Building Your Own Computer

– Part Six

You are now ready to install the expansion cards.  There are three basic types of expansion slots -- AGP, PCI, and PCI Express.  Modern motherboards usually have a selection of PCI and PCI express slots, but for the video card there's usually either an AGP or a PCI Express slot.  Your video card has to be the correct type to match.

Start with the video card.  The video slot is usually closest to the CPU.  The first step is to remove the case cover from the video card slot.  It may be held in place by a screw or perhaps it has to be snapped out.  Insert the card in the slot and gently rock it back and forth to seat it firmly in place.  Secure it by using one of the big screws to attach the metal bracket to the case.

The video card will probably have a cooling fan that should be connected to the motherboard for power.  Look for a 2 or 3 prong connector on the motherboard in the vicinity of the video card and attach the wire from the fan.

Follow the same procedure with any additional add-on cards you have.  These could include network adapters, sound cards, and TV tuners.  Always make sure the cards are seated firmly in the slot and secure them with a screw.

Check Your Work

That should be all the work that is necessary on the inside of the case.  Before closing the case up, inspect all of the connections and cabling to make sure that everything is connected properly and there are no stray wires preventing fan rotation.  If everything looks correct, close up the case.

Attach all the peripherals including the monitor, mouse, the keyboard, the printer, scanner, and any others that you are using.  All the connections are color-coded making them easy to find and attach correctly.  Finish off by inserting the power cord and plugging it into the wall.

First Power Up

Now comes the moment of truth.  Turn the computer on and see if it works.  If nothing happens, the most likely culprit is the power connection.  Is the computer plugged into a power strip?  Does the power strip have an on/off switch?  How about the power supply?  Some power supplies have their own on/off switch.

If you hear the power supply fan come on but not the hard drives or the CPU fan, turn the computer off immediately.  This usually means that something inside the case is shorted and leaving the power on could permanently damage some of the components.  In this situation, you will have to reopen the case and check all the connections.

If you turn the power on and hear a series of beeps, remember the beep sequence and turn the computer off.  A series of beeps is a signal of a malfunctioning computer, and their pattern can offer a diagnosis of the problem.  Refer to your motherboard manual to find out the meaning of the beeps.

Hopefully, none of these things will happen to your computer.  You will simply hear one beep and the computer will boot.  A few seconds after booting you can press the F1 or delete key to get into the BIOS settings.  There are many options that can be set in the BIOS including the order of drives that the computer boots from.  Setting the boot order to 1) Floppy Disk 2) CD-ROM 3) Hard Disk will allow you to install the operating system from a CD.

All the various BIOS settings are explained in detail in the motherboard manual.  You can probably leave them at their default settings until after the operating system is installed. 

There is one more thing you should do before installing the operating system.  The BIOS has a section that monitors the temperature of various components (including the CPU) and indicates fan speeds.  Allow the computer to run for 15 or 20 minutes while checking this information.  If all of the readings are within the allowable range, you are set to install the operating system.

<< Previous    1...   3  4  5  [6]  7    Next >>