NewB saying hello, and a few questions on first new build.

Hello there :wave
First I just wanted to say thanks for this site. This is pretty much the only place I feel safe downloading freeware utilities on the net. The forums are great too. I've learned quite a bit from Q's and A's here - enough that I recently got up the courage to attempt my first build.

My old computer died so rather than paying an arm and a leg for a custom build or settling for proprietary, I figured I would give it a go. It's pretty basic right now but made sure (i think) to go w/something I could upgrade as finances allow. I'm only "very" slightly above average tech level when it comes to hardware. Prior to this I'd installed a sound card - added a HD and installed a dvd burner - that's about it. Anyhow, here's what it is so far (tell me if i miss something)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Motherboard: BIOSTAR TFORCE TA790GX(B version 5.0) 128M AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Brisbane 2.7GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5200DOBOX

Aftermarket CPU cooler:Thermaltake SpinQ Performance Series cooler with ultra-lightweight aluminum and six heatpipes CL-P0466 CPU Cooler - Retail

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q - OEM

Put in my old Hard Drives.

Western Digital caviar SE IDE/PATA 250G 7200 RPM 8 MB Buffer Hard Drive (2 partitions)
OS: Dual Boot- Windows XP Home 32bit SP3 on C Drive - Windows XP Pro Dark V.3 on D drive (want to get

Seagate Barracuda PATA 500 GB 7200 RPM 16MB Buffer Hard drive ( 2 partitions one un-formatted) - Storage

Used my Old Antec Case - not sure of the model. Bought my old computer from my ex-roomie hardcore gamer so there are 2 internal fans on back of case one for HD cooling and a large fan on the side window.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's it so far - didn't spring for extra graphics or sound but will later. At the moment I mainly use it for school - internet - entertainment (movies) - and photo editing. I'll be getting into more graphic editing including video later for school. So it suits my current needs. I would like to upgrade to a 64 bit OS in the future but cant do it right now. I do understand that 32 bit doesn't utilize (its recognized) the full amount of RAM that is currently in there, but I figured it will be useful when I do upgrade my OS. I also don't overclock - I'm wary to attempt it as I don't know much about it and currently don't need it. Maybe in the future it will be something I look into - the motherboard came with what it calls easy overclocking software - for now though I am interested in stability more than hardcore performance.

I've got pretty much everything working - no major issues that I can see - system is stable been up and running for 4 days.

Here are the questions I wasn't sure where to post:

1.) Is it possible for a processor to run too cool? My HW Monitor shows between 20-21 C but I noticed the cpu usage isn't recognized on that program and found that other people suggested using a different cpu monitor program. I downloaded AMD64 CPU assistant Light It says one core is at 10C the other at 7C. Which program is more accurate? any suggestions for accurate readouts (besides mb monitor)? If the AMD64 readout is correct is this a problem?

2.) The only thing I couldn't get working were my front panel USB ports. I hooked them up and triple checked them against the Motherboard's manual. I don't know jack about USB jacks so...Is it possible they aren't working because they are not USB 2.0s? These were in the case and were part of my old system - they are plugged into the USB 2.0 ports on the Motherboard.
-One other problem had to do with the onboard audio input - I tried 3 different mics and they all had the same problem: major line noise. I updated the audio drivers but still had the same issue. I was only able to work around this by buying a new USB headseat from Creative that came with its own drivers. Onboard HD Audio output is fantastic though.

3) On the Initial build and install of my system drive - Windows home was already on the C partition. However, I was unable to locate my disk at the time in order to get it to boot and update my BIOS. I did have a copy of Windows XP pro Dark given to me by someone.That is what I ended up installing on the D partition (trying to save some of the old data on C) to get everything up and running.

The OS on C was unusable. I have since located the legit XP Home disk;reformatted and installed it on C. This leaves me a with dual boot option. Normally that would be fine, but Windows Dark is pretty shady (at least the one I have installed). Microsoft authenticated it but, it was a fully automated set up and I found remote admin users preset up on it allowing access to somewhere in Thailand lol. I disabled them - but here's the question. I'd like to wipe it off that partition completely. Can I do this without screwing up my BIOS since that is the drive I used to set everything up? Never messed w/BIOS much before this.

4.) is it better to post these questions all together like this or split them up into various categories in the forum?

Please be gentle I'm quite new :-o

Thanks in advance - and for all the previous support this site has provided prior to my registration.

 

Welcome aboard grasshoppa999 I`ll answer the easy ones.

1) Sensors are often wrong, so don`t worry if it`s too cool, just too hot.

4) To delete the offending dual boot entry, run msconfig and in the boot tab remove the second entry. Be very careful in what you delete or you may have to boot from disc to repair your MBR. I believe there`s a `check all boot paths` option in there as that would be safer. Just kill everything on drive D first.

 

Sorry it took so long for me to get back here. I appreciate your help. Got everything going except the front panel USBs. Not sure what to do for those, but I can live without them

Thanks again!