new build: what to install first for stability

<A HREF="http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/installxp/installXP1.htm" target="_new">The Right Way To Install Windows XP</A>

In addition, a couple of quick suggestions:

1.) If the mainboard is new, the great majority of the time, updating the BIOS is usually not necessary. Update the BIOS if:

A.) The operating system cannot be installed, accompanied by error messages.

B.) A flash is required to add preferred (and/or necessary) features, such as support for a particular processor, or Hyper-Threading.

C.) The system proves to be inherently unstable after the operating system installation is complete. If this is the case, you should begin to discover problems almost immediately, for which updates do not correct, such as newer drivers.

Always take handwritten notes of the BIOS settings, and double-check mainboard jumpers before installing an operating system. And with a single processor system, disable APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller) and switch to PIC, to avoid unusual problems --- before the OS installation.

2.) If you are going to install Service Pack 1, do this <i>first</i>, before installing any available hotfixes.

3.) Drivers can affect stability, and this includes the order of the installation. Always install chipset drivers first, and then any other drivers for your devices. Install the video drivers dead last ... and the best method is to extract the files into a clean folder and update the Display Adapter through the Device Manager, instead of using the built-in self-extracting .exe in the driver file setup. You'll need an unzipping utility in place before the drivers can be extracted, such as WinZIP or WinRAR.

Toey

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do you know there's a bug in windows xp sp1 that affects hyperthreaded pentium 4.

i dont really think it matters to me : im getting an amd

You have given to me this link first!
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