46 MA XIMUMPC NOVEMBER 2004
Build It!
Step 20 : Configure your BIOS
Now it’s time to configure your sys-
tem’s BIOS. Connect your monitor,
keyboard, and mouse and power up
your machine. Make sure you press
the appropriate key to get into your
BIOS—it’s different for different BIOS
types, but you should see a prompt
when you first boot your PC. There
are two main settings you need to
tweak before you can start installing
Windows: the CPU speed and the bootorder. Once your machine is up and
running, you can perform some more
advanced tweaks (see the sidebar on
page 44).
As a general rule, adjusting the
CPU speed is as simple as entering the
appropriate menu, usually called CPU
Speed or SoftBIOS, and setting the CPU
speed to automatic.
You also need to set your BIOS to
boot off of the hard drive first, andthen the optical drive, if it can’t find a
bootable hard drive. Look for a setting
labeled Boot Order (it’s usually in Boot
Options) and change the default order
so that your main hard drive is first.
This will allow you to boot off the opti-
cal drive to install Windows, but avoid
waiting for the optical drives to spin
up every time you boot the system
after Windows is installed.Step 21 : Install Windows XP
To install Windows, all you need to do
is pop the CD-ROM into the drive, then
press the “any” key when you see a
screen prompting you to “Press any key
to boot from CD.”
After your system has booted off the
CD, the installer will start the text mode
part of the setup. If you want to install
Windows on a SCSI drive or RAID array
that XP doesn’t include drivers for, you’ll
need to press F6 and install the driv-
ers as soon as you see the blue screen.
Otherwise, wait for the Welcome screen.
Follow the prompts until you get to
the partitioning screen. Assuming you’re
using a new hard drive, you’ll need to
tell Windows how you want to configure
your disk. For maximum performance
with XP, we recommend creating one
big partition that spans the entire drive.
We recommend that you use the NTFS
format for your new drive. Remember
to always do a thorough format on a
brand-new hard drive!
Your PC should now be into the GUI
stage of the install. The first screen you’ll
see is the language options screen.
Unless you have a nonstandard keyboard
layout, or don’t live in the U.S., continue
to the next step.The last major step you
have to wade through is
the setup of your network.
Typical settings work
for most cable modems
and DSL connections,
although you’ll need to
use manual settings if you
have a statically assigned
IP address or use some
sort of wonky PPPoE connection. After
the network is configured, Windows
should reboot one last time.
Following the final reboot, you’ll be
prompted to activate Windows. We recom-
mend that you hold off until you have all
the drivers set up for your hardware and
everything is working properly.
Chances are, you’ll need to go online
to fetch all the latest updates, drivers,
and patches for your system. Before you
connect to the Internet, make sure you
enable the built-in firewall. You can dis-
able it after you’ve patched the OS, but it
will protect your rig until you install the
critical updates. To enable the firewall, go
to the Control Panel, click Network and
Internet Connections, then click Network
Connections. Right-click on your con-
nection and click Properties. Go to the
Advanced tab and click “Protect
my computer and network by
limiting or preventing access to
the computer from the Internet.”
Now, you can connect to the net
a little more safely!
Next, install Service Pack 2.
Open Internet Explorer and go to
http://www.windowsupdate.com. Click the
Scan for Updates button and go
directly to the Critical Updates
and Service Packs section. InstallService Pack 2, and reboot your computer
when prompted.
Once the Service Pack is installed, you
should install your motherboard’s chipset
drivers. You should be able to download
them from your motherboard manufac-
turer’s web site. They’re sometimes called
4-in-1 drivers or the chipset software,
depending on the manufacturer. Make
sure you reboot when you’re done.
Now, go back to http://www.windowsupdate.
com and install the latest version of
DirectX.
We’re almost done. Go to your vid-
eocard chipset manufacturer’s web site
and download the latest version of your
videocard’s drivers. Once you install them,
you’ll probably have to reboot.
Install drivers for your soundcard and
any other hardware you might have. It’s
always best to download updated driv-
ers from the manufacturer’s web site, but
if new drivers aren’t being offered, you
can always use the drivers off the CD that
came with the hardware.
After all your drivers are installed, go
back to http://www.windowsupdate.com once again
and install all the updates in the Critical
Updates section. After the final reboot,
you’re ready to start using your machine!
Did you hear that? You’re ready to start
using your machine!Caution! Be careful when you configure your BIOS! A misstep can fry your CPU.
GET YOUR DRIVERS HERE!
Without the latest drivers, your machine won’t run
at its best. Get your chipset and videocard drivers
directly from the manufacturers before you build.CHIPSETS VIDEOCARD
Via: http://www.viaarena.com nVidia: http://www.nvidia.com
Intel: support.intel.com ATI: http://www.ati.com
nVidia: http://www.nvidia.com
SiS: http://www.sis.com