Overview of the basic parts assembly process!!! (NOT COMPLETE GUIDE)
Jan 08 '01
As stated in previous editorials placed in this category I have no intentions of walking anyone step by step through the process of building their own PC. There are simply too many variables that will change depending on who is using what types of hardware etc. To successfully walk anyone through all problems that could arise. However there are many basic things that will remain the same regardless of what components you are using internally , all of which are the simplest part of building your own computer and all of which occur prior to powering up the freshly built PC.
The first and most important thing that you should take into serious consideration is that all of the components you will be dealing with are highly static sensitive , except for maybe the case and power supply. This means that static electricity produced by your body from walking etc. could be potentially harmful to the circuitry of your new components. And yes static electricity can damage and render components inoperable. A couple of steps can be taken to avoid these unfortunate mishaps.
#1) - Do not remove components from protective packaging until necessary
#2) - Build your computer on a carpet - less floor such as concrete , carpet causes static build up
#3) - Obtain a static strap form you local Radio Shack or similar store. The strap wraps around Your wrist and has an attached alligator clip used to ground yourself to the case. Alternatively You could obtain a static mat to stand on that reduces the risk as well.
#4) - Always ground your self before touching static sensitive components.
Not all components are at as high of a risk of the static exposure. Devices such as CD-ROM drives , Floppy Drives , DVD- Drives are not as prone to be damaged by the static electricity produced by your body. However your motherboard , Ram , video card , sound card , modem and the like are very susceptible to the static charges and proper precautions should be taken. Static electricity is the number one culprit that destroys computer hardware before it is installed into the PC.
Few things will remain the same across the board when building a new PC regardless of the internal components that you intend to use. After all as far as layout goes all PC's are basically the same on the inside. Much like humans we all have the same parts although some parts may be in better shape on some people than they are on others. For example a babies heart is most always going be in better condition than someone's at the age of 85. Well The inside of the PC will all be relatively the same as well only difference being the quality of the parts being used.
In all situations Everyone will begin the process with a new case in which they intend to install all of there new components. The case will in most case have nothing more in it than the bays to install the drives and the power supply with associated wiring. In most cases the case also comes with pegs installed or in a bag to be installed that allow you to screw the motherboard firmly down to the case. In most cases the case also comes with the appropriate hardware needed to mount respective drives such as the hard drive and CD-ROM units in the bays.
In all cases the motherboard will need to be installed into the new case and tightened down snugly to the fittings on the case. The fittings elevate the motherboard off of the surface and in some cases act as a ground. The motherboard once applied is ready to accept the main power supply cable either in ATX or AT format ( Discussed "understanding motherboard specs " editorial). All mother boards will come with a slot that will accept one of the two formats and in some cases both. Be sure to buy the appropriate matching power supplies and motherboards. The motherboard normally comes with three ribbon cables two IDE cables for hard drives and CD-ROM devices and a smaller one for your floppy and zip type drives. The motherboard will also have slots on itself to accept theses cables as well. I recommend installing these cables at this time as it is easier to attach them to the drives in question once they are mounted. In most cases the motherboard or its instruction manual clearly show these connections. Be sure to follow the instruction manual as it may also have specific jumper settings that will need to be made to accept your CPU and it's speed.
Next I would suggest installing your drives into the appropriate bays. This is not an elaborate situation basically you pop the covering on the front of the case and slide the drive into the bay in which you want to place it. Then you simply use the screws that are normal supplied to anchor the drives fast to the bay in which they were installed. This applies to all Hard drives , floppy drives , zip drives , CD - ROM drives , and DVD drives. After successfully installing and anchoring your drives you should connect the appropriate power supply cables to them. Again reference your mother board manual if necessary or in most cases you can simply match the plugs off the power supply to the holes on the back of the drive. If unsure you may also need to consult the drive specific manual to determine the power connection.
If you are installing one CD - ROM and one hard drive than you have no real concerns make sure both drives are set to master and connect the hard drive to the primary IDE cable and the CD - ROM to the secondary IDE cable. All IDE cables except two devices and the red or colored side indicates pin one , pin one needs to be matched with the drive in question. There may be some confusion over how to manipulate the IDE cables. Generally the IDE cables will have three plugs on them , Two cropped semi close together and one considerably further away. The one furthest away is connected to the mother board. The one on the extreme opposite end that is now free is the master for that particular cable and the one below it is the slave. Make sure that if you have more than one hard drive or a CD - ROM and A DVD that the drives themselves one is set for master and one is set for slave. In all cases the drive will need to be hooked to the appropriate spot on the cable either Primary or Slave.
Now that you have installed the motherboard and drives into the case and hooked up all corresponding cables , check over all motherboard jumper and DIP switch settings. Once again please refer to the motherboard owners manual for specifics regarding your setup. Now that you have done that it is time to plug all the adapter cards into their appropriate spots. Again for more info on motherboard definitions please refer to my " understanding motherboard specs ' editorial. Make sure that you pop out the covers on the back of the case that are going to be used for your adapter cards. Then firmly and evenly insert the cards into there appropriate PCI , ISA , AMR , or AGP slots. In most cases the cards only fit one way and that normally is pretty obvious. If there any doubts again consult your manuals to be sure. Once all cards are seated in slots to your liking than you will need to tighten them in using the supplied (in most cases) screws. At this point you should have (hardware wise) a complete PC. Make sure that all devices are installed including your floppy drive , CD - ROM , Hard drive , sound card , video card , and modem. Lastly I would install your Ram chip , these chips have distinct looks that make the slots they belong in very obvious. Luckily Ram can only be inserted into these slots one way , there is a groove in the middle of them that needs to be lined up with the slot. Once aligned make sure the latches on the sides are in the out position and push the ram firmly into slot 1 respectively (consult manual if not know). As you insert the Ram you will notice that the latches close around it automatically to secure it. You should at this time have a completed PC at least parts wise. I would not close the case just yet as you may need to readjust things later.
Time to power it up for the first time!!! Do not insert a disk into the floppy drive and remember you have no operating system as of this time. Insert the power cord into the back and plug into the wall. Make sure the power supply voltage is set to the appropriate selection and that the power switch is in the " ON " Position on the back of the case. Then turn on the power on the front of the machine. If all has gone well you should hear one lone beep and then nothing. The lone beep indicates that all hardware is functioning properly. If you hear more than one beep consult your manual for the motherboard to determine what they mean. In most cases a card is not seated properly or something to this nature. This is where it gets hard to troubleshoot as things are very different depending on the components used. If you got one lone beep you are doing great so far. Now turn the computer off and plug in a monitor to the video card. Power on the monitor and then the computer , as the computer boots you should see the BIOS logo boot and a bunch of numbers counting. This means that the video card is working and that the ram is functioning. The computer will go no further at this time as you have no Operating System.
Congratulations you have successfully built a new computer. I however can not give any more info as it is all dependent on components that you have installed. But the next step is to configure the motherboard's BIOS to the rest of your hardware. After the BIOS is configured you will begin installing an OS following the instructions supplied with that particular program. If you have any solid lights on any of your drives , it normally means that pin 1 is reversed so you will need to power off and unplug to reverses the cable on that particular device. And with that good luck in your venture and Thank You for reading.
****NOTE*****
THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO BE A COMPLETE WALK THROUGH OF THE BUILDING PROCESS , MORE OF AN OVERVIEW. THERE IS NO ENOUGH INFO TO COMPLETELY BUILD A PC IN THIS EDITORIAL. IT SHOULD HOWEVER SUPPLY A BASIC PICTURE OF WHAT YOU ARE UP AGAINST. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU OBTAIN A BOOK ON BUILDING PC AND THAT YOU READ ALL MANUALS TO AVOID MISTAKES. AVOID MISTAKES.
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