OK... Our first ever Dancetech video - Feel free to distribute this on the www anywhere you like. This build is split into sections and has to be downloaded in episodes. We started out with quite an informal video with lots of additional remarks and offbeat info during the build. To reduce it down we've had to severly edit the thing, but still in essense this is quite an in-depth video. It doesn't go into really technical jargon very much and stays on a noob level, and it's is quite relaxed, not a typical A,B,C very clinical pro style video, but rather, it is relaxed, like sitting in a room and watching someone build a PC and talking to you all the time as they do so to show you what they are doing. The PC in question is a basic core AMD 2400 based machine using a GIGABYTE GA-7VT600(-L) board with a VIA KT600 chipset - all components can be found at ANY local PC fair right now (May 2004) - Total cost for parts was around �310 UKP - VERY good value because this machine is VERY powerful and can be used for large s/w instrument & FX based compositions or realtime video editing etc - a real workhorse. The video is in Windows Media Format (MWV 9) and the whole series for the actual hardware build (1-6) is around 80-100mb, but the image quality is quite good at 256kb/sec. We're sorry if you have no access at all to broadband or ISDN etc... If you don't, try and get a freind in an office or with broadband at home to d/load it for you and copy it all to a few CD-Rom disc's or a DVD-Rom disc. Total Video time with all 6 'build' episodes in SECTION 1 = around 65 minutes.





SECTION 1 - Hardware Build

PART_1:
Introduction to parts, preparing motherboard for fitting to case - [15.2 mb] PART_2:
Fit motherboard to case + tips - [9.18 mb] PART_3:
Wire-up all case cables + add ram & AGP graphics card - [22.5 mb] PART_4:
First boot, check & walk-around the BIOS, power down to next add drives - [29.0 mb] PART_5:
Add hard-drive, CD-rom & Floppy drive, check BIOS detection etc - [45.9 mb] PART_6:
Add package-included mouse and keys, final BIOS check & changes to get it ready to setup from Windows XP CD - [21.7 mb]





SECTION 2 - Install Windows & Soundcard

Install Windows XP is in parts.

PART_07:
Phase 1 of Windows XP install - 1st stage of XP setup - Inc' partitioning Boot C: drive - [20.0 mb] PART_08:
Phase 2 of Windows XP install - 2nd stage of XP setup - Up to first XP boot & basic first stage XP tweaks. - [53.0 mb] PART_09:
Phase 3 of Windows XP install - Setup tasks - Partition the remaining drive-space into 2 audio partitions & a sample partition - [28.0 mb] PART_10:
Phase 4 of Windows XP install - Setup tasks - Create user password to protect your system from interfering hands - [8.0 mb] PART_11:
Phase 5 of Windows XP install - Setup tasks - Add all critical patches & drivers, SP1a install & DX9 etc - [54.0 mb] PART_12:
Phase 6 of Windows XP install - Setup tasks - ALL final XP tweaks & checks - create restore point for configured machine prior to addition of soundcard - [37.8 mb] PART_13:
Phase 7 of Windows XP install - Setup tasks - Add the soundcard, turn off XP 'Sound' schemes & finalise all - create restore point for configured machine prior to addition of software - [xx.x mb] PART_14:
Services Supplement for Windows XP install - XP 'Services' walk-thru and tweaking - [xx.x mb]
Please note: Services tweaking saves ram, but doesn't really offer other performance boosts - This supplement is added therefore to complete the XP setup tweaks, but can be skipped if required.





UPDATE: 27/7/05 - Well just to say some history since the machine was built. It's earned money for the client who's used to to do numveous sessions and also extensive video work inc' adobe after-fx work. A month ago the machine failed and it was the motherboard. A new XP/SEMPRON compatible board was bought for around 31.00 GBP and the machine was rebuilt with the other original components and now is up and running again. The Hoontech (ST-Audio, now bought by ESI) dsp2496 Value has performed ok with no pop & crackle issues working with Wavelab, Vegas, After-FX and Cubase SX.