Hardware and Software Installation and Configuration (P5)

In this report I will be describing the assembly of a computer system from scratch. In this particular scenario, the hard drive will be empty and there will be no OS installed.

Health and safety

When working with wires and electricity, you may get hurt if you don’t take the necessary precautionary measures. This guide was designed in such a way, so that neither you nor the computer components get damaged. To avoid electrocution, plug in the PSU to the main grid after installing all other components. When assembling the hardware, be sure to do it on a stable, non-slippery surface. Always screw in the screws all the way in, otherwise they might come off and your computer components might get damaged. Another important thing is to ensure that no static electricity comes in contact with your hardware. While in the package box, computer components are put inside anti-static bags to prevent that from happening. When installing hardware always touch a metal part of the computer case to remove static electricity. You can also use a grounding wrist wrap. Take regular breaks at least every hour.

Case

Open the computer case. The computer case may have one or two removable side panels. There are different ways to remove them, depending on the type of case. Most commonly this is done by removing screws at the back of the panel. Some computer cases come with an installed PSU, in which case you should skip the PSU installation guide. It may be a good idea to keep the case horizontal when installing the components.

1. Remove screws at the back of the panel
2. Slide back the panel and remove it

PSU

The only difference between power supplies is the wattage and the provided power cables. You should always get a PSU, powerful enough to power all your components, otherwise it may stop working. 450 Watts are usually enough for a medium-end machine. Make sure that it has the appropriate power cables for your hardware components (mainly HDD,

Optical Drive

, and in some cases a Video Card). The PSU is mounted at the back of the computer case and depending on the design of the chassis it’s either on the top or the bottom (there is an opening with the size of the PSU). Make sure you insert it from the inside of the case. After mounting, use the provided screws to attach it to the case. Do not plug into the main grid until all other components are installed and you are ready to turn on the computer.

1. Insert the PSU in the computer case and slide it into the PSU drawer at the back
2. Attach it with the provided screws

Motherboard

Since there are several types of motherboards, make sure yours is compatible with the chassis by looking at the Form Factor (ATX, mATX, ITX). Many Cases support both ATX and mATX, so you will have two sets of holes. There is an I/O Metal Plate/Panel, which should be inserted into the corresponding opening at the back of the case. Make sure it’s not upside down. Align your motherboard so that the I/O Ports match the I/O Panel. Also keep in mind that power connectors are two types – with 20 or 24 pins.

1. Insert the I/O Metal Panel in the opening at the back of the case
2. Determine the holes that your motherboard will occupy
3. Mark them with a marker (OPTIONAL)
4. Place the Motherboard in the case with the ports aligned with the I/O Panel
5. Line up the holes on the Motherboard to the ones you will need
6. Attach the Motherboard with the provided screws
7. Connect the Power connector (20 or 24 pin) to the Motherboard

CPU

Processors are inserted into sockets located on the motherboard. There are different types of sockets, so make sure the CPU is compatible. Examples of processor socket types:


·         Intel – Sockets 478, 771, 775 and 1366.

·         AMD – AM2, AM2+, AM3,

Processors should be installed first, because they are very fragile. Do not drop them, do not apply force when installing and do not touch the pins on the bottom. Usually there is a lever that holds the processor in place – lift it before inserting the CPU. Hold the processor by the sides and gently insert it in the socket on the motherboard. In order to insert it correctly, you should align the golden arrows on one of the processor corners and the socket. Finally, fold down the lever.

Your processor will come with a Cooling System – usually a heat sink and a fan. First, get the CPU Cooler and the thermal paste out of the box. The thermal paste is usually in a small package and it’s used to facilitate the transfer of heat between the processor and the Cooling System. Make sure you not to leave any gaps when applying it on the CPU. This is the area which will make direct contact with the Cooler, so good contact is essential. Place the Cooling System on top of the processor and align the brackets with the holes, they should click if they are in place. Finally connect the CPU Fan cable to the motherboard – there should be a corresponding outlet with writing underneath it.

1. Lift up the Socket lever
2. Align the golden arrows in the corners of the processor, and the socket
3. Gently place the processor in the socket
4. Close down the lever
5. Open Thermal Paste package and distribute it evenly on the top of the processor
6. Place the CPU Cooling System on top, align the brackets with the holes and gently press down until they click in place
7. Connect CPU Fan to the Motherboard

RAM

As with other components, make sure that your motherboard supports your RAM Modules. DDR2 and DDR3 are the two most used types. Except the speed difference, there is a physical difference in the chips (the key notch position), which prevents you from inserting the wrong type of RAM Module. So if you have an incompatible Memory Module, it wont fit in the slot. If using more than one Memory Chip, make sure they are the same. Otherwise you may experience crashes and reduced performance, due to incompatibility issues.

The Memory Modules are fairly easy to install. First you need to make sure that you have the chip oriented correctly. If it does not fit, try turning it around and try again. Gently push it in the DIMM slot and the levers on the side should click in place.

1. Open the levers of the DIMM slot
2. Notice the position of the notches on the RAM module and on the DIMM slot
3. Align the notches and place the module in the slot
4. Gently push down until the levers snap. If they don’t, just close them manually

Hard Drive

There are two main types of Hard Drives – SATA (Serial ATA) and PATA (commonly referred as IDE). If your motherboard does not support the newer SATA drives, you can use an adapter to plug it into the IDE Bus. Keep in mind, though, that this will reduce Hard Drive performance. There are also Molex to SATA adapters for the power cables.

To install the Hard Drive, first you need to place it on one of the shelves, located in the lower front part of the chassis. Align the holes on the hard drive with the holes on the side of the shelves and attach it with the provided screws. As I mentioned earlier there are two types of Hard Drives (SATA and IDE), so I’ll provide examples for both of them:

SATA – SATA Hard Drives are easier to install than IDE ones. Two different cables are required for that purpose – SATA Data Cable and a SATA Power Cable. If you look at the end of both cables, you will notice that they resemble the letter “L”. Because of that, there is only one way to insert the cables into the HDD outlets. The smaller one is the Data Cable, which is used to transfer information from and to the Hard Drive. The wider cable is the power cable, which connects the HDD to the Power Supply. Insert one side of the SATA Data Cable into the SATA Bus on the Motherboard. Connect the other side to the Hard Drive data outlet. There should be a SATA Power Cable coming out of the PSU - connect it to the SATA Power Outlet on the Hard Drive. In case your Power Supply Unit doesn’t support SATA, you can use a Molex (4pin) to SATA adapter.

1. Put the HDD in one of the shelves in the lower front part of the box
2. Attach it with screws from both sides
3. Connect SATA Data Cable to the HDD and the Motherboard
4. Connect SATA Power Cable to the HDD

PATA (IDE) – PATA Hard Drives are a bit harder to install, but the principle is the same. Instead of SATA Cables, PATA Hard Drives use PATA Cables. Unlike SATA Hard Drives, you need to keep in mind the two connectors of the cable, the Motherboard IDE Buses and the Jumper position. The jumper is a small pin that determines the role of the Hard Drive. It’s placed on the Jumper outlet. PATA Cables have two connectors – Master and Slave. The hard drive you assign as master should be the one you are using for your operating system, while the jumper is placed on Master position. Other Hard Drives, which are used for data storage, will be connected through the slave connector, while having the jumper on Slave position. The positions are usually specified on the top of the Hard Drive and may differ. PATA Hard Drives are powered by white Molex (4pin) Cables, which come out of the PSU. Unlike other cables, PATA Cables can be connected incorrectly. Make sure that you connect the black end to the

Master Drive

, the white end to the

Slave Drive

and the Blue end to the IDE Bus on the Motherboard. If they are not colored, the connector that is farther away from the center connector is the one you connect to the Motherboard.

Connect the appropriate end of the PATA Cable to the IDE Bus and one of the other connectors to your Hard Drive (depending on whether it’s Master or Slave). Keep in mind the notch in the middle of the cable.

1. Adjust the jumper position according to the role of the HDD
2. Put the HDD in one of the shelves in the lower front part of the box
3. Attach it with screws from both sides
4. Connect IDE Data Cable to the HDD and the Motherboard
5. Connect Molex (4 pin) Cable to the HDD

Optical Drive

Optical Drives, just like Hard Drives, use either SATA or PATA technology. The only difference is the position in the case. There are several rectangular panels at the front of the computer case. Reach from the inside and pop them out. Keep in mind that there are metal plates behind them, which need to be broken and removed. Insert the Optical drive in the opening and align it with the front of the case, so it doesn’t stick out. Screw down the screws at the side of the

Optical Drive

to attach it. Connecting is the same as with hard drives. IDE Optical Drives use jumpers, which need to be configured.

SATA

1. Break off the metal plate behind one of the panels
2. Pop out the panel
3. Put the
   Optical Drive
   inside the opening and align it to the case
4. Attach it with screws from both sides
5. Connect SATA Data Cable to the Optical Drive and the Motherboard

6.      Connect SATA Power Cable to the Optical Drive

IDE (PATA)

1. Break off the metal plate behind one of the panels
2. Pop out the panel
3. Put the
   Optical Drive
   inside the opening and align it to the case
4. Attach it with screws from both sides
5. Connect IDE Data Cable to the Optical Drive and the Motherboard
6. Connect Molex (4 pin) Cable to the Optical drive

Video Card

There are two types of video cards – AGP and PCI Express (PCI-e). The AGP technology is now considered old and PCI-e is the standard. When choosing a video card, make sure that your Motherboard supports it. Powerful Graphics cards may require external power supply via a 6 pin cable from the PSU.

AGP

1. Locate AGP bus
2. Remove metal plate behind the bus
3. Place the video card in the AGP bus with of the ports facing towards the opening at the back of the box
4. Attach the video card with a screw

PCI-e

1. Locate PCI bus
2. Remove metal plate behind the bus
3. Place the video card in the PCI bus with of the ports facing towards the opening at the back of the box
4. Attach the video card with a screw
5. Connect the 6pin PCI-e power cable to the video card (IN SOME CASES)

Peripherals (keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, microphone, speakers)

Peripheral devices are pretty straightforward to install. Usually you just need to connect them to the ports at the back of the case. Some of them, like printers, scanners, and monitors, need to be separately connected to the power socket. I will briefly go over the installation of all the components mentioned above.

Keyboard

Keyboards are connected either by a PS/2 connector or USB. The keyboard PS/2 port on the back of the case is green.

Mouse

Mice use the same ports as keyboards – PS/2 or USB. The mouse PS/2 port is purple.

Note: USB to PS/2 adapters are available. Your Mouse or Keyboard might come with one.

Monitor

Monitors are connected to an analog (VGA) or a digital (DVI) display port. They also need an external power supply from a power socket. DVI cables provide a faster connection. After installing the operating system, configure monitor settings. Since every monitor is slightly different, look at the manual to find out how to navigate between menus.

1. Connect the VGA or DVI cable to the back of the computer case and the monitor
2. Connect the Power cable at the back of the monitor and plug it into a power socket
3. Turn it on by pressing the power button
4. Configure monitor settings

Note: You can buy a DVI to VGA, or VGA to DVI adapter.

Printer

Printers are connected to the Printer port or a USB port. It also requires an external power supply.

1. Connect the printer to the wide Printer port or USB
2. Connect the power cable at the back of the printer and plug it into a power socket
3. Turn it on by pressing the power switch/button

Microphone

The microphone is plugged into the red port from the Sound card port array (3 small round ports) at the back of the case.

Speakers/Headphones

The Speakers or Headphones are plugged into the green port from the Sound card port array (3 small round ports) at the back of the case.

Note: Don’t worry about whether you have a Sound card or not. In most cases it’s built into the motherboard. Sometimes you might also get audio ports at the front of the case.

Final Hardware Installation and Configuration Steps

Turn On the Computer

Before starting the computer, you need to plug the PSU in the main grid and flip the switch at the back to 1. The computer is turned on by pressing the power button at the front of the case. If everything is fine, the computer should start. Don’t worry if it takes a bit longer than usual. When you see “Press [key] to enter Setup” or “[key] Setup”, press the specified key to enter the BIOS Settings.

Note: Every system is different, so BIOS layout may differ depending on the manufacturer. The most common keys for entering the BIOS Setup are “DEL” and “F2”.

Configure BIOS Settings

This is usually the phase where you test the hardware and configure the date, time and boot settings. I will skip the testing part and describe it in P7. Although inappropriate for a stand-alone computer installation guide, I will be describing the configuration of Phoenix BIOS on a Dell laptop. Every BIOS is different, but the principle is the same.

To navigate, use the arrow keys. The System Time and System Date will be incorrect. Configure them by using “+” and “-“.

This is Boot Configuration screen. If you want to install an OS from a CD, put

CD/DVD/CD-RW Drive

on top (as the first boot device). If you plan on using a USB instead, choose USB Storage. You can change their positions by using “+” and “-“.

When you’ve configured the BIOS settings, go to Exit and select “Exit Saving Changes” or just press F10. You will be asked to confirm – press “Y” and then Enter.

Installing and configuring CCleaner 3.00

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Assuming Windows has already been installed, I will guide you through the installation of Piriform CCleaner 3.00 – a system maintenance tool.

Installation Process:

1. <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Select a language and click OK

2. Click Next

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->

3. Read the Licence and press “I agree”

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4. Tick the checkboxes to your preference and press Install

5. Click Finish

Configuration Process:

This program does not require pre-configuration. It may be configured according to the user’s preferences. The configuration settings are located in the options menu. You can also configure the Cleaner tool itself.

Settings

In this menu you have access to the main settings for CCleaner. You chan choose the language from the drop-down menu. You can also choose whether you want CCleaner to run on startup, and whether it should check for updates automatically. The “Run CCleaner” and “Open CCleaner” in the Recycle bin’s context menu are used to provide easy access to the program. If you have a desktop icon, these options are unnecessary. When cleaning your computer from junk files and temporary files, CCleaner usually marks them as free space and they can easily be recovered, since they still exist. With Secure file deletion, CCleaner marks them as free space and overwrites them with new data. Keep in mind that this process is much slower. When wiping free space, CCleaner deletes the files marked as free space.

Cookies

When deleting unnecessary browser files, and cookies in particular, you may choose not to delete some cookies that you use frequently. To do that go to the Cookies menu in Options and find the Cookies that you need. Select them from the list on the left and click the button shaped like an arrow to the right. This will move the selected cookies to the right list.

Include

This section allows you to choose folders that you want to be emptied, or files to be deleted, along with the standard CCleaner cleanup. To do that, simply click on Add… and select whether you want to delete a folder or a file. Click Browse and navigate to the file to add it. Specify the file type and the deleting options and click OK.

Exclude

This section is the opposite of the previous one. Instead of telling the program to delete the file or folder, it tells it to keep it. Adding an item is the same as the previous section, with the only difference that you can also select registry keys.

Advanced

This section concentrates mostly on how the program behaves. It allows you to change settings about the results, the notifications, as well as integration with Windows. Usually CCleaner stores its information in registry keys. By selecting”Save all settings to INI file”, you can easily turn the program into a portable application. Windows Jump List Tasks are special features of Windows 7, which allow you to access menus or functions of a program by right-clicking on it’s icon on the taskbar.

The most important part of the configuration process is knowing the purpose of the settings. After that you can easily customize it according to your preferences.

Cleaner tool configuration

To avoid deleting something that you need, you should also configure the cleanup tool. The configuration consists of selecting the items that you want cleaned.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]--> <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Windows – this tab provides options for cleaning various Windows files and entries. Almost every built-in Windows program makes logs, listing results of different operations. I most cases you don’t even know about them, let alone need them. Windows also records your actions to determine regularly performed actions, most opened programs and recent files, if you don’t need them – clean them. You can also clean Internet Explorer Temporary Files, Cookies, History and others.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]--> <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Applications – this tab provides cleaning options for some commonly used programs. The available options depend on the applications that you currently have installed. These include Browsers (Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari), Archivers (WinRAR, Winzip), Microsoft office applications and others.