Gaming/Digital Art build- Travel friendly.

Andy!!

Will do. But I don't think this method is gonna work. It's assuming I have a licence, and wants to validate it. I want to use the trial for the first 30 days. Anyone how I can get a Windows 7 64bit Premium trial onto a USB, in a format that my mobo will be able to install? I want to spread expenses, so will buy a licence next month.

PSU and mobo arrived today, so that's all my parts. Went for the AS Rock mostly for budgetary reasons. Cheers neat for the recommendation. There's a CD with it. Am I gonna have to get a disk drive or are the drivers and stuff on the disk getting installed on windows? Hopefully I'll be able to use my work comp to put the files from the disk onto a USB. Also, my new wireless logitech wave pro isn't gonna be picked up by the mobo right? I'll have to use a PS/2 mouse and keyboard? Hope to start building tonight.

How do I go about preventing static electricity damage? I plan to build up the mobo outside of the case in the padding it comes in.

superneat

What operating system are you using to download and make the bootable USB stick from?
If it's windows, microsoft will just validate the system you are using, not the ISO file, it doesn't want illegal OS users downloading and using it's softwares.

All the ISO files will start as trials, you will have 30 days to activate it.

To make the USB drive a bootable windows installation follow these steps verbatim;

First download your windows ISO.
Download and install magicdisc.
Right click magicdisc and select mount ISO, point it to the ISO file.

This will enable you to access all the files on the disc and copy as needed.

Open an elevated Command Prompt.
Enter the following

DISKPART and hit enter.
LIST DISK and hit enter.
Check USB disk number
SELECT DISK 1 (assuming usb is disk 1) and hit enter
CLEAN hit enter
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY hit enter
SELECT PARTITION 1 hit enter
ACTIVE hit enter
FORMAT FS=NTFS hit enter
The usb will be formatted.
ASSIGN hit enter
EXIT hit enter
Minimize the cmd and note the drive letters of the mounted ISO and the USB drive, we'll say E: and H: where E: is the ISO
Maximize the cmd again
E:CD BOOT hit enter
CD BOOT hit enter
BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 H: hit enter

Now you have just manually made the USB drive bootable, all you need to do now is open the ISO where it is mounted and copy and paste all contents over to the USB drive.
You now have a windows installation USB drive.

As far as the driver cd is concerned, leave it in the box.
Go to the ASRock website and select the Z77E ITX and go to downloads, from there download the latest drivers and software that you want to use. Never use the cd's as they have mostly older drivers on them as they could be sitting on a shelf for 6 months in which time a lot of the drivers will have had updates.

For installation you will need only a US keyboard, you can navigate the menus using the TAB button and arrows, all the way through the UEFI and the windows installation, then you can install your wireless M&K.

When you are putting it together, the side panel from the case is what you need to work on, frequently touch the metal inside of the case, eveytime before touching another component, you will be grand.
:cool:

Andy!!

Can I not just format the USB, open the .ISO file and drag the contents onto the USB? I tried that magicdisk software, it said it is incompatible with the version of windows on my work comp. This is infinitely complicated by the fact the damn thing is all in Korean hah.

superneat

The USB has to be made bootable first, before you can copy the contents over, either through software or the manual method I've posted.
You could also install winrar, free, and select the checkbox that makes it read ISO's during installation, then open it and copy the same way.

Andy!!

OK I will build tonight and try that tomorrow. On the condition that the thing powers on at all of course! Thanks for your help neat.

Monotype

I'm surprised that the windows USB installer doesn't work. You could give the linux one a go (Universal USB Installer). Just pick the generic ones from the end of the list when it asks you which linux distribution you want and select your windows ISO.

Edit: Here's the link -

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/

Andy!!

About to attempt to insert the processor into motherboard. ****ting myself.

Andy!!

Have got everything in for the most part. Concerned though that one of the pins on my stock cooler doesnt want to click into the motherboard. The other three worked as expected, this likely to be an issue? It might cause vibrations and damage the cpu right? Im just scared of cracking the mobo

Also Im finding it hard to see where to plug in my side panel stuff. I have the USB 3 in, and I see where to put the HD Audio bit, but dont know where to put the two sets of twin pin things. What are they for? The manual doesnt state. They are the power/reset blinking lights right? How come where I can see to put them on the board has 7 pins instead of 8? There is also a connection labelled AC'37 that is part of the HD Audio wrap, what is that?

superneat

The 2-pins are power button reset button power led and hdd activity led.
See the bottom left hand corner of the motherboard in the picture



To the right of the mounting hole, that's where the 2-pins go, have the side with the name on the pins, facing away from the cpu socket.
It should be in the manual which is which, I don't use the LED ones, just the power and reset.

The AC audio is an older tech, HD audio cable is the one to use.
Try turning the cooler screws all in the same direction, turn the motherboard upside down, you should see all screws are the same length if it's mounted properly.

Andy!!

Cheers. The two pins aren't covered in the manual, maybe its written on the cable. What did you do? Same case...

I figured that about the audio cable being an older alternative, cheers.

Did you put your motherboard on the steel side panel? Isn't that a bad idea? A video I watched stated to not put it on any conductive metal unless it was on the mounting stoppers...

Still having big problems with Windows. Tried Winrar, did not see that option to make .ISO's bootable when I was installing, is it in one of the menus instead?

I then tried the other menu with the command line, but when I check for disks through it, it only find that HDD. Not any of the two USBs attached. Yet I can use them normally outside of command line. I am using XP. Very frustrating hah!

superneat

Andy!! wrote: »

Cheers. The two pins aren't covered in the manual, maybe its written on the cable. What did you do? Same case...

It's covered in the motherboard manual, it's the same for every case/motherboard.

Andy!! wrote: »

Did you put your motherboard on the steel side panel? Isn't that a bad idea? A video I watched stated to not put it on any conductive metal unless it was on the mounting stoppers...

I did, there's no problem doing this.

Andy!! wrote: »

Still having big problems with Windows. Tried Winrar, did not see that option to make .ISO's bootable when I was installing, is it in one of the menus instead?

When you install winrar it gives you the option of what file types to associate with it, choosing ISO will allow you to "open" the ISO and extract the contents.

Andy!! wrote: »

I then tried the other menu with the command line, but when I check for disks through it, it only find that HDD. Not any of the two USBs attached. Yet I can use them normally outside of command line. I am using XP. Very frustrating hah!

Are you using an elevated command, as in type cmd in the run box, hold shift and click it, select run as administrator.
Try typing DISKPART
Then put the stick in and then
Type list disk
Now see if it shows up.

Andy!!

I dont have a runbox but I do think administrative rights is the issue. I know that the motherboard manual covers the power pins but the case manual doesnt, its from that end I dont know which is which. I dont know what is for power and what is for LEDs. Do you have 8 of those power pins for plugging stuff in? I only seem to have 7. But all the power connectors from the case seem to be 2-pin.

Andy!!

Ok. Fans start, on stock cooler and graphics card. Power works, Led works, reset works. Not getting any image though. Noticed there is one gold cylidrical slightly bent, its twin is slightly straighter. Is it dead? Would things power at all if the motherboard was dead?

Andy!!

We got things working, I didnt have supplementary power plugged in. That gold thing is still bent though. Things are working though.

Andy!!

I can get my HDD recognised, I had it unplugged during installation. Using disk management, Ive got it 'online' but what do I do from there? How do I make it readable, is 'basic/simple' what I want and is fat32 or NTFS better?

Monotype

FAT32 can't have files above 4GB, so you'll really need NTFS.

Basic/Simple volume is fine.

Andy!!

Sure what would I do without you mono