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Thank guys for your answers…

Yes, there I go, I’m going to pass through all the “Tips and Tricks”, I’m happy to here there is something about BIOS as well in there, I didn’t know. I thought it was all about OS optimatizacion only.

In the download page for the P4PE there is only the newer BIOS 1005, but the originals are no longer downloadable.

There are no explanations on how to install SATA drives in ASUS web page unless I’m missing something that I didn’t see... I’m pretty sure nevertheless, there is something in the web about it that can be found through google, so no prob! Cheers...

I don't think there is anything about sata on the asus-web.
There are some changes in BIOS you need to do:
BIOS, ADVANCED/PCI configuration:
1 onboard sata/ide raid controller: enable
2 onboard ata device first: yes

I just updated to bios 1005, and believe it or not, all settings from 1002 was kept in new bios.

Well Nestor
I can not guaranty, that there is BIOS stuff in the win2000/XP thread - I didn't go thru it myself, but I have feeling there is.

Anyway, I do think I saw some tricks in the 98 thread - or was it links to articles?

Sorry guys, but this is becoming increasingly complicated… I don’t know were I’m going… I whish there was something like a step-by-step web site with easy tutorials to follow. Something that would show you what to do without giving 100 options for every single step! There are too many important choices and parameters for a beginner to be aware of… Uffff…

To decide on FAT32 or NTFS, it’s not an easy choice. There are as many good reasons to take the one as good causes to take the other… I’ve read a lot about it, and it’s not an evident choice.

Installing W XP as “ACPI” or “PC”, again, there is a big choice to do here.

How many partitions it is convenient to do? Is it better to do them through the XP install, or is it better to do it with Partition Magic? (or other similar app)

No were in the net you can find a clean tutorial about how to install a SATA drive… the only thing you can find it is people asking for the same question, and more and less reliable answers, some time very confusing.

Which BIOS to use? Everybody tells you to use the latest, but “nothing” it’s said in the ASUS download page for the P4PE tells you FSB has changed from 533MHz to 800MHz. (The old 1002 or the new 1005?)

I am completely new to this and never know which is exactly, the next step to follow. This is very slow so, cos I have to read a lot to try to understand which is the following step. Despite I read a lot, reading is also confusing, cos no reading is good enough to tell you all you need, but just little pieces of information you have to try to join together. Sorry to bother, but really don’t know what to do right now…

For instance, what do you understand by this?:

Installing Driver During New Windows XP installation. Note: Before install, you must make a "Promise Floppy Install DISK". To copy all files and folders in {CD-ROM Drive}:/Drivers/Promise/*.* to Floppy.

Which is the procedure to reach the creation of this Promise Floppy? Do I have to do it in DOS mode? If yes, how do I do it?

i never made a floppy and i'll bet you don't need to do anything to install a sata drive.i'd use ntfs but fat works also.i'm in acpi mode with no problems,but i'll bet standard pc is safer.one post said standard 486 worked best for them.go ahead and make partitions now if you want.you can add partitions later,but it's harder to eliminate them.and use the latest bios.just flash it and get over it.i used the automatic xp install and it's working so i wouldn't worry too much.you can always redo it if you have problems.

I have read this one, and I have to say it's extremely convincing... but...

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hwdev/tec ... stall.mspx

...

i'm on ntfs and marcuspocus has been on it a while,i believe(among others).it does work.....

My only concer about it, really... is: Is it much slowler than FAT32? If it is not, I have nothing to think about, I'm going NTFS, of course. Anyway, I read you can go from NTFS to FAT32, but you can't go from FAT32 to NTFS without some problems.

So, is it really slowler?

Hi Nestor,

Here's my quick answers to your questions. You might find that they are not the ultimate options for performance, but I really don't think it will make so much difference. I'm using a Gigabyte 845PE, so quite similar to the P4PE with these settings and SFP works a treat.

I set PNP OS to "Enabled" in my BIOS and installed XP in ACPI mode (i.e. didn't do anything special). As far as I know, most people do this now since the problems have been resolved with it.

XP installed onto an NTFS partition. For an applications/system partition, you could probably use around 10GB and this should be plenty. As long as you make sure not to store any non-application files here, then you really shouldn't end up using more than about 4-5 GBs of this. There is almost no perceptible difference in performance between NTFS and FAT32, so I'd go for NTFS for the security features. The only really good reason to use FAT32 these days is if you are sharing the partition across a network with a Windows 98 machine.

For any other partitions, just think about how you'd like to use the disc. Maybe have a small audio scratch partition (around 5-6GB), which you use for recording. This should be small, so you can defragment regularly. Then the rest is up to you. I tend to have a few, as it helps me to be organised (e.g. Archive/File Store etc).

It's almost always worth having the latest BIOS. Your update from 533Mhz to 800Mhz that you are worried about will just be a capability thing. If you have a 533Mhz chip, it will run at 533Mhz. It just means that if you were to buy an 800Mhz FSB chip in the future, you'd be able to use it with this motherboard.

On the topic of Floppy install disc for the Promise SATA controller. For some reason, instruction manuals still seem to insist on creating Floppy disc installers when you really don't need to. I'd probably just point the Hardware Device Wizard at the relevant directory on the CD ({cd-drive}:/Drivers/Promise/) when it tries to install the interface. It will probably appear in the Device Manager as two entries (one per connector) called "Mass Storage Controller".

Hope this helps,
Will

I think, it is the other way around Nestor: You can go from FAT32 to NTFS, but not from NTFS to FAT32. Anyway, you still have your old PC, right? And all you valueable data are still on it, right? If you can answer yes on both questions, there realy is only one way to go. And that way is EXPLORING.

Man, you are scared like shit from this, and I do understand it. Because you have loaded far too many informations into your brain at this moment Nestor, it is good to do research before a very important purchase, and you have done so, and you have done it very fine - realy!. But I think you have reached the limit now. With your current knowledge I don't think you can take in much more info without just becomming even more frustrated.

The good side is, that you actually can go and test it all out with no risk. YES Nestor , you can just install big scarry winXP in what ever mode you want: pnp OS y/n, Standard PC y/n, NTFS/FAT32. It does not realy matter - REALY! Because it is not a full lifetime binding contract you write, when you install a PC If you do not get the results you want - go do it all over again. And if that is still not good - do it all over again. Actually, you may be luckyer, if it doesn't work first time. Why? Because you get to do it all over again. You learn that way. You get experience. In this world of PCs, where there are literary thousands of combinations of hardware and software, you will have a hard time finding someone on an internet forum, who can give you THE answers - 100% perfect and true.

The only thing to remember during the first weeks (better = months, if you can wait that long) is to keep your current data on your old PC. DO NOT DELETE your current data from your old PC. You see the point? winXP gives you 30days of testing before it screws up. If 30days are not enough - reformat the drive and do it all over. WinXP will not know, what you have done - and it will give you another 30days.

So now Nestor comes the final step. You are standing at the edge - there is a 3cm direct fall, if you chrash - you can not get hurt JUMP!

Just install it, play with it. Get to know it. The chance you get it 100% in the first go is very bad anyway. You may get it 98% right, if you are lucky. And realy - 98% is very good. Good luck Nestor. You will probably not need it though. Patience is your mayor tool for learning the new.

Hi Nestor
Fat32 or NTFS, I use NTFS because its made for win2000 and xp, it keeps files together so you don't need to defrag all the time.

When using SATA, SCSI or Raid you don't have any option, you need to install ACPI, because you need to press F6 (to access SATA drivers) when installing WINXP. (anyway i couldn't do it)

No sata tutorial to be seen (maybe we'll make on?)

A good advice, don't mess with BIOS more than you need. But you ned to enable sata, see previouse posting.
And like Immanuel pointed out, changes can be made later.

Floppy, you'll need it because you don't have access to your disc, and i dont think you can change cd during installation.
(to find something on xp-cd is rather difficult)
So copy from ASUS cd driversPromise to a floppy. (4 dir and 3 files = 731kb).
(guess you only need part of it, but...)

In your right hand WIN XP cd and in your left floppy......go on...install XP.
After a while, you need to press F6 (when asked). Time for floppy (when asked)

As i can recall, you need to restart and press CTRL+F (when asked) while bios is surching for your HD. Then you are in FastBuild program; with 5 choices. Press 3 for "setup an array" - chose your sata disk (witch will become visable for the first time.
Restart
Install XP, in witch you will be able to partion and format the HD.
As W-ellis points out, 10 GB is ok for C: (i use 7,5 GB and the rest for my prosjects)

Standard PC might be safer, as garyb says, but its someting you can change later if needed (I run ACPI, its ok)

PS I was so "hotheaded" when setting up my pc, so its hard to remember step by step. Even though i normaly write down every step when building a pc. hole in my file

good luck, it wont bite

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: arela on 2003-07-07 14:16 ]</font>

Thank you King of Snake, Immanuel, Arela, Dark, Garyb and Wellis for your answers and help! It’s highly appreciated indeed. I now have decided and chosen to go ACPI, NTFS with a 15GB partition Audio, Pulsar, Cubase programs and XP system programs. Using the latest BIOS 1005.

Well, what can I say Immanuel? Yes, you’re right! Your post was, in regard to my state of mind, 100% accurate. I can’t but to feel scary handling something I have not even yet paid, cos I’m buying through a friend’s loan… so there is responsibility in here. And of course, so much knowledge coming through just a couple of days, it’s madness… But even like that… it’s amazing HOW MUCH I love all this stuff… Aren’t I becoming computer masochistic? Well, here we go:

I have enabled in BIOS PNP OS, as suggested, so when booting up the system got XP immediately from the CD drive activating itself automatically. It started with a black and white screen, telling me that XP was getting ready to load the setup program. Then appeared a screen written in blue letters, giving me 3 options, one of them was “to install XP”. I immediately pressed F6, which brought me the possibility to install third party *drivers*, and so there was SCSI and other devices available you could chose from. Then I had to press “S” to get to the installation of your drivers, which are the Promise ones. I did, and XP asked for the floppy in A which was already there with the Promise drivers. Well… you press enter and three choices appear on screen:

Promise driver for Win98,
for 2000
and for XP.

I have chosen the XP, and got an error message:

The /WinXP/fasttx2k.sys has caused an unexpected error (18) in line 2108 in D: /xpsp1/base/boot/setup/oemdisk.c

I’ve tried may different ways, made different floppy configurations, tried the Win 2000 drivers, but there is always the same message. I’ve even tried to continue, but there is no possible way to install anything…

BTW: I have also gone to the FastBuild pressing Contrl + F, and created an Array as suggested, to the Maxtor one, which was leasted there with it's serial number, capacity in GBs, etc.

This may be the problem:
I have TWO SATA connexions, cos I have a Seagate Barracuda SATA V, and a SATA dongle, specially designed to connect IDE devices to the SATA of your motherboard, increasing speed and bettering air flow.

What would you suggest now, what can I do to brake this step into pieces???

only suggestion so far:
chec bios if sata is enabled and bootable.
chec FastBuild if sata disc is bootable.
(a * in front of first letter)

NOW I REMEBER THIS STEPS:
F6, which brought me the possibility to install third party *drivers*, and so there was SCSI and other devices available you could chose from. Then I had to press “S” to get to the installation of your drivers.

error message:
The /WinXP/fasttx2k.sys has caused an unexpected error (18) in line 2108 in D: /xpsp1/base/boot/setup/oemdisk.c

D is refered to an imaginary disc (memory) that windows use during installation i think.
I'm not sure, but it seems like windows dont recognize your C:

This may be the problem:
I have TWO SATA connexions, cos I have a Seagate Barracuda SATA V, and a SATA dongle, specially designed to connect IDE devices to the SATA of your motherboard, increasing speed and bettering air flow.

Is your Seagate connected to the lower sata connector (they should be equal, but its called #1)
Maybe disconnect "the dongle" for a while???

other suggestions????

That’s important Arela, no doubt, but I can’t find a place to check the BIOS for the SATA drivers in the BIOS, and this is because the P4PE User Guide E1140, is different actually, from the BIOS installed on the board.

I’m going to search for it through the entirety of the BIOS, but, if somebody got it, please, tell me.

When you say: chec FastBuild if sata disc is bootable. (a * in front of first letter), I understand what you are saying, but don’t understand the last part of it “
(a * in front of first letter)” what do you mean?

I’m sure about “D” as being an imaginary disk, cos I’ve tried to install from both, the CDRW and the CD drives, and from both it is called “D”.

I’ll try inverting the connections of both the drives as well, to see what happens…

Here there is something related, but nasty too... http://support.microsoft.com/search/pre ... -us;225125

And... http://support.microsoft.com/search/pre ... -us;220845

Despite the fact the manual and the actual BIOS are differnet, I found the SATA and enabled it, but everything continues to happen as descrived before...

The 2 links are win2k related. So they probably has nothing much to do with your situation.

You did buy both an old style and a SATA hard drive, right (you have made so many threads and posts, that the first ones has been removed from my human cache)? If this is so, I think the solution is to unplug the SATA drive and try to install XP on you parallel drive. When you have XP up and running, it may be easyer to install the SATA drive later on.