Configuring your System to User Needs (Part 4)

Every computer needs to be configured to user needs. These can be perceived in many ways in order to meet the way a user wants to use a computer and what features they want setting up, here is a tutorial on how to Configure Windows Update (This is for Windows 7, But most Windows Operating systems work around the same way)

Step 1 - Go to Start>Control Panel>System and Security>Windows Update. Here you can see this is the Windows Update control center, here you can apply new updates, look for what updates you want to install and also what Windows recommends you to install





Step 2 - Configure settings to meet the user needs, here you can change when an update automatically installs, and even change what day and more specifically the time it installs to the system

Setup Windows (Part 4)

Step 1-Now windows is installed onto your computer system  you will have to configure windows with your settings, first it will ask you to enter a user name and name your PC then click Next


Step 2-Enter a password of your choice then enter a hint encase you forget your password you are unable to assess your files, after you have done so click on Next


Step 3-Now Windows will ask you if you would like to activate your copy of Windows, Enter your 25 character Activation code on your CD then click Next


Step 5-Now you have completed this setup, Windows will ask you some relatively simple questions regarding your setup, for example these would be;

-Set up a network
-Set up Windows update
-Set up Date and Time
-Ask you for automatic driver installation disk

These steps just require general knowledge about your set up and what you would use your computer for. Windows also has a help option on every page to help you diagnose problems

Installing The Operating System (Part 3)

The next step after we have inserted our CD ROM with our operating system on is to now insall Windows

(We will be installing windows)

Step 1- Change these to your own settings


Step 2- Choose where you want to install Windows (we are installing on the 40gb unallocated space)
note* you will most likely have just one space here as its a new build with a new hard drive (look up partitioning windows)


Step 3-Windows Operating system installations differ from each other ads do totally different operating systems, after these main 2 steps, there will be some straight forward questions, which require just common knowledge about the PC and General Questions. So it would be worthless putting all of the screenshot pictures up here

Configuring a Computer (Part 2)

The next Part is to choose your booting settings, as this computer is a new build and we need to install an operating system (Windows 7). the first settings we will choose is to boot device from CD_DRIVE as we need to install the operating system from a disk.

Once you have selected CD_DRIVE from the boot menu under the BIOS settings you are now ready to place your CD ROM in the drive, once this has been compleated restart the system with the CD inside and reboot, and your computer will reconigse a CD device has been seleted and will now bring you to the installation guide for your chosen operating system.

(below is a screenshot of the boot device menu, and we have chosen CD)

Configuring a Computer (Part 1)

When creating a new computer build you need to check the setting match your requirements, you can do this on the BIOS setup when you boot the machine. you may have to press a cirtain key in order for this to open when you first boot, but when you have booted the computer up you will come accross a menu setout like the one at the bottom on the page. you will then need to check and configure the boot-up menu (next part)

(One of the types of BIOS screen you could encounter)

Completion of the Hardware

Now you have built the physical part of the computer, it should boot fine, if it doesn't boot the first time then retrace your steps thought this manual, but it should look a bit like this now

Thanks for using this guide!

Step 11- Connecting Cables and Finishing Off

This is the final step of this hardware guide, but there's still vital information that you need to know, 

Now you need to connect the cables you haven't connected yet, such as the PSU cables, connected the motherboard the CPU and other devices you might have such as hard drives optical drives and system fans by using either the sata power cable or molex power cable, use this guide 

Now you need to connect your Data cables such as sata,ide cables, they connect to your motherboard by using the motherboard labels  and then connect to your drive, ide are usually old hard drives or old cd drives, nowadays sata is widely used, but it works in the same way as the ide does they look like 

Step 10- Connecting Front Panel Cables

Now you need to connect your front panel cables such as the light, the power switch, reset button, usb ports and many more, every motherboard is different in where the pinnouts are, so refer back to your motherboard manual for 'front panel jumpers' then correspond them with the cables of your case and install them on to the correct pin,  when its done it should look like 

Step 9- Install any PCI cards

Now your are nearly done you can now install your PCI cards, for example a better graphics card, a wireless networking card, an extra usb hub card, there are many, 

Before you unpackage your card, you need to take the back panel slot of the case, this is where the cards are inserted and then exposed so the user can use them, they are normally secured with a screw and there are normally about 5/6 of them depending on your case, so take out the right one and install your card buy fastening it into place, and then when its inserted on your motherboard then you can secure it with the screw that was there it will look a bit like this when its done 

Step 8- Installing Hard Drives and Optical Drives

Now your ready to install, Optical drives and Hard drives, 

First your hard drive, there are usually 'bays' to install your hard drive on and then fasten it with screws  but all cases are different, refer to your manual if you cant see immediately where your hard drive goes, you should install your hard drive and secure with 4 'flat-top' drive screws, mine looks like

Next your optical drive, depending on your case you might have to push a mettle place out of the top, don't worry about breaking it though, it is designed to be broken, after you have pushed that out then insert your optical drive thought the front panel of the case, and secure with 4 'flat-top' screws (2 on each side), it will look a bit like 

Step 7- Installing the PSU

Now that you have followed the steps, thoroughly, you are now ready to install the PSU (power supply unit), this gives power to your whole computer, first you need to put the PSU itself into either the top or bottom of the case, and secure it with flat-top screws given, they require 4 of them and are tightened from the exterior of the case, it will look similar to this

Next you have to connects all the PSU cables, different PSU's have different connections but all have a motherboard 20/24 pin connector, and a 12 volt CPU connector, mine has:

-20/24 pin motherboard
-12volt CPU
-2x molex
-2x sata

We will connect these later...

Step 6- Installing RAM

Now that you have installed your Motherboard, CPU and Heatsink, its now time to install your RAM (random access memory), depending on how your motherboard is laid out and how many stick of RAM you are installing find the 1st RAM slot, and install the first RAM stick then if you wish to install another look for the RAM slot that is the same colour (plastic) then install the next stick, some motherboard have 4 slots some just have 2, but remember to use anti static protection when dealing with RAM, 

when you have finished installing it will look a little like this

Step 5- Installing the Heatsink

Now you have your motherboard and CPU installed you need a cooling mothered this is where we install the Heatsink, you can either use your own heatsink or use the 'Stock' Heatsink that comes with your CPU, If you use your own shop brought CPU, you may also need to perchance some thermal paste to apply to the heatsink, where as most stock heat sink comes with thermal paste applied thermal paste on stock heatsinks look's like (the grey lines) 

Next you need to 'fix' the heatsink on top of your cpu on your motherboard, there are many ways that this can be done, all heatsinks are different but this is the way for 'stock' heatsinks, first you align the heatsink up with the holes around the CPU socket, and push down this is called a 'temp six' then you push down the black clips and then turn them anticlockwise to fix them, you do this in an opposite arrangement (e.g. bottom right then top left then bottom bottom left and top right) and when that's completed you need to plug in your heatsink fan, find the pinout called 'sys fan' on the motherboard (next to the CPU) then plug in your fan, it will look a bit like  

Step 4- Installing the Motherboard and CPU

Now that the back-plate is installed, and the 'hop-ups' are inserted, you can now move onto unpacking your motherboard, don't forget to use anti-static precautions when touching your components, depending on what size your motherboard is, depending how many screws you will need, mine is m-atx so I need 6 screws, so place your motherboard in place and insert the screws into the hop-ups that you installed earlier, making sure the  motherboard lines up with the back plate too, it will look a bit like

When the motherboard is inserted then you can install the CPU, so lift up the arm next to the CPU socket and install your CPU the right way round (using the little triangles on the socket and CPU to line up the both) then secure tightly with putting the arm back into position 

Step 3- Installing the Back-Plate

Next we need to install the motherboard, but first you will need to install the back plate of the motherboard board, it will be mettle and come with your motherboard, this will sit your integrated ports on when  your boards in your case, when its inserted it will look a bit like this when its done

Step 2- Preparing Your Case

The second step is to make sure your case is ready for the components to go in, with my computer i have to insert 'hop-ups' on the case so the motherboard will sit on and then be screwed on, this is to stop the motherboard short circuiting on the mettle case, yours night be a little different, but here is mine

*notice the bag of screws attached to the case, every computer case comes with screws, so don't panic

Step 1- Preparing Equipment

To begin with building a computer you will need to have all of your components and tools ready, and make a clear space on a desk to start your build, When I build computers I like to have a list of components that are required to build a complete a computer, and tick them of when they are installed into the case/motherboard, so check all of your components and tools are ready and you take anti-static precautions by using such as gloves, wristbands, and many other ways to protect your components 

Intro

Hi, My names Jack Robinson and welcome to my blog, this blog is on behalf of my college coursework, and this is a step by step guild on how to build and connect a normal standalone everyday PC, Enjoy