how to build your own pc by andrew smith

7/29/2019 How to Build Your Own Pc by Andrew Smith

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Preparing to build your own PCSelect your work area and tools before starting to build your PC

Before starting to build your new PC, there are a number of things you need to do, suchthat work can proceed smoothly without too much interruption. Follow these steps beforemoving on to the next section.

Work Area

Find a large, clean, well-lit work surface which has two or more mains power outletsnearby (RCD protected, if possible.) You will need space for your monitor, keyboard andmouse and to lay your case on its side, such that you can fit the components etc.

ToolsCollect together the necessary tools nearby, such that they are close to hand. It isadvisable at this stage to set up your anti-static precautions.

Equipment

Make a collection of all your new components (still in their packaging) and place themnearby, ready for use.

Set UpUnwrap and carefully place your monitor (on its stand) on the work surface, such thatyou can clearly view the screen. Be careful when lifting monitors as they can beextremely heavy. Ask someone for help if necessary.

Retrieve the power and signal (if supplied loosely) cables from the packaging and fitthem to the monitor as instructed by its manual. Do the same with the keyboard, mouseand speakers (if you have them) such that they are ready to be used later on.

Do not connect any devices to the mains power outlet yet .

Preparing the PC Case


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Preparing the PC CasePrepare your PC case before installing and connecting the components

Unpack the PC case and place it right way up on the work surface (if it does not have aPSU already fitted, unpack your separate PSU and place it carefully on the work surface.)Find the mains cable for the PSU, but do not plug it in just yet.

Opening the Case

Check your case instructions to determine how to remove the outer casing (or in somestyles, side cover panel). This should give you clear access to the inside such that you canfit all your new equipment. Once this is done, carefully lay the case on its side, so that theopening faces up.

Fitting the PSU (if necessary)

You will notice at the rear of the case there will be a large hole (at the top in most cases).You will need to install the PSU, such that the fan outlet and power socket on the PSU

will face outward and the power connectors all hang loosely inside the case.

The example on the right demonstrates a correctly fitted PSU. Notice the four fixingscrews (circled in red) that hold the PSU in place. It is also important to make sure thatany 'ventilation openings' on the PSU case itself, face toward the inside of the PC case.The PSU has a secondary function: to draw hot air out of the PC case and push it out of the back.

Preparing the PC Case

PC Case Fitting KitExplore the various screws and fixings usually supplied with a new PC case

The Fitting Kit, that should be supplied with the case, will have a number of items in it(most of which should be explained by the PC case instructions.)


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It is important to familiarise yourself with the difference between commonly used PCscrews, as equipment can be damaged if the incorrect type of screw is used. If it does notscrew in easily, it may be the wrong kind.

Coarse-Threaded Screw

Count the 'ridges' down the stem of the screw, coarse-threaded screws will have aroundfour or five turns.

Fine-Threaded Screw

Tricky to count, but will have around ten or eleven turns and is slightly smaller.

Standoffs / Spacers

These will prevent the back of the motherboard coming into contact with the metalmounting plate inside the PC Case.

Configuration Jumpers

Small plastic caps that can be placed across two pins to set hardware options.

Fan Screws

Larger in diameter and having a more coarse thread than the standard screws, these areused to attach fans to the PC Case.

In all our instructions, we will try to help you use the correct kind of screw as per ourexperience. However, due to the enormous variety of PC devices we cannot guaranteethat we will be correct in guessing the fixing type.

It is important not to force a screw fixing or over tighten it.If, when fixing a device, the screw does not rotate smoothly into place or gives anyresistance to the movement, try another screw or another type of screw.


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Technical TipScrews fasten clockwise and unfasten anti-clockwise. To prevent 'cross threading' (whenthe screw thread damages the fixing hole and continually spins) try rotating the screwanti-clockwise a couple of turns, applying light pressure, until you feel or hear a slight'click' this will indicate that the threads are aligned and that you can safely proceed to

fasten the screw.

Completing the Case preparations

If you have not already done so, fit the PSU to the PC case using coarse threaded screwsfrom the fixings kit.

With the PSU fitted, attach the power cable to the PSU. Do not connect the other end to the mains supply yet .

Fitting the Motherboard and Adapter Cards

Fitting the MotherboardFitting the motherboard inside your PC Case

With the PC Case ready, collect together the 'fixings' kit and follow these steps.

Unpack the Motherboard. You will notice that it is packaged in a special bag (usuallyblack or silver in colour.) This is a special anti-static bag. Try to keep the motherboardinside this bag until it is needed.

A good quality motherboard will be supplied with a User Manual, driver disk/CD and allthe cables you will need to configure your PC, including a Floppy Drive cable, one ormore IDE cables and where supported, one or more Serial-ATA cables. In addition, youshould also receive an IO Shield which can be fitted into the PC Case to match theconnectors on the motherboard.

You will notice, in various places on the motherboard, there are small holes with baremetal 'rings' around them. These can be used to fix the motherboard to the inside of thePC Case.

Find the corresponding points inside the case and fit the standoffs as appropriate to allowyou to screw the motherboard into place. The standoffs should raise the motherboardaround half an inch off the metal mounting plate, preventing a short-circuit.

WarningUnder no circumstances should the motherboard be mounted such that the back of the


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board is in contact with the metal case. This will cause a short-circuit and could damagethe motherboard.

Look closely at the Motherboard shown here. You will notice a collection of coloured'blocks' along the top right edge. These are the connectors for the Keyboard, Mouse, USB

etc. The Motherboard should always be fitted such that these are accessible to the rear of the case.

Fitting the Motherboard and Adapter Cards


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Fitting PCI/AGP/PCI-Express AdapterCards

Installing PCI/AGP/PCI-Express adapter cards into your PC

Now that the Motherboard is fitted, we can proceed to install the adapter cards. Note : If your motherboard has video and/or sound adapters built in, you may skip this step asnecessary.

You will notice at the back of the PC Case, there are a number of thin strips of metal heldin by a screw. These are Blanking Plates. In order to fit adapter cards (video / sound cardsetc.) it is necessary to remove these plates as necessary. At this stage, it is wise to removeall of them, and store them nearby.

On the Motherboard itself you will see a number of plastic 'slots' with very small metalpins inside as shown below:

PCI express

AGP

PCI

ISA

* note that these are the standard colours, but colour may vary on newer motherboards.

PCI-Express and AGP Slots are only for Video cards. PCI slots can be used for anysuitable adapter card, as can ISA slots, although ISA is gradually being phased out andwill not be available in newer PC's.

Unpack your adapter card taking extra care to handle it by the edges and not touching anyof the components. You will notice that it has a plate at one end very similar to theblanking plates as discussed earlier.


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It should be possible to gently push the card into the matching slot, such that the plate onthe card fits into one of the blanking plate holes at the back of the PC Case. You can thenuse the original screw that held in the blanking plate to secure the card to the case.

Repeat this procedure as necessary with any other adapter cards you may have, and

complete the task by refitting blanking plates in any holes that are unoccupied by cards.

Fitting the CPU and RAM

Fitting the CPUFitting a socket-type CPU, heatsink and fan to a PC motherboard

By now you will have successfully fitted your motherboard and installed your Adapter

Cards. The Processor and Memory can now be installed as follows.

Unpack the CPU (Central Processing Unit). Make sure at this stage that you have youranti-static measures in place and even briefly make contact with both hands on the metalof the case to make sure. Try not to touch any exposed metal pins or components.

'Socket' type CPU and connector

Note the darker, 'core' area on the CPU, where the heat is generated.

(If your CPU doesn't look like this then it is probably a Slot-Type CPU )

If you take a look at both the CPU pins and the holes in the socket you will see that inone or more corner there are some missing pins (examine the upper and lower rightcorners of the white socket in the picture below left.) This is the 'keying' method for thistype of CPU.
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Gently lift the free end of the 'arm' on the edge on the socket until it stands upright. Alignthe 'missing CPU pins' with the 'missing socket holes' and carefully drop the CPU into thesocket.

Be very careful not to bend any of the CPU pins. They are extremely delicate, and should

one be moved out of alignment, it will not be possible to fit the CPU.

Check that the CPU sits perfectly flat onto the socket and is not raised at any corner.Lower the arm again to return it to its original position. The socket will grip the CPU pinsand lock it in place.

Warning Never power up the PC without the CPU cooler attached! Coolers for modern processors will require some form of heat transfer material on theunderside. This may be in the form of a small 'pad' about 1 or 2mm thick. This will helpthe heat to dissipate from the CPU core to the cooler.

Be sure to check the instructions that come with your cooler, as in some cases, a thinprotective film will need to be removed prior to fitting the cooler to the CPU. Failure todo so will cause the CPU to overheat very quickly and destroy itself.If this pad is not present, it may be necessary to use a thermal paste. Market leaders,Arctic Silver offer excellent step-by-step instructions for applying thermal paste .

Carefully, attach the CPU cooler (it will clip onto the lugs on either side of the socket)and connect the power wiring as necessary (see Internal Cabling section for help.)

CPU CHIP CPU SOCKET

Fitting the CPU and RAM Fitting the RAMInstalling RAM sticks into the slots on the motherboard in your PC Unpack the RAM (Random Access Memory). Make sure at this stage that you have youranti-static measures in place and even briefly make contact with both hands on the metalof the case to make sure. We are going to make the assumption that since yourMotherboard is likely to be fairly new, you will using DIMM memory. Do not worry if you are using SIMMs. The procedure is exactly the same. Note, however, that SIMMsmust be installed in pairs.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/http://www.arcticsilver.com/instructions.htmhttp://www.arcticsilver.com/instructions.htmhttp://www.arcticsilver.com/


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A DIMM module and slotsAs with the CPU's and Adapter cards, DIMMs have a 'keying' system. Check with theMotherboard manual to find the first slot (usually slot 0) and fill the slots in numericalorder as appropriate.DIMM insertion is a simple case of pushing the small white retaining clips slightlyoutwards, then inserting the DIMM (with aligned key positions) into the slot. You willknow when it is fully inserted as the retaining clips will automatically move into positionand secure the DIMM.

RAM (Random access memory)

RAM Slots

Fitting the Drives

Fitting a Floppy Disk DriveFitting a floppy disk drive inside your PC Case

The next step is to install your data storage devices.

Unpack the FDD (Floppy Disk Drive). Make sure at this stage that you have your anti-static measures in place and even briefly make contact with both hands on the metal of the case to make sure.


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You will notice, on the front panel of your PC case, there is an opening the same size asthe floppy drive's front panel (if there is a plastic cover plate fitted, just gently push it outfrom behind.)

Slide the floppy drive into the opening backwards such that its front panel becomes flush

with the front of the PC case. Clear any obstructions to this insertion from inside the caseif necessary.

Once fully inserted, there should be some fixing holes inside the case such that you cansecure the floppy drive to the case. Use the fine threaded screws for this.

floppy drive

Fitting the Drives

Fitting a Hard Disk DriveFitting a hard disk drive inside your PC Case

Unpack the HDD. Make sure at this stage that you have your anti-static measures inplace, and even briefly make contact with both hands on the metal of the case to makesure.

IDE Hard DrivesLocate the IDE Configuration Pins on the HDD. These can usually be found next to thepower and data connections, and will be a group of six or eight small pins with a smallplastic 'jumper' attached between two of the pins. If this is to be the only HDD in yourPC, then set this to Master . Alternatively, if this is to be an additional HDD then it mustbe set to Slave .


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Need Help?Read our IDE configuration crash course.

S-ATA Hard Drives

If you have a S-ATA (Serial-ATA) drive then no configuration should be necessary, asonly one S-ATA drive can be connected to each S-ATA connector on the motherboard.

The Hard Drive differs from the Floppy Drive in that it is usually inserted from within thePC case. On one end of the Hard Drive will be the sockets for connecting the cables. Thisend must point into the case such that the cables can be connected later on.

Gently slide the Hard Drive into the bay that now holds the floppy drive above. Move thedrive around until you find the fixing points. You may need to clear any obstructions tothis insertion from inside the case if necessary.

Once inserted, use the coarse-threaded screws to secure the drive to the case.

Fitting the Drives

Fitting a CD or DVD DriveFitting a CD or DVD Drive inside your PC Case

Unpack the CD-ROM. Make sure at this stage that you have your anti-static measures inplace, and even briefly make contact with both hands on the metal of the case to makesure.
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Using the IDE Configuration Pins set this device as a Master . In some cases,particularly with DVD or CD-Writers, it is necessary to select Slave for bestperformance.

Need Help?

Read our IDE configuration crash course.

As with the floppy drive, you will notice, on the front panel of your PC case, there is anopening the same dimensions as the front panel (if there is a plastic cover plate fitted, justgently push it out from behind.) Slide the CD-ROM into the opening backwards such thatits front panel becomes flush with the front of the PC case.

Once fully inserted, there should be some fixing holes inside the case such that you cansecure the CD-ROM drive to the case. Use the 'fine threaded' screws for this.

Once inserted, use fine-threaded screws to secure the drive to the case.

Fitting the Drives

Checking your workReviewing your PC building work so far


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With this section completed, you should be looking at something similar to the picture(right).

Most PC cases will have spare 'bays' such that you can fit further drives (such as a DVDor CD writer) at a later date. In this instance they can be seen as blank plates under the

CD ROM.

If you have found that your PC case has no suitably sized fitting for the FDD or you haveanother device of similar dimensions) it is possible to obtain a 'Fitting Kit' that willenable you to install these devices into a standard CD ROM-size bay.

Connecting the Internal Cables

Connecting the PC Case Front PanelConnecting the PC Case Front Panel. Connecting the features of the PC Case frontpanel to the motherboard

With all the hardware installed correctly, follow these steps to connect the internalcabling.

You will have noticed during the previous work, that the PC Case itself has some cables.These are for the Front Panel Display. These are usually labelled as the following;

SPK - Speaker - Small speaker mounted in the PC Case PWR SW - Power switch - System power on/off RST SW - Reset switch - Reset system PWR LED - Power LED - Light shows when system is on (usually green) HDD LED - HDD LED - Light shows when system is accessing HDD (usually red) SLP LED - Sleep LED - Light shows when system is suspended (in 'sleep' mode)


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Basically, these connectors slide onto a set of grouped pins on the Motherboard. Owingto the many variations of Motherboard, it will be necessary to refer to your Motherboardmanual for the connection method of these cables.

Technical Tip

It is worth noting that a speaker or switch cable can be connected both ways round andwork perfectly well, while an LED (Light Emitting Diode) cable must be connected theright way round to function properly. If an LED fails to light when it should, reverse theconnection.


Connecting the Floppy Disk DriveConnecting a Floppy Disk drive to the motherboard

Use this cable to connect the Floppy Disk Drive to the Motherboard. There should be a'twist' in the cable next to one of the connectors. This indicates that this connector is for

the first floppy drive in the system (Drive A:) Since we only have one Floppy Drive, thisis it. Also, the Pink coloured wire in the 'ribbon' indicates Pin 1.

On the back of our installed Floppy Drive (use a flashlight/torch if necessary) we can seea set of 34 pins onto which this cable will fit. However, to ensure that it is correctly fitted,we must locate pin 1 (the pink line), and fit the cable such that the pink line is on the lefthand side as we look directly at the back of the floppy drive.

Once this connection is made, locate a similar socket on the motherboard (black, 34-pinsocket) and connect the other end of the Floppy Drive cable to this socket. TheMotherboard-end connection will be easier to make as it is usually 'keyed' to ensure

correct connection.


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Connecting a CD/DVD Drive

Connecting the CD/DVD drive

Almost exactly the same procedure is used here to connect the CD-ROM. Take the wider,'40way Ribbon' cable and connect one end (either will do - no twist this time) to the 40pin connector on your CD-ROM. Note this time that the pink line must be next to where

the CD-ROM Power connector is located. The Power connector on the CD-ROM is adeep white socket with 4 big pins inside.

Once the connection to the CD-ROM is made, locate the specific connector on theMotherboard for Secondary IDE . Your Motherboard manual will help you find this. Inthis case, the CD-ROM must be connected to the Secondary IDE socket. Again, theconnector will be 'keyed' for correct alignment.

Need Help?Read our IDE configuration crash course

Finally, if you have a sound adapter in your system, don't forget to connect the CD-audiocable. Don't worry if you don't have one, your local PC hardware store should haveplenty. Simply connect one end of the cable to the back of the CD-ROM, next to the IDEcable, then connect the other end to your soundcards 'CD-IN' connector. If yourMotherboard has on-board audio, the 'CD-IN' connector will be located on theMotherboard somewhere. Check the Motherboard manual for its location.

IDE CABLE CD AUDIO CABLE


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Connecting a Hard Disk Drive

Connecting a Hard Disk Drive. Connecting a Hard Disk drive to the motherboard

IDE Hard Disk Drives

If your Hard Drive is what is known as 'ATA33' type, then it is connected in exactly thesame way as the CD-ROM.

If, however, you have an 'ATA66/100' type, then the connection procedure is still thesame, but the ribbon cable must be a special '80way' kind. '80way ATA66/100' cableslook similar to their 'ATA33' counterparts, but have 80 wires instead of 40. They oftenhave colour-coded connectors as follows;

Blue connector - to Motherboard Grey connector - to 'Slave' Device Black connector - to 'Master' Device

Note that connector colours may vary depending on manufacturer.

In both cases, it is important to note that the Hard Drive IDE cable must be connected tothe Primary IDE connector on the Motherboard if it is to be the main/only HDD in thePC.

IDE


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S-ATA Hard Disk Drives

Alternatively, if your Hard Drive is a S-ATA type, then the connections will be quitedifferent. S-ATA uses a much thinner ribbon cable. New S-ATA compatiblemotherboards will usually have some S-ATA ribbon cables supplied in the box, ready foruse.

Use one of these to connect each S-ATA Hard Drive to the motherboard connector asinstructed by the motherboard manual.

S-ATA CABLE


Connecting the Device Power CablesConnecting power from the PSU to each of the PC components

These will supply each device in the PC with its power requirements.

Ensure that your PSUs connection to the mains socket is switched off at the wall, andgather up the collection of power cables from the PSU.

Each device will have its own power connector which will receive a cable from the PSU.The HDD and CD-ROM will generally use a large connector each and the FDD willusually use a small connector.

If you have any other devices which require power, remember to connect these also.


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S-ATA Hard Drives

If you have any S-ATA Hard Drives in your PC, the you'll need to connect power tothese also. The S-ATA standard uses a special power connector (pictured right). NewerPSUs may already have the special S-ATA power connectors, but older units will not.

Some S-ATA Hard drives allow you to use either a standard large PC connector or special S-ATA connector (but not both at the same time.) If your S-ATA Hard Driveonly accepts the special power connector and your PSU doesn't have one, then you can

use an IDE to S-ATA power adapter

SATA POWER CABLE


Connecting the Main Power CableConnecting the Main Power Cable. Connecting the PSU to the motherboard

Once everything else is connected up, we can go ahead and make the final connection -providing power directly to the Motherboard itself.

Ensure that your PSU is disconnected from the mains wall socket, and locate the mainpower connector cable from the PSU.


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AT Power connectors

The older of the two, this 'double' connector is found on AT-type power supplies

In the case of the AT -type connector, make sure that the four black wires go side-by-sidein the centre of the two connectors as they are fitted to the socket.

ATX Power connectors

Newer type of power connector found on ATX power supplies

The ATX -style connector is 'keyed' and should 'clip' into place when correctly seated.

Congratulations!If you have successfully completed the steps so far, you have built your own PC! All thatremains is to connect it up and test it...

Connecting the External Cables

Connecting the Monitor and SpeakersConnecting a monitor and speakers to your PC

Having completed your new PC, take some time to go back over your work in theprevious steps, and check that all your connections are correctly aligned and secure, andthat your CPU, RAM and cards are all secure in their fixings. A thorough check here cansave a lot of frustration later on.


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Proceed now by connecting the remaining devices, such that you can power up and testthe new machine. Position the PC case such that you have clear access thesockets/connectors at the back.

Monitor signal cable

Take the Monitor display cable, and connect it to the suitable connector on the VideoCard backplate. Use the cable screws if necessary to fully secure the cable. Do not worryabout other connectors on the Video card at this stage.

Speakers (if you have them)

Connect this to the 'SPK' socket. It can be found either on your sound card, or if yourMotherboard has a sound card built-in, refer to its manual for the correct method of connection.

Connecting the External Cables

Connecting the Keyboard and MouseConnecting a keyboard and mouse to your PC

Keyboard


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Determine the type of keyboard you have and its associated socket. Your Motherboardmanual will instruct you on its proper connection. As previously encountered with PCconnections, these are 'keyed'. Do not force the connector or the pins may break.

MouseDetermine the type of mouse you have and its associated socket. Your Motherboardmanual will instruct you on its proper connection. Again, these are 'keyed'. Some care inconnection is required.

First PC Power UpSwitching on, booting and testing your newly-built PC for the first time

It's time to see if all the hard work paid off. If you didn't check over your work at thebeginning of the last section, now is definitely the time.

Carefully move your PC case around so that you can clearly see the front panel again. Atthis point, take some time to clear to one side all your tools, loose parts and packaging, sothat you have room to move the keyboard and mouse into the main area of the work surface.


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Check the mains power cables to your monitor, PC Case (and speakers if necessary) areplugged in and ready and switch them on at the wall. The PC case should not power on atthis point, if it does, simply press (and if necessary, hold for a few seconds) the POWERbutton on the front panel until it switches off.

Switch on the Monitor (check the manual for help with this if necessary.) The Monitorshould show some indication of being 'on' by displaying a small green/amber light on thefront panel.

Press the 'POWER' button on the PC case

If there are any loud or disturbing noises at this point disconnect the power at the wallsocket immediately and refer to the Troubleshooting section.

What should happen

Check that the CPU fan is spinning to prevent heat damage to the CPU. You shouldbe able to hear the faint 'rushing' noise of some fans and the noise of the HDD spinningup.

The 'power' light on the PC case should illuminate and the HDD light may flicker a little.

After a few seconds, the Monitor will begin to display various texts and eventually stop ata message similar to - Unable to load Operating system - or similar.

This is an excellent response and demonstrates that the system is ready to have the

Operating System installed.

If things went wrong

Disconnect the PC completely from the mains supply and refer to the Troubleshooting section and/or our Troubleshooting+ article.

Installing Windows XP

Windows XP Minimum HardwareRequirementsPC hardware you'll need to run Windows 95/98

To install Windows XP 'Home' or 'Professional' onto your new PC, it will need to meetthe following specification:
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PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233-MHzminimum required;(Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processorrecommended)128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended

(64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)1.5 Gigabyte (GB) of available hard disk spaceSuper VGA (800 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitorCD-ROM or DVD driveKeyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device


Windows XP Installation Guide - Phase 1Serial-ATAIf you are installing to a Serial-ATA Hard Disk then you will need a floppy disk containing the appropriate Serial-ATA drivers for your motherboard.

Quality motherboard manufacturers will supply a floppy disk with the motherboard forthis purpose but, in some cases, it will be necessary to create a Serial-ATA driver disk using the CD that is packaged with the motherboard, or even download the drivers fromthe manufacturer's web site.

The procedure for installing Windows XP onto a new PC is as follows:

Switch on the PC and put the Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM. Press the reset buttonon the PC and allow it to boot.

The PC should boot to the CD-ROM, if not check your motherboard manual to enable'Boot to CD-ROM' in its BIOS settings.

Serial-ATAIf you are installing to a Serial-ATA hard disk then keep an eye out for the message (Itonly appears very briefly):

Press F6 if you need to install a third party SCSI or RAID driver... Tap the [F6] keya few times. The installation will continue, but will stop in a few moments to give you theopportunity to insert a floppy disk with the Serial-ATA drivers on.

After a few seconds a blue Windows Setup screen will appear.

The system will load some basic files to enable it to begin the install


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At the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to continue.

The system will check the HDD to determine if / how it is configured

Serial-ATA

If you are installing to a Serial-ATA Hard Disk then Windows will require the Serial-ATA drivers at this point. A message will appear as follows:Setup could not determine the type of one or more mass storage devices installed inyour system, or you have chosen to manually specify an adapter...

Insert your Serial-ATA drivers floppy disk and press [ S]. If a list of drivers appears,select the correct driver (the motherboard manual should help you with this choice.)Windows XP should load the appropriate driver and continue to install.

At the Windows XP license agreement screen, read the agreement and press the F8 keyto continue.

It will be necessary to agree to continue the installation

Highlight Unpartitioned space and press ENTER

The system will 'Partition' the hard disk to enable it to be formatted

Select one of the Formatting options and press ENTER

FAT would be the most common option for home users. If you are confident withoperating systems you can select any of the options available. If you select NTFS, note

that other operating systems may not be able to access the files created on this drive.

To confirm that you wish to format the HDD, press ENTER

Setup will format the HDD and check it for errors. This may take some time dependingon the capacity of the HDD

Once formatted, Setup will copy its files to the HDD.

This make take a few moments depending on the speed of your system

Setup will reboot the PC after a 15 second countdown (or press ENTER

to rebootquicker)

During the reboot, remove the Windows XP CD from the CD-ROM Drive. The CD isremoved to force the system to boot to the HDD. If this produces an error, configure theBIOS settings to boot to the HDD first


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Windows XP Installation Guide - Phase 2

The system should now boot to the HDD to continue the installation

After it has booted to the HDD, place the Windows XP CD back into the CD-ROM drive

A Windows XP screen should appear and the installation will continue

The system will now load and configure the Operating System. During this time, fivesmall green squares will 'pulse' in sequence at the bottom right of the screen. Thisindicates that the system is actively installing files and settings. If this stops for a longtime, simply shutdown and restart your computer.

A Region and Language Options window will pop up during the installation. Configurethe options available for your country and then click Next to continue.

If you're unsure about the options, they can also be configured after the installation hascompleted

At the Personalize your software window, click inside each text box and fill in yourname and organisation/company (if you have one) then click Next

Before the next step, locate the Windows XP Product key which should be on the CDcase.

At the Your product key window, copy the product key into the boxes exactly as itappears on the CD case, then click Next

If it doesn't work, don't worry, just try typing it in again. It's easy to mis-type a complexset of numbers and letters.

At the What's your computers name? window, type in a name for your PC, then click Next

If you ever create a home network of two machines or more, the name of each machine

will need to be different.

At the Modem dialling information window, fill in the required details then click Next

This window will only display if you have a Modem fitted to your PC

At the Time and Date window, check that the time, date and time zone are correct andclick Next


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Again, don't worry if they're not right as this can also be configured after the installation

At the Network Information window, select Typical settings then click Next

These settings can be reconfigured later as required.

The system will finish the installation and automatically reboot the PC.

Phase Two of the installation is complete and the system needs to reboot again...

Windows XP Installation Guide - Final

PhaseAgain, remove the XP CD and allow the system to boot to the HDD

The operating System will start for the first time and configure itself

A Windows XP logo should appear for a few seconds as it boots

The system will now attempt to configure its software for your particular hardware setup

At the Welcome to Microsoft Windows screen, click Next

The Windows XP CD is required for further tasks and must be ready in the CD-ROM

At the Setup the Internet screen, follow the instructions as necessary then click Next

Configure your Internet connection as instructed by your ISP (Internet Service Provider)

At the Ready to activate Windows screen, click No, remind me every few days andthen click Next

You will have 30 days to test Windows XP , during which you can activate it at any time.

At the Internet Access screen, click No, not at this time , then click Next

This can be configured after installation has completed

At the User Names screen, fill in your name at the top, followed by the names of anyother users of your PC in the spaces below


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This allows for each person listed to have their own account which 'remembers' theirpersonal preferences and settings

Windows XP is now completely installed on your PC. Click your name from the list tocontinue.

Any problems you can contact me at [email protected]

how to build your own pc by andrew smith

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