No system is complete without software, and most operating systems come on a bootable CD. The system's boot order can be selected in the motherboard BIOS under the "Advanced BIOS Features" menu, and should be set to boot from CD first. If the ATA interface used comes via an add-in controller, the menu may name the drive instead.

Single drives needed to install Windows XP should always have their controllers set to non-RAID mode, so that Windows Setup can address these using generic "Standard IDE controller" drivers. Advanced configurations such as RAID will require a driver floppy to be inserted, and the user to respond to the prompt "Press F6 to load third party SCSI or RAID drivers".

Further BIOS tips and tricks can be found in our BIOS for Beginners article.

We hope that this series has made your build a complete success, but if it hasn't, members of our Forumz eagerly anticipate your technical questions.

Related Articles:
How To Build A PC, Part 1: Component Selection Overview
How To Build A PC, Part 2: Choosing the Right Vendor
Cases and Modding
BIOS for Beginners
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