Initial BIOS settings and how important are they?

[Simpleton]

I am just about to finish building my first computer.

I am having dificulty understanding the motherboard's manual about BIOS set up...at initial power up.

I have to clarify that I am not overcloaking yet. I want to attain stability first and at the same time understand how to work with the BIOS comands on the screen because it is like chinese to me.

My first question:

Is it ok to leave the BIOS as is without touching it and let
the defautl settings take over automatically or there is a need to make adjustments for stability and better performance (specially in the boot up sequence).

What is the difference in performance and stability by not flashing the BIOS versus flashing it and making an update.

If changing the settings for better performance and stability is needed...what settings are those and how do you do it?...

The manual provides all the instructions but I im in a situation where I need instructions like "How to change BIOS set up for DUMMIES"...sorry.

My system:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Newcastle
Motherboard ASUS KN8 socket 754
Radeon 9800 Pro 128-256 bits
PSU Fotron FSP 350watts AURORA
HDD WesterDigital 120 gigs Ultra Ata 100
Windows XP Home Upgrade.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

I have to clarify that I am not overcloaking

I wish I could overcloak my PC, hell...I wish I could just cloak it.

______________
OK it's your choice:
You can have the boat, or you can have the Mystery Box!
...Hey wait a minute! A boat's a boat, but a Mystery Box could be anything. It could even be a boat

 

[Flinx]

Hi,

Well those are lots of questions. For the most part modern BIOS can be left relatively untouched.

You will probably want to set the time. Also, you might want to indicate the order of your boot devices when loading the operating system. These two are probably the most important for a simple configuration.

There may be one or two other minor paramters you might like to set like selecting the AGP card for the first graphics device (if that's what u have) and maybe the AGP aperature size.

Here is some additional reading about CERTAIN bios parameters. Some that the manual does not explain well may be explained more clearly here<A HREF="http://www.rojakpot.com/default.aspx?location=9" target="_new">ROJAKPOT</A> Unfortuneately motherboard makers do not seem to spend much time explaining their parameters in detail. Nor does there seem to be a standard in terminology.

Sometimes the the CMOS has to be reset for the bios to properly recognize the CPU. I would suggest you do that before you update the time otherwise u will end up having to adjust the time again.

Flashing the BIOS can be hazardous. The vendors typically recommend that you avoid this unless the new BIOS provides something you need. Nowadays, many mobo makers provide utilities you can run from windows to do this and this has made it much less confusing or dangerous for begginers. Never update your BIOS if you think there is any chance of a powerfail (like a thunderstorm). Aside from the cautionary note, it is not the end of thw world to flash a BIOS.

The loving are the daring!

 

[Simpleton]

My new computer does not have a Floppy Disk Drive.
Then what will be the best boot sequence for a system that has
one IDE Hard Drive, one DVD/player and one DVD/RW ?

 

[tweebel]

If you never want to boot up from a cd (which means you have already installed Windows) always start with the HD for boot-up speed.

 

[supremelawfirm]

This is all excellent advice:

I would only add that it's a good idea
to re-set your BIOS to factory "defaults"
before doing anything else: that setting
becomes your "baseline" from which you
can then experiment with other changes.

We prefer a "stepwise" approach to system
building: get the minimal system working
first; then, as other components are added,
you will know what effects they cause, and
you can use that information to isolate the source
of any new problems that arise, as each new
component is added.

This process is called "fault isolation".

For example, every motherboard will boot with
a CPU, RAM, video, keyboard, mouse and
power supply cabled,
but no drives or other peripherals.

This is obviously a very good "checkpoint":
it will tell you if your CPU and memory
are being properly detected by the BIOS.

Modern memory subsystems come with a feature
called "Serial Presence Detect" ("SPD").

A modern BIOS should automatically configure
RAM settings and clock multiplier. If it does,
leave these alone, because they obviously work
and you still need to finish building your system.

At this point, power down and add your primary
hard drive and CD/DVD. Power up and see if
the BIOS detects them automatically too.

Some builders like to install Windows at
this point; others like to add all hardware
first, before installing Windows.

If BIOS detects all hardware, keep going, and
add any additional components, making sure
as you go that the BIOS has at least detected
the new hardware.

Plug-and-play means that a BIOS should be able
at least to identify all hardware, if not also
configure it correctly too.

When you are satisfied that all hardware is
installed and correctly cabled, then you are
ready to install Windows XP.

It's quite a remarkable operating system,
because it comes bundled with a giant set
of drivers and should at least detect, if
not correctly configure, all your hardware
for you. Occasionally, the very latest
drivers must be obtained from the Microsoft
Windows Update website.

At this point, if you have installed industry
standard hardware, chances are good that your
system will run with BIOS "defaults" and with
Windows "defaults".

If you can't reach this important milestone,
you either have faulty hardware somewhere
in your system and/or there is a bad cable
or cable not firmly connected (stuff like that).

Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell
Webmaster, Supreme Law Library

 

[Nitrom]

SUPREMELAWFIRM

Thanks for the guidance...you really did a great job with your posting

 

[supremelawfirm]

Now, to carry this "fault isolation" methodology
one step further, consider installing Symantec
GHOST (formerly Drive Image 7 from PowerQuest)
right after Windows XP stabilizes.

Another comparable package is True Image by Acronis.

The method we will describe here requires that
you have partitioned your one hard drive into
C: and D: partitions (at least); better yet,
your system has 2 hard drives.

When you get a "baseline" set of system software
working and stabilized, run GHOST to create an
image file of the C: drive.

If your D: drive is on the same hard disk,
this step will work, but your HD's read/write
heads will oscillate back and forth, which only
adds premature wear.

If your D: drive is on a second hard drive,
then the read/write heads move from track to
adjacent track, in a nice, orderly, and smooth
process ("ideal" behavior for a hard drive).

And, this latter mode will run a lot faster.

At this point, if you are not familiar with
drive images, follow the instructions for
RESTORING your drive image to the C: drive.
This experience will come in very handy
later on (if not right away).

Now, as you start to load application software
and make other important changes, create a
separate drive image of C: for each significant
change, e.g. right after installing
MS Office Suite, then create a new drive image
of C:

On your D: (or other non-C partition,
start with the folder d:\images. Then,
as you accumulate subsequent drive images,
just add a suffix, e.g. images.001, images.002,
and so on, to the existing "images" folder,
then create a new "images" folder for the
current run of GHOST.

Although these drive images tend to get large,
the more so as you add software, as soon as
your system stabilizes with the full set of
system and application software you seek
for your system, you can then begin to
either delete images.001, images.002, etc.,
or write them to a DVD.

Last but not least, if you don't move it,
the Internet Explorer cache file will
be assigned to C:, and this database will
grow with time, the more so as you browse
the Internet.

To keep drive images from getting too "bloated",
you have the option to initialize the IE
cache file in Tools | Internet Options |
Temporary Internet Files | Delete Files.

The net result of this systematic methodology
is that, if a newly installed software package
screws up your system, you can always revert
back to the prior working set of system files,
and do so QUICKLY (15-20 minutes).

Running the GHOST restore step takes a LOT less
time than starting over from scratch (i.e.
re-installing Windows and everything else: UGH!)

One final point: if a virus or worm infects your
C: drive, this is also a TERRIFIC way to get rid
of it quickly and get back to a PERFECT SYSTEM.

Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell
Webmaster, Supreme Law Library