When building a computer

[snoleopard]

I know how to put together a computer with all the components, and know how to install the OS. The only thing that keeps me from really building my own is that I understand absolutely nothing about BIOS. I don't have the slightest idea of how to set them, or once setted, if they are right. Anyone have any idea where I could learn this?

[Kasey Chang]

In general, don't touch them, unless you're the kind that likes to fiddle under the hood.

You may be able to get a few more percentage perf out of the PC if you do fiddle, but I don't bother any more.

[snoleopard]

So that means that when I have all the components installed, and install the OS, the bios are set automatically? There would be nothing left for me to do but boot up and make sure everything is running properly? Also, thanks for the answer.

[JSHAW]

If you can find your way into the bios and make sure your drives are setup to autodetect, and if you want one of your cd-rom drives to be able to boot from a disc in it, then you should navigate your way into the bios and make sure the settings for those things are set correctly.

If your buying a pretty good motherboard the manual that comes with the board should give you a brief description of how the settings in the bios need to be set. I can't vouch for every brand out there because some of them are written pretty poorly, and in a makeshift form of english that is spoken in taiwan or the other countries of manufacture overseas.

With as many resources for pc building that there are on the internet you shouldn't have any problem finding assistance or help with your bios settings.

You have nothing to fear but fear itself. Take basic simple precautions when handling your components and you should do fine in building a system for the 1st time.

[snoleopard]

Thanks for the info. The components I want to use will be high end, (think FalconNorthwest type) so hopefully they will have good instructions. I know I can't buy them from FN, but I can try and get the best there is, and hopefully it'll be cheaper than buying one.

[Peacedog]

Thanks for the info. The components I want to use will be high end, (think FalconNorthwest type) so hopefully they will have good instructions. I know I can't buy them from FN, but I can try and get the best there is, and hopefully it'll be cheaper than buying one.

I'm sure they will have good instructions, however making sure you can do something like set the boot seek order is really easy. Someone where could walk you through that in 5 seconds.

Things are much easier now than they were "back in the old days". It used to be you had to fiddle with stuff on the actual motherboard to get things configured. Not so anymore. I built my first machine from scratch, with no prior experience (I did a decent amount of research though) in 99 or so. I had one misadventure concerning the floppy drive and the boot disk Uncle Bill sent me with Windows 98. But you can just tap into the OO nee GG knowledge base if you have a problem and you won't have such misadventures (this was pre GG for me, since I didn't register until the fall; all I had was Usenet and Joel's brain - GG tended to provide responses quicker, but then Joel had all those handle rituals for summoning entities from beyond tucked away in his head. Really a good conundrum to have, for me).

[snoleopard]

Thanks Peacedog, that 'boot seek order' is what I was talking about. I don't know what that means.. , so I'll be sure and take you and other Octopods up on the offer of help when I finally get the components together.