Quick tech question. I'm assembling my new computer, and the new HD is unformatted. Do I need to format it on my existing computer? If I slap it unformatted into my new computer will I be able to format it there prior to installing the OS and all that other goodness? (I seem to remember being able to format off the Windows boot DVD, but it's been a while.)
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Fregarum
Lorahand
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Formatting a new hard drive
Stigma- Forum Royalty
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- Post n°1
Formatting a new hard drive
Lorahand- Forum Lord
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- Post n°2
Re: Formatting a new hard drive
From what I know if you install the HD in the new comp and start up with the windows CD you should just be able to format the drive you need to from there... I know when I do a reformat I just plop in the wondows cd, reboot, and go from there.
Fregarum- Moderate Poster
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- Post n°3
Re: Formatting a new hard drive
thats pretty much how it works
it will ask you to format the disk before it can do anything with it.
it will ask you to format the disk before it can do anything with it.
Stigma- Forum Royalty
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Re: Formatting a new hard drive
Yeah, that's what I thought. Like I said - it's been a while. Thanks for the replies.
So now comes the fun part: assembling the mobo, processor, RAM, HD, video card; hooking it into my existing case, power supply, and attching all the numerous fans. THEN, I get to boot it up and pray that everything works, because if something doesn't... I'll have no clue which part of the cycle broke down.
I don't know why I bring this on myself.
So now comes the fun part: assembling the mobo, processor, RAM, HD, video card; hooking it into my existing case, power supply, and attching all the numerous fans. THEN, I get to boot it up and pray that everything works, because if something doesn't... I'll have no clue which part of the cycle broke down.
I don't know why I bring this on myself.
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- Post n°5
Re: Formatting a new hard drive
Dao Jones wrote:Yeah, that's what I thought. Like I said - it's been a while. Thanks for the replies.
So now comes the fun part: assembling the mobo, processor, RAM, HD, video card; hooking it into my existing case, power supply, and attching all the numerous fans. THEN, I get to boot it up and pray that everything works, because if something doesn't... I'll have no clue which part of the cycle broke down.
I don't know why I bring this on myself.
I don't know sounds like fun to me Wish I had some new stuff to play with!
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- Post n°6
Re: Formatting a new hard drive
My new stuff came, but the Raptor drive had bent Sata pins... Had to RMA, but Newegg overnighted another at no charge...
Also, Dao, if you watch your motherboard when it posts, copy that number down and look it up on the manufacturer's site. That will lead you to what component you need to address.
Stigma- Forum Royalty
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Re: Formatting a new hard drive
So, I get all my stuff delivered Friday; start working on it Saturday. The processor seems to work fine (and the BIOS correctly identifies it), the RAM might be problematic (BIOS thinks I only have 3 gigs of 533MHz RAM, when in fact I have 4 gigs @ 800Mhz), and the motherboard hasn't given me any trouble that I can see. What failed?
The damn HD. Wouldn't format (hung at 80%, failed the same place when I tried formatting it in my old computer), and now I'm stuck waiting for NewEgg to send me a new one. Worst part of it is, because I'm back in Houston this week I can't poke around and find out if anything else is broken; even were I here, without a properly installed copy of Windows I can't download my nVidia drivers to confirm functionality of my vid card, nor can I do any further research on my potential RAM problem.
So cruel. And I'm just sitting on an AoC beta key to download onto my nice shiny computer... assuming the %#@$ing thing ever gets up running...
So cruel...
The damn HD. Wouldn't format (hung at 80%, failed the same place when I tried formatting it in my old computer), and now I'm stuck waiting for NewEgg to send me a new one. Worst part of it is, because I'm back in Houston this week I can't poke around and find out if anything else is broken; even were I here, without a properly installed copy of Windows I can't download my nVidia drivers to confirm functionality of my vid card, nor can I do any further research on my potential RAM problem.
So cruel. And I'm just sitting on an AoC beta key to download onto my nice shiny computer... assuming the %#@$ing thing ever gets up running...
So cruel...
Geoff- Light Poster
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- Post n°8
Re: Formatting a new hard drive
What OS are you using?
Stigma- Forum Royalty
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Re: Formatting a new hard drive
XP, SP2. Even though I'll miss Dx10, I wouldn't take Vista at this point even if it was free.
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- Post n°10
Re: Formatting a new hard drive
u put the right ram for your motherboard in? reading as 533 instead of 800 thats no good.
Geoff- Light Poster
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Re: Formatting a new hard drive
XP will only recognize up to 3.5 GB, and are you sure it's the right type? You might be having a conflict with your motherboard if you buy the wrong type. DDR, DDR2, DDR3, etc.
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- Post n°12
Re: Formatting a new hard drive
as far as 533Mhz vs. 800Mhz, the motherboard you've purchased (without overclocking) is capable of a 533Mhz memory clock. You can overclock this to get your memory back up to (or close) to the proper speed. And the 3Gb of memory, XP 32 bit (and Vista 32 bit) the OS can only access 3.5Gb of memory including available Video memory (which means you have a 512MB graphics card, or 2 256MB graphics cards).
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- Post n°13
Re: Formatting a new hard drive
Geoff wrote:XP will only recognize up to 3.5 GB, and are you sure it's the right type? You might be having a conflict with your motherboard if you buy the wrong type. DDR, DDR2, DDR3, etc.
This is the board I purchased: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157120&Tpk=PENRYN1600SLI. Newegg says it takes DDR2800 RAM.
And this is the RAM I bought: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231102. DDR2800 RAM.
I had thought XP recognized up to 4GB independent of the video card (I have a 512mb card). Ah well - I don't actually care if a lose half a gig, or even a gig. 3GB should be enough to run anything in XP anyway. I figured I needed a BIOS update or something, so I wasn't going to be worried until I couldn't get it to work properly. The board says it uses 800/667/533, so I figured maybe it just sets to the lowest by default without a tweak. Once I had XP installed, I was going to pop in the disk that came with the board and see what I could do.
[Edit:] Yeah, some guy on NewEgg had this to say about the mobo in his review: "I had to manually adjust the timings for my memory in bios from 533mhz to 800mhz." I couldn't find anywhere to do that natively in the BIOS, so I'll wait until XP in running to install the rest of the goodies that may make that happen.
Geoff- Light Poster
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- Post n°14
Re: Formatting a new hard drive
Ah I thought you had messed with the BIOS settings and ruled that out already. That's what I get for not reading!
Glad you figured it out, though.
Glad you figured it out, though.