SiliconMage

Most computer problems can be solved easily, if know where to look. If you do not have any one at home who can help troubleshoot or fix any problem on your computer, you can use the following online resources :

www.buildyourown.org.uk – A step by step guide for building your own PC .  The section on PC building is further divided into subcategories like preparing the PC case, motherboards and adapter cards, fitting the CPU and RAM, fitting the drives, connecting the internal cables and then connecting the external cables. The website provides very comprehensive information.

www.pcguide.com – one of the oldest computer assembly guides, available since 1997.  Fairly comprehensive with over 200 sections and 200 photographs.

www.pcmech.com, PC Mechanic – though a general tech website , with sections on mobiles, computer hardware and software , it has a section on how to troubleshoot your computer

www.makeitsimple.com – PC hardware and digital photography, news, reviews and forums.  You can ask and get help from forum members regarding any computer related problem.

Yahoo answers – you can post your any computer or networking related question.  For a common problem, you will get an answer, but for a more complicated case, you may not get any assistance.

After all the connections have been completed, power on the computer by connecting  both the monitor and CPU to a suitable power supply. Ensure that the earthing is proper, else it could damage the computer components and reduce the life of the computer.

Press del while the computer is booting to enter the BIOS and check all the basic BIOS entries to ensure that all the settings are correct.
Depending on your system configuration, you may want to enable or disable various settings – the motherboard manual may have reccommendations for this.

If there is no problem at the BIOS level, the CPU will search for an Operating System installed on your HDD.

For a brand new HDD, if you are installing Windows XP, the following steps have to be taken

• Insert the Windows XP installation CD in the CD ROM drive and reboot.

• Press del again to enter the computer BIOS settings to set CD Rom drive as the first boot-up device.

Reboot your computer to start the Operating System (OS) install. The OS system install will take some time, and you will prompted to provide the license key.
Once Windows XP is completely installed, the other additional hardware like modems, network card, sound card can also be installed.  The drivers for these peripherals can be usually downloaded from the manufacturer website.

Assembling a computer at home involves the following steps:

STEP 1:
Install your motherboard on the casing first. Put plastic stands-off under motherboard. Place in position in casing and install all screws required.

STEP 2:
Mount the CPU on the motherboard – being careful to position as required, as the fine pins are quite soft. This may take some time. Install the Cooler Fan Heat Sink assembly. Apply the paste which adds adhesion and contributes to the cooling effect on the top of CPU before clipping on the fan.

STEP 3:
Install the RAM module. To allow for easy insertion of RAM, push the white levers on both sides down. The gap in the RAM module should be matched to the slot. Push down the RAM firmly and pull the levers back up. They will click into position.

Any new motherboard should come with a diagram of the RAM layout. If there are empty slots a single ram module must be installed in the proper order.

STEP 4:
After the RAM is installed, the graphic card should be installed. It is usually next to the RAM slots and the may have to be pulled out if  the RAM was installed later .

STEP 5:
Install all the drives – the DVDRom, Floppy Disc Drive and HDD.

STEP 6:
Wiring up. Fit all your drives data cabling for the HDD, floppy disk drive (if needed) and DVDRom drive. These cables carry data signals between  hardware and the motherboard. They should be installed with their red edge facing the power supply plug.

For most motherboards, the primary slot is assigned to the HDD, the secondary slot will support an additional HDD/DVD Rom drive and the third slot will support the floppy drive.

STEP 7:
Connect up the mouse, keyboard and monitor.

LAST STEP:
As a last step, connect up all power plugs to the motherboard and drives. The main power source from the power box should be connected first.