Building Your Own PC & Win:
Building your own dream PC is easier than you think, I also condensed this from one of the places up top I think so just follow these instructions:
1. Introduction:
Make sure you have all the parts you need, including
cables and necessary tools.
2. Before you begin:
The first part of the computer that you will work with is
the motherboard.
Note: throughout the assembly process, make sure to ground yourself from time to time (by
touching the case, or a solid metal object), to prevent static discharge into the delicate
circuits of your new investment. Do use any static-preventative installation mats that
come with your components Remember: static is not your friend!
So---install it!!!
Make sure to read through the manual thoroughly, more than once if you have to. Set all
jumpers according to the specifications given in the manual. Look through the manual
again, and make sure all of the settings are correct. Make sure that you know where all of
the connectors are on the motherboard (look at diagram in manual)
3. Install the CPU:
First lift the lever of the ZIF socket to 90 degrees, and
then place the CPU into the socket so that the notched corner of the chip aligns with the
notched corner of the socket. Once the CPU is in place, close the lever.
4. Install Memory (RAM):
Assuming that you are using 72 pin RAM or a 168 pin DIMM,
this should be a fairly easy task.
Installing SIMMs Locate Bank 0 on your motherboard's diagram and insert the RAM at a 45
degree angle into the slot. If it doesn't seem to fit right, you probably have it
backwards.
Once the SIMM seems to be in position, press down while rotating the SIMM up into place.
If it was installed correctly, you might hear it click into place. Check to make sure that
it is in firmly, and that the two clips are holding it in. Repeat this until you have
filled one or more banks with SIMMs.
Note: Remember that EDO RAM must be installed in pairs. Each bank holds 2 SIMMs. Always
use SIMMs that are the same size and speed in each bank. If you mix different sizes and
speeds, you are only asking for trouble.
DIMMs are easy to install. Just take the DIMM and put it in the slot. Make sure to find
which slot to use first (in your MB manual) If it doesn't fit, it is backwards. Reverse
it.
That's it.
5. Motherboard Planning:
You must first plan which expansion slots will be used
for which cards, and which will be left open. Remember that PCI cards fit into the
shorter, white slots, while ISA cards go in the slightly longer black slots. In general,
the video card is placed in the end slot.
6. Install the Motherboard:
Line up the motherboard with the case, and see where
plastic stand-offs will be necessary (the stand-offs attach to the motherboard through
small holes and must line up with slots found on the case) You will probably also use
metal screw mounts in some places to mount the motherboard. Find the holes in the
motherboard that line up with threaded holes in the case. These are where you will need
metal screw mounts. Screw in the mounts to the case in these positions. Now insert the
plastic standoffs in the correct motherboard holes, so they line up with the slots on the
case. Next, mount the motherboard on the case. To do this, insert the plastic stand-offs
into their corresponding slots on the motherboard, and slide the board into position. Make
sure all of the standoffs are set firmly into their slots. Screw your fastening screws
into all holes that align with a hole in the case. Also put a screw into all of the metal
screw mounts.
Make sure that the board is in correctly, is laying flat, and that it does not bend too
much.
Try plugging in your keyboard to make sure it fits.
Now you need to plug in all of the various connectors and cables needed. These include COM
port, LPT (printer) port, PS/2 mouse cable (if you have a PS/2 mouse), floppy drive, and
hard disk cables. When plugging in the flat gray ribbon cables for floppy and hard drives,
be sure to line up the pin 1 end of the cable with pin 1 on the motherboard. The pin 1 end
of the cable is denoted by a red stripe and I've always found that the red-line goes
toward the power plug. To find pin 1 on the motherboard, look for a small "1" or
a dot marked next to one of the pins, or refer to the motherboard's manual.
Note: To tell the difference between floppy and hard drive ribbon cables, remember that
the floppy drive's ribbon cable is the shorter of the two and narrower than you IDE cable.
The COM and LPT port connectors probably will come on a metal expansion slot cover. If you
want to save an expansion slot, you may remove these two connectors, and attach them to
the punchable holes found on the back of the case.
You also need to connect your motherboard to the various buttons and LEDs found on the
front of the case. Before you do so, it's a good idea to attach the power supply to the
case's on/off switch (if it is not already connected) and test it to make sure it is
connected properly.
Once you hear the hum of the power supply's fan, it is safe to continue. Connect the
various case buttons and LEDs according to the motherboard manual's specifications.
Remember that the colored wire of each connector should connect to its associated pin 1 on
the motherboard.
This next step is extremely important, so make sure you do it right. To connect the power
supply to the motherboard, first locate the two largest power connectors coming from the
power supply (for an AT -- if you have an ATX, the power connection is simple). These two
power connectors must be plugged into the motherboard side by side so that the four black
wires are in the middle. If you accidentally plug the wires in differently and turn on the
power, you might as well buy a new motherboard; yours will be fried.
7. Install the Floppy Drive:
Now you need to install the components necessary to
barely run your computer. These components are: Floppy drive, video card, keyboard and
monitor
Install the floppy drive
First mount the drive on one of the small mounting bays. Four screws is really all that
you need.
You'll need to find two connectors for the drive, a power connector (one of the very small
ones), and a gray, flat ribbon cable that you should already have attached to the
motherboard.
Connect the twisted end of the floppy drive cable to the drive with the pin 1 side
(colored stripe or dotted) towards the center. Then plug one of the narrow plugs attached
to the power supply into the drive (it will only fit one way).
8. Video Card Installation:
Find an open expansion slot (of the correct type, PCI or
ISA) and plug the card in, being careful not to put too much strain on the motherboard.
9. Monitor Installation:
Plug it's 15-pin connector into the back of your video
card, and make sure that it is secure. Then plug your monitor's power supply either into a
wall outlet or, if your power supply has an extra connection, into the back of your
computer's case.
10. Time to Test!
Now comes the moment you have been waiting for: your new computer's first test! Before you
turn on your computer, make sure you have completed the following things:
You have installed the RAM and CPU properly
The video card is firmly in place
The floppy drive is connected to the motherboard and has power.
The monitor is plugged into your video card, and has power
You have plugged in the keyboard
Once you are sure that everything is set, turn on your monitor, and then the computer.
If you think there is a problem booting, shut the computer off immediately.
If all goes well, you should see some POST (Power On Self Test) information on the screen.
Make sure that all of this information is true, especially that the correct amount of
memory is counted, and that the floppy drive light comes on.
Turn off the computer and monitor -- It's time to install your other components, starting
with the hard drive.
If nothing or something bad happened when you turned on your computer, here are some
things to recheck:
Is the RAM firmly in place?
Is the video card seated properly?
Is the monitor plugged in securely to both a power supply and the video card?
Is the monitor turned on?
If all of these are true, try moving your video card to a different expansion slot, and
reboot. If this doesn't work, recheck everything -- jumpers, all data transfer connectors
(one could be backwards), and power connectors.
If every other option is exhausted, you could have a faulty component.
11. Hard Drive Installation:
I am assuming, for this section, that you have one or
more IDE hard drives.
According to your hard drive's manual, change jumpers on the back of the hard drive to
make it a master (sometimes called primary) drive (if you have 2 then #2 drive will be set
as slave).
Mount the hard drive in the smallest bay it will fit in, and attach it in the same way you
attached the floppy drive to the case.
Now find the flat, gray ribbon cable that you earlier attached to the motherboard (this
cable is wider than the floppy drive cable).
Plug this cable into the back of your hard drive, making sure that pin 1 on the cable
(striped end) matches with pin 1 on the drive. Usually, pin 1 on the drive is the end
closest to the power connector.
Now turn on your computer and enter its BIOS setup.
Once in setup, you should have the computer auto-detect your hard drive. Once it has done
so and if you know all this stuff, confirm all of the values for number of cylinders,
heads, and sectors with those specified in the hard drive's manual. These values should
match.
Save BIOS information and exit setup. Turn off the computer.
Now you will need a floppy boot disk for the operating system you plan to use. Insert this
disk into the disk drive and start up the computer again.
You should have a floppy disk that came with your hard drive. If you are not currently in
the a: drive (floppy drive -- the screen should display a:\> if you are not in the a:
drive), type a: and then hit return.
Then follow the software's instructions on how to run the disk manager/installer or Setup.
Note: Windows 95 is able to set up your hard disk for you; I will explain how to get
Windows 95 working.
12. Installing Windows 95:
Before you install Windows 95 you may wish to:
change settings in your CMOS setup
install any Plug n Play cards you have, such as sound cards, modems, etc.
Don't install any non PnP-compatible devices yet.
plug in your mouse (to the COM port, or PS/2 port)
install your CD-ROM drive
Tip: If you have a CD-ROM drive, you may wish to install it at this time. My CD-ROM drive
is connected to my motherboard via an EIDE/ATAPI interface on my sound card. Most sound
cards will have this. Make sure to align pin 1 of the ribbon cable (striped end ) with pin
1 on the card (probably denoted by a "1" or dot). Then connect the other end of
the cable to the CD-ROM drive as you did with the hard drive. If your CD-ROM comes with an
audio connector, connect this to the sound card as well. Use the same type of power
connector as you used for your hard drive.
Installing Windows 95
Once you have booted up using the Windows 95 boot disk, go to your a drive (by typing a:),
and type setup. The setup program will then guide you through the installation.
13. Other Cards/Devices:
After Windows 95 is fully installed, you can install any
non PnP-compatible cards\devices that you may have.
Install each card\device one at a time, so that if a problem occurs, you know which device
is the culprit.
You will have to set the jumpers on most card\devices to an available port address and IRQ
setting.
14. Port Adresses/IRQ Settings:
Finding Available Port Addresses and IRQ Settings, The best way to find an open IRQ
setting is to open Win95's System Properties. System Properties is located in the control
panel, or you can get there by right clicking the mouse on the My Computer icon (on the
desktop) and selecting Properties.
Then open the Device Manager tab, and double click on Computer (way at the top of the
list).
Select Interrupt Request (IRQ). This gives you a comprehensive list of all used IRQs.
Numbers that are not listed are available.
Check the default IRQ\port setting for the device to be installed and see if it is
available. If it is available, you are in luck; you don't have to change any jumpers. If
that setting is already used, find another available setting, and change the jumpers on
the device\card accordingly.
Then plug in the card (with the power off!) and when Win95 boots up, select Add New
Hardware from the control panel if W-95 doesn't detect it. Then either choose what type of
device you are installing, or select auto-detect.
Win95 may ask you for the device's drivers; if so, tell it where they are (usually on a
floppy disk provided by the manufacturer).
Tip: You can save a lot of work by only buying PnP compatible cards and devices.
DONE!!!!
Places to go to read up on computers that have
lots of information you can use that will give you the latest information on motherboard's
and chipsets.
Motherboard Homeworld:
http://www.motherboards.org/
Tom's Hardware Guide:
http://sysdoc.pair.com/
PC Mechanic:
http://pcmech.pair.com/
Spacewalker:
http://www.spacewalker.com/isroot/spacetmp/main.html
Anand's Hardware:
http://www.anandtech.com/
PC Guide is a great place to learn more about
PC's:
www.pcguide.com
Try Haggle to buy and sell stuff:
www.Haggle.com
Great Place for anything & has links:
PC Webop�dia.com
Spumador's Page:
Spumador's
HW Page
DONE!!!!
