How to install windows without a display?

Q: The Asus Tech has me totally confused. (Asus M2N-SLI) He says windows will install my Geforce video card. This is my first build; how do you install windows without seeing what the PC is doing? I've booted up, it reads the cd, and the hard drive lights up, but I don't know what is going on without my display card? God Bless You

A: Even before specific drivers are installed for your graphics card, the Windows installer will first use a character-based drivers (think the look of monochrome monitors from the very first days of the PC or what you would see in a command prompt window) and later use a generic display drivers if it can't find better ones for your particular video card (e.g., the Standard VGA Display Adapter) to lead you through the options of the install. Even before you get to the point of installing Windows, you should see the graphics card and BIOS lines (the memory and device check for example). That doesn't use or require any drivers per se. If you are not seeing something soon after you apply power and hear the power-up self test (POST) beep, you have a hardware problem to fix first. I didn't see it in my quick look, but if there is on-board video for the motherboard you have, your video may be sent to that port until you either disable the on-board video in the BIOS or the drivers for your video card load. If you don't have on-board video, you should be seeing some video through your video card. Many newer video cards require a secondary power source (from the power plugs going to your other peripherals like disks and CD-ROM drives). If yours does, have your plugged power into that connector.

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