Ready to start up -- but how?

[Hans L]

How do you get SP1 if you are installing windows from scratch from the CD? Or does it matter?

I'm going to be installing it onto a 320gig disk in the next couple of weeks, so I'm hoping to check it will install onto the full amount from my original WindowsXP cd.

Lastly, is installing onto SATA easy now? I remember when SATA was new and people where talking about having to flash their BIOS with a floppy first, or having to install SATA drivers for the disks using a floppy, before they could install windows. Does that still happen, or will it just install as normal nowdays?

Thanks in advance!

If you do not have Sp1 on yor install disk (as I do not), please let us know, and I can give you some hints (I got them from Clunk and someone else).

[baligavinod]

i ve tried to integrate windows xp professional with SP2...it was successful...<No warez talk please buddy ! Cheers>
Vinod

[Hans L]

Today, I decided to take the plunge.

I did not install the side fan (it blocked the view of the mobo) and I removed the second video card as per recommendation by Clunk, and then, I connected the speaker-equipped monitor, an old keyboard and mouse, and the power cables -- and then, I "flipped" the switch ...

There is nothing more pathetically tragic than the power to a computer being turned on and not even the PSU fan starting. Well, possibly the discovery by the builder that not only does the PSU switch have to be turned on, but also the computer switch.

Buzzing of fans, blinking of lights, and a rewarding absence of smoke. I entered the BIOS area and made only one change, where the value in the guide was different from the actual default value.

Before all this, I had used the article in
http://www.theeldergeek.com/slipstreamed_xpsp2_cd.htm
and "slipstreamed the Windows XP CD Using SP2".

I smacked the disk into the optical drive and rebooted. The offer to partition appeared. Of the 250 GB Seagate promised, only 238 were reported to exist (about three times more than I am ever going to need). I started to partition, but as the MS developer skipped drive letter D (a letter know to be disliked by Microsoft people), and I clicked the wrong button at one point, I now need to go back with Partition Magic and make some changes.

The installation of Windows went without a hitch. I sat silent for a moment after it finished, turned off the computer, and exhaled for about two-and-a-half minutes.

Now, I am sitting here thinking about what to do next. I think I will connect an IEEE1394a cable to the router and download the new Windows stuff. Then, I will probably partition again. And then -- dinner!

Wish me continued luck! (And just in case my wife reads this, I do not mean the dinner.)

[redsky009]

I smacked the disk into the optical drive and rebooted. The offer to partition appeared. Of the 250 GB Seagate promised, only 238 were reported to exist (about three times more than I am ever going to need).

Hard drive manufacturers use 1 Mb = 1,000,000 bytes instead of 1,048,576 bytes (1024 *1024) which windows and the rest of the computing world uses - although technically 'Mega' is 1 million so they are correct and what we call a Mb is actually a MiByte (1,048,576) - dunno why HDD manfs do it that way but hey

[acrobat]

Thanks for the replies about installing XP. I'm not sure what version my CD has, so I will find out and get back

[Clunk]

I smacked the disk into the optical drive and rebooted. The offer to partition appeared. Of the 250 GB Seagate promised, only 238 were reported to exist (about three times more than I am ever going to need). I started to partition, but as the MS developer skipped drive letter D (a letter know to be disliked by Microsoft people), and I clicked the wrong button at one point, I now need to go back with Partition Magic and make some changes.

Your DVD drive should be the D drive by default, unless you have partitioned the hard drive into 2??

You should be able to change the drive letter from within windows if i remember correctly.

Forget partition magic, it will end in tears

[Hans L]

Hard drive manufacturers use 1 Mb = 1,000,000 bytes instead of 1,048,576 bytes (1024 *1024) which windows and the rest of the computing world uses - although technically 'Mega' is 1 million so they are correct and what we call a Mb is actually a MiByte (1,048,576) - dunno why HDD manfs do it that way but hey

Okay, Redsky, that explains it exactly (I calculated :-). Thanks!

[Hans L]

Your DVD drive should be the D drive by default, unless you have partitioned the hard drive into 2??

You should be able to change the drive letter from within windows if i remember correctly.

Forget partition magic, it will end in tears

Aha, no one at MS ever told me that D is DVD. I'll try to find out if I can do it from Windows, although I have not had any problems with Partition Magic.

[Hans L]

I keep 'My Documents' on a seperate drive/partition from Windows aswell.

Currently I have my PC set up as follows;

1x320GB Seagate
C: - Windows
D: - Programs
E: - General data (My Documents, downloads etc.)

1x320GB Seagate
F: - Media (Music, Videos etc.)
FinalD

I'm doing about the same, but when you start planning for it, questions starts cropping up. So, let me ask

- During installation of programs, when you are prompted with "C:\...", I guess you change that to "D:\...". So, in other words, you will have "D:\Program Files\..."?

- What do you do, if anything, with Documents and Settings? Does it stay in C? Or can you get it to D for "...\Applications\..."?

[BUFF]

- During installation of programs, when you are prompted with "C:\...", I guess you change that to "D:\...". So, in other words, you will have "D:\Program Files\..."?

Most decent apps give you the chance to specify where you want to install so yes, if you want to install to D: you just change it to read that.

- What do you do, if anything, with Documents and Settings? Does it stay in C? Or can you get it to D for "...\Applications\..."?

I've never tried moving Documents & Settings but I always move the My Documents folder & the email storage folder off of C:

[Hans L]

Your DVD drive should be the D drive by default, unless you have partitioned the hard drive into 2??

You should be able to change the drive letter from within windows if i remember correctly.

Forget partition magic, it will end in tears

I do not think that you can use Windows to repartition. It seems as if you can only partition during setup.

I am trying Partition Magic. No tears yet, but while I was able to change the drive letter of the DVD drive on my existing computer, I can't seem to find a way to do it on my new computer. D is simply not available, obviously dedicated to the DVD. What could I possibly try in order to change that pesky D (I want C/Win, D/Programs, E/Data etc. and only then the DVD drive).

[Hans L]

I do not think that you can use Windows to repartition. It seems as if you can only partition during setup.

I am trying Partition Magic. No tears yet, but while I was able to change the drive letter of the DVD drive on my existing computer, I can't seem to find a way to do it on my new computer. D is simply not available, obviously dedicated to the DVD. What could I possibly try in order to change that pesky D (I want C/Win, D/Programs, E/Data etc. and only then the DVD drive).

And, of course, I was wrong! Administrative Tools -- Computer Management -- Disk Management. I'm changing right now.

[Hans L]

Most decent apps give you the chance to specify where you want to install so yes, if you want to install to D: you just change it to read that.


I've never tried moving Documents & Settings but I always move the My Documents folder & the email storage folder off of C:

Okay, Buff, sounds great.

[Clunk]

I do not think that you can use Windows to repartition. It seems as if you can only partition during setup.

I am trying Partition Magic. No tears yet, but while I was able to change the drive letter of the DVD drive on my existing computer, I can't seem to find a way to do it on my new computer. D is simply not available, obviously dedicated to the DVD. What could I possibly try in order to change that pesky D (I want C/Win, D/Programs, E/Data etc. and only then the DVD drive).

Heres what I would do.

As it is a new build, do a fresh install and add extra partitions on the install. As I said, partition magic is a pain, and when it goes wrong, it goes wrong.

When you come to the partitioning part of the setup, it should ask you the size of the partition that you want, as an exercise, change the value of the big number to roughly half, this will just partition the drive in half, or if you choose, say a third, this will give you roughly a 75gig partition for windows and the rest for storage. You get the Idea

The reason that I am suggesting that you do it now, is that if you do have any problems with this first build, you can be sure that it ISNT partition magic causing it if it isnt installed.

When you add an extra partition, your drive letter for the DVD drive will shift over one letter, so D will become E and your second hard drive partition will become D.

If you think you partitioned the drive into 2 halfs/parts but can only see one, have a look in disk manager in windows, it might just need a kickstart.

[Hans L]

As you know by now, Clunk, I discovered that I could use Administrative Tools -- Computer Management -- Disk Management, which I did, and I have now formatted all the partitions I created, and changed the drive letters the way I wanted them. All seems to be well, except that I have problems connecting to the Internet (getting the message "failed to query TCP/IP settings of the connection" -- don't know yet what is wrong).

[Clunk]

Are you connecting using the wireless? Have you installed the drivers for it, and enabled it in the bios?