need help upgrading

i am not really sure which forum to put this in, so i'll put it here and if needed, somebody can move it. Okay so pretty soon i will be getting my Asus A7V266 and DDR Ram, i already have my athlon 1700+ with heatsink and my new case. My plan is to take out all the stuff from the computer im using now (hard drive, videocard, cd drives, netword card, soundcard) and stick it into my new setup. How would i do this? Do i just set it up and turn on the computer, or will i have to reformat and what not. Will i have to prep my harddrive with new drivers and such before setting it up?

Toejam has a good thread on what to do when. Let me see if I can find it. He has found that you can avoid some of the troubles of setting up a PC by doing things in a certain order. Also, do one hardware component at a time. Set it up with only the Videocard in the machine, and then add sound and NIC etc...

<font color=red>First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.</font color=red><font color=blue>

<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/software/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=18547#18547" target="_new">http://forumz.tomshardware.com/software/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=18547#18547</A>

Here's the thread. Look for posts by Toejam.


EDIT: Link for second thread below.

<font color=red>First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.</font color=red><font color=blue><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by dhlucke on 03/27/02 07:33 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

hmmmm
wonder if i will have to do a reinstall too...
everntually planning a switch of mobo + ram

from kt133a + sdram to kt333 + DDR.

i wonder if i can get away with not doing a reinstall?
via drives remain the same...
all IRQ's theoretically should be the same.

comments?

Morally destitute, Emotionally bankrupt but a proud and respected member of Toms Forums!

so i should
1.) format harddrive
2.) setup the "new" computer
3.) turn it on, go thru the bios and such
4.) install windows xp
5.) install drivers for all devices one by one
6.) play games that my "old" computer could not handle until passing out on keyboard.

am i right? and how do i format the harddrive. i heard something about just going into dos and typing "Format C:\"

couldn't i just install the new case/mobo/ram/processor, turn it on. setup the bio's, install motherboard drivers, and then install windows xp? without reformating

ummmm
your really not getting a a7v266 are u?
its based on the kt266 chipset... you would be FAR better off getting one based on the KT266A chipset. much better memory performance.

so what you should be getting is not the a7v266, but the A7V266-E!

small name difference, big performance difference.

Morally destitute, Emotionally bankrupt but a proud and respected member of Toms Forums!