The hard drive should have no bearing on the functionality of the motherboard. The only thing a defective or insufficient hard drive would have an effect on is the operating system.
What drivers aren't installing? There is the BIOS (basic input/output system), which is the information the motherboard uses to control the internal components. The chipset drivers are something entirely different, and instead control the north and south bridge chips. (the north bridge controls the interaction between the RAM, pci/agp/pci-e componenets and the CPU, the south bridge does the same with the hard drives, and the USB and other external connectors).
We need more information about what exactly youre trying to accomplish. Your computer should run just fine with the BIOS that came with the motherboard, but if you need to update that the procedure should be in your motherboard manual. If you dont have the manual you can get it in PDF format from your manufacturers website (probably). The chipset drivers are relatively easy and can be installed from windows in most cases. The CD that came with your motherboard (again, if you have it) should contain the chipset drivers.
*edit* ram should also not be an issue. Incompatible ram will stop the computer from functioning normally, but the motherboard itself will not be effected. Remember, the motherboard doesnt do anything but control and facilitate the interaction between the system components. The BIOS isnt stored on the hard drive or in the ram, but on the motherboard itself.
Last edited by Skruples (2006-02-15 01:52:57)
