need help badly

[XII-lanparty]

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sorry if i have posted this in the wrong forum but this is my first post on here.

i have just bought everything to build a decent gaming computer, i have assembled it all today but i have some problems, they are listed below.

1. the computer itself when turned on displays a list of choices to start windows these are, last known good configuration, safe mode, safe mode with networking, safe mode with dos, start normally, i have tried all of these options and the computer after bringing up the windows XP screen for 45 secs then just restarts and then the process is repeated any ideas?

2. i have just bought a thermaltake armor series case but cannot figure out where to put the top mounted USB, Firewire, earphone and mic cabling to on my motherboard, the MB is a DFI Lanparty NF4.

3. also i have a Mitsumi 7 in 1 card reader with built in FDD, the FDD is connected but i cannot figure out where to put the cabling for the card reader on the MB


any help will be greatly appreciated.

cheers.

 

[XII-lanparty]

also i am running my old hard-drive so i acn then transfer everything from my old hard-drive to my new one, then replace the old hard-drive into the computer i previously used and then sell it.

 

[Kage]

First of all, welcome to the forums

FIRST:

"1. the computer itself when turned on displays a list of choices to start windows these are, last known good configuration, safe mode, safe mode with networking, safe mode with dos, start normally, i have tried all of these options and the computer after bringing up the windows XP screen for 45 secs then just restarts and then the process is repeated any ideas?"

Well, if your using a hard drive that hasn't been formatted after setting up the new PC and you were using the same one with the old computer setup, then that'll be the reason why its not working.

You see, XP has protection on it to stop it being used on another PC, and your PC to XP now, is another PC.

I'm afraid to get it working, you'd have to do a full format of it and re-install Windows.
Back it up first though of course if you can by putting it in as slave with another hard drive if you can get hold of one.

SECOND:

"2. i have just bought a thermaltake armor series case but cannot figure out where to put the top mounted USB, Firewire, earphone and mic cabling to on my motherboard, the MB is a DFI Lanparty NF4."

I have that problem with my front USB ports, though they need an adapter of some sort, since these are just cables and don;t actually have the hardware implemented.

The firewire and USB though could plug into the motherboard, since these are mostly built in, and just need to be plugged into the socket to get it to work. Check the manual for advise on where.

THIRD:

"3. also i have a Mitsumi 7 in 1 card reader with built in FDD, the FDD is connected but i cannot figure out where to put the cabling for the card reader on the MB"

I'm afraid I can't help with that, but I'm sure someone else will.

I hope these suggestions help

 

[XII-lanparty]

righty ho, ok i have another hard drive in my new computer a maxtor 120gb SATA but the old one with all of the stuff in it is a 80gb ide so how can i transfer all of this stuff on to the new HD to get it all to work?

 

[Kage]

Right, install the 120gb drive as the Master with Windows. Thats the first step.

Now, turn the computer off, and connect the one with the data on as the Slave to that one, which can either be done with cables put in a certain way, or by switching the jumper on the back of the hard drive to Slave position (should be a diagram)

Now, load up windows on the newly installed setup and tehn one should be drive C and one might be drive D. It'd just mean backing up what you need against what you don't need.

You can then turn off, put the Slave one as the Master and format it, putting Windows on it.

You then place the one with the data on it in Slave to that one, and put all the data you want back onto the drive that you lost.

Hopefully that makes sense, and it'll work fine.

The only thing that worries me is IDE and SATA together, though, hopefully there won't be a problem, but I know that they should be able to go together.

Good luck, and post back to tell us how it went

 

[XII-lanparty]

erm sort of makes sense i'll try that out cheers, i'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Kage]

Okay. That should work.

I know its annoying though that you should have to do it in the first place.

Just make sure you don't format the wrong one at first or something, and then have nothing to back up

 

[wozelbeak]

look here for your motherboard layout. download the pdf english version.
this is for a lanparty nf4, there are three or four different versions but i reckon the layout would be much the same.
you may have to fiddle about to make the connections (i did). and if you put them on the wrong pin don't worry to much (i did it several times).

http://www.dfi.com.tw/Support/Download/manual_download_us.jsp?PRODUCT_ID=3609&STATUS_FLAG=A&SITE=NA

woz

 

[wozelbeak]

pdf of your mobo.

bottom right is front panel pins, further to left bottom is your usb pins, and top left is the front audio/speakers pins.
i looked at the pdf and it looks prety easy to do, go to page 37.
woz

 

[XII-lanparty]

cheers for the pdf, yep getting an XP disk tonight off my bro, should be fine, i have just got the new SATA drive in it at the moment, it has nothing on it so i will pop the disk in and reboot and see if it fires up, BTW how do i get to the damn BIOS on the MB to change it to boot from the CD?

Also i am not 100% that i have my hardrive connected properly, its an SATA, i have put to cables in to it one power cable and one data cable which is a funny shape that goes to the MB, is this right? sorry i am new to all of this.