Hi, I wonder if there is anyone who could give some advise on the following case please?

I am an ASUS mobo fan, always used their desktop motherboards, but, well, I decided to try Intel this time, so here is my story:

I recently purchased the following items here in the Netherlands (Europe), all brand new:

- Intel Boxed Intel Core2 Duo Processor E8400 (6M Cache 3.00 GHz 1333 MHz FSB) LGA775

- Samsung HDD/500GB SATAII 16MB 3.5'' 7200rpm

- Intel Motherboards Extreme Series / ATX/ P45 Express Chipset with ICH10R / 4xDDR3@1333 (DP45SG)

- Corsair XMS3 DDR3,1333-4GK

- Samsung DVD RW 22x Black Bulk SATA

- AOpen A600A ATX box Silver/Black with a 350 watt PSU

- Microsoft Win Pro 7 64-bit English 1pk DSP OEI DVD

and used following (used) graphics card: MSI R4350-D256H

- later on: (also brand new, cause I forgot that item), a Linksys wireless-N PCI adapter with dual band model WMP600N-EU

When packing out the boxes, looking at all these great items I found out

a) Intel Corporation added a note in the mobo box stating: "you will need to use a USB diskette drive to install the Intel Matrix Storage raid driver

    during the Windows XP installation process" Now, that raised an eyebrow; I spend a lot of money on the best around, SATA HDD's and all, but
    Intel steps back 20 years in time?, and wants me to install something, before Windows can install a RAID driver??

    Why, sure I need to be in the BIOS, for one, and second: I have no USB diskette drive with USB or SATA connector

But.. I was installing Windows7, so what the hay, I left this out..then

b) the Intel mobo had no PS2 outlet, so I could not connect a mouse and keyboard.

Hence, I could not start up the computer and get in the BIOS menu, like I am used to do. That raised a second eyebrow, I completely overlooked this missing spec. I solved that buying a special USB splitter cable, on which I could connect a PS2 mouse and PS2 keyboard.

So, starting up the desktop, I found the BIOS was ok, DVD ROM was the first boot part. Nothing needed changing, fine by me.

So I inserted the Windows 7 operating system, so far so good. After that, I had not activated Windows right away, cause the wireless card I added

from Linksys (after first installing the Linksys driver), wasn't recognized. After that the computer wouldn't

start anymore. I didn't get anything anymore. Some guy at work advised to remove the CMOS battery for a while, which I did.

Sure enough, I could re-install Windows7. I connected a network cable this time, to activate Windows on-line.

All was well. But then, I decided to download the latest Intel mobo drivers from this website ("Intel recommends that you download...etc.." boy was I dum), I was prompted to restart the computer after installing the latest Intel chipset drivers.

And then, dear readers, the computer went dead, and has stayed dead. I can start the MOBO outside the casing, the fans work, the DVD rom drives starts up, but I see no USB power going to the USB board and mouse, my screen is black, I cannot get into the BIOS. If I connect the DVD rom, and disconnect the HDD, to start to start Windows7 from the DVD, it doesn't work. Makes no difference: the screen remains black, no BIOS, no message, nothing.

The trick with leaving out the CMOS battery or the jumper on the BIOS reset connectors doesn't change anything.

The computer won't start. The DVD rom drive starts, but the Windows DVD doesn't give me a screen, or a BIOS, just the fans are blowing, for the rest... nothing, nothing... Is there anybody that can tell me how I can solve this?