How to start computer without operating system

If you have ordered a prebuilt without any OS, the most you can boot up would be the motherboard's BIOS. All Microsoft's Windows are priced the same or near about. It would be simpler to just get Window 10. If you do get a Window 7 /8.1, you can simply input the product key into Window 10 and it should accept it from build version 1511 and above. You can get the latest installation media for windows 10 from Microsoft's own website. :

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

You can get Win 7 on a USB, no need for an ODD. You will have to have an internet connection to activate Win 7 before you can activate it. You will likely need to get motherboard drivers before you can get 7 to connect to the internet. It needs to be activated before you an upgrade to 10.

After 10 has proved to be stable for three weeks and you're happy with it, please run Disk Cleanup as Admin and select Previous Windows Installation(s) to erase 7 from memory and free up disk space.

If you have ordered a prebuilt without any OS, the most you can boot up would be the motherboard's BIOS. All Microsoft's Windows are priced the same or near about. It would be simpler to just get Window 10. If you do get a Window 7 /8.1, you can simply input the product key into Window 10 and it should accept it from build version 1511 and above. You can get the latest installation media for windows 10 from Microsoft's own website. :

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

Oh yeah, I forgot it would take a 7 key... Apparently I'm dumb. Looks like I've started confusion... Here's my revised response: You can get Windows 10 on a USB stick bundled with a product code. You can also just download Windows 10 onto a USB stick using the Media Creation Tool, but you'll still have to buy a license/activation code.

If you install 10 as the first and only OS, you won't have to worry about the Disk Cleanup statement from above.

Hello, First post so please be gentle... I've recently ordered a new gaming rig from Overclockers UK but opted out for an operating system. They were charging £89.99 for Windows 10 pre-installed. My plan was to buy a copy of windows 7/8 and upgrade to 10 for free as Microsofts latest offer. When the system arrives will it simply be a case of installing windows 7/8 after an initial prompt? I haven't ordered a disc tray... Please advise. Jamie.

You can probably transfer it to a USB key although they can be tricky to make bootable...

Thank you for your quick responses. I will likely buy a windows 10 key and use the windows media creation tool to install to a clean USB. I am assuming from the motherboards BIOS I will be prompted to install an operating system? If this is the case will I be able to direct to USB drive and install from that location? Second question is how will I activate without an internet connection. I have ordered a wi-fi dongle and have wi-fi in my property but assuming this cannot be set up until windows is installed? Please advise. Regards,

Jamie.

Oh yeah, I forgot it would take a 7 key... Apparently I'm dumb. Looks like I've started confusion... Here's my revised response: You can get Windows 10 on a USB stick bundled with a product code. You can also just download Windows 10 onto a USB stick using the Media Creation Tool, but you'll still have to buy a license/activation code.

If you install 10 as the first and only OS, you won't have to worry about the Disk Cleanup statement from above.

Ah, I remember attempting to install an OS from a USB key many years ago (and found that not all hardware at the time supported the feature) so I've avoided it since then. Sounds like they've made it much simpler since then

That said, I still like to have an optical drive in a desktop machine, if nothing else it means you can play DVD / BluRay disks (I usually connect my rigs up to my TV as a secondary screen). Given the price of them I'm surprised people don't just include one as standard?

Oh yeah, I forgot it would take a 7 key... Apparently I'm dumb. Looks like I've started confusion... Here's my revised response: You can get Windows 10 on a USB stick bundled with a product code. You can also just download Windows 10 onto a USB stick using the Media Creation Tool, but you'll still have to buy a license/activation code.

If you install 10 as the first and only OS, you won't have to worry about the Disk Cleanup statement from above.

Ah, I remember attempting to install an OS from a USB key many years ago (and found that not all hardware at the time supported the feature) so I've avoided it since then. Sounds like they've made it much simpler since then

That said, I still like to have an optical drive in a desktop machine, if nothing else it means you can play DVD / BluRay disks (I usually connect my rigs up to my TV as a secondary screen). Given the price of them I'm surprised people don't just include one as standard?

I recently purchased a new PC. I went the USB route as my case (H440) didn't have an optical drive bay, so I was pretty limited. It was really easy to install the OS though and I am clueless with computers mostly.

Oh yeah, I forgot it would take a 7 key... Apparently I'm dumb. Looks like I've started confusion... Here's my revised response: You can get Windows 10 on a USB stick bundled with a product code. You can also just download Windows 10 onto a USB stick using the Media Creation Tool, but you'll still have to buy a license/activation code.

If you install 10 as the first and only OS, you won't have to worry about the Disk Cleanup statement from above.

Ah, I remember attempting to install an OS from a USB key many years ago (and found that not all hardware at the time supported the feature) so I've avoided it since then. Sounds like they've made it much simpler since then

That said, I still like to have an optical drive in a desktop machine, if nothing else it means you can play DVD / BluRay disks (I usually connect my rigs up to my TV as a secondary screen). Given the price of them I'm surprised people don't just include one as standard?

I recently purchased a new PC. I went the USB route as my case (H440) didn't have an optical drive bay, so I was pretty limited. It was really easy to install the OS though and I am clueless with computers mostly.

Oh yeah, I forgot it would take a 7 key... Apparently I'm dumb. Looks like I've started confusion... Here's my revised response: You can get Windows 10 on a USB stick bundled with a product code. You can also just download Windows 10 onto a USB stick using the Media Creation Tool, but you'll still have to buy a license/activation code.

If you install 10 as the first and only OS, you won't have to worry about the Disk Cleanup statement from above.

Ah, I remember attempting to install an OS from a USB key many years ago (and found that not all hardware at the time supported the feature) so I've avoided it since then. Sounds like they've made it much simpler since then

That said, I still like to have an optical drive in a desktop machine, if nothing else it means you can play DVD / BluRay disks (I usually connect my rigs up to my TV as a secondary screen). Given the price of them I'm surprised people don't just include one as standard?

Likely because services like Netflix are much more popular with the newer generation than movies on disks are. I haven't had a use for my ODD in probably three years. I don't even know if it still works, Lol.

Thank you for your quick responses. I will likely buy a windows 10 key and use the windows media creation tool to install to a clean USB. I am assuming from the motherboards BIOS I will be prompted to install an operating system? If this is the case will I be able to direct to USB drive and install from that location? Second question is how will I activate without an internet connection. I have ordered a wi-fi dongle and have wi-fi in my property but assuming this cannot be set up until windows is installed? Please advise. Regards,

Jamie.

You would then need to install motherboard's drivers, you can install your motherboard's drivers disc that comes with your motherboard. That can get you started, to get the latest, you would have to download them from the manufacturer's website. If you have a wifi dongle you want to use then you will probably need to install the drivers for it. There will be a disc that comes with it.

Oh yeah, I forgot it would take a 7 key... Apparently I'm dumb. Looks like I've started confusion... Here's my revised response: You can get Windows 10 on a USB stick bundled with a product code. You can also just download Windows 10 onto a USB stick using the Media Creation Tool, but you'll still have to buy a license/activation code.

If you install 10 as the first and only OS, you won't have to worry about the Disk Cleanup statement from above.

Ah, I remember attempting to install an OS from a USB key many years ago (and found that not all hardware at the time supported the feature) so I've avoided it since then. Sounds like they've made it much simpler since then

That said, I still like to have an optical drive in a desktop machine, if nothing else it means you can play DVD / BluRay disks (I usually connect my rigs up to my TV as a secondary screen). Given the price of them I'm surprised people don't just include one as standard?

I recently purchased a new PC. I went the USB route as my case (H440) didn't have an optical drive bay, so I was pretty limited. It was really easy to install the OS though and I am clueless with computers mostly.

Just a friendly head up

Oh yeah, I forgot it would take a 7 key... Apparently I'm dumb. Looks like I've started confusion... Here's my revised response: You can get Windows 10 on a USB stick bundled with a product code. You can also just download Windows 10 onto a USB stick using the Media Creation Tool, but you'll still have to buy a license/activation code.

If you install 10 as the first and only OS, you won't have to worry about the Disk Cleanup statement from above.

Ah, I remember attempting to install an OS from a USB key many years ago (and found that not all hardware at the time supported the feature) so I've avoided it since then. Sounds like they've made it much simpler since then

That said, I still like to have an optical drive in a desktop machine, if nothing else it means you can play DVD / BluRay disks (I usually connect my rigs up to my TV as a secondary screen). Given the price of them I'm surprised people don't just include one as standard?

I recently purchased a new PC. I went the USB route as my case (H440) didn't have an optical drive bay, so I was pretty limited. It was really easy to install the OS though and I am clueless with computers mostly.

Just a friendly head up

Btw in response to your other bit- I use Amazon Prime for vids and Spotify for music, although I still like to get a physical disk for vids and music if it's something I really like. Guess I'm out of date, just once you actually have something like that, it's yours. All this cloud based stuff is great- but the catalogues get changed on the fly. There are series that used to be on Amazon that have been removed in my area, I'm not sure why but there's no comeback, no notification, they're just gone. This is also something that makes me slightly uneasy about all this DRM, online only based stuff for games and other content. The content creators want to maintain the rights to stop you accessing something you paid for as / when it suits them.

I'm at work and the internet is very slow, so I apologise but it wasn't intentional.

I got a USB with Windows already installed on it from Amazon and honestly, it was so easy to install the OS. A optical drive would be easier for all of the drivers etc but you can easily download those online.

I am assuming from the motherboards BIOS I will be prompted to install an operating system? If this is the case will I be able to direct to USB drive and install from that location?

Second question is how will I activate without an internet connection. I have ordered a wi-fi dongle and have wi-fi in my property but assuming this cannot be set up until windows is installed?

When booting to USB, use a USB 2.0 port. USB 3.0/3.1 is not usually incorporated into BIOS.

I am assuming from the motherboards BIOS I will be prompted to install an operating system? If this is the case will I be able to direct to USB drive and install from that location?

Second question is how will I activate without an internet connection. I have ordered a wi-fi dongle and have wi-fi in my property but assuming this cannot be set up until windows is installed?

When booting to USB, use a USB 2.0 port. USB 3.0/3.1 is not usually incorporated into BIOS.

So you decided on a larger case. Cool. Go for it!

The motherboard is not listed in the total price. I would have gone with a better psu.

Haswell is fine, but you should at least try to go with Skylake. An i5 would be fine for gaming if you need to cut back on the price.

The motherboard is not listed in the total price. I would have gone with a better psu.

Haswell is fine, but you should at least try to go with Skylake. An i5 would be fine for gaming if you need to cut back on the price.

http://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/7pYyf8

The motherboard is not listed in the total price. I would have gone with a better psu.

Haswell is fine, but you should at least try to go with Skylake. An i5 would be fine for gaming if you need to cut back on the price.

http://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/7pYyf8

Skylake is the way to go, but if this is gaming machine you should do as i recommended or up the budget and get what you have here + a GTX 1070

The motherboard is not listed in the total price. I would have gone with a better psu.

Haswell is fine, but you should at least try to go with Skylake. An i5 would be fine for gaming if you need to cut back on the price.

http://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/7pYyf8

Skylake is the way to go, but if this is gaming machine you should do as i recommended or up the budget and get what you have here + a GTX 1070

http://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/G7bNNN

Execellent. A monster build. Enjoy it!

EDIT: make sure you get a case that will fit that huge noctua.

Yes it will game better than what you had. No much diffeerence between same gen i5 and i7 in gaming. A better GPU is always teh way to go if your main thing is gaming.

Yes it will game better than what you had. No much diffeerence between same gen i5 and i7 in gaming. A better GPU is always teh way to go if your main thing is gaming.

Yes it will game better than what you had. No much diffeerence between same gen i5 and i7 in gaming. A better GPU is always teh way to go if your main thing is gaming.

Try this. I prefer it to the Noctua: http://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/9bFPxr/be-quiet-cpu-cooler-bk019

Yes it will game better than what you had. No much diffeerence between same gen i5 and i7 in gaming. A better GPU is always teh way to go if your main thing is gaming.

Try this. I prefer it to the Noctua: http://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/9bFPxr/be-quiet-cpu-cooler-bk019

Yes it will game better than what you had. No much diffeerence between same gen i5 and i7 in gaming. A better GPU is always teh way to go if your main thing is gaming.

Try this. I prefer it to the Noctua: http://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/9bFPxr/be-quiet-cpu-cooler-bk019

http://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/4RZgLD

So you decided on a larger case. Cool. Go for it!

So you decided on a larger case. Cool. Go for it!

It's a great build except for the psu which is not THAT bad, just not very good for such an expensive build.

It's a great build except for the psu which is not THAT bad, just not very good for such an expensive build.

I know. But it would seem OP already has it.

The only thing I would even recommend is a newer GPU. While yours is not bad it is getting older and the 2GB limit is going to stop you from fully enjoying games. However right now might not be the best time to upgrade. nVidia will be launching a new GTX 1060 and the RX 480 is out but has a known power issue, and I would wait for AiB versions which are superior anyways. Also depending on what you upgrade to you might need to upgrade the PSU.

That is all I would recommend. You can easily extend your CPU by overclocking as the difference between a i5 3570K and 6600K is very little.

The only thing I would even recommend is a newer GPU. While yours is not bad it is getting older and the 2GB limit is going to stop you from fully enjoying games. However right now might not be the best time to upgrade. nVidia will be launching a new GTX 1060 and the RX 480 is out but has a known power issue, and I would wait for AiB versions which are superior anyways. Also depending on what you upgrade to you might need to upgrade the PSU.

That is all I would recommend. You can easily extend your CPU by overclocking as the difference between a i5 3570K and 6600K is very little.

For gaming on 1080p your CPU should be fine for now. If you want to get more out of it and have it "Keep up with the times" I would overclock it for sure, that is why that model was made! A "K" model Intel CPU that is not overclocked is under used imo. You already have the 212 EVO which is perfect for a mild overclock. Your current CPU doesn't have hyper-threading technology, which doesn't help much in 1080p gaming, but might help with other applications you may be interested in later. I would upgrade you GPU. Get the RX 480, $200-$240 and it will demolish 1080p gaming for you. I hope this helps!

Yeah, I was thinking about the rx 480, but it seems like they have some issue like jimmysmitty mentioned. I'll probably hold off a bit to see if it is fixed or wait for the rx 490/gtx 1060.

How long do you think I have left on my current GPU?

Hard to say but at least 3 years. DX12 will benefit more cores but it is still a very small minority of games that even use it properly.

Accidental Best Answer reset at the request of the OP.

Wait, you're saying I have 3 years left on my video card!? Really, that long...?
I figured it was probably closer to 1

OH GPU> I thought you meant CPU. Sorry. No GPU, I wouldn't even say 1 year. Most games need more than 2GB at 1080P to play at higher settings, some like GTA V need even more.

It could be your psu, though the G series is a tier 3 and should be able to handle your gaming needs just fine. How old is the PSU? Do you ever get any BSODs? I have Win10 and I get loads of BSODs and occasional shutdowns. I have a 2 year old EVGA P2, so I really don't think it's my PSU. Most of my issues occur during gaming, and are almost all related to Win10/Directx 12/Nvidia Drivers. Did this issue happen with older Nvidia drivers? If it did(my issues certainly did), then try to find a PSU you can swap(like the others have said), if the issue is new(after the driver update), roll back. If none of these fixes work, bring this thread back up after Microsoft releases the updated Win10 in August, as that might fix issues too. I'm crossing my fingers that Microsoft will fix my issues and maybe yours as well.

Try monitoring the temperatures under load. If ok, try testing different power supply, if possible.

also, what OS do you have?

also, what OS do you have?

Try monitoring the temperatures under load. If ok, try testing different power supply, if possible.

Then maybe the power supply. Have you recently updated the graphics card's driver?

Then maybe the power supply. Have you recently updated the graphics card's driver?

A shutdown is usually thermal related. The CPU fan spinning faster on a reboot is normal, it runs full speed until motherboard/windows pwm or fan speed controlling kicks in. What I would do is go in the BIOS and disable that smart fan stuff to control fan speeds. Get everything running at full speed. Same thing for any Asrock software that controls your fans and especially CPU fan. Next check Crucial's website to see if there is a firmware update for your SSD. Try that out and see if it helps. But according to you the thermals are within spec.

Try a different PSU. Under load a video card will draw more wattage than at idle so it makes sense. The PSU may be shutting down under thermal/overload protection.

A shutdown is usually thermal related. The CPU fan spinning faster on a reboot is normal, it runs full speed until motherboard/windows pwm or fan speed controlling kicks in. What I would do is go in the BIOS and disable that smart fan stuff to control fan speeds. Get everything running at full speed. Same thing for any Asrock software that controls your fans and especially CPU fan. Next check Crucial's website to see if there is a firmware update for your SSD. Try that out and see if it helps. But according to you the thermals are within spec.

Try a different PSU. Under load a video card will draw more wattage than at idle so it makes sense. The PSU may be shutting down under thermal/overload protection.

It could be your psu, though the G series is a tier 3 and should be able to handle your gaming needs just fine. How old is the PSU? Do you ever get any BSODs? I have Win10 and I get loads of BSODs and occasional shutdowns. I have a 2 year old EVGA P2, so I really don't think it's my PSU. Most of my issues occur during gaming, and are almost all related to Win10/Directx 12/Nvidia Drivers. Did this issue happen with older Nvidia drivers? If it did(my issues certainly did), then try to find a PSU you can swap(like the others have said), if the issue is new(after the driver update), roll back. If none of these fixes work, bring this thread back up after Microsoft releases the updated Win10 in August, as that might fix issues too. I'm crossing my fingers that Microsoft will fix my issues and maybe yours as well.

Well a higher wattage PSU is not the issue. A quality 550W is better than a cheap 750W. First choose the minimum wattage required, up it if you ever want to do crossfire or sli, then decide on the quality. For your system I'm liking a 650W, and for model I'm liking the EVGA G2/P2 series, B2 if you're on a tighter budget and it's available. The EVGA warranty and customer service are just fabulous. I happen to have a P2 that I got on sale cheaper than a G2. Now that's a price to pay just to check if that's the problem. The next thing is software. Is it only certain games, or is it random and all over the board. If it's one particular game then you have the issue nailed.

It could be your psu, though the G series is a tier 3 and should be able to handle your gaming needs just fine. How old is the PSU? Do you ever get any BSODs? I have Win10 and I get loads of BSODs and occasional shutdowns. I have a 2 year old EVGA P2, so I really don't think it's my PSU. Most of my issues occur during gaming, and are almost all related to Win10/Directx 12/Nvidia Drivers. Did this issue happen with older Nvidia drivers? If it did(my issues certainly did), then try to find a PSU you can swap(like the others have said), if the issue is new(after the driver update), roll back. If none of these fixes work, bring this thread back up after Microsoft releases the updated Win10 in August, as that might fix issues too. I'm crossing my fingers that Microsoft will fix my issues and maybe yours as well.

Well a higher wattage PSU is not the issue. A quality 550W is better than a cheap 750W. First choose the minimum wattage required, up it if you ever want to do crossfire or sli, then decide on the quality. For your system I'm liking a 650W, and for model I'm liking the EVGA G2/P2 series, B2 if you're on a tighter budget and it's available. The EVGA warranty and customer service are just fabulous. I happen to have a P2 that I got on sale cheaper than a G2. Now that's a price to pay just to check if that's the problem. The next thing is software. Is it only certain games, or is it random and all over the board. If it's one particular game then you have the issue nailed.

Until you try a PSU there is no point in troubleshooting further a problem that may not exist. Good luck.

The recommended ones are EVGA B2, G2, P2 series, in order of price and quality. There are many other good ones but when in doubt those EVGA are the go to. Cheaper EVGA supplies are not as good and to be avoided. XFX, Seasonic, Antec, Enermax, Corsair, etc... all have some good models as well.

http://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator

Try that site to calculate a recommended wattage for your system.