Help validating clean installation procedure

[Freshman]

Hi, folks. I need your advice for the best way of doing a clean
install for a new system with Sapphire 9600 Atlantis, connected thru
DVI to a Samsung 174T LCD, and thru S-Video to a TV for watching DVDs
(thus sparing a player). No gaming planned.

This is what I've installed so far (I'm pretty sure the order was OK,
but...):

1. XP with SP1a included
2. Intel Chipset INF
3. modem driver
4. Norton Antivirus (NAV) 2004
5. performed NAV LiveUpdate
6. XP critical updates (all), thru Windows Update
7. XP recommended updates (some, including DirectX 9.0b), thru Windows
Update

This is what I still have to install:

8. sound card (Audigy2 ZS) driver
9. ATI display driver
10. ATI control panel
11. ATI Hydravision ???
12. LCD monitor driver
13. Epson USB multifunction driver

Questions:

1. For steps 8-13, I am sure only about the relative order of the 3
ATI pieces. Your advice will be greatly appreciated.

2. I plan to install Catalyst 4.5. Any suggestions to do otherwise?

3. Do I NEED Hydravision for watching a DVD full-screen on the TV and
at the same time having the rest of the desktop on the LCD?

4. Finally, do I need any other software piece from ATI? I understand
that:
- the Multimedia Center is for AIW or VIVO cards, which is not my case
- the ATI DVD player is only for people with Built-By-ATI cards, while
mine is from Sapphire. So, I'm going to use AsusDVD that came with my
CD-RW.

Thanks in advance.

 

[johns]

1. XP with SP1a included

SP1a does not have java stuff that you need to view
certain web sites in total. You really need SP1, and
then use PopupStopperFree to keep java shut off.

2. Intel Chipset INF

Install ALL of the drivers from your mobo cd

3. modem driver
4. Norton Antivirus (NAV) 2004
5. performed NAV LiveUpdate
6. XP critical updates (all), thru Windows Update

Wow .. over a modem ? I finally ordered the cd to
do the basic updates.

This is what I still have to install:

8. sound card (Audigy2 ZS) driver
9. ATI display driver
10. ATI control panel
11. ATI Hydravision ???

Under the video driver tap .. remove the WinXP
driver, and on reboot install the Catalyst drivers.

12. LCD monitor driver
13. Epson USB multifunction driver

Total ignorance here. I don't trust either one, and if the
system comes up working after the Catalyst drivers,
I would not go within 10 feet of those LCD drivers, or
Epson anything .... generally totally out of date. I'd let
WinXP do its thing there ... and WinXP just might go
to an Epson web site and get the correct drivers if you
are on line. I've seen XP do that lots of times.

1. For steps 8-13, I am sure only about the relative order of the 3
ATI pieces. Your advice will be greatly appreciated.

Advice can't beat experience .. which you are about to get.

2. I plan to install Catalyst 4.5. Any suggestions to do otherwise?

Work great for me.

3. Do I NEED Hydravision for watching a DVD full-screen on the TV and
at the same time having the rest of the desktop on the LCD?

I think Hydravision has a mind of its own. Install it, and if
it can't detect what it needs, it won't run.

- the ATI DVD player is only for people with Built-By-ATI cards, while
mine is from Sapphire. So, I'm going to use AsusDVD that came with my
CD-RW.

Caution here. Lots of "games" and other software ( MathCAD )
install programs that try to shut off CDRW drives in order to
prevent copying of their CDs. No way would I run a hardware
DVD player ... and that ATI DVD player is crap compared to
PowerDVD. You really do need a separate DVD player. Those
combos are slow and buggy .... esp in games. I get best results
slaving a Mitsu DVD player to my hard drive .. and the zip to
the CDRW.

Also, when I'm in learn mode, I do a basic OS install, and
then use DriveImage 2002 to image the c-drive to the d-drive
.... split 60 gig : 100 gig. That way I can update the image
as I go .. and am successful .. or drop back to the last image
if I screw up .. takes 20 minutes, and I'm ready to go again.

 

[Freshman]

Thanks John. Just some comments:

SP1a does not have java stuff that you need to view
certain web sites in total. You really need SP1, and
then use PopupStopperFree to keep java shut off.

My WinXP CD came with SP1a included. If I want Java I will have to
download myself, probably from Sun's site.

Install ALL of the drivers from your mobo cd

Except those for onboard audio (which I'll never use as long as the
Audigy2 card works OK)

Wow .. over a modem ? I finally ordered the cd to
do the basic updates.

Well, life could be much tougher anyway.

Caution here. Lots of "games" and other software ( MathCAD )
install programs that try to shut off CDRW drives in order to
prevent copying of their CDs. No way would I run a hardware
DVD player ... and that ATI DVD player is crap compared to
PowerDVD. You really do need a separate DVD player. Those
combos are slow and buggy .... esp in games. I get best results
slaving a Mitsu DVD player to my hard drive .. and the zip to
the CDRW.

FYI, AsusDVD is a light flavor of PowerDVD that comes bundled with a
couple other Cyberlink programs in a CD that Asus includes with their
CDRW. So, coming from the very CDRW manufacturer, it's unlikely they
will try to shut off the drive

Also, when I'm in learn mode, I do a basic OS install, and
then use DriveImage 2002 to image the c-drive to the d-drive
... split 60 gig : 100 gig. That way I can update the image
as I go .. and am successful .. or drop back to the last image
if I screw up .. takes 20 minutes, and I'm ready to go again.

Good suggestion. Thanks,
Freshman