Completing the system

Booting Up for the First Time.
1. Check that your monitor, your keyboard, and mouse are all plugged in correctly.
2. Turn your monitor on, and let it heat up a few seconds before proceeding.
3. Keep in mind what to expect. You may need to act quickly.
4. Turn on your PC.

The power LED should turn on, then fans should start spinning, and the hard drive should power up. You will see the Video BIOS screen first, then you will see the BIOS screen and it will proceed to count the memory. You may hear one beep from the PC speaker. You may also get a "CMOS checksum error" or another error saying the CMOS or time isn't set. Know what key(s) to hit to enter setup. This will be shown on the bottom of the screen.

If you hear any weird sounds such as grinding, scraping, or loud whining, be ready to turn the system off immediately and recheck all of your connections.

Configuring the BIOS.
After you turn on your PC, you should see a message that says something like "Hold down DEL to enter Setup" displayed at the bottom of the screen; your message may be different so pay attention to what key or combination of keys it requires. Hold down this key until you reach the BIOS setup screen.

The following procedure will walk you through this initial setup. Please bear in mind that this serves as an outline. Your actual settings and names may vary for different BIOS versions. Consult the manual that came with your motherboard for a detailed explanation of these settings. In most cases, you should not really have to change anything. If you are using a SoftMenu, jumperless motherboard, you can leave all settings on Auto. The only things you have to do in this case are auto-detect your hard drive, set the time & date, and disable the virus protection.

1. Auto-detect your Hard Drive. Just about all BIOS versions are capable of auto-detecting the hard drive. You should see a menu option for this, do this now. If it does not successfully detect the drive, then make sure the drive is properly connected. The BIOS will auto-detect your drive and offer you three options to choose from. Usually, just choose the first option at the top of the list. It will then try to auto-detect your other drives, whether they are there are not. Pressing ESC will skip the detection of drives that are not there.

2. Now enter the "Standard Settings" option. Configure the following items: The date and time. The date is in MM/DD/YY format, and the time is in 24-hour format. Floppy Drive(s): Just set the correct type. On our system we only have one floppy drive so drive A: would be set to "1.44MB". Video Display: If you have this option, set to VGA Halt On: "All errors", to be sure you see all errors.

3. Now, go into "Advanced Features". Set Virus Protection/Warning: Disable (Make sure to enable this again after you have installed your operating system.)

4. Go to the "Chipset Advanced Features" menu: leave all defaults.

5. Disable Power Management Features for now. You can go back and enable these after you have your computer up and running.

6. Set PCI/PnP Configuration Settings. If you will be using Windows 95/98, set the PnP Aware OS to enabled. All other options set to Auto.

7. Go to "Integrated Peripherals". Configure these items: Integrated Floppy Controller: Enable. Integrated IDE/ HDD Controller: Enable those you are using. Integrated Serial Port. Both COM 1 and COM 2 are usually enabled. Integrated Parallel Port: Enable on most systems. Parallel Port Mode: Set to either "EPP" or "SPP". PS/2 Mouse: Set to "Auto" if available, otherwise, enable if using a PS/2 mouse. USB: Enable on most systems.

8. If you are using a "jumperless" motherboard equipped with "SoftMenu", enter this option. Here you will have the opportunity to select "Auto" detection of your CPU. If the BIOS detects your CPU incorrectly, consult your motherboard manual for possible solutions or web sites where you can download BIOS updates.

9. Save and Exit the BIOS setup program. This will reboot the machine. Make sure your system disk is still in Drive A:.

Installing an Operating System.
Now you are ready to install an operating system. Before you do this you will have to format your hard drive. The entire installation procedure for installing your operating system will be outlined with your OS manual. For most people, Windows 98 is the operating system of choice. It is by far the most popular operating system and runs the most software. When you purchase your copy of Windows 98, make sure you do not purchase an "upgrade" version. This version will not come with a bootable floppy disk, which you will need to get started. Make sure you purchase the Full Install Version of Windows 98 that will come with a bootable floppy disk.

Final Notes
Congratulations on finishing the course. We hope you now have the confidence to build your own PC. Keep in mind, it is not "rocket science" but rather a relatively simple process. In our effort to teach you how to build a PC, we have tried to answer all of your potential questions along the way. However, as with all learning, some things are not clear to everyone. We encourage you to find a knowledgeable friend or salesperson to help you with any further questions you may have. As a tip: if you select near-identical parts to the ones we have chosen, you should need little or no outside assistance and be on your way to enjoying your fast new computer!

Checking your work

Important word about Jumper Settings.
As we have mentioned in the video, our Abit motherboard is jumperless. That means it is configured using software called "SoftMenu II" instead of by selecting jumpers. If you are not using a jumperless board it is extremely important you configure your jumper settings at this time. Doing this is relatively easy. Simply consult your motherboard manual. Inside you should find a table which lists the exact jumper settings for your particular CPU. Sometimes there may be 3 or 4 jumpers you have to change. Double-check your work and make sure you have your board configured properly before you continue.

Final Connections

If your connections are different.
Check your motherboard manual. All good motherboards come with a detailed manual, which has diagrams for your particular board. By referring to these diagrams, it is very easy to see which connectors go where.

If you are using an AT style motherboard.
If you are using this type of motherboard, the power connector that goes from the power supply to the motherboard itself will be in 2 sections. They will be labeled P8 and P9. These must be connected properly if you wish to see the motherboard ever work. THE BLACK WIRES MUST BE PLACED TOGETHER WHEN PLUGGING THEM INTO THE MOTHERBOARD!!!

Final Connections Checklist
Drives properly connected to power?

CPU fan attached to power?

Power switch is off?

The 110/220 volt switch is configured properly for your area?

Ribbon cables attached correctly, red edge on pin 1?

Are all connections tight, no connectors off by one set of pins?

Cards fully in slots?

No wires protruding into fans?

Installing CD / DVD Drives

Remember to set your jumper settings.
For our example, we are setting our DVD-ROM drive's jumpers to the Slave setting because it will be the second drive in the chain, behind the hard drive which is set to Master. For a detailed explanation of how jumper settings work, refer to the text window in the previous chapter.

Installing the Hard Drive and Floppy

A word about drive jumper settings.
Hard drives, and CD-ROM/DVD-Drives need to be given an "ID". This ID tells the computer in what order to access the drives and allows it to identify multiple drives on your computer. For our project we are installing two drives. For this reason, we will need to assign one drive as the Master and one as the Slave. As you saw in the video, our drive has a sticker on the back that tells us which jumper settings are used to set the ID we want. Your drive may have this information on the top of the drive, or somewhere in the packaging that came with it. Most new drives also have the jumper pins labeled like this: MS, SL, CS. These are Master, Slave, and Cable Select respectively. To set the drive as a master, you would jumper the MS pins. We are setting our hard drive as the Master because we plan on adding a DVD-ROM drive as the Slave. If we were not adding another drive, we would choose the CS jumper setting, also known as the Single Drive Setting. If for some reason you cannot identify what your jumper settings are, try contacting the manufacturer of your hard drive or visiting their website; most of the big hard drive manufacturers have all of their jumper settings online.

More complicated drive configurations.
If you have a more complicated configuration, e.g. you have two hard drives and one CD-ROM/DVD-drive, you will need to use the second IDE bus. In our example in the video, we attached both our hard drive and our DVD drive to one cable. This is called a "daisy-chain". Both drives were then plugged into our Primary IDE bus on the motherboard. If you look at your motherboard closely, you will also see a Secondary IDE bus. This can be used to attach more drives. This bus functions exactly like the Primary IDE bus we used; in other words, when you plug drives into this bus you will need to follow the Master/Slave conventions we have mentioned above. If you are adding just one drive to this bus, you should leave that drive in the CS or Single Drive setting.

Checking Connections

Check your work.
Now is a good time to make sure all of your cards are seated properly in their respective slots. Also, check to make sure your RAM chip(s) is seated properly.

Video, Sound and Modem

If your video card/graphics adapter is different.
If you do not have an AGP video card, your card will be a PCI version. This means it will simply be installed in one of your open PCI slots.

If you are installing a separate 3D Accelerator card.
Some people decide not to buy "combo" cards that handle both 2D & 3D graphics. If you are installing a separate 3D Accelerator card, simply install it as you would a video card in a spare PCI slot. Consult the manual that comes with your 3D card for making final connections using the supplied cable.

If you are installing a modem.
The procedure is identical to installing the network card. See our parts list for recommendations regarding modems.

Installing the CPU and RAM

If your CPU is different.
Our Pentium III CPU we are installing, as well as Pentium II and Celeron CPU's use what is called a "Slot 1" design. If you are not installing one of these CPU's you are most likely using a "Socket 7" design. This design is used by the original Pentium and also AMD and Cyrix chips. If you are using this type of CPU, your motherboard will probably make use of a ZIF (zero-insertion force) socket. Follow these instructions to install a Socket 7 CPU design:

1) Orient the Chip. This is easy to do, the chip is always marked at Pin 1. The mark may be a little dot on one corner, a slightly notched corner, or a mark at one of the pins under the chip. On the socket, there is usually a notch on one corner, or a big "1". These corners will be matched up for correct installation.

2) Open the ZIF Socket. Pull the lever from the closed, level position, to the open, vertical position. You may need to pull the lever out a bit before it will open. Do this slowly and don't force it. You don't want to break the socket.

3) Insert the Processor. Bearing in mind the orientation determined in Step 1, insert the chip into the socket. With a ZIF socket, the chip should install very easily. It should almost fall into the socket with all pins lining up. If not, the socket is probably not open all the way. When done, there should be no gap between the bottom of the processor and the socket.

4) Close the ZIF Socket. Just close the lever. You will probably feel some resistance. This is normal. If you really need to lean on it, though, check to be sure that the chip is installed correctly. When down, make sure the lever snaps into place. You're done.

5) Now you need to install the fan to the heat sink. This step is often already done for you, but if not, you must do it yourself. This is done using the four screws that came with the CPU fan.

6) Most setups use heat sink compound. Apply just enough to cover the surface of the CPU chip. If you have portions of the chip higher than others, apply compound only to the raised areas. The layer should be thin. More won't hurt anything, but will be a mess when you press the heat sink down. On some setups, you can skip heat sink compound.

7) Attach The Heat Sink. Place the heat sink squarely on top of the CPU, pressing down lightly. Most heat sinks use a set of clips on each side to fasten itself down. These clips attach to a pair of tabs on each side of the socket. It will probably take a little bit of force to bend the clip down over the tab.

If your RAM chips are different.
If you are not using 168-pin DIMMs like we are, you are using either 30-pin or 72-pin SIMMs. DIMMs can usually be installed alone. SIMMs need to be installed in "banks". Consult your motherboard manual for required configurations; there is usually a chart that shows what chips can be installed in what combination. If you are installing a SIMM, you will do so by inserting in at about a 45 degree angle. Obviously, SIMMs don't sit in the motherboard at a 45 degree angle so now you need to rotate it to the vertical position. This may require a bit of pressure, but do not force it. If it is too hard, it is probably installed backwards. When it is vertical, you should see the little plastic or metal clips snap into place, and hold the SIMM securely.

Installing the Motherboard

If your motherboard mounts differently.
All cases/mounting surfaces are a little different. If your case does not provide the brass stand-offs, but rather uses nylon/plastic standoffs or spacers, you will need to follow some different steps: For every hole on the motherboard that lines up with an eyelet hole on the case (a hole that is very long so that you can slide things in it), install a plastic stand-off on the motherboard. If you look closely at these plastic stand-offs, one end is designed to poke through the motherboard and expand to keep it in place. The little disk on the other end of the stand-off will later be used to slide into the eyelet holes on the case's mounting surface. Typically a small piece of paper with a diagram will come with your case showing you exactly how to attach the standoffs.

Some cases come with mounting panels. Install the motherboard mounting panel if your case uses one. This usually involves inserting a rail on the bottom end of the plate into a tab or guide on the case. Then, like a hinge, raise the top until the plate is vertical with the board inside the case. This removable plate is then closed by locking in a spring loaded handle, or simply screwing it in. On other cases, the plate may slide in a different way, then get screwed into place. These plates are then easily removed later if you ever need to remove the motherboard

Check your work!
Double Check your work. Check to be sure that the bottom surface of the motherboard is not touching any part of the case or mounting plate. Make sure the slots and connectors line up with the holes on the back of the case. And definitely be sure that the board is fastened tightly. If you press down on the board at any point, it should not bend down.

Computer Case - ATX

Other Case Designs
Some manufacturers of cases have made efforts to make cases "screwless". With this design, you usually take hold of the bottom of the front of the case and give it a nice solid yank. The front then pulls off. It is my experience that this usually requires a few tries and some muscle. The case is pretty durable. After you pull off the front, the sides lift and slide off and you just lift the top off. Your case comes apart in four pieces. Other such cases have a similar design.

Static Electricity
Static Electricity is no joke. All of your PC's components are sensitive to static electric charges. It is very important you ground yourself by touch the frame of the case periodically through the installation process. It only takes a second, so do it often. Remember to ground yourself before you remove all parts from their protective anti-static bags.

Buying Computer Parts!

Which parts do I buy? Which are the best?
If you click on the "Parts" List, you will see a list of the parts we need to build our PC. You will also see exactly which parts we chose for our PC and a list of manufacturers we recommend. Use this as a guide when you are choosing your parts.

Where is the best place to buy parts?
There are many good places to buy computer parts. One option is to go to a large computer retail store in your area; the support is usually relatively good and most provide good exchange policies. The trade-off is that you will pay a little more than you would in other places. Sometimes you can pay a lot more.

Most towns have smaller stores that sell and repair computer equipment. These are not large retail stores, but instead usually occupy an office suite in a strip mall. Regardless of location, such stores are often cheaper and can provide individual attention. Their hardware is often retail packaged from the manufacturer, but they also sell OEM hardware, which is usually wrapped plainly and has very little documentation. This is generally good hardware and costs a lot less money. However, if you feel you should have documentation, you should not buy OEM hardware.

The third alternative is Computer Shows. Most good-sized cities have computer shows nearby. These shows are like swap meets or flea markets. Computer parts vendors show up to sell their merchandise and because there are many vendors selling the same item, competition is very fierce. This is good for you, because you will be able to buy lots of products at deep discounts. The only negative about computer shows is that service can become a problem. If you need to exchange something or have a problem, it might be difficult for you to contact a vendor. For this reason, we recommend you only make purchases from vendors who have a store somewhere nearby. That way after the show, they can be easily contacted for an exchange if necessary. Another tip is always to buy name-brand products.

Introduction

Why build your own PC? Well, it's fun, challenging, cheap, rewarding and you'll learn a lot about the computer itself. You also get to build a computer tailored to your needs! And probably one of the nicest things is when you need to upgrade in the future, you'll know exactly how.

What do you need to have? You need to have a lot of patience, a little common sense, and most important: have confidence.

Make sure to check on the "Parts List" post. This will list all the parts we will need for our PC. You can also print this list and take it with you when you go shopping for your new PC.

The Free Multimedia Guide

Do you ever thought of building your own PC and save more money? Yes building a PC (Personal Computer) is easy and fun task and you can learn many things about computer hardwares and learn to troubleshoot general hardware related problems. This free multimedia guide shows you everything you need to know to build your own personal computer (PC) in scratch.