Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
the chipset ICH (I/O Controller Hub) are “designed” to run from 90°C to 115°C (up
to 239°F), so high temperatures are normal and even expected for that chip.
11.
Check Memory Configuration. I recommend leaving the default Auto settings,
which will automatically set the memory timing according to the modules you have
installed.
12.
Check the Chipset Configuration. If you're running Windows Vista or Windows 7, I
recommend enabling the HPET (High Precision Event Timer) because it is supported
in these versions of Windows, but not in Windows XP.
13.
In the Security menu, enable VT (Virtualization Technology) if available. This al-
lows virtualization software such as Virtual PC or VMware to use the hardware virtu-
alizationcircuitryinthechip,whichimprovestheperformanceofvirtualizedOSsand
applications.
14.
In the Power menu, check the ACPI Suspend State. Ensure that it is set to S3 (Sus-
pend to RAM) instead of S1 (Sleep). The reason is that S3 uses virtually the same
amountofpowerasbeingcompletelyoff,thussavingyouupto$100peryearormore
in energy costs per system!
15.
In the Boot menu, check the boot order. Ensure that the optical or USB flash drive
precedes the hard disk or solid-state drives, which will enable a successful OS install-
ation from CD/DVD or bootable USB flash drive.
16.
After you have checked all the settings in the BIOS Setup, follow the instructions
onscreen or in the motherboard manual to save the settings and exit the Setup menu.
Installing the OS
Atthispoint,ifyouarestartingwithanewdrive,youmustinstalltheOS.Ifyouareusing
a non-Windows OS, follow the documentation for the installation procedures. If you are
installing Windows and want more detailed information, see the latest edition of my book
Upgrading and Repairing Windows
.
On a newer system in which you are installing Windows, there isn't really anything you
need to do, other than simply booting from the disc or flash drive (you might have to en-
able the optical or USB drive as a boot device in your BIOS Setup) and following the
promptstoinstalltheOS.Windowsautomaticallyrecognizeswhethertheharddriveneeds
to be partitioned and formatted and allows you to do that at the beginning of the installa-
tion.
If you are installing Windows XP on a system with a SATA drive set in RAID or AHCI
mode, you might need to press the F6 key at the beginning of the install, which will cause
the installation to ask for a floppy disk with the appropriate drivers. You should have re-
