Windows 7: Upgrading

Ok, a bit confused here. Since my case's front audio is AC'97, I should use the discrete pins & set the BIOS setting to AC'97 - or - since this is a newer mobo, use the Audio Plug & still set the BIOS setting to AC'97?



Using previous mobos, when I hit the computer's power button, a POST beep would come from inside the case (not external speakers) & I just thought that was the case w/all mobos.

I'll give the connections another try later tonight.

Use the plug. Set the BIOS to AC97.

The plug and the pins serve exactly the same purpose. The plug is more convenient, if you have a motherboard with a header that takes it.

I've never owned a motherboard with an onboard sound transducer that makes beep codes. I think they may put them on some server boards. (Vague memory.)

Looks as though I may be out of luck in getting beeps unless I buy a mobo speaker.

I've tried:
Audio Plug & set BIOS to HD with & w/o keyboard plugged in = No beeps
Audio Plug & set BIOS to AC'97 with & w/o keyboard plugged in = No beeps
Pins & set BIOS to HD with & w/o keyboard plugged in = No beeps
Pins & set BIOS to AC'97 with & w/o keyboard plugged in = No beeps

I tried w & w/o keyboard b/c I know I should get an error beep if it's not plugged in (at least on all my past mobos I have) but I didn't get beeps either way, just an error message stating no keyboard found.

From pic below, my mobo does have a 4-pin set that is labeled 'Speaker' on the System Panel Connector, anyone know what this is for?

As you suggested bobkn, I'm going to use the Plug & set BIOS to AC'97. Going to install 7 Pro 64Bit, but does anyone know how to install using an Upgrade disk on a new, clean drive? I did it before w/o problem, but lost this instructions. I can't remember if I start w/a Custom install, then upgrade over it while in 7/do a double Custom install.

The Speaker connection on the motherboard is specifically for connecting a small speaker (sorry for stating the obvious). These are generally piezo devices and are polarised, so observe the polarity (if it doesn't beep, reverse the connections). Its sole function is to provide you with an audio confirmation of the BIOS POST progress - a single beep indicating that everything has passed; whereas multiple beeps indicate a problem, in which case the sequence indicates the area in which the problem lies.

Since the motherboard audio isn't enabled during the BIOS POST phase, you won't get audio feedback of this progress through its speakers, only the speaker connected as described above is able to do this.

As regards clean installing using upgrade media, see: Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

These little speakers can be borrowed out of any old MS DOS, win95, win98, winXP computer

It will look like this one. Newegg.com - APEVIA Model CVTCSPK 2" Case speaker cable for computer cases that connects to the motherboard
Older boards may have had something this soldered to the board.

Britton30: thanks for the pic & info concerning the motherboard speaker. If I decide to buy 1, does it matther what type?/should any mobo speaker work?

Dwarf: thanks for the link to the 7 installation routine.

Yes any of the type in the Newegg link will work. You might check computer stores to see if they have some too. You might score a free one.

Finally, after a few system freezes (explained below) 7 Pro 64Bit w/SP1 & all updates is installed; YAY!!!

During OS installation, this happened a few times:
The computer would freeze, just freeze w/o any warning messages/anything to let me know it was about to happen. This would happen when I was on the final portion of OS installation/after OS completed installation & while updates were on their last leg of installation. I had to restart the whole OS & updates installs each time, but now everything is finally installed & so far so good.

Now just need to install all my programs & I'm set.

report back if you have any other freezes