OPERATING SYSTEM / SOFTWARE INSTALLATION GUIDE by www.abxzone.com forum member, Mr Steveo
Updated:
Table of Contents:
Windows XP Guide - Page 1 Posts 2,3,4,5,6
Windows 2000 Guide - Follow the Windows XP Guide and skip over steps referring
to Remote Assistance, Messenger, and Universal Plug and Play. Additionally,
whenever you see mention of Windows XP SP1; conduct that step using Windows
2000 SP4.
Windows 2003 Guide - N/A*
Linux Guide - N/A*
Note Regarding The Choosing Of An Operating System
According to Intel's website, in order to fully utilize the Hyperthreading (HT)
optimizations of new Pentium 4 CPUs, only certain operating systems are
recommended. Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server, or the latest Linux kernel will
make use of the Pentium 4 HT optimizations. While other versions of Windows may support
SMP, only the afore mentioned operating systems fully support Pentium class
Hyperthreading.
Additionally, if you have
a
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to Bigtoe, Gorgonzola, Tweakhound, Bofinn, Yozza, sumrtym, David Rolfe, zapionics<alt>, AHLnut, djt, and all who have contributed to this Guide.
* Due to lack of free time I have no current plans to
expand this setup Guide any further. If any of you have setup Guides for other
OS's feel free to post them yourself in this thread.
If you do choose to post a Guide, please try to make it simple for new system
builders to follow and basic enough in nature to apply to as many platforms as
possible (meaning that as great as tweaks can be, remember the tweaks you like
might not work well for everyone.)
WINDOWS XP INSTALLATION GUIDE
Preface:
Please note that this Windows XP Installation Guide is tailored for Intel chipset systems only. If you have another chipset of motherboard please ask for help in the forum.
Also please keep in mind, when installing Windows there
are many paths to the one destination of a stable system. The method I indicate
below is by no means the only correct method for installing Windows. It is
simply a tried and true method I have repeated over and over with full success
on these motherboards. If some of you
have another method that works for you, then by all means stick with what you
prefer. Just be sure to at least observe the following:
1. Install Service Pack 1a soon after OS.
2. Install USB drivers Q822603.
3. Install chipset INFs before any video or sound drivers.
4. Install LAN drivers.
5. Install DirectX9.0b before video drivers.
6. Install video drivers.
7. Install sound drivers.
8. Install LAN utility software if needed.
Quick Steps:
1. Install the Operating System.
2. Install Universal Plug and Play Service.
3. Install any other desired Windows Services (IIS, FAX, etc.)
4. Install Windows XP Service Pack 1a Full Network Install Link.
5. Install pre-SP2 USB drivers Q822603 Link.
6. Install Intel INF drivers (latest versio 727p1520h n here Link .) Choose the non zipped download.
7. For 875 / 865 chipsets only: Install pre-SP2 IDE drivers Q812415 LINK.
8. Install DirectX 9.0b - download LINK.
9. Install your LAN / NIC drivers if not provided by Windows. Intel LAN / NIC drivers here.
10. Install Windows XP Update Rollup Q826939 LINK
11. Go online and get all (non driver) Windows Updates.
12. Get the latest security patched Windows Messenger Link.
13. Install drivers for any PCI cards other than sound card, video card, and TV
Tuner card.
14. Install drivers for video card ATI nVidia.
15. Go to the
website of your monitor manufacturer. Download and install the latest XP monitor INFs.
16. Install sound card drivers.
17. Install TV Tuner card drivers.
18. Install any LAN / NIC Utility software. Intel LAN / NIC utility combo here.
19. If using Intel ICH5R RAID 1 (mirrored array) install
the latest full version of IAA RAID Edition Link.
20. Perform a registry clean.
NOTE: Because of when you want to install
LAN driver, it might be advisable to download items from the above steps ahead
of time. Burn them to CDR so you have them on hand as you begin the
installation.
Step-By-Step Procedure
Preparation NOTES:
Make sure the drive(s) you are going to use are data free and have NO PARTITIONS on them. If you are performing a re-installation of Windows XP, just continue on with the Guide. Steps 1 through 4 in the "Lets Proceed" section of the Guide will walk you through how to delete and recreate your partitions.
If one of your unformatted drives is larger than 137GB: If you plan to use an Operating System partition larger than 137GB on a native motherboard IDE channel or Intel ICH5 SATA non RAID channel, and if your Windows XP CDROM does not include SP1/SP1a; you will need to choose a smaller partition size for the OS, or make an SP1a slipstreamed Windows XP CDROM, or purchase a Windows XP CDROM that has SP1a already included.
For a variety of reasons it's probably best to use a PS/2 keyboard and mouse until everything is properly installed and set up.
Power up the computer and immediately
start pressing the
If you do not plan to use USB keyboards and mice, set "USB Legacy Support" to Disabled. Please note that leaving this setting enabled with certain USB devices attached may cause boot hangs or extended boot up time. Therefore its important to disable this setting unless you absolutely need DOS / BIOS based mouse and keyboard support.
If you plan to use the power management state called "S3 - Suspend To RAM" it's advisable to enable this feature in the BIOS before you install Windows. Changing this setting in the BIOS after Windows is installed will cause your system to function in "S1 - Standby" mode.
Set the primary video adapter to match your system in BIOS. If all you have is an AGP card, for example, set as AGP.
Disable onboard audio if you plan to use a sound card.
Set your "PCI Latency Timer" to 64.
Set "Boot Virus Protection" to Disabled. You can enable it later if you like, but this setting can cause problems with some installations and Virus Scanning software. (Because of modern recovery BIOS options, this setting may not be present on newer motherboards.)
Go into the power section of your BIOS and if any fan RPM is in red, set to "ignore."
(This setting is not available on all motherboards.)
For Windows NT/2000/XP be sure "Plug and Play OS" is set to "Disabled/No" in the BIOS. If you have problems with any analog dial up PCI modems after the OS is installed, you may need to change this setting to "Enabled / Yes."
Set "Speech POST Reporter" to Disabled. It's known for giving erroneous information.
(This setting is not available on all motherboards.)
For Canterwood or
15. Verify the CPUs FSB ("external CPU frequency") is set properly for your CPU.
RAID Preparation Subsection:
A. If you plan to use a RAID 0 or RAID 1 array, and if your RAID controller is built into the motherboard (non PCI), be sure to enable RAID in the BIOS. Then please save your current BIOS settings and shut down the computer now.
B. Refer to your RAID owner's manual and follow the instructions for hooking up two identical hard drives to your system. Also make note of what keys your owner's manual indicates you need to press to enter the RAID BIOS.
C.
Create
a RAID driver floppy disk. To do this please visit the manufacturer of your
RAID chip's website. Once you locate the drivers copy them to the root A:\
directory of a blank formatted floppy disk.
If you plan to use an Intel ICH5R RAID array, click the following link IAA RAID Ed., choose your XP OS, and then on the resulting
page, scroll down to the section called Utilities. Then choose the
latest version of the download called Floppy Configuration Utility. Once
the file is downloaded click on the file and follow the onscreen instructions.
D. Now power your computer back up and immediately begin pressing the key combination required to enter your RAID BIOS. Once in the RAID BIOS follow the instructions to set up your RAID array. Then save the settings and exit the RAID BIOS.
E. As the computer restarts, begin
pressing the
16. In the BIOS set your boot order as:
1. Floppy
2. CD/DVD
3. Hard drive or controller (SCSI, SATA, RAID) where OS will be located.
If you plan to use a combination of RAID and non RAID disks, ask for help in the forum in setting up your boot order. Note that some motherboards do not play friendly with SATA boot devices. If you plan to boot to a SATA drive or RAID array and the device is not specifically listed in the boot order choices, please stop at this step and ask for help in the forum.
17. From your
current computer or another computer log onto this website. Go up to the Quick Steps Section of the Guide above.
Download the software from the links in the steps. Find a blank CDR and burn
these files to the disk so that you are prepared for the installation.
If you plan to use hard drives in a non RAID configuration where the drives
are attached to a PCI hard drive controller card, or attached to an onboard non
Intel hard disk controller chip; follow the directions below.
Go to the PCI card manufacturer's website (PCI) or motherboard manufacturer's
website (onboard chip.) Download the latest non RAID hard drive controller
drivers and follow any associated instructions for extracting the drivers to
the root directory of a floppy disk.
18. Locate your copy of Windows, the
sticker with its product key, and a blank floppy disk and have them available.
19. Finally, make sure you do not have
any network cables or peripherals (USB, Serial, Parallel devices) plugged in.
These can interfere with the proper installation of Windows as outlined below.
For now just have the monitor, PS/2 mouse, and PS/2 keyboard plugged in - Nothing
else.
Let's Proceed:
1. Put a blank floppy in your computer
and power up. Booting will stop when it reaches the blank floppy. Now place the
Windows XP CD ROM in the CD/DVD drive. Now remove the blank floppy then press
Control/Alt/Delete to reboot the system.
2. Upon reboot the system will find and
boot the Windows XP CDROM. You should soon see a blue Windows setup screen.
(If you are using RAID, an onboard
disk controller chip, or PCI disk controller card; IMMEDIATELY begin pressing
F6. If you are only using hard drives attached to the native Primary and
Secondary IDE channels, or if you are using non RAID SATA drives attached to
the Intel ICH5/ICH5R chip; do NOT start pressing F6)
If using RAID, an onboard disk
controller chip, or PCI disk controller card; you will be prompted to insert
the Floppy disk containing your XP Compatible RAID / disk controller drivers.
Follow the onscreen instructions.
4. You will be brought to a License
Agreement screen. A few steps later you will be brought to a Screen that shows
your hard drives and their sizes. It is from HERE that you may set up (or
delete) partitions. With Windows XP, this is the proper place to partition your
drives. If you plan on using NTFS for the OS partition, it's important that you
partition your drives here and not earlier with any DOS based utilities.
If doing an OS reinstallation: This is the screen where you will want to first delete, then re-create either all your hard drive partitions or at a minimum your Operating System partition. Simply follow the onscreen instructions for creating and deleting partitions.
5. Once the drives are partitioned,
highlight the partition to which you wish to install Windows, then press Enter
and follow the onscreen instructions
6. From there, go grab a sandwich or
soda while Windows formats the OS partition and installs Windows. Follow any
onscreen prompts as best you can.
7. (For RAID users: You may get one or
two warnings in a tan colored box indicating you have a device or driver that
is not approved for Windows XP. The choices should be Yes/Continue or
No/Cancel/Don't Continue. Please choose Yes/Continue for all tan colored box prompts.)
8. Once the automated procedures are
complete, you will be at the Windows Desktop. Click Start Button, then Control Panel, then choose "Switch to Classic
View."
9. Click Start Button, then Control Panel, then Folder Options. Click the View tab.
Set the following to your own preferences:
Check the box: Display the Contents of System Folders
(advanced users only)
Check the box: Display the full path in the address bar
Check the box: Show hidden files and folders
Uncheck the box: Hide protected operating system files (advanced users only)
Uncheck the box: Hide extensions for known file types
Click Start
Button. Then right click on My Computer and choose "Properties". Then click the
"Hardware Tab" and then the "Device Manager" button. Double click on "IDE
ATA/ATAPI Devices" to expand the tree. Click on "Secondary IDE Channel"
and then click the "Advanced Settings" tab. From the available drop down boxes
choose "DMA if Available" for both devices. Then click OK to save and exit. Repeat
these steps for "Primary IDE Channel" Once done, save and return to the
desktop.
11. Right click My Computer and click on
Properties. Then click the Advanced tab. In the section called "Startup
and Recovery" click the "Settings" button. Then uncheck the box
for "Automatically Restart."
12. Click on Start Button, then Control
Panel, and then click Internet Options. Click the "Connections" tab, then click
the "LAN Settings" tab. Make sure that none of the boxes have check marks in
them. If they do, remove them. Save and exit back to the desktop.
The only exception to this is if you connect directly to a broadband modem, and
are instructed by your ISP to leave proxy settings enabled. If you use a router
or other gateway, and for most ISP, you want the check boxes mentioned above to
be empty.
13. Click on Start Button, then Control
Panel, and then click Internet Options. On the "general" tab page,
set your home page tp whatever you prefer. Click "Apply", then click
"OK."
14. Click on the Windows Messenger Icon
in the System Tray to open Messenger. When prompted to start entering Passport
information, cancel out of that screen. With the remaining Messenger Window,
click on the word "Tools". Then click on "Options" and then click the
"Preferences" tab. On that page remove the check box from the setting called
"Run this Program When Windows Starts." Save and exit back to the desktop. You
can now close the Windows Messenger Program.
15. (NOTE: If one of your unformatted partitions are larger than 137GB, and your copy of Windows XP does not include SP1/SP1a; skip this step and return to it after you have installed SP1/SP1a.)
Now go to Start Button, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Computer Management. From the windowed area on the left of the screen click on "Disk Management." On the right you will see a graphic of your hard drives and your partitions. During Windows Installation, only the OS partition was formatted. So from the graphic, put your mouse on any unformatted partitions. Then right click on that partition and choose "Format."
From the Dialog box you can choose drive letter, partition name, and allocation
unit size. Set them as you wish. One word of caution. DO NOT change the
partition letter or name for the partition that contains the Operating System.
This can have unintended consequences.
16. Now go to Start
Button, Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs. Click on the button called "Add
/ Remove Windows Components." Uncheck the MSN Explorer unless you use it as
your ISP connection. Double click on
"Networking Services" and when the next window pops up, place a check mark in
the option called "Universal Plug and Play." Click OK. Then click the "Next"
button and follow any onscreen instructions. While you are still in the Windows
Components section of Add/Remove programs, feel free to add any other services
you choose.
Some services may require you to put your Windows CD back in the drive. If so,
just follow the onscreen instructions. Once you are finished, save all settings
and return to the desktop.
NOTE: Universal Plug and Play is actually
more of a "networking Plug and Play." It is a function that is used by Windows
XP Messenger, Microsoft .NET Framework, Direct X, and MS Direct Play Gaming.
This service is not imperative, but may be useful to many people. This is the
proper time to install it so that Service Pack 1 will later adjust the
configuration properly. If you decide you do not want it, you can uninstall it
after Service Pack 1 for XP is installed.
Now, find the CDR you made that has the files you downloaded earlier. Put that disk in one of your drives and copy the files to a new folder you create on your C:\ drive.
18. Once the files are copied, remove
the disk. We are now ready to install Windows XP Service pack 1a. Ensure there
are no disks remaining in your CD/DVD drive
19. Go to where you
put the downloaded files on the C:\ drive. Find the file for Windows XP SP1a.
Click on it to begin setup. At some point it will ask you if you want a backup
copy of your files made. SP1a is pretty much bug free, and a backup copy of
your original files takes up a lot of unneeded hard drive space. So my
recommendation would be to choose "No" to making a backup. Follow all onscreen instructions
including when you are told to reboot.
20. When you get
back to the desktop, click Start Button. Right click on My Computer and choose
"Properties." Click the "Remote" tab and then clear all check boxes you see on
that page. The remote call services have a way of acting up and its best to disable
them before installing software and drivers. If you ever want to use Remote
Assistance later, you can enable it on a per use bases. Once you have cleared
the check boxes, click the "Apply" button
21. Now while still in System
Properties, click the tab called "Automatic Updates." Service pack 1 installs
some new features for this tab. Review what you see on the screen and set
things up to your liking. Again click the "Apply" button. Close everything
out and return to the desktop.
22. Again using "My Computer" navigate to the saved files you coped from CDR. Find the Microsoft patch Q822603 that you previously downloaded, burned to CDR, and copied to your C:\ drive. These are the Pre-SP2 USB drivers for your system. Double click on the EXE file to install the drivers. Reboot when prompted.
23. (NOTE: For all Intel 810 through 875P chipset
motherboards)
Again using "My Computer" navigate to the saved files you downloaded, burned to CDR, and copied to your C:\ drive. Find the Intel Chipset Configuration Utility (INFs.) Click the application's ".EXE" file and let the drivers install themselves. Once complete, reboot as instructed.
24. Click Start Button, then right click My Computer, and then choose Properties. Click the "Hardware" tab, then click the "Device Manager" button. On the tree in the Device Manager you should see a device section called "Universal Serial Bus controllers." Double click that category to expand the USB tree.
Make no changes if:
i875P / i865PE / i865P / i865G / i865GV / i848P chipsets:
You see one USB2 Enhanced Host Controller
You see four USB Universal Host Controllers
You see five USB Root Hubs
e7205 / i845PE / i845GE / i845GV / i845GL / i845E / i845G chipsets:
You see one USB2 Enhanced Host Controller
You see three USB Universal Host Controllers
You see four USB Root Hubs.
i850E / i845 chipsets:
You see two Universal Host Controllers
You see two USB Root Hubs
However, what you see in your device manager is different from above; you may need to make some changes. If so, please stop now and post in the forum and ask for help.
25. (Please note
this step is for Canterwood and
From the files you previously downloaded, burned to CDR, and then copied to
your C:\ drive; find the Microsoft patch Q812415. This patch will update the
drivers for your IDE channels and is recommended for Canterwood and
26. (Please note this step refers to the standard
variety of IAA used on NON-Canterwood, NON-Springdale motherboards. The
Canterwood and
Intel Application Accelerator v2.3 is not a necessary piece of software to
install. For every person who reports good luck with IAA, there's another
person reporting bad luck. So installing IAA is a personal choice. If you do
decide to install IAA and you have a Western Digital hard drive larger than
137GB, or if you have a Hyperthreading CPU; Intel requires you use the latest
version of IAA. You can download it from here LINK.
27. Locate DirectX 9.0b redist. you previously downloaded, burned to CDR, and coped to your C:\ drive. Install DirectX now following all onscreen prompts.
28. Now is the time you want to install
your LAN / NIC drivers. Depending on your motherboard and whether you are using
a PCI NIC or onboard LAN, Windows may or may not have drivers installed
already.
If you are using Intel onboard LAN: Locate the drivers you downloaded, burned to CDR, and copied to the C:\ per Quick Step 9. Click on the .EXE file to install them now. Do not install any LAN Utility software if possible. Follow all instructions rebooting if required.
If you are using non-Intel onboard LAN: Go get the CDROM that came with your motherboard. Locate and copy the LAN drivers from the CDROM to your hard drive. Once on the hard drive, remove the CDROM and install the LAN drivers ONLY. Do not install any LAN Utility software if possible. Follow all instructions rebooting if required.
If you are using a PCI NIC/LAN, locate the drivers you
previously downloaded from the manufacturer's website, burned to CDR, and
copied to your C:\ drive. Install the
drivers now following the instructions provided by the manufacturer of your
NIC/LAN. If possible, install the LAN
drivers only. Do not install any LAN
Utility software if possible. Follow all instructions rebooting if required.
Once back at the desktop, plug in your network cable and open Internet explorer to see if you can get online. If you have any troubles getting online ask for help in the forum.
29. Click Start Button, then click "My Computer" and navigate to the saved files you coped from CDR. Find the Microsoft Windows XP Update Rollup Q826939 that you previously downloaded, burned to CDR, and copied to your C:\ drive. Double click on the EXE file to install the Rollup. Reboot when prompted.
30. Go to Windows Update and install all available "non driver" updates. If some updates need to be installed by themselves, the site will prompt you. If this happens you will want to return to Windows Update after rebooting to get the remainder of any "non driver" updates.
(Please note that updating drivers
from Windows Update can sometimes result is serious problems with the stability
of your system. This is the reason updating
drivers from Windows Update is not recommended in this Guide.)
31. Once all "non driver" Windows
Updates are installed, continue to the next step.
32. Once back at the desktop, open
Internet Explorer and come here to www.abxzone.com Once at ABXZone, come into the forum and
find this Guide and scroll down to step 33. Also be sure to bookmark ABXZone so
you can find your way back easily. The reason for doing this is, in the steps
ahead you may be asked to click on some links here in the Guide. This will save
you time from hunting links down yourself.
33. Click on the following link to install the latest security patched version of Windows XP Messenger. : Link Even if you have no plans on using this application, it is wise to at least be sure it's patched.
Once you have clicked on the above link, click the
"Download" button. Then follow the onscreen instructions. Once Messenger is updated, again enter
Messenger and verify that it is NOT set to run when Windows starts up. Once that's all done, FIRST close all Internet
Explorer windows, then close and disable Messenger. Due to an MS bug if you don't do it in this order
you might get an error message.
34. Now is when you want to update the
drivers for any PCI cards you have OTHER
THAN your video card, sound card, and TV Tuner card. Video, sound, and any
device that relies on video and sound should have their drivers installed last.
Try whenever possible to use WHQL certified drivers for best compatibility and
system stability.
35. Now go online
and navigate to the website of the company that makes your monitor. Locate and download the latest version of INF
software for your model of monitor. You
do not want to install the monitor INFs just yet, so be certain to remember
where you are saving the downloaded file.
Video Driver Subsection:
Now you want to install your video card drivers. Here are the links to get the latest drivers for your video card - ATI nVidia. Once downloaded install the drivers following all onscreen directions.
Note to OS tweakers with ATI cards:
By default Windows will optimize
system memory usage for programs (not system cache). If you have an ATI video
card you want to make sure you do not enable the optimized for
"system cache" setting and that you do not use any tweak
called "large system cache tweak." Using this tweak or making this
selection in Windows while using an ATI video card / drivers can cause
irreparable damage to your operating system.
If you do not know where this setting is in Windows or you have never used the
tweak, then disregard this message. The default setting installed with Windows
is the appropriate setting for an ATI video card / drivers.
For
non AIW ATI cards:
A. For
ATI card owners: When you go to the link above, be sure to either download both
the latest Display Driver and the Control Panel, or download the "High
Speed Cable/DSL" full driver package. Then use the following method for
installing the drivers.
B. If you downloaded the "High Speed Cable/DSL" Full Driver Set, then
simply click on the downloaded file and let it do its thing. When you get back
to the desktop do the following: - - Open the advanced properties for your
display and click on the SMARTGART tab. Move the slider around and then return
it to its original position. Click apply. Reboot when prompted. (This step
seems to solve problem for people with slow 2d performance.)
C. If
you downloaded the driver and the control panel separately, install as follows:
Install the ATI driver. Do NOT reboot when prompted. Install the ATI Control
Panel. DO NOT REBOOT. Go into the Administrative tools of the Windows Control
Panel and then go into "Services." Make sure the ATI Smart Service is
set to run "automatically." NOW reboot.
D. When you get back to the desktop do the following: - - Open the advanced
properties for your display and click on the SMARTGART tab. Move the slider
around and then return it to its original position. Click apply. Reboot when
prompted. (This step seems to solve problem for people with slow 2d
performance.)
For ATI AIW cards:
A. For
ATI card owners: When you go to the download link above, be sure to either
download the latest Display Driver and the Control Panel, and the MMC WDM
software. Or you can download the "High Speed Cable/DSL" full driver
package. Then use the following method for installing the drivers.
B. If you downloaded the "High Speed Cable/DSL" Full Driver Set, then
simply click on the downloaded file and let it do its thing. When you get back
to the desktop do the following: - - Open the advanced properties for your
display and click on the SMARTGART tab. Move the slider around and then return
it to its original position. Click apply. Reboot when prompted. (This step
seems to solve problem for people with slow 2d performance.)
C. If you downloaded the drivers, Control Panel and WDMs separately; please
click on the following link AIW
instructions, scroll to post #1097, and follow sumrtym's instructions for
installing the WDMs last (after drivers and Control Panel.)
For nVidia cards:
nVidia drivers install pretty much straightforwardly. But if offered, you may want to do a custom install to avoid installing an older version of Direct X.
36. Locate where you downloaded your monitor INF software. Follow the directions from your monitor manufacturer to install your monitor INF software now.
37. Once the video drivers and software are installed and you are back at the desktop, go ahead and install your Sound Card drivers. If you have more than 2 speakers you will need to change the setup either in the Control Panel, Sound icon or other audio control for your sound card.
38. Now install any TV Tuner card drivers if you have such a device.
39. Click Start, Run and type DXDIAG and click ok. Run the various tests to make sure everything is working order. If you run into any problems ask for help in the forums.
40. Find the LAN utility software you previously downloaded, burned to CDR, and copied to your C:\ drive. Installing LAN utility software is not usually necessary for a basic system. However, if your system needs the utilities or you would just like to have them available, install the software now.
41. If you are
running an Intel ICH5R mirrored array (RAID 1), install the full IAA RAID
Edition Software from the files you downloaded, burned to CDR, and copied to
your C:\ drive.
Please
note that this IAA RAID Edition Software simply adds a Windows Based Utility.
The utility is designed to give information on the RIAD array, warn if there
are problems with the array, and rebuild a mirrored array.
Because these functions are available from the RAID BIOS and since array
rebuilding applies to RAID 1, if you are someone running a striped array (RAID
0), you do not need to install this Windows based IAA utility.
42. Unless your original Windows disk
included SP1, then you currently have SP1a installed. Windows XP Service Pack 1a does not include
the MS Virtual Machine for executing java code from web pages. If you visit websites that utilize java, you
will want to install the Sun Java JRE at this time. (If you plan to do java programming you might
want to consider the Sun Java SDK or enterprise grade Sun products.)
To download and install the basic Sun Java JRE, go to the following link. https://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html Then scroll down to the area called Download J2SE v 1.4.2_03 and then choose the Windows version under the JRE heading.
43. Once everything is complete, you may want to consider cleaning up your registry. There are retail, shareware, and freeware applications for cleaning the registry. For recommendations on a good registry cleaner, please see the ABXZone Applications Forum.
44. You're done. CONGRATULATIONS! Enjoy your new system! Below are instructions on registry cleaning and stress testing. After you have completed both, if your system is stable, feel free to go ahead and activate Windows XP from the icon in your system tray.
Note:
NOTE: If this is a new motherboard, CPU, RAM, or video card you have just installed; now would be a good time to run stress tests on your system. Prime95, 3DMark, Memtest, SANDRA Burn In etc. are some examples of popular stress tests.
It's usually best to run stress tests for the first day or so before you begin installing your other software. After a day or so of stress testing, if everything is error free and stable; then begin installing any desired additional mouse, keyboard, and DVD software you choose. Once complete, proceed with installing the remainder of your software applications and setting up any additional Windows user accounts.
Many times problems with computers
can be attributed to third party software. By running stress tests for a day or so with only the OS installed, you
make potential troubleshooting a great deal easier. With just the OS installed, you can be
relatively confident that any instability problems are BIOS or hardware
related.
If this has been your first computer build, then you have
accomplished a great feat. Again congrats! Be sure to keep your operating
system and Office applications up to date with the latest patches, service
packs, and critical updates. If you have any questions, be sure to speak up and
ask for help in the forum. There are lots of smart and friendly people at
ABXZone who would be glad to give you a hand.
- Mr Steveo
Updates Section
UPDATE
If you have a USB mouse
or keyboard, and you are having problems waking your computer up from standby
or sleep states (S1,S3,S4); please read the following update information:
You may be having the problem waking your computer because of an improperly set
BIOS setting, motherboard jumper, or due to a problem with the current Windows
XP USB drivers.
To resolve the issue, first check your motherboard owner's manual and see if
you need to set a jumper or BIOS setting for USB and keyboard wake up. If you
do need a special setting, change the BIOS or jumper setting as indicated. Be
sure to fully power off your computer and remove the power cord to your PSU
before making any jumper changes.
If making the proper jumper or BIOS settings does not solve your problem, then
please read the following Microsoft KB article. KB826959 Link Included in the KB article is a link to
contact Microsoft so they can email you a patch to fix this specified problem.
UPDATE
If you own at ATI video card and want to use Sun's Java Client; be sure
to get the new version of Sun Java. Please note that using the original 1.4.1
Java client with recent ATI drivers can lead to random reboot or BSOD issues.
The new Sun Java JRE/SDK version 1.4.2_03 is available here:
https://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html
Scroll down to the area called Download J2SE v 1.4.2_03 and then choose the Windows version under the JRE heading. This will give you basic java JVM functionality.
UPDATE
How to Update Your ATI Drivers to the
Latest Version:
One of the quickest ways to encounter problems with your computer is to
improperly install new drivers. Even if you try uninstalling old drivers first,
some driver residue can be left behind that can cause system problems.
One way to deal with this issue is to do a clean reinstall of your OS. But this
can be rather time consuming and inconvenient if all you want to do is upgrade
a driver. Below is a step by step method for uninstalling ATI software,
cleaning out driver and registry residue, and upgrading to the new drivers:
(assumes no installation of MMC)
1. Download Driver Cleaner from www.driverheaven.net
2.
Uninstall your monitor INF / drivers
3. Uninstall Hydravision from Add / Remove Programs. Do not reboot
4. Uninstall ATI Drivers, from Add / Remove Programs. Do not reboot
5. Uninstall ATI Control Panel from Add / Remove Programs,
6. Reboot but reboot directly into safe mode
7. When prompted that new hardware is found by Windows, click the cancel
button, this may happen twice
8. Go into device manager and uninstall the display adapters with yellow
exclamation points.
9. Run Driver Cleaner
10. Go to Start Run and type regedit in the box. Click OK
11. Go to HKEY_LOCAL MACHINE\Software and delete the ATI technologies key
folder
12. Go to C:\ and to C:\Program Files and delete any remaining ATI folders.
13. Disconnect your internet connection by unplugging your network cable.
14. Reboot into normal mode.
15. When prompted that Windows found new hardware, click "cancel"
(you may need to do this twice, so be patient)
16. Install the new Catalyst drivers, do NOT reboot
17. Install the new Control panel
18. Now reboot into normal mode, when at desktop, follow onscreen instructions
19. Reboot one more time when all done so as to properly engage SMARTGART.
20. Once back at the desktop, open the advanced properties for your display and
click on the SMARTGART tab. Move the slider around and then return it to its
original position. Click apply. Reboot when prompted. (This step seems to solve
problem for people with slow 2d performance.)
21. Install Hydravision if you wish
22. Reconnect
your internet connection
23. Reinstall your monitor INFs /drivers.
(Below
is for people with ICH2, ICH4 - NOT Canterwood or
24. Go into control panel and uninstall Intel Application Accelerator (IAA) if
you had it installed* ** ***
25. Upon reboot, reinstall IAA if you still want or need to use it* **
- All done
* I cannot verify these steps are wise if you have a hard
driver over 137GB in size. If you do, you may want to skip these steps.
** (IAA) is Intel Application Accelerator v2.3; an IDE driver optimization
package for certain Intel chipset. Some people have good luck with IAA and some
do not. If your system is working fine without IAA, do not feel you need to add
IAA just because I mention it in the ATI driver steps above. Reference to IAA
is made solely to help those people who already have it installed.
Feel free to contribute to the thread. If you have any questions, corrections,
or suggestions, let me know.
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