Best clean install order

[ChrisGG]

Hi

I have a KT400/Athlon XP PC which I am going to change from 98SE to
Win 2000. I'm going to buy a new 40GB HDD and do a clean install of
Win 2000. What is the best order in which to install all the software,
drivers etc? I am guessing it will be something like this:

1. Partition and format new HDD with Partition Magic 7. (I am going to
use FAT32 on all partitions just in case I want to go back to 98SE in
future. I know NTFS is better, but I really want the option to go
back.)

2. Boot from Win 2000 CD-Rom and clean install OS.

3. Apply SP4.

4. VIA 4 in 1 chipset drivers.

5. DirectX 9.0b

6. ATI video card drivers and monitor INF file.

7. IE6.

8. Windows Update online.

9. Sound card drivers.

10. Application software.

11. Transfer data over from old HDD.

Any advice/comments gratefully received.

Chris

 

[Eric McG]

I'd suggest a slight rearrangement to allow the install of all drivers before updating DirectX. Also, by installing IE6 before SP4, the uninstall of SP4 may go better (if required...see my comment below). Here's my tweak:

2. Boot from Win 2000 CD-Rom and clean install OS.
3. VIA 4 in 1 chipset drivers.
4. ATI video card drivers and monitor INF file.
5. Sound card drivers.
6. IE6.
7. Apply SP4.
8. DirectX 9.0b
9. Windows Update online.
10. Application software.
11. Transfer data over from old HDD.

FWIW, I know that SP4 would update IE5.01 if present, but it must be smart enough to ignore a newer version of IE. I installed SP4 over SP3 with IE6 already installed and it had no impact on IE6, (luckily I haven't had to uninstall SP4).

I would also suggest using a backup utility that will make an image of your drive. I use PowerQuest DriveImage 2002 (aka version 6). This utility runs in both Windows and DOS (no in-depth knowledge of DOS is required). It can create a full backup onto a separate partition, drive, or spanned onto CD discs (In order to do this, one must have a CDRW burner).

I originally configured mine to create 650MB image files in a separate partition of the main drive so that I could later burn these to CD-R discs as secondary resources ( used in case the hard drive fails completely ). I now create the backup onto a separate removable drive, which eliminates the need to burn secondary CD discs.

With this type of backup, I can restore my C drive in less than 1 1/2 hours (about 7 BG). I also have backups of the other two data partitions, but these are on CDs. That sure beats starting from scratch again!

Good luck.

 

[Chris]

I'd suggest a slight rearrangement to allow the install of all drivers before updating DirectX.
Also, by installing IE6 before SP4, the uninstall of SP4 may go better (if required...
see my comment below). Here's my tweak:

2. Boot from Win 2000 CD-Rom and clean install OS.
3. VIA 4 in 1 chipset drivers.
4. ATI video card drivers and monitor INF file.
5. Sound card drivers.
6. IE6.
7. Apply SP4.
8. DirectX 9.0b
9. Windows Update online.
10. Application software.
11. Transfer data over from old HDD.

SNIP

Thanks for the tips, Eric. Unfortunately, my video card drivers
require DirectX 9 or they simply won't install. I guess I could use
earlier video drivers but I've had problems with those on my old 98SE
setup. Is there a problem with DirectX 9 that causes you to suggest
putting it back to number 8 on the list?

Your backup strategy is exactly what I was considering implementing!

Cheers
Chris

 

[Eric McG]

No problem, I thought you just wanted the latest version of DirectX. I
wasn't aware of the prerequisite for the video driver.

Thanks for the feedback!

Good luck.

 

[Chris]

Hi

I have a KT400/Athlon XP PC which I am going to change from 98SE to
Win 2000. I'm going to buy a new 40GB HDD and do a clean install of
Win 2000. What is the best order in which to install all the software,
drivers etc? I am guessing it will be something like this:

In case anyone is interested the following worked fine, with the added
amendments....

1. Partition and format new HDD with Partition Magic 7. (I am going to
use FAT32 on all partitions just in case I want to go back to 98SE in
future. I know NTFS is better, but I really want the option to go
back.)

2. Boot from Win 2000 CD-Rom and clean install OS.

Ensure network connection is present, can see router, able to browse
web etc.

3. Apply SP4.

Apply SP4 online. It's a much smaller download if you use the Express
option, which will suit most home users.

4. VIA 4 in 1 chipset drivers.

5. DirectX 9.0b

6. ATI video card drivers and monitor INF file.

7. IE6.

8. Windows Update online.

9. Sound card drivers.

Start... Run... Dxdiag to test DirectX is working OK.

10. Application software.

11. Transfer data over from old HDD.

All went pretty smoothly, thank god.

Chris