2 SATA & 1 U-ATA-100 HDDs, Vista HP32, THE P4C800E-D mobo BIOS settings..?

[gamefan]

I need some last minute hw BIOS settings before I install around 9p.m EST.
I have an Asus P4C800E-Deluxe mobo, and I am installling Vista Home Premium full retail 32-bit. I have just updaded the BIOS to 1021 from 1015, which is supposed to give SATA support. I obviously should have done this before. BTW, for anyone putting Vista on a P4C800E-Deluxe, drivers and such can be nicked from the XP files, then MS online Windows Update can fill it in properly later -thats what I read in forums about Audio and LAN, etc. may have - ther ain't no/much Asus Vista support yet/to be..

I have 2 WD SATA Raptors (the original version of SATA) which will act as the RAID0 primary OS install drive(s). But first I am going to install the Vista on one single Raptor, cuz I hafta get some files off it. The old XP OS got corrupted and I hope I can read a primary OS installed SATA Raptor form another (primary OS installed SATA Raptor) to get .docs and suchjust before I then format it and go RAID0ing. In the computer I will eventually also put one more HDD, a WD 7200.7 80GB Baracuda Ultra ATA- 100 , for storage only, not for OS or apps. This I will only NEED to hook up after I get the OS HDD(s) working fully. After I uped the BIOS version I had tio re-set all my BIOS settings, and I have disabled all the Promise hw on the mobo in the BIOS. I am not sure if I know what I'm doing there.

Q>Controller?
I think I can rely on only on the Intel hw and Intel related BIOS settings and sw if I will have only 2 SATA HDDS for OS, and the one other UATA-100 HDD. Three HDDs total .Is that correct, without the need for the Promise controller?

Q> The right BIOS settings?
I think I COULD deal with everything to do with the Ultra ATA Barracuda data only HDD after I get the OS HDD(s) working, and so far for the BIOS settings I have just chosen under IDE Configuration are:
Onboard IDE Operating Mode: Enhanced; Compatible is the other option
Enhanced Mode Support On: SATA; P-ATA & P-ATA + S-ATA are the other options
and not SATA as RAID.

Q>When?
So do I do it now (ie. install the 3rd cuda data onlyHDD) and make all the BIOS settings , or after the OS is all installed and working? Otherwise will need to get the right driver etc. form the Vista DVD after the OS is installed sometime in a week or whatever? Is one way better than the other? I also don't want the possibliity I will install Vista on the wrong (full of data already cuda U-ATA HDD), though I could attempt to disable the U-ATA in the menatime in the BIOS, or set the boot order aound/against it, for whatever thats worth.

 

[gamefan]

actually a couple of points. If I could get to the OS-boffed Raptor first I could grab the stuff I want, it might even fit on one floppy - its just stuff I've created - docs and spreadsheet stuff prob, I can lose mp3s or whatever. Maybe forget it - hope I don't loose that 3000 company and fax info list I hand entered from scraps of paper - no I got that elsewhere on floppy. Probly nothing, but I'd like to take a look if easy to do. I have a LG DVD RW+/- but don't know whats up with getting to it (LG RW drive). Then I could start off with RAID0 from the get go.

Then theres the setup of the internet and my onboard NIC.

Q>
Should I have the cat-5e into the NIC all ready to connect to my internet service provider (Rogers) and newsserver (newfeeds) up before I start to install. At one time it was a matter of timing. What should I do?

That also would solve the problem of the one month expires Visat OS registration and the fear of even hooking up the cat-5e because I am so close but so far from actually having everything the way I want it permanently.

I can wait till tommorow or whatever. What to do?

Hey, I didn't even have a SATA capable mobo BIOS before today. I'm banking I don't need the Intel Application RAID/ Matrix now until I RAID. I don't know how to see if I can access the Raptor, as I just said above - I got a boot floppy, bought it all myself with sw and have another working pooter with internet. Don't ask what was going on before