Installing hardware is not as
hard as it seems, there are however, some things that you will need before you
can install any type of hardware component. The first thing you need,
obviously, is the component it self; the driver disk that come with the hard
ware, this can be either a floppy or CD-ROM; and a Philips (cross tip)
screwdriver. You also need an open slot in your computer. Most hardware will
come with an installation manual; however, they assume that you at least have
done this sort of thing before. But for the novice computer user this
assumption is going to confuse you especially if the manual doesn’t have
illustrations. This leaves you with two options, pay to have it installed, or
do it yourself. This site focuses on the do-it-yourself option.
Things you need to
know
Some other things you need to
know before you go about installing your own hardware components. Minimum
system requirements, any store bought hardware will list minimum system
requirements some where on the box, usually on the side or back. These requirements
must be met or the device will not work right or not work at all. Every user
needs to know very basic thins about there computer: OS (operating system), processor
(CPU) speed and type, RAM (memory), hard drive size and available space. Fortunately
windows will tell you all of these things in just a couple of mouse clicks.
To find out how much RAM you
have and the type of CPU you have right-click the MyComputer
Icon select properties from the popup menu. If for some inexplicable reason the
general tab is not selected then selected. This is what it should look like:
You may have noticed that
under the Registered to section that the information there is covered up. That is
because this is a screen shot of my system properties and it contains
information that I consider confidential. But as you can see the OS is listed
under system, and under computer you can see that I have an Intel processor and
256 MB of RAM. Finding the CPU speed will require a restart and that you watch
your screen on the top left just above the scrolling numbers, which by the way
is your RAM being tested by the BIOS. It should say something like CPU or
processor {brand name} then the speed mine says 500. It is actually an Intel
Celeron 500, since Celeron processors came out after Windows 98; windows can only
detect the fact that it is an Intel.
Hard drive size and space is as
easy as one, two, and three. Double-click MyComputer,
right-click the C drive, select properties from the popup menu and you should
get the picture shown below.
The blue area represents used
space and the pink area free space. As you can see from the picture above it
lists all the things you need to know about your hard drive.
Note: if you bought your
computer from a reputable dealer or a retail outlet like Wal-Mart,
Ok now let’s assume that you
have all the information from your computer and you meet the minimum system
requirements to install the hardware. We are almost ready to install it.
Computer anatomy
101
A computer tower is comprised
of several basic parts I categorize them thusly: tower (or desktop),
motherboard, drives, expansion cards, and chips.
Tower: most home computers
are towers and there are several styles and they are called towers simply
because they stand upright like a tower and can be placed on the floor. Desktops
are flat and lay on the top of a desk, hence the term desktop. For purposes of
this page I will assume that you have a tower since there is basically nothing
different you have to do to install components except move stuff out of the
way.
Motherboard: sometimes called
a main board everything and I mean everything plugs into it. It is attached to
the inside of the tower.
Drives: these include
floppies, CD-ROMs, and hard drives.
Expansion cards: these
include modems, video cards, network adaptors, sound card, etc. There are to
basic types ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) and PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect).
ISA cards are longer and slower than PCI cards. On the motherboard ISA slots
are black and located at the bottom, while PCI slots are white and are located
above the ISA slots. The ISA standard is old and most new motherboards don’t
have them. There is also one other type of expansion card you might encounter
it is called AGP (
Note: another thing you need
to know. If your motherboard has both ISA and PCI slots the first ISA slot will
in some cases share the same motherboard resources with the PCI slot directly
above it and cause all sorts of weird things to happen if you have both those
slots filled. It is best to use the bottom ISA slot first when putting in a new
ISA card and the top PCI slot when putting in a new PCI card. Below is a
picture of a motherboard.
Chips: this includes your RAM
and CPU.
Not all computers or
motherboards are alike, but there are some standard conventions that they all
share and are for the most part easy enough to upgrade or replace components.
Safety issues
There are some small common
sense safety precautions that should be observed. The most important one is the
most obvious, unplug the computers power supply. While the chance of getting
shocked is relatively low, why take the chance? Besides, you have to unplug everything
else from the computer in order to put in a new component; the power should be
the first thing you unplug. You should also have a clear work space to set the
computer while you are installing the component. Be sure that the area is well
lit seeing what you are doing makes the job a little easier. You may also want
to have a small flashlight handy just in case you need to read something on the
motherboard.
Since a computer is an
electrical device there is one thing that you should be made aware of and that
is micro-static discharges. Computer chips are very sensitive and the slightest
electrical discharge will ruin them. A micro-static discharge is so small that
you can’t even feel it. The way you guard against this threat is to ground your
self; computer repair professionals use a grounding strap. These are relatively
inexpensive to buy and will save your computer components from being destroyed;
however, you don’t need to rush out and buy one. There is a simple, effective way
to ground your self that is free and effective. Just touch the frame of the
tower, any static charge that you may have will be dissipated safely. This is
the method I use and have not ever had a component be ruined.
The nitty gritty
Ok, now lets get down to
business, I will assume that you have your computer unplugged and in the
workspace; you have the new component with you; a Philips screwdriver and are
ready to install the component.
Expansion cards
1. Unpackage the component but leave it in the
anti-static bag.
2. Open the computer case. This is done by removing the
screws holding the cover on. There are different styles of covers and I won’t
get into the differences between them. But I will tell you this, the screws
that hold the cover on are always (always, always, always, and always) on the
outer edge of the computer.
Note: on some styles they put screws behind the face (front) of the computer,
so if you’ve removed all the screws and the cover won’t come off then remove
the face and look there. In most cases the face will simply pop off.
3. Determine if the card is a PCI or ISA see the picture as a reference and where it will go.
4. If you are replacing an old component such as a modem
or video card, unscrew that card from the case; ground your self, and gently
rock it out of its slot. If you are however, putting in a new component remove
the cover plate in front of the slot you intend to put the card in. These are
usually held in with a screw; in some cases they are held in like a perforated
card and will need to be pried out. If this is the case then be careful not to
damage the motherboard.
5. Pull the card out of the anti-static bag. You may want
to ground your self before you do this, just in case.
6. 
You will notice that the bottom of the card (the part
that plugs into the motherboard) will have a split in it. This split corresponds
to the split in the slot on the motherboard. See below
this is your reference point it is there to make it idiot proof. The card will
only go in one way and one way only.
7. 
Line up the split on the card with the split in the
slot, and metal brackets need to be lined up with the case. Press down on the
card firmly in a rocking motion from back to front (the front is the end with
the bracket). You will feel and hear the card snap into place. If it won’t go
in don’t force it. Pull it out and try again.
Note: the card must be put in flush, check this with the flashlight if you are
not sure. Generally if you hear and fell it snap into place it will be good ok.
Also if the top part of the bracket is not flush with the case then the card is
not all the way in.
8. Put the screw in the bracket.
9. Put the cover back on.
10.
Plug everything
back in.
11.
Turn your
computer on.
12.
Follow the
components manual for installing the drivers.