Custom PC Building 3

Custom PC Building

Part 3: Tweaking The Bios

Step One: Bios Setup
Edit your BIOS When you first start up your computer, it'll tell you to press a key to enter setup, usually F2. This takes you to the setup of your Basic Input/Output System, or BIOS. Here, you can configure some of the lowest-level aspects of your new machine. You may not actually need to edit any of these settings, but it's a good idea to go through and get acquainted with them making sure everything's in good order before moving on.

Note: The BIOS will be a little bit different on different brands of motherboard, so your options may differ slightly from screen to screen.

System Information Screen: This should be the main screen you see when entering the Bios Settings. First make sure the amount of RAM listed is the same amount you put in if listed or check your post screen if not listed. If it isn't detecting all of your RAM, some of it might not be seated correctly, so go back and fix that before continuing. The System Bios version and Build Date are most often listed here also (take note of version and build date) useful for flashing the Bios later.

SATA Configuration Option: Make sure its configured as AHCI. This option is for most non raid configurations and may contain Raid Autodetect/AHCI settings vs Raid Autodetect/ATA modes. Other modes include PATA and Combination modes.

Boot Order: Find the "Boot Order" or "Boot Priority" page and make sure your DVD drive is the first drive on the list (or your USB drive if you're installing from a flash drive), and that the hard drive you'll be installing to is second. Note that some BIOS utilities split this up into two menus—one for setting the boot order for your different media (CD-ROM, hard disks, USB disks) and another that lets you choose the order of just the hard drives.

Note: If you don't see your hard drive listed, it may not be plugged in correctly. Turn your computer off and re-check the connection if necessary.

Note: These are the most crucial BIOS options you want to tweak to get your system up and running. Next prepare to install Windows.

                              If you have finished tweaking the Bios continue on to the last section to install windows using this link:
                                                         >>>>>>>>>>>>>Part 4 - Installing Windows<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<