I guess it doesn't matter haha. It's just that i'm relying on a slipstreamed version of WinXP, that has the drivers in (i used nLite).
Click to expand...

IIRC, when it gets to partitioning the drive, it wont be able to see it... not 100% on that tho...

AFAIK, with SATA drives you always need the drivers (may have changed lately i suppose), this is because of non-standard SATA chipsets that manufacturers use that windows doesn't have the drivers for. I've ALWAYS needed them anyway.

Pop em on a floppy and F6 it as windows starts to load (almost straight away), that way you cant go wrong.

M
 
If you have slipstreamed SP1/2 then you will be able to see the entire drive and choose what size to make partitions etc.

As far as SATA drivers go, it depends on the board because I had to use them on my NF7-S (ie, press F6 at windows installation and use driver floppy), but didn't have to do anything with my A8N-E.

I think you can assume that if your motherboard came with a SATA driver floppy, you will need to use the F6 method.
 
If you slipstreamed the correct sata drivers (did you use nLite for specific drivers, or the driverpacks?) then they should load automatically at initial windows installation and you wont need that floppy :)
 
xirokx said:
what was so horrid about it?
Click to expand...

yeah, that's a bit of a shame. what was so bad? did you not feel proud to be making something yourself? I really enjoyed building my first rig (although i was terrified the whole time of shorting it out - ramming components which wouldn't quite fit was a bit of a scary experience as well come to think of it).
 
It took me all day. It was a pain in the arse basically, and my fingers hurt. >_>

Oh, and now my BIOS won't let me boot from CD. I installed Windows but there was an error, and now it won't let me enter Setup again. ¬_¬
 
It took me all day. It was a pain in the arse basically, and my fingers hurt. >_>
Click to expand...
I hear you.....but which bit?

What was the error?

If there was an error whilst installing windows I would simply reinstall it....dont repair it just start again otherwise you will only have to do it later.....
 
Yeah, i want to, but i can't.

I set the BIOS to boot from CD-ROM first, and HDD second. But everytime the boot screen comes up it says "Press any key to boot from CDROM"

". . . . . . ."

Nothing i press works, and then after about 10 seconds it boots from HD (which obviously it can't because Windows didn't install properly).

Should i just reset the CMOS?
 
U sure the cd drive is connected properly for example the ide cable, the power and on the mobo?

I know bios detects it but still just wondered as you say you have two cd drives are you booting from the same drive and is the windows cd in the drive you are choosing to boot from?? just double checking....

Resetting the CMOS may help but tbh I can't see how it will......

Erm if after checking the cd drive and resetting the cmos it doesnt work then disconnected the hdd and reboot see what it detects then ......
 
I've tried booting from both, and besides, i was able to do it the first time so what has changed since then? :/ All the cables are fine. Is there anything else i can do?
 
Sorry did you reset the CMOS?

Unplug one of the cd drives and just try it with one....

Try reseat the RAM are you sure they are in the correct slots?

I know it worked the first time but thats why windows probably didnt install because of a hardware error? Possibly......

Are you sure everything is plugged in correctly???

I would take the RAM out and then pop it back in then plug one of the cd drives and just use one for the time being then try booting from BIOS....

I know you tried booting from both....so when you reboot and your machine tries to boot from cd rom and fails do you see the green light on the drive as if its looking to read the contents of the drive?
 
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