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Not sure what to do next?

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  • Not sure what to do next?

    My first time building a computer. I built a mid tower desktop gaming computer with an Asus GeForce 760 GTX graphics card, an Intel quad core i7 4770k processor, a Seagate 1TB hard drive, an ASRock Z87 Extreme4 motherboard and one LG Blue-ray optical drive (CD/DVD writer).

    I am not sure what I am supposted to do next. I have the compuiter built, have booted it once and all seems to work, it asks for a boot disc and I shut it off.
    If there are any other threads that are currently active/open that i can read, videos are good also, please redirect me to them.

    Thank you for your help.

  • #2
    Re: Not sure what to do next?

    So far, so good, it sounds like you've done everything right, nice work!

    Just FYI, to nitpick your terminology, you really haven't "booted" your PC yet. Booting refers to loading an operating system (Windows, etc) from a storage device (disk drive, etc) into the PC's memory, which then is run by your CPU. What you have done so far is have the PC perform the POST (Power On Self Test) process, which happens before the OS is loaded and run. POST occurs each time you start or restart a PC, and is an essential part of starting a PC. Being able to complete the POST process means all is good with the mother board, CPU, memory, and the basic function of all the devices connected to the board, such as HDDs, video cards, etc.

    If you haven't done this yet, you can start the BIOS/UEFI interface now, by pressing the Del or F2 keys a few times after you press the power button. Hopefully you have your mouse and keyboard connected to the PC (did not mention that), so you can access the various screens and options available. I would suggest finding the H/W Monitor screen, which will display the CPU and mother board temperatures, the speed of fans connected to the board, and the three power supply voltages. You want to verify that the CPU temperature is not high (between about 30C - 40C, depending upon your CPU cooler), and that the mother board temperature is normal (less than 35C). Also a great time to learn the BIOS/UEFI interface and the options you have. I assume you have things displaying on your monitor now, you should.

    I strongly suggest that you check that your HDD and optical drive are connected to the Intel SATA ports on your board. The two ports at the top of the stack of ports are not Intel, they are the extra ASMedia SATA chip ports, and will not work well before you install your OS. The six SATA ports below the top two are all Intel SATA ports, always use them for your OS drive and frankly any other drives you use, including your optical drive. Check the manual for their location if you are unsure.

    Your next step is to install your OS, probably Windows. What version are you using? Here is a guide for installing Windows 7:

    Clean Install Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums

    Another important detail when installing Windows, do not have any other HDDs or SSDs connected to your board (they could be connected, but do not connect the power cable to the drive(s)) except for the drive that you want to install Windows on. You can of course have your optical drive connected and powered up, I only mean HDDs or SSDs. If you have more than one HDD connected and powered during the Windows installation, Windows will put an important part of the OS installation on one of the other drives, not the one you selected for Windows. The result is you will always need to have both of those drives in the PC for Window to work. This can be fixed later if it happened, but why bother with that if you can avoid it from the start.

    You'll probably have more questions, so feel free to ask, and good luck!

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    • #3
      no internet connection

      Just built and installed windows 7 on my new system. It will not pick up my router can some help me with this?




      Moderator Note (- wardog -): I merged your "no internet connection" thread into this one to keep things tidy and for you to have a single reference back to while building.
      Last edited by - wardog -; 03-25-2014, 06:57 PM.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Not sure what to do next?

        Bump for a new post above as it didn't mark New when I merged the two threads.
        #1 - Please, when seeking help, enter the make and model of ALL parts that your system is comprised of in your Signature, or at least the model #'s in your System Specs, then "Save' it.
        ____If you are overclocking, underclocking, or undervolting any parts, informing us of this and their values would prove beneficial in helping you.


        #2 - Consider your PSU to be the foundation from which all else is built upon. Anything built upon a weak foundation is poorly built.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Not sure what to do next?

          The OP PM'd me about his network problem. He uses Win 7, which does not have a driver for his Z87 board's new Intel network chip, so it won't function at all until the Intel driver is installed

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Not sure what to do next?

            Originally posted by parsec View Post
            The OP PM'd me about his network problem. He uses Win 7, which does not have a driver for his Z87 board's new Intel network chip, so it won't function at all until the Intel driver is installed
            I'm not big on bumping but I didn't see any other way to take that added/merged post to the top and get it noticed.

            Thanks parsec.
            #1 - Please, when seeking help, enter the make and model of ALL parts that your system is comprised of in your Signature, or at least the model #'s in your System Specs, then "Save' it.
            ____If you are overclocking, underclocking, or undervolting any parts, informing us of this and their values would prove beneficial in helping you.


            #2 - Consider your PSU to be the foundation from which all else is built upon. Anything built upon a weak foundation is poorly built.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Not sure what to do next?

              Not to worry, that was the appropriate thing to do in this situation. I agree it was best to merge the other thread into this one.

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