Minor Problems with 1st Build-Newbie Seeking Help

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GRYT7

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Hello, I got my very first computer build set up a few weeks ago and there are a few problems/questions I have about hooking things up and getting things to work correctly. I would really appreciate help in fixing these imperfections :)

My build:
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Case: Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW
Power Supply: OCZ GameXStream 600W
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300
Motherboard: ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP
Video Card: EVGA GeForce 7600GT 256MB
RAM: Corsair XMS2 2GB DDR2/800 (2x1GB)
Hard Drive: Dual WD Caviar SE 160GB 7200RPM SATA
Sound Card: Creative Labs SOUND BLASTER Audigy 4SE
CD/DVD Burner: Lite-On DVD+R Lightscribe 2MB Cache
Monitor: Dell E228WFPÂ’s 1680x1050
Mouse: Logitech G5 6 Buttons USB Wired Laser
Keyboard: LITE-ON SK-1788/BS PS/2 Wired Standard
Headset: PLANTRONICS GAMECOM1 USB Supra-aural
Operating System: Windows XP Media Center Edition
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1. When I was formatting my hard drive, it asked me to put in the Windows XP service pack or updates CD into the CD drive so I did but it couldn't read it. I tried all 3 of the CDs that came with Windows XP but none worked, so I skipped that step and it finished loading but now Windows doesn't have Windows Media Player, Word, etc. It also looks like an earlier version of Windows because the taskbar and start button are gray and boxy, not blue and green and rounded looking. Is this standard on Windows XP Media Center Edition? Or does me not installing the CD make it that way?

2. I have 2 hard drives that I would like to put into RAID 0 and I don't think I have done that yet. How do I get the 2 hard drives in RAID 0? Do I have to reformat my hard drives? My motherboard came with a CD that has something like JMicron RAID tools and I installed them but when I go to Start>Programs>JMicron, I click on it and it fades away like it recognized that I am trying to open it but nothing happens! The same exact thing happens when windows has that little yellow speech bubble in the bottom right corner of the desktop and says 22 days until activation, so I click on that, it goes away, and nothing happens. Does this have something to do with me not installing the second CD when formatting my hard drive?

3. I have loaded Battlefield 2 onto that computer with a widescreen monitor and it stretches the screen when I'm playing. Is there any way to make my field of view in the game wider or the resolution different or something to fix it? I have downloaded the drivers that came with my video card but the optical drive won't read my monitor CD! Again, does this have something to do with me not installing the second CD during formatting? Is there some way to fix the stretched BF2 screen?

4. With my motherboard came Wifi-Solo AP which is a white ring with an antennae on it that hooks up to a port in the back of the computer. This is supposed to recieve Internet signals from a router nearby. In the manual, it says that it can recieve up to 54Mbps. Right now I am typing on a second computer that will use the same Internet as my new computer and it says the Internet hooked up to this computer is 100Mbps. Will the Wifi-Solo AP signal reciever be compatible with the 100Mbps Internet? Will I use a router to send information from the wall ethernet port to the Wifi-Solo AP? Will there be lag while I play BF2? If so, should I get a wireless card that is fast enough?

5. When I was in the Battlefield 2 video settings panel, I saw a drop down menu where I could select my resolution. The resolutions went up to 1280x1080 or something close to that but my monitor is 1650x1080 in widescreen, and I was wondering why they don't go up to my screen's resolution or if I could download some free plugin or software that could fix that.

6. I have a Logitech G5 and on the side it has a button which I don't know how to make it do anything. Does anybody know how to program it?

My main concern is Windows looking all weird and not responding to CDs and my problem with RAID 0. Thank you so much for reading and please respond if you could help me. I am very new to computers and I would like everything to run smoothly, thanks! :D
 
1. You can simply run windows update from control panel and that SHOULD take care of MOst if not all those probelms..

2. You should refer to your motherboards manual or online PDF file for specific instructions on how to set up RAID on that motherboard. The Basics is/are this. You attach the drives to the Ports that ARE RAID specific, you enter the CMOS setup, enable RAID, save, restart, enter RAID Setup. You add the Harddrives you want to RAID into the array then choose what RAID Type. (Make sure not to add the OS Drive as it will destroy all data on it). As for your activation problem: It will probably ask you to update again when you try to run those updates. So hopefully you can do it then by calling MS and reading/listening to number sequences. Or when 22 days are up it will ask you to activate.

3. Have you played around in the Video settings of the game? Maybe you can adjust it, I really don't know. You can download your driver off the manufactures website. Just go to the site and select downloads then enter card model.

4. Theres no reason to go wireless just because it came with your Motherboard. Stick to wired, its more reliable. Thats my only suggestion for gamming and downloading. Stay Wired...

5. It may be fixed when you update the Video card driver and game patch...

6. If there was a software disc included with the mouse, install it, it should allow you to program buttons. If no cd, again, Manufactures website...
 
Thanks for the quick reply.

When I click on windows update, nothing happens. I know i'm not connected to the internet because on BF2, when i go to create an online account it tells me to connect to the internet. The thing is, I have an ethernet cable that connects from my computer to a modem to the phone line which is where i have internet.

I tried setting up RAID but I got to a point where the manual told me to hit Ctrl+L to access the utility during POST. So I restarted the computer and hit Ctrl+L and it said Windows could not start correctly and gave me a few options to start windows with the last known correct configuration or start windows with command promp and a few others.

I don't know what i have to do to get the internet to work.
 
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