okay I am back with my pieces and bits

[serious]

I was here in search of advice not long ago (actually quite some time ago considering this is the longest I have been without a computer or high speed of my own for many years) looking for some advice on hyper threading as I was planning to build a system. Well I am back both to thank you for all the advice I received (some of it I took some of it I ignored but all of it I appreciated) while seeking more. Please excuse the lamness of my questions but with your help I may be able to escape the embarassment of having to bring in my system for the IT guys to fix when I start my next project the end of next month. I assure you that I make good art.

 

I have just recently purchased the components for a new system

 

Iwill P4HT i845PE, 6ch, LAN, DDR333, Motherboard

Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz 478/533 Socket, (512K)

2x 512MB DDR PC-2700 64X64 333MHz 184PIN

ATI Radeon 8500 All-In-Wonder 128MB DDR AGP4

 

On channel one of the Dual channel ATA 100/66/33 IDE from Intel® 845PE chipset

Master LiteOn 48X12X48X CD-RW, 1800 kb/s, 2MB, 80ms, IDE, Int.,

Slave LiteOn 16X DVD-ROM, 22160 kb/s, 100ms, IDE, Int.,

 

On channel one of the Dual channel ATA/133 IDE from on board PROMISE PDC20275

Master MAXTOR DIAMONDMAX PLUS 9 60GB 7200RPM 2MB ATA133 OEM W/ FDB

Slave 80 gig Maxtor d740x-6l Ata 133

 

PCI slot 3 aopen 56k modem (I am on sabbatical in the country so I cannot get high speed from my house) slot 3 for airflow.

 

Can you believe along with a very cool with temp gauges case some fans wireless key board and mouse taxes and delivery I came in at about $1700.00 canadian peso's thats about $1000.00 us

 

I have assembled everything and it has not blown up in fact every thing seems fine so far.

 

My system is posting and I can see my CD & DVD drives but nothing else. I still need to format both my hard drives, as everything is new.

 

I am getting error “ Floppy disk(s) fail 40” So I am unable to format my hard drives.

So I am unable to load my operating system Win 2000 pro service pack 2.

 

I am a willing to do my own fishing so if there are any web sites that I could use please feel free to pass them on.

 

Mean while my questions are thus:

 

1st. Is there any place on the web where I can find out what the Phoenix workstation Award BIOS codes mean i.e.: floppy disk(s) fail 40.

 

2nd. I received two IDE cables one with a yellow end, and one with a blue end; which one is Ata 133? How do you tell the difference?

 

3rd. What is up with the fact that I cannot down load the newest bios or email you with the form they provide on the IWILL corporate site.

 

4th. Have the problems with the audio been fixed / solved?

i.e.: the alleged problems with the mouse and the audio freeze.

 

5th. Is there any way to page down through the bios set-up?

 

6th. Is it because I have not formatted my hard drives that I cannot see them when I post?

 

I am going to pick up a new floppy drive as I gather that the one I am attempting to install is not being recognised. I had it checked on another system so I am confident it should be fine.

 

I will reconfigure my system and move my drives around though I was hoping to use the faster Ata 133 for my hard drives. Eventually I would like a pair of 8 Meg buffer 120gig or bigger hard disks on channel 2. This was one of the reasons I chose this particular board.

 

I am planning on using this machine for new media content production such as graphics, digital video, 3d animation, web site creation and some light audio editing. I am a freelance multidiscipline professional artist. I am one of those people that show up in perfectly respectable architectural firm, film or advertising offices covered in paint to speak to the clients i.e. president of the corporation. I have been around the new media entertainment communications industries for some time and I have bought around 1.3 computers per year over the last 9 years. Yes I spent $4000.00 on a P 90 no CD burner no printer back in the 90’s. I actually went to school for computer animation. Any way my last system blew up in my move so tool using being my most intrinsic characteristic I decided to build my own. I am starting with this straight P4 system and I am having so much damn fun I am already in planning out a dual xenon system I would like to build this summer. Oh its going to be water-cooled In a big ass full tower with an 450 watt power supply but I digress one system at a time.

 

Any way if any one could lend some insight into my newbie dilemmas I promise I will pass on the knowledge to someone else down the road with similar aspirations.

 

Charles 1-9-3-9

 

P.S. As I stated earlier I am a professional artist (I make my living making beautiful things) I am interested designing and air brushing a limited series of modded cases.

 

**quizzy says: I've edited your post: do not advertise yourself!**

 

[ March 20, 2003, 01:39 AM: Message edited by: quizzy ]

[Greg Hess]

I am getting error “ Floppy disk(s) fail 40” So I am unable to format my hard drives.

 

Boot to the Windows XP or Windows 2000 CD. The installers have built in formatting and partioning engines. You no longer need a floppy to setup a computer...mainly just for running ramtests/diagnositics/hardware updates. Just set the bios to boot to CDROM first, and you'll be all set.

 

If you need to install device drivers for a RAID setup...or other controller...you can either try the advice below, or just install one of the HD's on a normal controller, then install the drivers once in windows, then setup the array/other controller.

 

The floppy disk failure is an extremely common error. It basically means that on either the motherboard plug, or the floppy plug, is reversed. Try unplugging the ribbion cable from the rear of the floppy, and flipping it upside down. Also try another power connector for the floppy. IT is also possible you have a dead floppy, it happens.

 

2nd. I received two IDE cables one with a yellow end, and one with a blue end; which one is Ata 133? How do you tell the difference?

 

Blue is for mboard, black for primary, gray for slave. If your having problems with the drives detecting, just connect a single drive to the black connector, and set its pin to MASTER, or SINGLE. If you get it detected, then set the secondary drive to SLAVE and connect it to the gray plug. Don't use cable select. It causes a heap of problems.

 

If the drive doesn't detect...try just the other harddrive alone. If you can get one drive to connect, but not both, try reversing which one is set to master and which one is set to slave.

 

3rd. What is up with the fact that I cannot down load the newest bios or email you with the form they provide on the IWILL corporate site.

 

http://www.iwillusa.com/supports/BIOS/ht0123.exe

 

There is a direct link for you.

 

5th. Is there any way to page down through the bios set-up?

 

You should be able to use the error keys, or the page will tell you to press d or u, to go up or down on the page. Also page up/page down keys sometimes work.

 

6th. Is it because I have not formatted my hard drives that I cannot see them when I post?

 

No thats cause the jumper's are probably set incorrectly. Or they are not recieving enough power.