CSS 6 & 7
CSS 6 & 7
CSS 6 & 7
COMPUTER SYSTEM
SERVICING - NCII
3rd Quarter
Address :____________________________________________________________________
mei.montebon
FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
[email protected]
GMAIL ACCOUNT
09389148744
CONTACT NUMBER
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Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this Lesson you are expected to do the
following:
LO 2Prepare installer
LEARNING COMPETENCIES
Obtain tools, equipment and testing devicesneeded to carry out installation work in
accordance with established procedures andcheck for correct operation and safety.
LET’S EXPLORE!
PRETEST 1.1
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SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Personal Protective Equipment – It refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other gear designed to protect the wearer’s
body or clothing from injury by electrical hazards, heat, chemicals, and infection, for job-related occupational safety and health
purposes.
PPE can also be used to protect the working environment from pesticide application, pollution or infection from the worker (for
example in a microchipfactory).
It is important that students and teachers during their laboratory period should be required to use the personal protective
equipment. Some of these are:
GOGGLES
Goggles are a large spectacles, with shields around the rims, for protecting the eyes from dust, excessive light, wind, etc.
RUBBER SOLE
A special type of shoes used to prevent electrical shock and for waterproofing and insulating purposes.
APRON
A garment is worn over the front of the body as a protection for one’s cloth.
FACE MASK
A covering for the face to prevent the inhaling or absorbing dust and other chemicals.
GLOVES
The covering material with a separate sheath for each finger used for hand protection.
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The little shock you experience while you are walking across a carpeted floor or when you touched a doorknob, table, counter or even
another person is a result of static electricity.
That’s why computer technicians and home computer builders have to guard their computers against the deadly ravages of static
electricity, as well as take steps to avoid injury.
Always use an anti-static wrist strap when working on a computer (except when working on monitors).
Always disconnect a computer from the AC power and from any powered peripherals while you are working on it.
Always grasp a metal part of the computer chassis with your bare hand before you touch anything inside. Do this even if
you are wearing an anti-static wristband.
Always handle electronic components by a non-conducting (non-metallic) edge. Don’t touch the pins or other connectors.
Never plug an ATX power supply into AC power unless it is connected either to a computer’s motherboard or to a dummy
test load.
Always use a UL-approved surge protector or an Uninterruptible Power Supply that incorporates surge and spike
protection.
SYSTEM’S SPECIFICATION
Whenever you purchase software or hardware for your computer, you should first make sure your computer supports the system
requirements. These are the necessary specifications your computer must have in order to use the software or hardware. For example,
a computer game may require your computer to have Windows XP or later, a 2.0 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, a 64 MB graphics
card, and 500 MB or hard drive space. If your computer does not meet all of these requirements, the game will not run very well or
might not run at all.
It is important to check system requirements for hardware devices. For example, if you buy a printer, it may require either Windows
10 or Mac OS X 10.14 or later. It may also require a USB port and 80 MB of available hard drive space. If your computer does not
have any USB ports, you will not be able to physically connect the printer. If your machine does not have Windows 10 or Mac OS X
10.14 or later, the printer drivers may be incompatible with your operating system. This means your computer will be unable to
recognize the printer.
Most hardware and software products have the system requirements printed on the side or bottom of the product packaging. When you
are shopping for computer software or hardware, it is a good idea to first find out exactly what your system’s specifications are and
write them down on a piece of paper. The important information to record includes:
4. Graphics Card (i.e. GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition 11GB GDRR6 14Gbps memory speed)
6. I/O Ports (i.e. USB, Firewire, Serial, Parallel, SCSI, VGA, DVI ports)
By recording these specifications from your computer, you will be able to make sure your computer supports the products you are
buying. In terms of installation, systems’ specification is a big consideration in order for a computer to run and work properly for the
most efficient way it could be.
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In broad terms, the performance of a computer depends on four factors: the speed and architecture of its processor or “central
processing unit” (CPU), how much random access memory (RAM) it has, its graphics system, and its internal hard drive speed and
capacity.
Also of importance to most users will be the specification of its Internet connection. Most computer users and in particular those
working with a lot of photographs, music files or videos should also think about the most suitable storage devices they will need in
order to keep and backup all of their valuable data.
For applications such as video editing, 3D graphics work and (for the majority of “power users”) playing computer games, higher
processor speeds are highly required. CPU performance is now determined by far more than raw speed alone. Intel made this very
clear when it introduced its system of processor numbers.
These provide an indication of a processor’s “architecture”, “cache” and “front side bus (FSB) speed” in addition to its clock speed.
ARCHITECTURE
The ARCHITECTURE of a processor is the most important factor to determine its performance and refers to its basic design and
complexity. Some processors are simply more sophisticated than others, with Intel (for example) producing “basic” processors called
Celerons and Pentiums, as well as more powerful processors under its “Core” processor family. The latter include the Core 2, Core i3,
Core i5, and Core i7, with the last of these being the most powerful.
In addition to clock speed and architecture, a processor’s cache and front side bus (FSB) speed also determine a computer’s overall
power. CACHE is a form of very fast memory integrated into the processor chip and used to store up instructions (work for the
processor) so that it has to slow down as little as possible between tasks. Cache is measured in megabytes (MB), with (for example)
low-end Celeron processors having as little as 0.25MB of cache (256KB), and high-end Itaniums having up to 24MB. The simple
message is, the more cache the better- through high levels of cache still come at a very significant price.
To a large extent, the more RAM a computer has the faster and more effectively it will operate. Computers with little RAM have to
keep moving data to and from their hard disks in order to keep running. This tends to make them not just slow in general, but more
annoyingly intermittently sluggish.
RAM is measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB), as detailed on the storage page. Just how much RAM a computer needs
depends on the software it is required to run effectively. A computer running Windows 10 will usually function quite happily with
4GB of RAM.
GRAPHICS SYSTEM
A computer’s graphics system determines how well it can work with visual output. Graphics systems can either be integrated into a
computer’s motherboard or plugged into the motherboard as a separate “video card”. Graphics systems integrated into the
motherboard (also known as “onboard graphics”) are now quite powerful and sufficient for handling the requirements of most
software applications aside from games playing, 3D modeling, and some forms of video editing.
Any form of modern computer graphics system can now display high-resolution color images on a standard-sized display screen. The
more sophisticated graphics cards now determine how well a computer can handle the playback of high definition video, as well as the
speed and quality at which 3D scenes can be rendered. Another key feature of separate graphics cards is that most of them now allow
more than one display screen to be connected to a computer. Others also permit the recording of video.
As a basic rule, unless a computer is going to be used to handle 3D graphics or to undertake a significant volume of video editing or
recording, today there is little point in opting for anything other than onboard graphics (not least because separate graphics cards
consume quite a lot of electricity and create quite a lot of heat and noise). Adding a new graphics card to a computer with onboard
graphics is also a very easy upgrade if required in the future.
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Two key factors determine the speed of traditional, spinning hard disks. The first is the rotational velocity of the physical disk itself.
This can currently be 4200, 5400, 7200, 10000 or 15000 rpm (revolutions per minute). The faster the disk spins, the quicker data can
be read from or written to it, hence the faster the disk the better (although faster disks consumer more power, make more noise, and
generate more heat). Most desktop and laptop hard disks run at either 5400 or 7200 rpm.
The second key factor that determines the performance of a traditional, internal hard disk is the interface used to connect it to the
computer’s motherboard. Three types of interface exist: Serial Advance Technology Attachment (SATA), which is the most modern
and now pretty much the norm on new PCs; Integrated Device Electronics (IDE) (also known as UDMA), which is a slower and older
form of interface, and finally SCSI, which happens to be the oldest but in it most modern variant is still the fastest disk interface
standard.
Test I.
1. What is
INFORMATION 1.2
We get questions all the time from people who have never built a computer before, but it’s really not that difficult as long as you
know how.
So if you’ve ever found yourself asking questions like any of the following…
… then we think our step-by-step illustrated infographic may help you get a quick overview of the entire PC build process!
So if you are new to PC assembly and are interested in getting involved, please check out out our infographic below for a step-by-
step guide in pictures of how to build your own computer.
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If this is the first computer you’ve built, it can pay to make sure you do a bit of forward planning.
1. Have a suitable work area, with good lighting and plenty of space.
2. Ensure you have all required tools on hand for easy access. Consider keeping a container nearby to hold loose parts like
screws.
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3. Have a guide/reference material nearby (this guide, or an instructional video). You may also want to quickly skim over the
relevant sections of the manuals for the individual parts you’re about to assemble. These are typically included as a paper
insert in the product packaging.
4. Ensure your area is not at risk of static electricity, which has the potential to damage your parts.
5. Be aware of safety precautions.
Tools
Screwdriver (Philips head) – Used for nearly all screws including case and various component mounting screws
Screwdriver (Flat head) – You may need this for installing your CPU cooler, so it’s best to have one on hand just in case
Anti-Static Wrist strap – If you are worried about static damaging your parts, you can opt to use an anti-static wrist strap
Cable ties – A must for cable management (unless your case has some included with it). These will keep all cabling in your
case nice and neat
Scissors – For cutting excess length off cable ties and making short work of any pesky plastic packaging on your
computer parts
Flashlight – In case you need a little extra light to see what you’re doing
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) and Your Computer Parts
You may have heard about electrostatic discharge (ESD), or simply ‘static’ being harmful to computer parts. If you’ve ever shocked
yourself from static when touching a metal object, that’s what this is referring to.
ESD can occasionally be thousands of Volts which has the potential to cause damage to computer parts.
Generally though, it’s pretty rare. By following good practice (I.e. Grounding yourself to remove any static build-up), it’s very
unlikely that you’ll have any issues with ESD.
To ground yourself, simply touch the metal casing of your computer case to bring yourself to the same electrical potential as it. You
can do this often throughout the assembly process to discharge any electrical potential you may have built up.
Avoid building up any charge on your body by limiting how much you move around or what you touch (e.g. you don’t want to be
shuffling your feet on a carpeted surface on a dry day while you are building your new PC). If you get worried, simply discharge
yourself to the computer case by touching it with your bare hands again.
If you’re still concerned about static, you can get yourself an anti-static wrist strap, which simply keeps your body in contact with the
case of the computer at all times while you are building your PC.
There are a few different ways you can tackle building a computer, and when it comes down to it, take the one you feel most
comfortable with.
The process we’ve outlined in our computer build infographic is just one of the ways we prefer to build PCs, but there is some
flexibility around it.
For instance, you could easily switch around steps (and in fact, we did when we went through our detailed build guide), or even do
what’s called an ‘out of the case’ build.
Over the internet you’ll find opinions everywhere, and the truth is, nearly all of the different methods are justifiable with their own
pros and cons. Examples of other build orders that can work and some popular ‘build methods’ are:
This method involves partially assembling the motherboard and associated units (CPU, CPU cooler, and RAM) outside of the case,
then transplanting this whole unit to within the case before continuing with the build assembly.
Pros:
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When outside of the case, you’ve plenty of ‘working space’ to mount the CPU, cooler and RAM
You have better visibility to ensure components are mounted correctly
Cons:
Mounting the components on the motherboard without it suitably supported has the potential to cause damage
Trying to install the motherboard into the case with components like the CPU cooler already mounted to it may be difficult
depending on where the motherboard mounts are located. Sometimes you may not be able to fit your screwdriver where it
needs to be if other parts like the CPU cooler or RAM get in the way.
2. Changing Up the Order of Mounting Components
Whether you choose to build ‘inside the case’ or ‘outside the case’, you can still assemble individual parts in nearly any order you
choose.
Examples:
Power supply -> Motherboard -> CPU -> RAM -> Graphics card -> Storage and optical drives
Motherboard -> Power supply -> Storage and optical drives -> CPU -> RAM -> Graphics card
It’s up to you! However, if you’re new we suggest following a build guide until you get an idea of your personal preferences
when it comes to build order.
Pros/Cons:
Depending on the order of assembly, some parts can get in the way of other parts when trying to mount them, or result in less
working space/room inside the case for installing other parts.
Be careful as there are some items which must be installed in a certain order (for instance, you cannot install the CPU cooler
without first installing the CPU).
If you are deviating from the suggested order, be sure to think ahead, as sometimes you may not be able to access fastening
points (for example, some graphics card/motherboard combinations can result in not being able to release the RAM fastening
clips once the graphics card is installed; in which case you would need to install your RAM before your graphics card).
Computer Assembly Steps:
Keep any screws which were supplied with the case separate and take note of the different types. Most cases will come with a few
different packets of screws and they may have different sizes or threads, so make sure to match them up with the correct mounting
locations as best as possible. If in doubt, refer to the documentation which came with your computer case.
The I/O plate is an input-output plate which is simply a metal cover that is customized to your particular motherboard. You’ll need to
remove the default I/O plate that may have been supplied with your case and swap it out for the one that came with your motherboard.
Screws and standoffs are often supplied with your computer case, however sometimes screws may be supplied with a motherboard.
3. Holding the CPU by its sides, line up any alignment notches or the triangle marked on the corner of the CPU to the triangle
marked on the motherboard. Gently place it straight down into the motherboard socket to seat the CPU
4. Lower the CPU socket cover over the CPU and lower the latch lever closed again to secure the CPU socket holder closed
Don’t apply force to seat the CPU. Avoid touching of pressing down on the back of the CPU with your fingers, as any residue from
your hands can destroy the heat transfer surface for the cooler which will be mounted next.
Another important thing to note is to remove any plastic packaging around the CPU socket cover before installing your CPU and
cooler. Usually there is a piece of removable hard plastic somewhere around the CPU socket cover which serves to protect the CPU
terminal pins on the motherboard. Be sure to remove and discard this as you install your CPU.
Make sure the CPU cooler is installed directly to the back of the CPU metal housing. We’ve heard stories of installations where the
plastic packaging on the CPU socket cover (which is meant to be discarded after CPU installation) was not removed, and the CPU
cooler was mistakenly mounted to the plastic. Don’t make this expensive mistake, as this will cause overheating and damage to your
CPU.
Some CPU coolers do come with a thermal pad already applied, in which case you can skip step 1. If yours doesn’t, you will need to
apply thermal paste to the CPU surface before seating the CPU cooler in position.
Cable headers on motherboards vary in their location depending on what motherboard you have. To identify the correct header, look
for the labeling on the motherboard; they are always labeled next to the header with the intended connection, for example:
1. Mount the power supply and fasten with screws to the case mounting points
2. Plug the largest cabling connector from the power supply cabling into the motherboard power connector.
3. Plug the 8-pin cabling connector from the power supply cabling into the CPU power connector
Most power supplies will have a whole bunch of cabling and connectors coming out of the rear. Others may have sockets for cables to
be plugged in. We find it easiest to connect the power cabling for each hardware component to the power supply as you assemble the
PC (rather than waiting until the all parts are assembled and plugging in all power cables at once); we do it this way so that you won’t
accidentally forget to connect power to any device.
1. Press to open the clips at both ends of the RAM mounting slots
2. Line up the notch on the RAM stick with the mounting slot
3. Seat the RAM and press it firmly down into the slot. The tabs should automatically latch closed as you press the RAM down,
securing the RAM in place
4. Install any other RAM sticks using the same process
Most motherboards will have multiple RAM mounting slots. If you are installing pairs of RAM sticks, mount them in the same color
slots on the motherboard.
When pressing the RAM into the motherboard mounting slots, you’ll often have to use a fair amount of force to ensure it is seated
properly. Be careful not to flex the motherboard too much when doing this – it can help to support the edge of the board if necessary
with your spare hand to avoid bending the motherboard too much as you press down on the back of the RAM stick.
Not all computers have a dedicated graphics card. If you have decided to use the on-board graphics of your motherboard instead of
installing a dedicated graphics card, you can skip this section.
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1. Remove the expansion slot covers from the rear of your case where the graphics card will sit
2. The graphics card slots into a PCI expansion slot on the lower half of the motherboard. Line it up and press down firmly to seat
the card.
3. Put in the screws to hold the graphics card in place
4. Plug in the power connector cables from your power supply into the graphics card power connector (if existing – not all
graphics cards required external power)
When you plug in your display monitor, always use the output ports of the graphics card first(if you have one installed) and not the
output ports of the motherboard itself. This ensures you are actually using your graphics card!
Storage drives come in two main sizes: a 3.5″ form factor or 2.5″ form factor. Due to their smaller size, 2.5″ drives may need an
adapter plate to mount them within your PC case. The exact mounting strategy for storage drives will vary from computer case to
computer case.
Sometimes, you may need to refer to the manual for your case in order to fit drives into the drive bays.
1. Mount storage drives in the case drive bays. Fix the drive in place with screws through the case frame into the case mounting
holes located on the storage drive
2. Connect the drive to the motherboard using a SATA cable
3. Plug in power cabling to the storage drive
4. Mount any other storage drives in the same way
External storage drives will typically come with two connections that you need to make: power and data; which is why we plug in two
separate cables to each drive. The data connection cable is a SATA cable which connects between the motherboard and the storage
drive. The power connection cable supplies power to the drive, and plugs into the drive from the power supply.
Optical drives are optional and only required if you wish to read or write CDs, DVDs, or Bluray discs. Some people choose not to
include an optical drive in their PC build if they don’t plan on using optical discs.
1. Remove any front panels from the computer case where the optical drive will sit.
2. Mount optical drive in the case by fixing with screws through the case frame into the case mounting holes located on the
optical drive
3. Connect the optical drive to the motherboard using a SATA cable
4. Plug in power cabling from your power supply to the optical drive
Just like external storage drives that we connected in Step 8, optical drives also require two connections: power and data. Again, the
data connection cable is a SATA cable which connects the optical drive to the motherboard. The power connection cable supplies
power to the drive, and plugs into the drive from the power supply
Some computer cases come with case fans already installed/mounted within the case. However, you will still need to plug the power
cables of these fans into a header port located on your motherboard. This supplies the fan with power which is required for it to
operate.
In other cases you might need to mount your own case fans, or you may even choose to run your computer without any case fans at
all.
Front panel connections may vary according to your case, but typically comprise of the same components: audio, USB, and
power/reset/lights etc. These will be present in the form of cables that come from the front panel; the ends of which will be hanging
loose in your case. You’ll need to hook these up to the appropriate locations on your motherboard.
1. Mount any case fans within your case as required using the supplied screws or clips
2. Connect any case fan power connectors to the multiple fan headers located at various places on the motherboard.
3. Identify the cabling from the front panel ports of your PC. These front panel connectors will need to be plugged into the
motherboard so that buttons and inputs/outputs (I/O) on your case front panel will work
4. Connect any front panel audio connectors to the the motherboard front audio header
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5. Connect any front panel USB connectors to the motherboard USB headers
6. Connect the front panel case connectors to the motherboard front panel I/O headers
Different computer cases may have slightly different I/O connections, but generally both the connectors and motherboard headers are
labelled, so use these to your advantage when working out where to plug each cabling connector! If in doubt, refer to the
documentation which came with your motherboard, which should tell you exactly where to connect these items.
Before closing up your case completely, you may wish to do some ‘cable management’, which means tucking away, rerouting, or
removing and securing any loose slack from cables which would otherwise be hanging around loose in your case.
We recommend using cable ties to neatly secure cables in bundles and away from any moving parts (such as fans).
Connecting peripherals to your computer once it is all assembled is a matter of simply making sure everything you want to use with
your computer (like keyboard, mouse, speakers etc) is plugged in to the right spot. Use the following list as a guide for what goes
where:
Keyboard
Mouse
Wireless network dongle
Printers
Webcams
Speakers
Microphone
Line-in/line-out devices
Internet connection
Local area network (LAN) cables
Monitor / screens
Be sure to plug into the correct display ports: always plug into the graphics card display output (if you have one installed)
instead of the motherboard display ports.
If you don’t have a dedicated graphics card, then plug into the motherboard’s display output ports.
Self-check 1.2
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2. What are the tips to successfully assemble or organized your computer? _________________________________
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System Configuration
The BIOS is the program that starts a computer up, and the CMOS is where the BIOS stores the date, time, and system configuration
details it needs to start the computer. ... CMOS is a type of memory technology, but most people use the term to refer to the chip that
stores variable data for startup.
Updated: 06/02/2020 by Computer Hope
The terms BIOS and CMOS both refer to essential parts of your computer's motherboard. They work together and they're both
important, but they are not the same thing.
Let's take a look at what the BIOS and CMOS are, and how they're different.
BIOS
The BIOS performs the POST, which initializes and tests your computer's hardware. Then it locates and runs your boot loader,
or loads your operating system directly.
The BIOS also provides a simple interface for configuring your computer's hardware. When you start your computer, you may see a
message like "Press F2 for setup." This setup is your BIOS configuration interface.
CMOS
When you make changes to your BIOS configuration, the settings are not stored on the BIOS chip itself. Instead, they are
stored on a special memory chip, which is referred to as "the CMOS."CMOS stands for "Complementary Metal-Oxide-
Semiconductor." It's the name of a manufacturing process used to create processors, RAM, and digital logic
circuits, and is also the name for chips created using that process.
Like most RAM chips, the chip that stores your BIOS settings is manufactured using the CMOS process. It holds a small amount of
data, usually 256 bytes. The information on the CMOS chip includes types of disk drives are installed, the current date and time of
your system clock, and your computer's boot sequence.
On some motherboards, the CMOS is a separate chip. However, on most modern motherboards, it is integrated with the RTC (real-
time clock) on the southbridge.
Your BIOS memory is non-volatile: it retains its information even when your computer has no power because your computer
needs to remember its BIOS settings even when it's turned off. That's why the CMOS has its own dedicated power source, which is
the CMOS battery.
CMOS battery
The CMOS battery is a lithium-ion battery about the size of a coin. It can hold a charge for up to ten years before needing to
be replaced. If your CMOS battery dies, your BIOS settings will reset to their defaults when your computer is turned off.
Tip
If you turn on your computer and your settings were reset or forgotten, your CMOS battery may be dead. For example, your hard
drive may no longer detected correctly, or your system clock may be reset to a date in the past, such as January 1st, 1970. If so, you
can replace the battery, see: How to replace the CMOS battery.
Some motherboards, including most modern ATX motherboards, continue to provide power to the CMOS if the battery is
replaced while the computer is actively powered.
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Warning
If you want to replace your CMOS battery, make sure to consult your motherboard documentation for details and safety
information. Visit your motherboard manufacturer's support website if you need to download a new copy of your manual.
Updated: 12/31/2020 by Computer Hope
Every computer provides a way to enter the BIOS or CMOS setup. This interface allows you to configure the basic settings of
your computer.
Below is a listing of many common methods for accessing your computer's BIOS setup, and recommendations if you're having
trouble.
Important
Note
The details for your computer may be unique. If you're not sure, consult the owner's manual for your computer, or for your
motherboard if the computer is custom-built.
Note
This page doesn't help if you cannot enter the CMOS setup because it's password-protected. For help with dealing with a CMOS
password, see: How to clear an unknown BIOS or CMOS password.
New computers
Computers manufactured in the last few years allow you to enter the BIOS setup using one of the five keys shown below during
the boot process.
F1
F2 *
F10 **
Del
Esc
Note
F1, F2, and F10 are all function keys on the top of the keyboard.
** F10 is also used for the boot menu. If F10 opens a boot menu, your setup key is likely F2.
Setup keys are to be pressed as the computer is booting up. Most users see a message similar to the example below upon startup. Some
older computers may also display a flashing block to indicate when to press the F1 or F2 keys.
Tip
If you're unsure of what key to press, as the computer boots try pressing and holding one or more keys on the keyboard to cause a
stuck key error. Once you get this error, the option to continue or enter setup should appear.
Note
If you are still unable to enter the BIOS using the methods listed above, check the motherboard's manual for the appropriate key to
enter BIOS. Documentation for the motherboard may also be on the manufacturer's website.
Once you have successfully entered the CMOS setup, a screen similar to the example below appears. Your CMOS setup may look
different, depending on the manufacturer, but should still share a lot of the same options and information.
Once in CMOS setup, the method for changing the settings often depends on the BIOS manufacturer. You may use the arrow
keys and the Enter to select categories and change their values. Some manufacturers may have you press the Page up and Page
down keys to change the values.
Tip
All manufacturers show which keys navigate on the bottom or right side of the screen.
If you're trying to change the clock, speed, or other settings and don't have the option available, it's because
the motherboard doesn't support it. If you believe it should be supported, you may need a BIOS update.
Tip
If changes you made appear to revert to default settings or the date and time setting in the BIOS keeps falling behind, you may need
to replace the CMOS battery. For help with replacing the battery, see: How to replace the CMOS battery.
If any changes are made, you need to save those changes, which is usually done by pressing the F10 key on the keyboard. If F10
doesn't work, look at the bottom or top of the screen for the key that's used to save the settings.
Older computers
Unlike the computers of today, older computers (before 1995) had numerous methods of entering the BIOS setup. Below is a listing of
key sequences to press as the computer is booting to enter the BIOS setup.
Ctrl+Alt+Esc
Ctrl+Alt+Ins
Ctrl+Alt+Enter
Ctrl+Alt+S
Page Up key
Page Down key
Acer BIOS
If your Acer computer cannot boot or you want to restore the BIOS to its original settings, press and hold the F10 as you turn on the
computer. While continuing to hold the F10, two beeps should be heard indicating that the settings are restored.
AMI BIOS
Older AMI BIOS could be restored to bootable settings by pressing and holding the Insert key as the computer is booting.
Early 486, 386, and 286 computers required a floppy disk to enter the BIOS setup. These diskettes may be referred to as ICU, BBU,
or SCU disks. Because these diskettes are unique to your computer manufacturer, you must obtain the diskettes from them. See
the computer manufacturers list for contact information.
Some early IBM computers require you to press and hold both mouse buttons as the computer boots to enter the BIOS setup.
For the BIOS to be able to start the computer, you've seen that it must find an operating system on a hard disk or floppy disk drive.
But how does the BIOS know where the drives are located or what types they are?
Floppy disk drives and hard disk drives are two of the most important items that must be configured in the BIOS. If the drive types are
not correctly identified in the BIOS, the BIOS will not be able to start the system. Whenever you build a system or change major
components, you need to run the BIOS setup program to check or change settings.
On most systems built since the late 1980s, the BIOS configuration program is stored in the BIOS chip itself. On a few current
systems, as with the original IBM AT, the setup program must be run from a floppy disk drive or the hard drive. The original IBM PC
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and PC/XT had only a few settings, and these were made by manipulating a series of small rocker or slide switches called DIP
switches.
ROM-based setup programs are normally started by pressing one or more keys in combination within the first few seconds after
turning on the computer. Although these keystrokes vary from system to system, the most popular keys on current systems include the
escape (Esc) key, the Delete key, the F1 key, and various combinations of Ctrl+Alt+ another specified key. Most computers display
the correct key(s) to press during the initial startup screen. Check with your system vendor for the appropriate keystrokes or to see if
you need to run a program from MS-DOS or Windows to configure your system.
Because the settings you make in the BIOS setup program are stored in the nonvolatile RAM of the CMOS chip, the settings are often
called CMOS settings.
In the following section, we will review the typical setup process, looking at each screen of a typical Pentium-class system.
The A+ Certification exam will test your knowledge of basic CMOS/BIOS configuration. To help you prepare for the exam, this
section covers the most important portions of the CMOS/BIOS setup process.
To start the CMOS setup process, press the correct key(s) during the bootstrap process or run the setup program from hard disk or
floppy disk after the computer has started. On virtually all systems built since the early 1990s, you'll start with a menu screen. This
menu, as well as the contents of the screens listed, will vary according to your BIOS brand, version, and motherboard type.
Select the menu item from this CMOS Setup menu to examine or change settings.
Other systems will immediately display the Standard CMOS Setup screen, which is typically used to configure drive, date, and time
settings.
Date
Time
Floppy disk drive types for drives A: (first floppy disk drive) and B: (second floppy disk drive)
Figure 3.7
A typical standard setup screen. On this system, hard drives can be detected during the boot process ("Auto" setting), but they can also
be user-defined, as shown here.
To make selections here, you normally press keys to cycle through the different options, including date and time.
The time must be entered in the 24-hour format (1:00PM = 13:00, and so on). Enable daylight savings unless your state or area
(Arizona, Hawaii, and parts of Indiana) doesn't switch to DST in the spring and summer.
Change the default floppy drive types to match your current configuration if necessary. See "Floppy Disk Drives," page 191, for
details on selecting the correct floppy disk drive type.
To select the correct hard drive type, you can use one of three methods:
Allow the system to detect the hard drives during every system boot.
Some systems also display the amount of memory onboard on this screen, but only extremely old systems based on 386 or older
processors require that you manually enter the amount of RAM in the system. On virtually all systems using a 286 processor or better,
the standard CMOS configuration screens are extremely similar, varying mainly in the number and types of drives that can be used.
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The standard setup screen is the single most important screen in the entire BIOS/CMOS setup process. If the drives are not defined
correctly, the system cannot boot.
Many versions of the AMI and Award BIOS allow you to automatically configure all screens except the Standard setup screen with a
choice of these options from the main menu:
Turbo
Use BIOS defaults to troubleshoot the system because these settings are very conservative in memory timings and other options.
Normally, the Setup defaults provide better performance. Turbo, if present, speeds up the memory refresh rate used by the system.
As you view the setup screens in this chapter, you'll note these options are listed. If you use either automatic setup after you make
manual changes, all your manual changes will be overridden!
Appropriately, the graphical AMI WinBIOS uses a tortoise, a hare, and an eagle for these three options.
With many recent systems, you can select Optimal or Setup Defaults, save your changes, and exit, and the system will work
acceptably. However, you might want more control over your system. In that case, look at the following screens and make the
changes necessary.
The advanced CMOS configuration screen, shown in Figure 3.8, allows you to adjust optional details about the computer. In this
screen, you can adjust the NumLock setting, type of video, keyboard repeats speed, settings for cache memory, and other special
features. Most systems built since the early 1990s include this screen.
Figure 3.8
A typical Advanced CMOS Configuration screen, also known as the BIOS Features screen—use this screen to enable or disable anti-
virus hardware features, adjust boot sequence, and adjust memory options such as cache and parity checking.
Depending on the system, you might be able to boot from CD-ROM, ZIP, or LS-120 drives in addition to the floppy disk drives and
hard drives traditionally available as boot devices, as shown in Figure 3.9.
Depending on the BIOS version, you might need to press the ESC key, as in Figure 3.9, to return to the main menu, or use cursor keys
to move directly to another menu screen.
Figure 3.9
This recent Pentium-class system offers a variety of boot options. To view the settings for any CMOS configuration option, either use
the help key (F1) as shown here, or press the correct key to step through the options for the setting.
The Advanced Chipset/Chipset Features Configuration screen, like the one shown in Figure 3.10, offers many advanced options that
vary by the system. The following are some typical features of this menu:
Memory types, speed and timing—Adjust the values here to match the memory installed in the system (such as parity, non-
parity, SDRAM, EDO, and so on).
Cache adjustments—Some Cyrix CPUs require the user to disable pipelining for proper operation.
Configuration of USB ports—If you upgrade a system to Windows 98 or Windows 2000, you might need to enable the USB
ports; systems with older versions of Windows (which didn't support USB) might not have the USB ports enabled. The USB
Keyboard Support feature must be enabled if a USB keyboard is installed to allow the keyboard to operate outside of Windows.
Configuration of the AGP slot—Depending on the specific AGP video card installed (if any), you might need to set the size of
the memory aperture used to transfer data between the system and the AGP port and select the AGP mode (1x, 2x, and 4x).
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Figure 3.10
This recent system's USB (Universal Serial Bus) and AGP (Advanced Graphics Port) options are located on the Chipset Features
configuration screen, along with the usual system and memory-timing options.
Virtually all systems built since the mid-1990s are designed to allow power management; watch for the EPA "Energy Star" logo when
you start the computer.
Power management works like this: After a user-defined period of inactivity, devices such as the monitor, the hard drive, or even the
CPU will go into different low-power modes:
Standby mode—Shuts off the hard drive and blanks monitor screens that use Display Power Management Signaling. Move the
mouse or press a key to "wake up" the system.
Suspend mode—Turns off the CPU clock to save even more power. Systems that fully support suspend mode allow you to
choose a special shutdown option that "remembers" what programs and files were open, and can bring the system back to that
state when the power is restored.
Early power-management systems require that you, the user, keep working with the mouse or keyboard to prevent the system from
going into power-saving modes, which can cause modem or network transfers to be interrupted, losing data.
On most newer systems, such as the one featured in Figure 3.11, you can prevent the system from going into power-saving modes, or
to wake up when activity takes place, by setting these options by either the device name (modem, hard drive, floppy disk drive,
parallel port, serial port) or by the device's IRQ (see "IRQs, DMAs, I/O Port Addresses, and Memory Addresses," page 17.
I have always regarded power management as being a great idea that does not always work well in practice.
Figure 3.11
This recent system has support for both ACPI power management (used by Windows 98) and APM (used by earlier versions of
Windows).
Devices such as hard drives and monitors can be powered down and powered back up without loss of information.
Power management is set to monitor network and Internet devices, such as modems and network cards, for activity to prevent the
connection from being dropped.
All devices installed in a system are monitored for activity to prevent data loss.
For example, Figure 3.11 does not list IRQ 15 (used by the secondary IDE host adapter in most systems) as a PM (power
management) event. Activity on IRQ 15 will not wake up the system, although the computer could be reading data from devices
on IRQ 15 or saving data to devices on IRQ 15.
Monitors with blinking power lights, or power lights a different color than normal, while the screen remains blank
Keyboards that seem "dead" for a few seconds after you start typing (because the hard drive must spin up)
Users who are unfamiliar with power management might panic and reboot the computers (losing their data!) or demand that you "fix"
their systems. Sometimes, the best fix is to disable power management completely or to use Windows to configure power management
settings through its Power icon in Control Panel. For systems that have ACPI- compatible BIOS chips that also run Windows 98 or
Windows 2000, Windows should be used to manage power.
Plug-and-Play (PnP) configuration allows either the operating system or the system BIOS to select hardware settings for PnP-
compatible cards when first installed and to change those settings when new cards are installed. PnP BIOS support has been part of
virtually all systems shipped with Windows 95 or newer versions of Windows, and virtually all add-on cards and other devices (such
as printers, monitors, modems, and so on) also support PnP configuration.
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Early versions of the Plug-and-Play Configuration screen (see Figure 3.12) were introduced with the first Pentium-based systems with
PCI slots, because PCI cards could configure themselves. PnP can be used with PnP-compatible ISA cards as well as with PCI and
AGP cards. If you are using Windows 95, 98, or 2000, set Plug and Play Operating System to Yes. Unless you have problems with
installing cards, that is normally all you need to set. If you are having problems adding cards, you can set IRQs to be available to PnP
devices (add-on cards that are set by Windows) or to ISA/Legacy devices (ports built into the motherboard or ISA cards you must set
manually).
Some systems, as in this example, also allow you to enable or disable IRQ use for USB, VGA video, and ACPI power management.
You can disable IRQ usage for any or all of these devices, but some devices might not work if no IRQ is assigned.
You can enable or disable most ports built into recent systems with the Built-in Ports/Peripherals Setup screen, shown in Figure 3.13.
(Some systems with PS/2 mouse ports require that you adjust a jumper block on the motherboard.) On some systems, this screen also
lets you adjust advanced hard disk options, such as PIO mode and block mode.
Figure 3.12
A typical Plug-and-Play configuration screen. By changing PnP options for IRQs and DMA channels to Legacy, you can reserve
selected IRQs and DMAs for non-PnP cards.
Figure 3.13
This system's COM 2 port (UART 2) is disabled to allow an internal modem to be installed as COM 2.
Generally, you disable a built-in port if you add a card containing a port that will conflict with it. For example, you can disable COM 2
(serial port 2) to allow you to install an internal modem. You can also adjust the IRQ and I/O port addresses used by the built-in
parallel and serial ports. On some systems, the LBA mode setting for hard disks and USB configuration options are also found on this
screen. After observing or changing the settings, return to the main menu and continue.
See "IDE Performance Optimization," page 212, for information about hard disk options PIO mode and block mode.
Security/Passwords
You can enable two types of passwords on many systems: a power-on password that must be entered to allow any use of the system,
and a setup password that must be entered to allow access to the BIOS/CMOS setup. If you don't have all the settings recorded (with
screen printouts or by writing them down), this can be dangerous to enable.
Why? If the passwords are lost, users are locked out of the system, and you would need to remove the battery or use the "clear
CMOS" jumper on the motherboard to erase the CMOS record of the passwords—and all other settings. This would require re-
configuring the system BIOS from scratch!
Because passwords are useful to prevent tampering with system settings, record the system information first, before you enable this
feature.
Most BIOSes allow you to save your changes, or discard changes you might have made accidentally, when you exit the main menu
and restart the system.
A few old BIOSes automatically save any changes, even bad ones. In either case, be sure to review the standard CMOS setup screen
and any others you viewed to make sure the settings are acceptable before you save and exit. You should record critical BIOS settings,
such as drive type information and any other changes from a system's default settings. Many technicians find it useful to add a sticker
with drive type and other information to the rear of a system or to the inside of the system cover.
Self-check 1.3
Test I. Enumeration:
1. What are the three methods that you can use to select the correct hard drive type? ___________________________
PREPARE INSTALLER
LO 2
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson the learners are expected to:
Prepare customized installers in accordance withsoftware utilization guide and end user
agreement
Carry out installation of portable applications inaccordance with software user guide and
software license
LET’S EXPLORE!
Pretest LO 2
The type of bootable USB drive you are creating depends on the mother board you are using.
You need the ISO image tile of the target operating system you wan to install. That can be Windows 10, Windows & or any
favor of Linux like Ubuntu or Mint.
Once you have the ISO image to start with, open any software from the list below:
2. The bootable USB drive making software will automatically detect and list the drive. Make sure you select the
correct drive as all data on the drive will be destroyed.
3. Now click on ‘select’ button and locate the ISO image file on the operating system from your hard drive.
4. Select the appropriate option for partition scheme and other options and his start. It will take around 15
minutes depending on your operating system size.
First select the ISO file, form the disk icon behind ‘create a bootable disk using option. (Do this first because, if you select other
options first, and the file later, the settings will go to default after selecting the ISO file. Maybe a bug) Select the target drive and
the system (For Windows keep it NTFS).
Select “MBR partition scheme for BIOS or UEFI from partition scheme and target system type.
Keep the file system, cluster size as it is or you can change it to NTFS for Windows and exFAT for Linux.
ISO image on your hard disk must be a valid bootable image because Rufus scans the image before you load it.
Click the start button and wait for the process to complete. This may take up to 20 minutes.
UEFI motherboards most of the time need 64 bit Windows. Else you will get “Could not locate’\dfi\boot\bootx64.efi:[14] Not
found’ error. If you get this error, you just need 64 bit Windows 7 or older. You must have Windows 10.
If you create bootable USb using MBR scheme, you may get an error like ‘Windows can not be installed. The partition is GPT type.
Carefully check the options as above before you hit the start button.
Once you have completed creating the bootable USB drive, its time to install the OS. For that, you have to boot from the USB
drive.
1. Restart your PC and press the F12 or Delete depending upon the manufacturer or your PC. Sometimes this key may
be different.
2. Select USB drive as a first boot device from the boot menu.
OTHER THINGS TO DO
Prepare or Download the software driver for your motherboard and other components thru internet.
Prepare or Download other application software you need for your computer system. (such as; anti-virus, office productivity
tools, games, photo editing tools etc.)
1. RUFUS
Rufus is a simple and easy to use. It automatically detects your USB flash drive and capacity so you can easily identify which device
you are formatting. The bootable USB drive can be created for newer hardware supporting UEFI or for legacy BIOS. You only have
to select proper options from the list.
2. RMPrepUSB
It’s all in one tool. Features come with cluttered interface. If you don’t know what are you doing, don’t use it. RMPrepUSB is
specialized in creating multiple partitions in a single USB drive. You can install multiple ISO of the different OS or save user files
along with the side of the bootale USB>
Specialized tool for creating bootable live Linux OS. It has a predefined list of most of the Linux distributions available. Give the path
of ISO image and USB flash drive you want to boot from. Prepare a Live antivirus rescue disk using it. A special option for this is also
for reuse CD.
4. YUMI
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Yumi, short for Your Universal Multiboot Installer. YUMI allow to prepare the bootable USB drive without formatting it.
5. UNetbootin
This tool is an exact clone of Universal USB installer or you can also say Universal USB installer is a clone of UNetbootin. Create a
bootable USB for any Linux distribution. If you are not using Windows as your host operating system, then UNetbootin is an option to
go for. UNetbootin is available for Linux, iOS, and Windows. So if you are using Linux, most of the software’s listed here will not run
where UNetbootin will come to help.
Self-check 2.1
LO 3
Install application software
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson the learners are expected to:
Prepare customized installers in accordance withsoftware utilization guide and end user
agreement
Carry out installation of portable applications inaccordance with software user guide and
software license
LET’S EXPLORE!
PRETEST LO 3
Your computer allows you to do some really amazing things. Digital photo editing, sophisticated computer gaming, video streaming
—all of these things are possible because of different types of software. Developers are always creating new software applications,
which allow you to do even more with your computer.
From the mid-1990s through the late 2000s, the most common way to get new software was to purchase a CD-ROM. You could then
insert the disc, and the computer would walk you through the installation.
Now, almost all software has moved away from this model. Many new computers no longer include a CD-ROM for this reason.
However, if you do need to install software from a CD-ROM, simply insert the disc into your computer, then follow the instructions.
Today, the most common way to get new software is to download it from the Internet. Applications like Microsoft Office and Adobe
Photoshop can now be purchased and downloaded right to your computer. You can also install free software this way. For example,
if you wanted to install the Google Chrome web browser, you can visit this page and click the Download button.
The installation file will be saved to your computer in .exe format. Pronounced dot e-x-e, this is the standard extension for
installation files on Windows computers. You can follow the steps below to install an application from an .exe file.
3. A dialog box will appear. Follow the instructions to install the software.
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4. The software will be installed. You can now open the application from the Start menu (Windows 7) or the Start
Screen (Windows 8).
In our experience, the easiest way to find new software is to search the Web. For example, if you were looking for a way to edit
some personal photos on your computer, you could run a Google search for free photo-editing software. If you're not exactly sure
what kind of software you're looking for, try describing the tasks you want to complete. For example, if you wanted a way to create
to-do lists and organize your appointments, you might search for something like free calendar organizer software.
If you're using Windows 8, you can download and install software from the Windows Store. The Windows Store is meant to simplify
the process of locating and installing software from third-party developers—when you find an app in the Windows store, you won't
have to do any extra work to install it.
Self-check 3.1
Extend Your
Knowledge
As a Computer Technician in a certain company, your task is to ensure that all computer systems will be working
properly. Thus, you need to do the following tasks:
2. Enter the BIOS or CMOS setup. Write all the processes as your guide.
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Congratulations! You did a great job! Rest and relax for a while then
move on to the next lesson.
God bless!!!
REFERENCES
https://www.pcbuildadvisor.com/how-to-build-a-computer-step-by-step-infographic/
https://www.october 21, 2018 by ruel carballo, posted in ict - chs9
https://www.google.com/search?q=INSTALL+EQUIPMENT+%2F+DEVICES+and+SYSTEMS&oq=chrome
https://www.slideshare.net/MarvinBronoso1/css-l07-preparing-the-installer
https://www.google.com/search?q=Install+application+software&oq=Install+application+software&aqs=chrome