Index
I. Power
II. Cables
III. Hardware
IV. Overheating
V. Software
VI. General
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I. Power
1. Always make sure that you unplug your computer's power supply before attaching any hardware and anytime you open the case to work on it.
2. Make sure that you have an adequate power supply for you computer. I would recommend at least 300W. While you might think that you should just go with the biggest power supply that you can find, keep in mind that the bigger power supply that you have in your computer the more heat that it will generate.
3. The more devices you have hooked up to your PC such as hard drives, disc drives, fans, lights, etc.. the bigger power supply your computer will need.
4. Computers use DC power and the power that comes from your outlets is AC. The power supply in your computers case converts the AC power to DC so when testing any circuits inside of your PC you will want to check them with a DC power tester.
5. Typically disc drives and hard drives use a Molex connector which is D-shaped with 4 plugs.
6. Many floppy drives use Mini connectors which are rectangular in shape.
7. P4 connectors are commonly found on Pentium 4 and Athlon XP motherboards.
8. The ATX power socket and connector look like this.
9. The red power supply on most devices faces the #1 pin or red wire on the ribbon cable.
10. Here is a diagram of how the front panel connections layout.
topII. Cables
1. Floppy disc cable has 34 pins.
2. A floppy disc can have a master and slave set up to use one cable to connect two floppy drives.
3. An IDE cable has 40 pins.
4. IDE and floppy disc sockets.
5. Sata cables are not as wide as ribbon cables and take up much less room.
topIII. Hardware
1. There are different types of video cards such as PCI, AGP 3.3V, and AGP 1.5V. Check with your motherboard manual to make sure that you select the right type of video card. Using the wrong type of card may cause your computer to not start up and may even damage it.
2. The AGP slot is located above the PCI slots and even though it may look similar it is set closer to the center of the motherboard than the PCI slots and may even be a different color.
3. Always check to make sure that your hardware is compatible with your operating system.
4. Make sure that you purchase the correct type of RAM. Many stores will not take back RAM that has already been opened. Refer to your motherboard manual to ensure that you have the correct type of RAM.
5. Increasing your RAM size is one of the best ways to increase your computers performance.
6. Make sure you align the CPU properly. Look for the blunt edge of the CPU or other characteristics that will help you seat it properly. The CPU pins are easily bent if misaligned.
7. Ensure that all PCI, AGP, CPU, and any other connections are seated properly to ensure that they will work.
8. Check your video card's monitor connection port before purchasing a monitor. There are different types of connectors on monitors, but many have adapters that you can purchase separately.
9. Make sure that you purchase the correct CPU to go with your motherboard. Not all CPU's will fit all motherboards. Your motherboard should have a label on where the processor goes and it should say "Socket" and then have a number. Use that number to determine which processor you will need. Before purchasing a processor it is wise to ask a sales associate what socket the processor will fit. For example a Socket 478 will fit a Pentium 4 processor.
IV. Overheating
1. If your PC freezes up it is either due to a system error or many times your PC may have overheated.
2. To prevent overheating ensure that you have enough cooling fans and that all PCI slots that are not being used are closed off.
3. Fans can be purchased and attached to your hard drive to help keep them from overheating.
4. Be sure to apply heat sink to your CPU before attaching the CPU Fan to help dissipate the heat.
5. Too large of a power supply may cause your PC to overheat.
6. Programs are available to tell you the temperature of your processor and the temperature inside of your case as well as warn you if the temperatures become too high.
7. You can also check on your computers processor temperature and control the fan speeds from the BIOS.
8. If fans do not provide adequate cooling you can upgrade to a liquid cooled system.
9. Overclocking your computers processor causes it to produce more heat and may cause your processor to burn out much more quickly.
V. Software
1. Before purchasing software make sure that it is compatible with your operating system.
2. Many software programs have updates that are available over the web from their manufacturer's web site.
3. Updating programs can eliminate certain bugs that have been known to exist in the program.
4. Every program that you install on your computer takes up hard drive space. Ensure that you have enough hard drive space available before purchasing the program or you may not be able to install it without removing another program.
VI. General
1. Before working on your PC make sure that you discharge all static electricity from your body with either a static guard bracelet or by touching the metal of the case before touching any electronics. The electronics inside of your computer are very sensitive and static electricity can permanently damage them.
2. When replacing an old piece of hardware with a new piece make sure that you remove all of the old drivers before installing the new piece of hardware.
3. SATA drives and USB drives are hot swapable meaning that you do not have to turn your computer off before swapping devices attached to them.
4. The main tools needed to work on your computer will be an electrostatic guard wristband, a flathead and phillips screwdriver, a pliers, and a voltmeter (if you are having problems locating a bad power connector).
5. If you have a CD burner it is a good idea to make a copy of any programs or other discs that you purchase. That way you will have a backup copy if one gets damaged instead of buying another copy from the retailer.
