Installing OS and updating drivers for first build

Camaro67

Honorable
Oct 18, 2012
4
0
10,510
Everything seems to be running and registering in the bios. Had a few questions about setting this puppy up as far as what to do. Very new to this, so please bear with me.

1. Do I update all of my hardware and download current drivers first before installing the OS?

2. What is the best way to do all of that (updating drivers) in terms of should I just put it on a thumb drive, burn a cd, or something else?

3. Is it common to find a lot of updates for a piece of hardware. For example my mobo is an Asrock Z77 Extreme 4. Do I download all of the following items?

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77 Extreme4/index.us.asp?cat=Download&os=Win864

4. I have both a mechanical 2tb hard drive, and a 128gb ssd. I would like to put my OS (Windows 8 64 bit Pro) on the ssd, but would also like to experiment with linux. I read an article in Maximum PC about Linux and would like to try it, but I would like the safety of knowing I can still boot with windows if I need to. What is the best way to do that, setting up my drives?

5. Is there anything maybe any of you have encountered in your experiences setting up an OS and drivers that I should be wary of?

Thanks for taking the time to read my noob questions. If you need more info from me feel free to ask like my parts and what not feel free to ask.



 
Solution
1)) It wouldn't hurt to download all your drivers prior to installing the operating system. Especially if you need NIC drivers to connect to your network.

2)) The "best" way to update/install drivers is whatever is easier for you. If you have a spare flash drive just throw all your drivers on there with a couple programs you may want like firefox, and an antivirus program.

3)) I didn't take a look at your link, but you should install any drivers that you may need. Make sure to sort by drivers so you can better distinguish the drivers from the programs, and BIOS updates that motherboard manufactures bundle with their boards. Also make sure to pick the correct 64bit versions. Keep in mind, just because you see a lot of...

PhilFrisbie

Distinguished
1. That is a good idea, at least for the chipset and network drivers.

2. I use a thumb drive.

3. Yes, install all the latest drivers.

4. If Linux is just an experiment, then use the SSD as the boot drive and use it all for Win8, and create a partition on your hard drive large enough to install Linux.

5. Installing Linux after Windows for dual boot is pretty simple nowadays.
 

skaz

Distinguished
Jan 1, 2011
178
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18,660
1)) It wouldn't hurt to download all your drivers prior to installing the operating system. Especially if you need NIC drivers to connect to your network.

2)) The "best" way to update/install drivers is whatever is easier for you. If you have a spare flash drive just throw all your drivers on there with a couple programs you may want like firefox, and an antivirus program.

3)) I didn't take a look at your link, but you should install any drivers that you may need. Make sure to sort by drivers so you can better distinguish the drivers from the programs, and BIOS updates that motherboard manufactures bundle with their boards. Also make sure to pick the correct 64bit versions. Keep in mind, just because you see a lot of drivers doesn't necessarily mean you need them all. If your not sure, ask, but be specific.

4)) If this is your first build I would focus on installing your initial operating system first. You can install windows on your SSD easily, just select the SSD during install. Make sure you Motherboard SATA ports are set to AHCI. Afterwards, when your ready, you can experiment with dual booting operating systems or running operating systems in virtual machines.

5)) Hmmm, everyone has different needs, but if I had to suggest something I'd say make sure you set up a good file structure that works for you. Use the library system within windows to easily find content on both drives. A 128GB SSD is more then enough for a windows install and will leave room over for any applicatiaons you want to run fast. Be patient, and have fun.

 
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