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How can I tell what drivers are on homemade PC?

#1 User is offline   JDM2 

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Posted 27 January 2009 - 09:20 PM

I am putting XP on a guy's PC at church which currently has Win98 on it.

But, how do I know what drivers to install since he built the PC himself and never had a driver CD?

Is there a way I can go into Device Manager and jot down what I would need to download driver-wise from the internet PRIOR to installing XP, so that way once XP is on his system, I can then install the drivers I need, and already have them on my flash drive?

Thanks much for your help.

Jeff

#2 User is offline   Sterling14 

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 07:46 AM

If you find the motherboard model, you can look for the drivers on the internet. I'm not sure if windows 98 has it, but if you type in dxdiag under search (or maybe if you type it under run?) it will tell you the model of your motherboard. It's probably a good idea to put the drivers on your flash drive first, so you have them ready after.
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." - Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943

#3 User is offline   DaffyKantReed 

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 07:52 AM

View PostJDM2, on Jan 27 2009, 09:20 PM, said:

I am putting XP on a guy's PC at church which currently has Win98 on it.

But, how do I know what drivers to install since he built the PC himself and never had a driver CD?

Is there a way I can go into Device Manager and jot down what I would need to download driver-wise from the internet PRIOR to installing XP, so that way once XP is on his system, I can then install the drivers I need, and already have them on my flash drive?

Thanks much for your help.

Jeff


Windows XP is pretty good with installing drivers.

Check under 'display adapters' and 'network adapters' in the Device Manager. Download these two to be on the safe side.

#4 User is offline   HitSquad 

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 09:43 AM

You could also print a system report with a third party freebie like Everest.
It's only current to 2005 but probably more then enough for that system.
It can sometimes be a little vague in the motherboard department but as Sterling14 has stated, you can get the mother model manually if neccessary. You will want the chipset drivers handy, especially if it's a reformat.

#5 User is offline   JDM2 

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 10:26 AM

EDIT: Oops, I can't get my flash drive to work with Win98. It just says "missing driver". Any idea how to get a flash drive to work with Win98 so I can transfer files I need?

Thanks again!

===================================================================

Thanks so much for the helpful replies! You guys answered my question(s).

Appreciate it very much!

Jeff

This post has been edited by JDM2: 28 January 2009 - 10:38 AM

#6 User is offline   dpunisher 

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 11:33 AM

http://www.technical-assistance.co.uk/kb/usbmsd98.php
I am a retired Ford tech. Next to Fords, any computer is a piece of cake. (The cake, its not a lie)

#7 User is offline   JDM2 

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 12:06 PM

Thanks for that. However, I'm more concerned with this error when I try to boot the XP CD from the D: (top) CD-ROM drive:

UNEXPECTED ERROR (0) OCCURRED AT line 1773 in d:\xpsp\base\boot\setup\arcdisp.c.

PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE.

I am stuck at this stage.

How do I go into the BIOS to get the XP CD to boot from the E: (bottom) CD-ROM (burner) drive?

I already changed the boot order to CD-ROM > CD-ROM > Hard-disk 1

But it doesn't want to boot from the bottom bay.

I think launching it from the bottom bay will solve the problem.

Thanks again, everyone.

#8 User is offline   garmanma 

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 12:19 PM

Quote

UNEXPECTED ERROR (0) OCCURRED AT line 1773 in d:\xpsp\base\boot\setup\arcdisp.c.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316400

Quote

How do I go into the BIOS to get the XP CD to boot from the E: (bottom) CD-ROM (burner) drive?

I already changed the boot order to CD-ROM > CD-ROM > Hard-disk 1

???????
Mark
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why won't my laptop work?

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#9 User is offline   JDM2 

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 12:23 PM

What I meant is that I want to boot the CD from the second CD-ROM drive (the CD burner) not the top CD-ROM drive, which isn't a burner.

In BIOS there is no CD-ROM2 or CD-BURNER to choose from, just CD-ROM. So I put CD-ROM in TWICE for the first two items in boot order, hoping that the second entry means for the second bay. But apparently not.

I'll check the MS link. Thanks much.

EDIT: I'm pretty sure it's not RAM that's causing the problem. Why? Because yesterday I had XP actually installing but somebody else had to use the monitor I was borrowing so I had to abort the installation. I need to buy another @#$%@# monitor! :thumbsup:

This post has been edited by JDM2: 28 January 2009 - 12:25 PM

#10 User is offline   dpunisher 

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 05:14 PM

Should automatically search for a bootable CD in both drives. Clean your XP CD, check it for scratches. Thats usually problem #1.

This post has been edited by dpunisher: 28 January 2009 - 05:15 PM

I am a retired Ford tech. Next to Fords, any computer is a piece of cake. (The cake, its not a lie)

#11 User is offline   JDM2 

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Posted 29 January 2009 - 05:29 AM

View Postdpunisher, on Jan 28 2009, 05:14 PM, said:

Should automatically search for a bootable CD in both drives. Clean your XP CD, check it for scratches. Thats usually problem #1.

Thanks for your reply. The problem is that I get the SAME ERROR (line 1773 in d:\xpsp\base\boot\setup\arcdisp.c.) when I try to install either XP or Win2000 (which, of course, is on another disc). Both discs are totally clean.

Really bizarre. Think I should just junk the computer? I am thinking that the board which the RAM snaps into somehow is malfunctioning.

#12 User is offline   garmanma 

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Posted 29 January 2009 - 12:07 PM

Damaged RAM or RAM slot:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316400
Mark
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#13 User is offline   JDM2 

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Posted 29 January 2009 - 02:15 PM

Thanks much. I think the slot itself is damaged. Any idea how much those cost at a computer discount shop? I tried searching on eBay with "RAM slot" but got confused by what's included/needed. Thanks again.

#14 User is offline   Sterling14 

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Posted 29 January 2009 - 07:52 PM

I would check the ram stick itself.

If the slot is really dead, you can't really replace it, unless you are good with a soldering iron (which then would still probably be difficult and have compatibility issues). If a computer repair shop can replace it, it would probably be cheaper to buy a whole new motherboard.
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." - Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943

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