Since we have the same MoBo I know! you can set whatever you want to boot off of in the bios, and designate everything else through it too.

oh...

So when you start up the computer does the ram check even show up?

i added you to xfire

Lily (You don't mind if I call you lily do you?) wtf are you talking about?

EDIT :  i see now nvm

You know you're reading this because you're rooting for me, but secretly want me to fail so I won't pwn you noobs on TF2.

So, my friend helped me with the installation.  It was as simple as "you idiot, put the damn Windows disk into your CD drive and restart."  Gave me some instructions on partitioning and loading drivers, then he had to put his kids to bed and maybe bang the wifie and left me to fend for myself.

One of his instructions was to load the Windows Service Pack 2 disk, which is what the computer asked for, but my version did not come with one.  No problem, I'll just go to the internets and download it. 

You see, the mobo has a Gb lan port which recognizes the internet connection by it's proud display of lit LED on the right side of the Rj45(?) port, but it won't give me the satisfying flickering green light on the left.  Which means I can't download SP2 nor all the latest drivers.

I did try to download SP2 on the crappy laptop to burn onto a CD, but my laptop is acting retarded.  I downloaded the LAN driver onto a memory stick and loaded it onto the new rig.  It was a .rar file so I had to download and install that.  Then I couldn't find an executable file in the unzipped files. I searched for the solution on the internets, but gave up when the Sandman came.

Will try again tonight.  The solution may just be to add an ethernet card to one of the empty slots.  We'll see.

You're all safe for now . . .

Bad luck. ASUS usually makes good boards

Bad customer support.  They implemented a new policy where everyone gets a case number and they have her answering the phones handing them out to callers.  And she has a networking degree or something. 

Anyway, the latest is I installed the new board and the same thing happens.  Finally the tech people got tired of my calling, had me ping the port and said that it wasn't the NIC, it was either a problem with my internet provider or the OS software. 

Since I can connect just fine with the two other machines sitting in the room, it has to be a Windows problem.  I have Windows XP Media Center Edition OEM because that's all they had that was cheap.  Well OEM means you get nothing by way of documentation and no tech support.  Looking at the package it says that I needed to load an installation kit BEFORE I loaded the OS.   Oops.

I had a problem with loading the software in that it wanted the Service Pack 2 disk, but one didn't come with it.  Maybe that's the problem. The Fry's guys said that OEM software is meant for builders and that they would have all the missing pieces.  Oh and I should go fuck myself.

So I tried to download SP2, but to do that I needed not Firefox, but IE.  Damnit.  So I tried three times to download one that would work and finally it crashed my machine.  Will try in a moment but I gave up after that.

The plan is to remove the partition and reformat the HD once I succeed in downloading the installation software.  Then load the installation software and reload of everything.  Sheesh.

In the meantime, I returned the GT 8600 card and got my $160 back from Fry's - day 29 of their 30-day return policy.  Fuck 'em.  Still have the 8800 GT in the new machine.

May have to acquire another one of those 8600 GT cards.  They are under 7 x 4 inches, the 8800 GT is 9 x 5.5 inches.  Cantrip's yet-to-be-built mobile gaming rig #2 is going to be built on a mobo that is 9 x 7 inches (- some recycled parts from desktop) .  - Will go into a hand-made case whose dimensions will be even smaller than the current new rig. 

On to reformatting the HD, like you all wanted me to do long ago . . .