Using all new components with no OS installed, How do I install the BIOS. Intrepid 64 at completion.

[Steven Vollom]

This is my first new build of a computer.  I don't completely understand the 
functions of the BIOS as they relate to Microsoft products and Kubuntu.  When 
I attempt to learn from Ubuntu forum conversations, I become confused early 
and am then blocked from moving on.  

This is my first install of Kubuntu 64bit; is this on-topic for this forum?  
Just to get to the point of install, I will need help getting my hardware 
readied for an AMD Quad Core 9600.  The motherboard is an ASUS M3N-HT 
Mempipe.  My memory is Axiom ECC 667mhz DDR2 (8gb).  Onboard 8000 series 
GForce GPU, 512mb DDR3 PNY GForce 9600 Video Card.  HDD & DVDRW both SATA.  
BFG 800W Power Supply.

Still a Linux newbie, I am concerned because all documentation provides for a 
Microsoft installation with minor referenced for AMD as opposed to INTEL.  I 
have about a week before I install, so I am trying to prepare a bit, and I am 
using AMD and Kubuntu Intrepid, no Microsoft or Intel.  

If any of this intrudes by topic, please tell me where to go for help.  I have 
a friend in South Africa with expertise, so I am just trying to learn enough 
to be able to communicate with him online.  I don't want to break any rules 
of the LIST, but I am not sure I understand them properly anyway, so tell me 
if I get off course, please?

The ASUS User Guide, refers to floppy installation for BIOS.  Other places in 
the manual it eludes to using flash drives, so I intend downloading to a 
thumb drive for this purpose.  Is there a problem with that?

The guide suggests that the motherboard has internet connectivity without the 
installation of the OS, so I assume I can make all original entries using 
their preferred Microsoft DOS system.  Is there a problem setting up this 
way, then installing Intrepid for the OS after setting up the BIOS using 
Microsoft entries?  I don't even know how to use the lanugage here?  

Another effort at explanation: if the BIOS is set up using DOS language and 
there is no OS in the computer, will installing the OS using Linux language 
confuse the installation, never having DOS installed as an OS?  If I can use 
the provided ASUS CD to get the BIOS set up, then install the Linux OS, that 
would take some pressure off my mind, is that possible?

The motherboard has all the onboard capabilities to make a computer without 
anything but memory, DVDRW, and HDD, so that is the way I intend setting up.   
I plan to install the balance of memory and a video card later.  Just for 
reference, the video card is a PNY Gforce 9600 512mb DDR3, and the memory 
sticks are each 2gb.  There will  be four of them, AXIOM DDR2 667mhz SDRAM.  
Yes in advance to the fact that the motherboard is an ECC board.

The HDD came from an exterior 1tb Maxtor SATA Drive.  A 500gb drive became 
defective and I salvaged the other 500gb.  It has about one months use, and 
may be the drive that has data on it.  If so, there are 2ea partitions on the 
drive,one containing data, the other bare.  Both are set as ext3 file 
systems.  I don't know what problems I may incur installing the drive, it too 
was specifically set up for XP or Vista, originally.

The DVDRW is new, never used.  It is also SATA.

Here is the type of help I need, if appropriate.

How do I set up the BIOS.  Does it matter that the board is set for Microsoft 
and I am using Linux?

Can I use the USB thumb drive in place of a floppy drive?

Should I install the OS, prior to increasing the memory from 2 to 8gb?

I anticipate some potential problems with the nVidia video card installation.  
My motherboard is nVidia 780a chip and the on-board video is nVidia eight 
thousand series Gforce.  The add-on Video card is 9600 Gforce nVidia.

The memory sticks were checked and work perfectly.  They are also brand new.

Any advice or input to help me understand what I must do would be appreciated.  
TIA.

Steven