UNESCO-NIGERIA TECHNICAL &

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
REVITALISATION PROJECT-PHASE II

NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN
COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

PC UPGRADE & MAINTENANCE

COURSE CODE: COM 126
VERSION 1.0 PRACTICAL BOOK

YEAR 1

SEMESTER 2,

pg. 1
Table of Contents
Week 1: Basic Hardware Maintenance Tools

Week 2: Some software locks up on systems running 5x86

Week 3: CPU, Software and Mother Board Compatibility

Week 4: COMPUTER ASSEMBLING AND DISASSEMBLING

Week 5: Measurements of electrical quantities on a Computer

Week 6: Removing the Power Supply Unit

Week 7: Steps required replacing motherboard:

Week 8: Replacing the CPU

Week 9: Installation procedure for SCSI drive

Week 10: Replacing Mass Storage

Week 11: Windows XP Start up Mode

Week 12: Replacing other Add-On cards:

Week 13: Replacing other Add-On cards: (Continues)

Week 14: Installing a Keyboard

Week 15: Installation of a Dial-up Modem

WEEK 1
Objective: To know computer maintenance Tools

Basic Hardware Maintenance Tools

Soldering Iron

Pliers

Nose Pliers

pg. 3
 Cutter

Screw driver

Multimeter

Wire Stripper

Hammer

pg. 4
 Drilling
Machine

Tester

Hacksaw

Cleaning The Computer from Dust

Now that you’ve backed up the system’s vital information, you can proceed with the actual
maintenance procedures. The first set of procedures involve exterior cleaning. This
might hardly sound like a glamorous process, but you’d be surprised how quickly dust, pet
hair, and other debris can accumulate around a computer. You’ll need four items for
cleaning: a supply of Windex or another mild ammonia-based cleaner (a little ordinary
ammonia in demineralized water will work just as well), a supply of paper towels or clean
lint-free cloths, a canister of electronics-grade compressed air, which can be obtained from
any electronics store, and a small static-safe vacuum cleaner.
As a rule, exterior cleaning can be performed every four months (three times per year)
or as required. If the PC is operating in dusty, industrial, or other adverse environments,
you might need to clean the system more frequently. Systems operating in clean office environments
might only need to be cleaned once or twice each year. Always remember to

pg. 5
turn off the computer and unplug the ac cord from the wall outlet before cleaning.
CLEAN THE CASE
Use a clean cloth lightly dampened with ammonia cleaner to remove dust, dirt, or stains
from the exterior of the PC. Start at the top and work down. Add a little bit of extra
cleaner to remove stubborn stains. You’ll find that the housing base is typically the dirtiest
(especially for tower systems). When cleaning, be careful not to accidentally alter the
CD-ROM volume or sound card master volume controls. Also, do not dislodge any cables
or connectors behind the PC.
CLEAN THE AIR INTAKE
While cleaning the case, pay particular attention to the air intake(s), which are usually located
in the front (or front sides) of the housing. Check for accumulations of dust or debris
around the intakes, or caught in an intake filter. Clean away any accumulations from
the intake area, then use your static-safe vacuum to clean the intake filter, if possible. You
might need to remove the intake filter for better access. If the intake filter is washable, you
might choose to rinse the filter in simple soap and water for best cleaning (remember to dry
the filter thoroughly before replacing it). Of course, if there is no intake filter, simply
clean around the intake area.

14. Backup

There are many ways you can unintentionally lose information on a computer. A child
playing the keyboard like a piano, a power surge, lightning, floods. And sometimes
equipment just fails. If you regularly make backup copies of your files and keep them in a
separate place, you can get some, if not all, of your information back in the event
something happens to the originals on your computer. Deciding what to back up is highly
personal. Anything you cannot replace easily should be at the top of your list. Before you
get started, make a checklist of files to back up. This will help you determine what to
back up, and also give you a reference list in the event you need to retrieve a backed-up
file. Here are some file suggestions to get you started:

• Bank records and other financial information

• Digital photographs
• Software you purchased and downloaded from the Internet
• Music you purchased and downloaded from the Internet
• Personal projects
• Your e-mail address book
• Your Microsoft Outlook calendar
• Your Internet Explorer bookmarks

Backup tool in Windows XP helps you to protect your data in case your hard disk fails or
files are accidentally erased. Backup creates a duplicate copy of all the data on your hard
disk and then archive it on another storage device, such as a hard disk or a tape.

14.1a Making backup copies manually

Regardless of what version of Windows you are using, you can manually make a backup
copy of any file or folder by the following steps:

pg. 6
 • Right-click the file or folder that you want to back up, and then click Copy from
the menu.
• Now, in My Computer, you can right-click the disk or external hard drive where
you want to store the backup copy, and then click Paste from the menu.

14.1b Backup using wizard

By default, the Backup utility uses a wizard that makes the process straightforward.
To start Backup: Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to
System Tools, and then click Backup to start the wizard.
Click Next to skip past the opening page, choose Back up files and settings from the
second page, and then click Next. You should see the page shown in Figure 14.1, which
represents your first decision point.

Figure 14.1

14.1c Decide What to Back Up

You might be tempted to click All information on this computer so that you can back
up every bit of data on your computer. Think twice before choosing this option, however.
If you've installed a slew of software, your backup could add up to many gigabytes. For
most people, the My documents and settings option is a better choice. This selection
preserves your data files (including e-mail messages and address books) and the personal
settings stored in the Windows Registry.

pg. 7
If several people use your computer—as might be the case on a shared family PC—select
Everyone's documents and settings. This option backs up personal files and preferences
for every user with an account on the computer.

If you know that you have data files stored outside your profile, click Let me choose
what to back up. This option takes you to the Items to Back Up page shown in Figure
14.2.

Figure 14.1c.

Select the My Documents check box to back up all the files in your personal profile, and
then browse the My Computer hierarchy to select the additional files you need to back
up. If some of your files are on a shared network drive, open the My Network Places
folder and select those folders.

This option also comes in handy if you have some files you now you don't want to back
up. For instance, I have more than 20 GB of music files in the My Music folder. To keep
my data file backup to a reasonable size, I click the check box next to the My Music
folder. This clears the check box from all the files and subfolders in My Music.

14.1d Decide Where to Store Your Backup Files

On the Backup Type, Destination, and Name page, Windows asks you to specify a
backup location. If you're one of those exceedingly rare individuals with access to a
backup tape, the Backup utility gives you a choice of options in the Select a backup type

pg. 8
box. No tape drive? No problem. Backup assumes you're going to save everything in a
single file; you just have to choose a location for that file and give it a name.

By default, Backup proposes saving everything to your floppy drive (drive A). Although
that might have made sense 10 years ago, it's hardly a rational choice today. You'd need
dozens, perhaps hundreds of floppy disks to store even a modest collection of data files,
especially if you collect digital music or photos.

Instead, your best bet is to click Browse and choose any of the following locations:

• Your computer's hard disk. The ideal backup location is a separate partition from
the one you're backing up. If your hard disk is partitioned into drive C and drive D
and your data is on drive C, you can safely back up to drive D.
• A Zip drive or other removable media. At 100-250MB per disk, this is an option
if you don't have multiple gigabytes to back up. Unfortunately, the Windows
Backup utility can't save files directly to a CD-RW drive.
• A shared network drive. You're limited only by the amount of free space on the
network share.
• An external hard disk drive. USB and IEEE 1394 or FireWire drives have
dropped in price lately. Consider getting a 40 GB or larger drive and dedicating it
for use as a backup device.

After you've chosen a backup location, enter a descriptive name for the file, click Next to
display the wizard's final page, as shown in Figure 3, and then click Finish to begin
backing up immediately.

pg. 9
WEEK 2

Some software locks up on systems running 5x86

processors This is a frequent problem with high-end software, such as AutoDesk’s 3D
Studio. Often, such programs as 3D Studio use software timing loops in the code. The
5x86 processor executes these loop instructions faster than previous x86 CPUs, which
interferes
with timing-dependent code inside the program. In most cases, the software manufacturer
will offer a patch for the offending program. For 3D Studio, you can download
the FSTCPUFX.EXE file from Kinetix (ftp://ftp.ktx.com/download/patches/3dsr4/
fast_cpu/fstcpufx.exe). Run the executable patch file and follow the instructions. The
patch alters the 3D Studio executable file.
Another prime example of software-related problems is with Clipper applications.
Clipper
inserts software timing loops into the applications when the code is compiled, which
also interferes with timing-dependent code in the program. For Clipper, you can
download
the PIPELOOP.EXE file (ftp://ftp.cyrix.com/tech/pipeloop.exe) and put it in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
The Windows 95 Device Manager identifies the CPU incorrectly
In many cases, the CPU is misidentified as a 486 or other older CPU. This is
caused by an issue with Windows 95. The algorithm used in Windows 95 to detect the
CPU was likely completed before the particular CPU was released; therefore, the CPU
responds
to the algorithm just as a 486 does. Use a diagnostic that will identify your particular
CPU correctly or check with the CPU maker for a Windows 95 patch that will support
proper identification. This problem happens often with Cyrix 6x86 CPUs, and it can be
corrected by downloading a patch, such as 6XOPT074.ZIP (see the “Performance
enhancement
software” bullet under the “Cyrix 6x86 issues” section).

CYRIX 6X86 ISSUES

From a technological standpoint, the Cyrix 6x86 (or M1, as it used to be called) is a
strong
competitor to the Intel Pentium. In a properly configured system, the 6x86 can actually
outclass
the Pentium in some areas. In addition, the 200MHz version of the 6x86 uses a bus
speed of 75MHz (replacing the established 66MHz bus speed). However, there are some
special
circumstances and symptoms to keep in mind when working on Cyrix-based platforms:
n Bus speed This is where Cyrix’s problems start because the higher bus speeds demand
very fast memory technologies and advanced motherboard chipsets. You can’t run the
P200 chip in a Triton FX or HX motherboard because those chipsets don’t support a bus

pg. 10
speed of 75MHz. In operation, the 6x86 P200 runs at a clock speed of 150MHz by
multiplying
the 75MHz motherboard bus speed by 2. If you were to try running the P200
at a bus speed of 50MHz and a multiplier of 3, you would lose any performance benefit
because of the slow bus speed. For the P166, P150, and P120 versions, motherboard
compatibility is much better.
n Excess heating Heat is an important issue with every leading-edge CPU, but although
similar Intel and AMD processors will typically run hot, the 6x86 runs extremely hot.
Excess heat can cause data corruption and system crashes, and even shorten the working
life of the CPU. In the worst cases, excess heat can destroy the CPU. Such reliability
issues force the use of good-quality heatsink/fan assemblies with all 6x86 models.
The recent release of the 6x86L (low-voltage) versions promise to help combat the issues
of heating by using a “split voltage” architecture of 2.8 and 3.3 V—the same voltages
used by new MMX processors. Cyrix expects that the “L” series will reduce
power demands by more than 25%. If you must replace a 6x86, go for a version 2.7 of
the 6x86, or a 6x86L version (with proper voltage regulation) if you can.
n FPU issues Another point of contention among 6x86 users is that the floating-point
capability
of a 6x86 is measurably below that of similar Pentiums. For example, the FPU
performance of a 6x86 P166 is only rated equivalent to a Pentium 90MHz unit. There
is no real solution for the current 6x86 versions, but the coming M2 from Cyrix is
expected
to correct these problems.
n Performance under Windows NT Here’s another serious problem that plagued earlier
6x86 versions. The CPU is so sensitive to signal reflections from the CPU busses that
NT would switch off the L1 cache in the 6x86. This, in turn, causes a performance
degradation. Cyrix has resolved many of these issues in the version 2.7 releases, as
well as in the new 6x86L CPUs, but you might continue to see NT performance problems
in systems with older 6x86 versions.
n Performance enhancement software. Given the various limitations of the Cyrix 6x86, a
number of utilities are available to enhance the 6x86. You can obtain each utility from

pg. 11
WEEK 3
CPU, Software and Mother Board Compartiblity

A motherboard is a printed circuit board used in a personal computer. It is also known as

the mainboard and occasionally abbreviated to mobo or MB. The term mainboard is also
used for the main circuit board in this and other electronic devices.

A typical motherboard provides attachment points for one or more of the following: CPU,
graphics card, sound card, hard disk controller, memory (RAM), and external peripheral
devices.

All of the basic circuitry and components required for a computer to function sit either
directly on the motherboard or in an expansion slot of the motherboard. The most
important component on a motherboard is the chipset which consists of two components
or chips known as the Northbridge and Southbridge. These chips determine, to an extent,
the features and capabilities of the motherboard.

The remainder of this article discusses the state of the so-called "IBM compatible PC"
motherboard in the early 2000s. It contains the chipset, which controls the operation of
the CPU, the PCI, ISA, AGP, and PCI Express expansion slots, and (usually) the
IDE/ATA controller as well. Most of the devices that can be attached to a motherboard
are attached via one or more slots or sockets, although some modern motherboards
support wireless devices using the IrDA, Bluetooth, or 802.11 (Wi-Fi) protocols

pg. 12
CPU sockets
Main article: CPU socket

There are different slots and sockets for CPUs, and it is necessary for a motherboard to
have the appropriate slot or socket for the CPU. Newer sockets, those with a three digit
number, are named after the number of pins they contain. Older ones are simply named in
the order of their invention, usually with a single digit.

A sample of sockets and associated processors:

Sockets supporting Intel CPUs

• Socket 1 - 80486SX, 80486DX, 80486DX2, 80486DX4, and compatible

processors from other manufacturers
• Socket 2 - 80486SX, 80486DX, 80486DX2, 80486DX4, and clones
• Socket 3 - 80486SX, 80486DX, 80486DX2, 80486DX4, and clones
• Socket 4 - early Intel Pentium processors
• Socket 5 - early Intel Pentium processors
• Socket 6 - 80486DX4
• Socket 7 - Intel Pentium and Pentium MMX (also some AMD and Cyrix CPUs)
• Socket 8 - Intel Pentium Pro
• Slot 1 - Intel Pentium II, older Pentium III, and Celeron processors (233 MHz -
1.13 GHz)
• Slot 2 - Intel Xeon processors based on Pentium II/III cores
• Socket 370 - Celeron processors and newer Pentium IIIs (800 MHz - 1.4 GHz)
• Socket 423 - Intel Pentium 4 and Celeron processors (based on the Willamette
core)
• Socket 478 - Intel Pentium 4 and Celeron processors (based on Northwood,
Prescott, and Willamette cores)
• Socket 479 - Intel Pentium M and Celeron M processors (based on the Banias and
Dothan cores)
• Socket 480 - Intel Pentium M processors (based on the Yonah core)
• Socket 603/604 - Intel Xeon processors based on the Northwood and Willamette
Pentium 4 cores
• Socket T/LGA 775 (Land Grid Array) - Intel Pentium 4 and Celeron processors
(based on Northwood and Prescott cores)

pg. 13
Sockets supporting AMD CPUs

• Slot A - original AMD Athlon processors

• Socket 462 (aka Socket A) - newer AMD Athlon, Athlon XP, Sempron, and
Duron processors
• Socket 754 - lower end AMD Athlon 64 and Sempron processors with single-
channel memory support
• Socket 939 - AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Athlon FX processors with dual-channel
memory support
• Socket 940 - AMD Opteron and early AMD Athlon FX processors

Peripheral card slots

There are usually a number of expansion card slots to allow peripheral devices and cards
to be inserted. Each slot is compatible with one or more industry bus standards.
Commonly available buses include: PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect), PCI-X,
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port), and PCI Express.

ISA was the original bus for connecting cards to a PC. Despite significant performance
limitations, it was not superseded by the more advanced but incompatible MCA (Micro
Channel Architecture) (IBM's proprietary solution which appeared in their PS/2 series of
computers and a handful of other models) or the equally advanced and backward-
compatible EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) bus. It endured as a standard
feature in PCs till the end of the 20th century, aided first by the brief dominance of the
VESA (Video Electronic Standards Association) extension during the reign of the 486
and later by the need to accommodate the large number of existing ISA peripheral cards.
The more recent PCI bus is the current industry standard, which initially was a high-
speed supplement to ISA for high-bandwidth peripherals (notably graphics cards,
network cards, and SCSI host adaptors), and gradually replaced ISA as a general-purpose
bus. An AGP slot is a high speed, single-purpose port designed solely for connecting high
performance graphics cards (which produce video output) to the monitor. Both AGP and
PCI buses are marked for replacement by PCI Express, although this is unlikely to
happen prior to 2006 because of the large established base of AGP/PCI motherboards and
add-in cards.

A typical motherboard of 1999 might have had one AGP slot, four PCI slots, and one (or
two) ISA slots; since about 2002 the last ISA slots in new boards have been replaced with
extra PCI slots. Sometimes an Advanced Communications Riser slot is used instead on
less expensive motherboards.

pg. 14
As of 2001, most PCs also support Universal Serial Bus (USB) connections, and the
controller and ports required for this are usually integrated onto the motherboard. An
ethernet interface and a basic audio processor are now almost universally integrated into
current motherboards as well.

Temperature and reliability

Generally, motherboards are air cooled with heat sinks on the larger chips such as the
northbridge and CPU, and they have monitored sockets for case fans. Newer
motherboards have integrated temperature sensors to detect motherboard and CPU
temperatures, which can be used by the BIOS or Operating system to regulate fan speed.
The removal of waste thermal energy became a major concern for workstation PCs
around 2000, with the problem becoming more severe over time as computer systems
continued to consume more and more power.

A study of the German c't computer magazine c't 2003, vol. 21 pg. 216-221 found that
some spurious computer crashes and general reliability issues ranging from screen image
distortions to I/O read/write errors can surprisingly be attributed not to software or
peripheral hardware but to aging PC motherboards.

Motherboard voltage regulation uses electrolytic capacitors. These capacitors exhibit

aging effects which depend on the temperature of the parts, since their water based
electrolytes slowly evaporate leading to capacity loss and motherboard malfunctions due
to voltage instabilities. While most capacitors are rated for 2000 hours at 105 degrees
Celsius, their expected design life roughly doubles for every 10 degrees below this. At 45
degrees a lifetime of 15 years can be expected, which appears reasonable for a computer
mainboard. In the past, many manufacturers delivered substandard capacitors, which
would reduce this life expectancy figure. With inadequate case cooling this can become a
serious problem. It is, however, possible to find and replace broken capacitors on PC
mainboards. For more information on certain types of premature capacitor failure on PC
motherboards, see capacitor plague.

pg. 15
Physical form factor

The motherboard fits into the computer case with screws or clips. There are many form
factors, or sizes of motherboard. In general, it is necessary for the case, power supply,
and motherboard to conform to the same standard in order for them to operate properly.

• XT (8.5 × 11" or 216 × 279 mm) - obsolete

• AT (12 × 11"–13" or 305 × 279–330 mm) - obsolete -
• Baby-AT (8.5" × 10"–13" or 216 mm × 254-330 mm)
• ATX (Intel 1996; 12" × 9.6" or 305 mm × 244 mm)
• Mini-ATX (11.2" × 8.2" or 284 mm × 208 mm)
• MicroATX (1996; 9.6" × 9.6" or 244 mm × 244 mm) - fewer slots than ATX, so
can use smaller PSU
• LPX (9" × 11"–13" or 229 mm × 279–330 mm) - in slimline retail PCs
• Mini-LPX (8"–9" × 10"–11" or 203–229 mm × 254–279 mm) - in slimline retail
PCs
• NLX (Intel 1999; 8"–9" × 10"-13.6" or 203–229 mm × 254–345 mm) - coming
soon; requires add-in card riser
• FlexATX (1999; 9.6" × 9.6" or 244 × 244 mm max.) - can be smaller than
microATX
• Mini-ITX (VIA Technologies 2003; 6.7" × 6.7" or 170 mm × 170 mm max.;
100W max.)
• Nano-ITX (VIA Technologies 2004; 120 mm × 120 mm max.)
• BTX (Intel 2004; 12.8" × 10.5" or 325 mm × 267 mm max.)
• MicroBTX (Intel 2004; 10.4" × 10.5" or 264 mm × 267 mm max.)
• PicoBTX (Intel 2004; 8.0" × 10.5" or 203 mm × 267 mm max.)
• WTX (14" × 16.75" or 355.6 mm × 425.4 mm)
• Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PC_motherboard"

Form factors
Motherboards are available in a variety of Form factors, which usually correspond to a
variety of Computer case sizes. The following is a summary of some of the more popular
sizes available:

• PC/XT - the original open motherboard standard created by IBM for the first
home computer, the IBM-PC. It created a large number of 'clone' motherboards
due to its open standard and therefore became the de facto standard.
• AT form factor (Advanced Technology) - the first form factor to gain wide
acceptance, successor to PC/XT. Also known as Full AT, it was popular during
the 386 era. Obsolete - superseded by ATX.
• Baby AT - IBMs successor to the AT motherboard, it was functionally equivalent
to the AT but gained popularity due to its significantly smaller physical size.
pg. 16
• ATX - the 'evolution' of the Baby AT form factor, it is now the most popular form
factor available today.
• Mini-ATX - essentially the same as the ATX layout, but again, with a smaller
'footprint'.
• microATX - again, a miniaturization of the ATX layout. Currently, it only
supports AGP (ie. no PCI Express support) and therefore is not intended for use
with high-end graphics and gamings systems; it is commonly used in the larger of
the 'cube'-style cases such as the Antec ARIA.
• FlexATX - a subset of microATX allowing more flexible motherboard design,
component positioning and shape.
• LPX - based on a design by Western Digital, it allows for smaller cases based on
the ATX motherboard by arranging the expansion cards in a riser (an expansion
card in itself, attaching to the side of the motherboard - image). This design
allows the cards to rest parallel to the motherboard as opposed to perpendicular to
it. The LPX motherboard is generally only used by large OEM manufacturers.
• Mini LPX - a smaller subset of the LPX specification.
• NLX - a 'low-profile' motherboard, again incorporating a 'riser', designed in order
to 'keep up with market trends'. NLX never gained much popularity.
• BTX (Balanced Technlogy Extended) - a newer standard proposed by Intel as an
eventual successor to ATX.
• microBTX and picoBTX - smaller subsets of the BTX standard.
• Mini-ITX - VIA's highly-integrated small form factor motherboard, designed for
uses including thin clients and Set-top box.
• WTX (Workstation Technlogy Extended) - a large motherboard (more so than
ATX) designed for use with high-power workstations (usually featuring multiple
Central processing unit or Hard disk.
• While most desktop PCs use one of these motherboard form factors, notebook
computers generally use highly integrated, customized and miniaturized
motherboards designed by the manufacturers. This is one of the reasons that
notebook computers are difficult to upgrade and expensive to repair - often the
failure of one integrated component requires the replacement of the entire
motherboard, which is also more expensive than a regular motherboard due to the
large number of integrated components in it.

pg. 17
WEEK
WEEK 4
COMPUTER ASSEMBLING AND DISASSEMBLING
DISASSEMBLING

OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES

1. Disassemble the PC desktop/tower Computer System

2. Identification of various composite components

3. Verify the correct interface cable

4. Assemble the PC desktop/tower Computer System

5. Boot up the System

RESOURCES

1. Quality screwdriver, Tester, Soldering Iron,

2. Desktop/tower Computer System

3. Operating system Windows XP or higher version installed

4. Utility programs

5. Multimeter or AVO meter for measuring Ampere,Voltage and Ohmeter

DISCUSSION

You must start the computer to verify that it is working properly. Then Disassemble and

Assemble the PC. You will go through ALL the steps of disassembling except actually

taking out the drives and the Motherboard out of the system unit.

pg. 18
PROCEDURE

1. Boot up the pc (cold Booting)

Booting)

(a) Put ON the PC by pushing the power button

(b) The PC will boot to Graphical users interface, Windows XP or higher version

(c) Use the path Start/Shut Down to shut down

(d) Click on Turn OFF to finally Shut Down

NOTE: the computer will shut down Windows and the power will turn off

automatically.

2. IDENTIFY THE ADAPTER CARDS

(a) Unplug the power cord from the back of the PC

(b) Remove the screw on the back panel of the PC cover

pg. 19
(c) Take the cover or the side panel off.

(d) Identify the video card. It is the one that the monitor is plugged into.

Figure 1-2 Removing the PC cover

(e) Write down the slots the video card is plugged into in Table 1-1.Slots are

numbered from right to left starting from slot 1

pg. 20
(f) Identify the modem card. It is the card with the two telephone ports at the back

of it.

(g) Write down the slots the modem card is plugged into in Table 1-1

(h) Identify the network card. It is the card with the oversize phone ports. This is

really a network port called RJ-45 or 10-base-T port.

(i) Write down the slots the network card is plugged into in Table 1-1

3. DISCONNECT EXTERNAL CABLES

Figure: !-4
(a) Disconnect the keyboard from the back of the computer

(b) Disconnect the PS/2 or Serial mouse

(c) Disconnect the phone cable (if any )

(d) Disconnect the RJ-45 network cable (if any )

(e) Disconnect the printer cable (if any )

(f) Disconnect the monitor cable

pg. 21
4. DISCONNECT INTERNAL CABLE

(a) Disconnect the IDE ribbon cable from the hard drive

(b) Disconnect the IDE ribbon cable from the CD-ROM

(c) Disconnect the IDE ribbon cable from the motherboard

(d) Disconnect the FDD ribbon cable from the floppy disk drive

(e) Disconnect the FDD ribbon cable from the motherboard

(f) Remove ALL the cable from the computer

5. DISCONNECT ALL Power supply connection

(a) Disconnect the power supply connector from the hard drive

(b) Disconnect the power supply connector from the CD-ROM

(c) Disconnect the power supply connector from the floppy

(d) Disconnect the power supply connector from the motherboard

6. Remove the adapter card

(a) Unscrew the video card from the back panel, and then remove it

(b) Unscrew the modem card from the back panel, and then remove it

(c) Unscrew the network card from the back panel, and then remove it

7. DISCONNECT ALL front panel connections

pg. 22
 Figure 1-5: Front Panel Connection
(a) Remove the power Switch connector

(b) List the color of the wire in Table 1-2

(c) Remove the speaker connector

(d) List the color of the wire in Table 1-2

(e) Remove the power LED connector

(f) List the color of the wire in Table 1-2

(g) Remove the hard drive channel 1 LED connector

(h) List the color of the wire in Table 1-2

(i) Remove the hard drive channel 2 LED connector

(j) List the color of the wire in Table 1-2

(k) Remove the reset switch connector

(l) List the color of the wire in Table 1-2

NOTE: Computer disassembly is now complete. Now let’s start to reassemble back the

computer

pg. 23
 8. Connecting the front panel connection

(a) Find the power LED connector and connect it to the motherboard where it is

- labeled Power LED. Go to Table 1-2 if needed

(b) Find the reset switch connector and connect it to the motherboard.

(c) Find the power switch connector and connect it to the motherboard

(d) Find the hard-disk LED channel 1 connector and connect it to the

motherboard

(e) Find the hard-disk LED channel 2 connector and connect it to the motherboard

(f) Find the speaker connector and connect it to the motherboard

9. Install the adapter cards

NOTE: Always make sure the cards are lined up properly with the slots. It will require a

firm push to get the card to reseat on the motherboard expansion slot

(a) Install the video card into the slot recorded in Table 1-1 and screw it into

the back panel

(b) Install the modem card into the slot recorded in Table 1-1 and screw it

into the back panel

(c) Install the network card into the slot recorded in Table 1-1 and screw it

into the back panel

pg. 24
 10. Connect the Power Supply

Figure 1-6: Connecting the Power Supply

NOTE: All the connectors are keyed to plug only in one way

(a) Plug the ATX or AT power connector into the motherboard

(b) Plug the power connector into the floppy disk drive

(c) Plug the power connector into the hard disk drive

(d) Plug the power connector into the CD-ROM

11. Connect the ribbon cables

(a) Connect the floppy disk drive to ribbon cable as in Figure 1-7

pg. 25
 Figure 1-7: Connecting the Ribbon Cable

(a) Connect the motherboard to ribbon cable, striped side to pin 1

(b) Connect the power cords to the PC

(c) Turn ON the PC

(d) Does the LED on the floppy turn ON immediately?

(e) Turn OFF the PC

(f) Unplug the power supply.

(g) If the answer is NO to step e above, skip to step j

(h) The cable is on backward if you answer YES to step e. Reconnect it correctly

(i) Connect the hard disk drive cable to motherboard in the primary IDE controller,

striped side to pin 1

(j) Plug the middle of the connector into the hard disk drive, striped side to pin 1, and

plug the end into the CD-ROM drive, striped side to pin 1

pg. 26
12. Connect the external cable

(a) Plug the keyboard into the lower connection. Make sure that the orientation is

correct. Otherwise you can bend the pins and ruin the keyboard.

(b) Plug the mouse into the port just below or beside the keyboard as the case may be.

Make sure that the orientation is correct

(c) Plug the monitor back into the video card. The connector is keyed in only one way.

Make sure that the orientation is correct; otherwise you can bend the pins and ruin the

monitor

(d) Plug in the power cord

(e) Replace the cover of the PC

(f) Screw in the cover screw

NOTE: reassemble is complete. You need to reboot the PC to see if it is still working

properly

13. Booting up the PC

(a) Put ON the PC by pushing the power button

(b) The PC will boot to Windows XP

(c) Use the path Start/Shut Down to shut down

(d) Click on Turn OFF to finally Shut Down

pg. 27
 Tables
Table1-1

Adapter card Slot

Video card

Modem card

network

Table1-2
Cable Color
Power switch:
Speaker:
Power led:
Ide 1st channel:
Ide 2nd channel:
Reset:

Lab questions
1. What does the color stripes on a disk drive’s signal cable indicator?
2. How do you shut down Windows XP?
3. How do you shut down NIC?
4. What will happen if you plug a floppy drive cable in backward?
5. How many wires are on the power connectors for a hard drive?

pg. 28
Answers………..

pg. 29
WEEK 5
LAB WORK 2
Measurements of electrical quantities on a

Computer

OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES

1. Measure Resistance on a speaker

2. Measure Voltage from a power supply

RESOURCES

1. PC desktop/tower Computer System

2. Digital Multimeter with Lead

3. A good fuse

4. A bad fuse

DISCUSSION

Here you will measure various electrical quantities on a computer. The Multimeter can be

used to measure resistance, current and potential across a circuit

Procedure

1. Resistance on a speaker

(a) Open the inside of the PC

(b) Rotate the Multimeter dial to 200 ohms

(c) Hold the Red lead on the exposed end of the Red wire that connect the systems’

speaker

pg. 30
 Figure 2-1: Power Supply Connector

(d) Hold the Black lead on the exposed end of the Black wire that connect the

systems’ speaker

(e) Record the reading of the meter in Table 2-1

2. Voltage

(a) Turn on the power of the PC

(b) Look for the 20-pin ATX power connector that in plugged into the motherboard.

It should look like the location 1 in Figure 2-1.

(c) Rotate the Multimeter dial to 20 Vdc

(d) Firmly secure the black connector to the Multimeter into a black connector of the

4-pin internal drive power connector as in location 2

pg. 31
 (e) Insert the Red Multimeter connector into each pin on the ATX connector and

record their various voltages in Table 2-2

NOTE: the pin number is small and may be labeled on the back wire of the connector.

The yellow wire should be one

(f) Check the voltage at each pin of the 4-pin internal drive power connector and

record the . values in Tables 2-3

(e) Turn off the PC

(f) Replace the side panel

3. fuses

(a) Obtain the two fuses; one good and one bad

(b) Rotate the Multimeter dial to 200 ohms

(c) Touch the two leads together and record the Multimeter reading in Table 2-4. You

now establishing a datum or zero point of no resistance

(d) Without touching the leads together, record the Multimeter reading in Table 2-5

(e) Place one lead on one and of the good fuse.

(f) Place the other lead on the other end of the good fuse. Make sure that your finger

or the leads are not touching each other

NOTE: The only path for electricity to flow is through the fuse

(g) Record the Multimeter reading in Table 2-6

(h) Place one lead on one and of the bad fuse

(i) Place the other lead on the other end of the bad fuse. Make sure that your finger

or the leads are not touching each other

NOTE: The only path for electricity to flow is through the fuse

(j) Record the Multimeter reading in Table 2-7

pg. 32
 Tables
Table 2-1

Speaker Resistance

Table 2-2

ATX Voltage

Pin No. Voltage Pin No. Voltage

1 11

2 12

3 13

4 14

5 15

6 16

7 17

8 18

9 19

10 20

Table 2-3

4-Pin Internal Drive Power Connector Voltage

Pin No. Voltage Pin No. Voltage

1 3

2 4

Table 2-4

pg. 33
 Zero Resistance

Table 2-5

Maximum

Resistance

Table 2-6

Good Fuse

Resistance

Table 2-6

Bad Fuse

Resistance

Lab questions
1. What is the total range of Voltage across the power supply?
2. How many pins does an ATX power connector have?
3. What is the Multimeter used to measure?
4. What should be the resistance of a good fuse?

pg. 34
Answers………..

pg. 35
WEEK 6

Removing The Power Supply Unit

Power Supply Unit

1. from Power Unit To Motherboard

2. Feeding Mass Storage Unit

Removing a Power Supply

1. Remove the two power connectors (P8 and P9) from the
system board, using the plastic connector, not the wires.
2. Remove the power connectors from all other components,
including the hard, floppy, and CD-ROM drives.
3. Remove the screws that hold the power supply to the
chassis. Do not remove the screws from the power supply
case itself!
4. Slide the power supply away from the computer.
Reverse this procedure to install a power supply. It is important
to note that the P8 and P9 connectors look almost identical.
Although each will attach to the system board only one way, it is
possible to place them beside each other the wrong way. When
attaching them to the system board, make sure the black wires of the
connectors are together.
The P8 and P9 connectors are attached to the system board
with the black wires together.

pg. 36
WEEk 7

The following are steps required to replace your

motherboard:
First of all is removing the old motherboard:

The following steps are involved regarding the removal of the old board.

The first step to replacing a motherboard in

a desktop computer is to remove the old
motherboard. That may sound trivial, but
it's literally half of the job, and I'm splitting
removal and installation onto two pages so
it doesn't get too big. In order to remove the
motherboard, you not only have to
disconnect all connections between the
motherboard and components in the case,
you should also remove any cables that are
simply in the way. Remember to touch the
metal edge of the case to ground yourself
from time to time. Some techs like to leave
the power supply plugged in for a ground,
but that's pretty crazy with ATX
technology, since if the switch on the back
of the supply goes on, the power supply will
be live. I unplug the power supply and
avoid dancing on the rug to generate static
electricity. We start by removing the 1x4
power connector from the hard drives.

pg. 37
Next we remove the data cable from the
hard drives. In a larger case, I might have
left the data cables installed on the drive
end, but there's very little clearance
between the motherboard and the drive
cages, and you don't want to start wrestling
the old motherboard out because you didn't
prepare properly. It's just like working on a
car, if you don't get enough stuff out of the
way to have room to get a wrench in and
see what you're doing, you're just wasting
time in the long run. Keep in mind that
we're replacing the motherboard, not just
taking the old one out, and you don't want
to bash the new motherboard around as
you're installing it.

Now it's time to remove the PCI adapters

and the video card. All of the adapters that
mount in motherboard slots are secured to
the back rail of the case with single screw
each, though the screws are often missing in
systems that have been worked on. You
may as well take all the screws out at the
same time and put them aside in a glass or
any other small container to keep them from
getting too lost.

You should always handle adapters by the

the edges and by the metal bracket when
removing them from the motherboard.
Again, you can't race through this part like
you're just waiting to get to the main
course, because you're going to need to put
all these adapters back in after you replace
the motherboard, unless the new
motherboard has those features integrated in
the I/O core. You should especially avoid
touching the gold contacts on the card edge
that pulls out of the motherboard slots,
because the oil from your fingers is an
electrical insulator.

pg. 38
 Standard ATX motherboards feature a
single 10x2, 20 pin connector for the power
supply. The connection features a sort of a
simple latch which is released from the nub
on the motherboard connector by
depressing the top of the latch (just below
my thumb). You can also see the nub on the
motherboard connector, on the side near the
motherboard edge. It can take a bit of force
to pull the connection out of the
motherboard even once it's release, since
there are 20 tight connection, so be
prepared to use your off hand to hold the
motherboard down if the edge lifts as you
remove the connector.
Now we get to removing the data cables
from the old motherboard. If we had more
room in the case, I would have left them
attached to the drives on the other end. If
you have trouble remembering where
everything goes when you go to install the
new motherboard, I'd recommend the book
I write for McGraw-Hill, "Build Your Own
PC," which uses extensive photographic
illustrations to detail the complete assembly
of three state-of-the-art PCs. Note that I'm
using both hands to pull out the ribbon
cable, holding it as near to the connector as
possible. High quality ribbon cables often
include a pull loop or tab so you can
remove them without stressing the cable.
The motherboard is actually mounted in the
case with a series of screws through the
motherboard, seven in this case, all of
which must be removed. About the worst
thing that can happen when you're replacing
a motherboard is that one of the screws will
turn and turn without releasing. Normally,
this is due to the screw having been over-
tightened in a brass standoff, which comes
unscrewed from the motherboard pan and
remains attached to the screw. If you think
this is happening, proceed to removing the
rest of the screws first so you won't place
undo strain on the motherboard by flexing it

pg. 39
 up. If the standoff thread in the
motherboard pan is stripped, you can take
off the other side of the case and grab it
with vise grips from the back.
The final set of connections we have to deal
with are the front panel leads that attach to
the motherboard. This includes the LEDs
for hard drive activity and power status, the
case speaker, and most importantly, the
power switch. ATX systems use a logic
switch to tell the motherboard, which is
always receiving a trickle of power from the
ATX power supply, to power full on. These
are all small format connectors that easily
pull off, and frankly, the power switch is
the only one you really need to reconnect
when you replace the motherboard, the
other's are bells and whistles.
Once all the connections to the motherboard
are removed and the screws are all out, you
can lift the motherboard a little and pull it
away from the back of the case, where the
connectors of the I/O core protrude through
the shield (left). Once you disengage the
I/O core, you can lift the motherboard right
out of the case. I usually hold onto a PCI
slot and the CPU heatsink, there's just no
room to get your fingers on the edges of the
motherboard in most cases (below). That
pretty much covers the removal phase of
replacing a motherboard, so skip over to
how to install a new motherboard

Next we must assemble the new motherboard

Here are the steps:

pg. 40
 The process of replacing the motherboard began
with removing the old motherboard. Now it's time to
compare the old motherboard with the replacement
motherboard to see how the physically match. I've
pulled the I/O core shield out of the back of the case,
and I've placed it on the I/O core of the old
motherboard. You can see (if the flash isn't blinding
you:-) that the old I/O core didn't have a game port
or integrated sound, which the new motherboard
supports. New motherboards should always ship
with their own I/O shield, but with a second-hand
replacement like we're using here, you have to make
due. Fortunately, the old I/O shield has punch-outs
in the proper locations.

You need to exercise a bit of common sense when

removing sharp pieces of tin from a flimsy shield.
While pliers may seem like a good idea, you want to
control the amount of force carefully, it doesn't take
much to stretch the shield so that it will never fit on
the motherboard I/O core properly. I worked the
game port cover out with my fingers, and now I'm
using a screwdriver to pop out the tabs over the
sound jacks for mic, line and speakers. Once the
metal tab is standing up, one or two bends is enough
to break it off.

pg. 41
 After we double check that the I/O shield now fits
over the new I/O core, we install it in the case. It's
always a two handed job, the only thing that secures
the shield is the spring force on the dimples around
the edges, and of course, the motherboard, once the
ports protrude through the shield. You need to get
the shield firmly fixed in place because otherwise it
will just slip when you're trying to align the
motherboard ports and making installing the
motherboard a pain.

Here I've stood the new motherboard up in the case

to compare the locations of the holes in the
motherboard with the standoffs in the case. In this
particular instance, it happens that all seven of the
installed standoffs aligned properly with holes in the
motherboard (thanks to a standard ATX form factor)
so we didn't have to do anything. The main trick is to
count the standoffs before installing the motherboard,
count out a like number of screws, and make sure
you use all of them to secure the motherboard.

pg. 42
 The motherboard is installed into the case on an
angle, with the back edge and the I/O core going
first. Once the I/O core is properly aligned with the
shield, you can push the ports through the openings
and set the motherboard down on the standoffs.
Check for wires and cables having been caught
below the motherboard before you start securing it
with screws.

We counted out seven screws to match the number of

standoffs in the case, and now we are going to use
every one of those screws to secure the motherboard.
If there's a screw leftover when you're done, it means
that there's a metal standoff that didn't end up under a
hole in the motherboard, and is probably waiting for
you to plug in the power and burn up the replacement
motherboard. In other words, if you didn't use up all
the screws, take the motherboard back out and count
again. If you counted right, you need to visually
inspect the motherboard and the standoff locations,
figure out which one isn't being used, and remove it.

pg. 43
 I like to make the most important motherboard
connection first, and that's the power switch. It's
normally labeled "PW SW" or "Power SW" and the
motherboard will be labeled with "PW SW", "P-
ON" "PW" or something similarly cryptic. You
won't hurt anything if you attach the power switch to
the wrong connector in the block, but you won't get
the PC to turn on either. I went ahead and connected
the rest of the front panel leads to the motherboard,
but you really don't need to. Nobody uses reset
switches or keyboard locks anymore, most
motherboards have a built in piezoelectric speaker,
and who cares about LED's.

Now it's time to load the adapters back in, in no

particular order. I did the PCI adapters first, starting
with the modem, and I even reinstalled the sound
card even though the replacement motherboard had
integrated sound. Last was the AGP adapter, which
fortunately was compatible with the new
motherboard. If you were doing a serious
motherboard upgrade, with PCI Express or AGP 8X
video, you'd need a new video card as well.

pg. 44
 As soon as all the adapter are in place, secure them
all with a single hold down screw on the back rail. It
pays to do them all at once since the exact
dimensions of each card and motherboard vary a
little, which means if you installed the adapters and
secured them one at a time, you might have to
loosen the screws up later to get another adapter to
seat in the motherboard. Just make sure you inspect
the way the adapters are seated in the motherboard
when you're done, that inserting the screw didn't
force the back of the adapter down so far that the
front popped out, especially with AGP cards.

Standard ATX motherboards all use the 20 pin ATX

power connector, but newer motherboards for
Pentium 4 and Athlon 64 will always require at least
one more connection, often a 2x2 12V header,
sometimes an addition 1x4 lead, as the type used for
the drives

All that's left is reconnecting all the drive cables,

power and data, that we undid when removing the
old motherboard (left). The recent ATA ports are
color coded for use with 80 wire cables and auto
selecting master/slave on ATA drives. If you have
serial ATA (SATA) drives, it's even easier, just one
slim data cable per drive. Plenty more details for the
individual component is available in the other
replacing parts pages on this site if you get a little
lost. Below we finish the job off with a cable tie,
just to neaten up the case a little and encourage
better air circulation.

pg. 45
WEEK 8

Replacing the CPU:

One of the most items that is continuously upgraded is the processor (CPU).

When choosing to upgrade a CPU you must know the performance of it compared to
the older one. For instance, you should not replace an Intel 2.4 GHz CPU with 512 KB
cache memory with an Intel 2.8 GHz with 256 cache.

The following steps depict the process of replacing the CPU, they show replacing an
AMD Athlon processor.

Despite the high clock speeds and

high heat dissipation of modern CPU,
out-and-out CPU failure is a fairly
rare occurrence. Replacing a CPU
isn't particularly challenging if you've
done it before, but it can be a little
intimidating for the first timer..

pg. 46
The first step to replace a CPU is to remove the
heatsink. All modern CPU's require an active
heatsink, a chunk of finned heat-conductive metal
with a cooling and mounted on top. The leading
cause of CPU failure is probably fan failure, since
the CPU can overheat and sustain damage if
there's not enough cooling air flowing over the
fins. The only rule of thumb for removing
heatsinks is to study the latching mechanism then
use your thumb to release it.

A standard Socket A heatsink is

latched on both sides, but as soon as
you release the main spring force by
doing the easy side, the other side
will fall off as you lift the heatsink
away from the CPU. You can see the
dried out (not so good) thermal
compound on our old Athlon as we
lift away the heatsink. You can just
see the same dried out crud on the
bottom of the heatsink at this angle.

All modern CPUs since the inception of Socket 7

back in the early 90's have used ZIF (Zero
Insertion Force) sockets, where the CPU legs are
locked in place by moving a locking lever. To
remove the Athlon CPU, we first have to release
the locking lever and lift it up to the vertical
position. The Athlon CPU is then lifted straight
out of the socket (below). Also below, to the right,
we show the keying on two corners of the socket
and the CPU that prevents you from installing it
improperly.

pg. 47
The new Athlon CPU we are installing here isn't a
new CPU at all, it's a "pull", a CPU that's been
removed from a system. When you shop for a
replacement CPU to install on an older
motherboard, you'll see that the prices are super
low and most are identified as "pulls. The Athlon
is installed in the socket and locked into place
with the locking lever, which is pulled a little
away from the side of the socket to get past the
locking nub.

pg. 48
 Now comes the critical step. All
modern CPUs require some sort of
thermal material be added to the die
to improve the thermal interface with
the heatsink. The purpose of a
thermal compound, like this Arctic
Silver Ceramique, is to fill in the
microscopic voids in both the CPU
die and the metal bottom of the
heatsink. You down't want to drown
the CPU in thermal compound, just
use enough (many manufacturers
define the amount as a large grain of
rice or a small pea) so when the
heatsink presses down on it, it will
spread over the die.

That's it, time to reinstall the heatsink by first

latching the far side of the retaining spring over
the center nub on the opposite side of the socket.
You can see it latched on here between the
capacitors, which makes this the "poor access"
side and the reason we install the CPU heatsink
retainer on this side first.

Next we do the hard side, which

we've mad a lot easier by pulling the
power supply first:-) With the active
heatsink in place, the final step is
reconnecting the power to the
heatsink fan (below) to the CPU fan
point on the motherboard. It's critical
you connect it to the proper point
which the BIOS manages for low
power and sleep modes.

pg. 49
WEEK 9
Installation procedure for SCSI drive
The five steps to installing a SCSI hard drive are;

1. Setting the jumper configuration

2. Connect the Data cable
3. Connect the Power cable
4. Define drive parameters at the SCSI Host Adapter. (default or
automatic choices are best)
5. Partitioning and formatting.

Before you begin, you must remove static electricity. This can be avoided by
simply touching the metal case of your PC. You must have the computer
plugged-in for this to be effective.

- Jumper Configuration

All SCSI devices inlcude 3 jumpers in order to define the drive's SCSI ID
string. Please refear to your SCSI hard disk manual for setting the proper
jumper ID. If case 2 devices have the same ID, during boot-up process, the
system will not detect them (and probably will not proceed). On a Quantum
SCSI drive there are two locations for drive options. Most Quantum SCSI
drives have an option connector at the front and back of the drive. Use only
one jumper option connector and be sure to orient the jumpers correctly.

pg. 50
Note: ID 7 is normally used by the SCSI Host Adapter.
Each SCSI device on the bus must have a unique SCSI ID number. The
drive can be configured for SCSI ID numbers that range from 0 through 15.
Set the SCSI ID for the drive at the 12-pin Option connector or the 28-pin
Secondary Option connector. Jumper locations are shown. Refer to your
system or SCSI Host Adapter documentation for recommendations about
assigning SCSI ID numbers for your specific system.

- SCSI Termination Power

To ensure that there is a sufficient level of power along the entire SCSI bus,
we recommend that all devices on the SCSI bus supply Termination Power
(if they are capable). SCSI devices are protected by a diode or similar
semiconductor, to prevent back flow of the terminator power when more
than one device supplies this power. Configure the drive to provide
Termination Power by installing a jumper across the appropriate connector
on the Secondary Option Connector located on the front of the drive. Most
drives intended for File Servers have features of minimal value in a PC
configuration. For the most part, these minimal use features are disabled by
default. These options include Spin Delay, Force Narrow mode, and others.
They can typically be ignored. It is important to confirm whether a function
is enabled or disabled. That is, it needs a jumper in place, or off, before
proceeding further.
pg. 51
- Power Cable

Power cables must be connected correctly and securely. The System power
supply must be rated to accept today's 7,200 and 10,000 RPM drives. Spin
up /down errors may result. See your system manufacturer to confirm the
power source is rated for today's high speed drives. To insure proper
connection the power cable connector
is keyed so that the connector can only
fit onto the drive's four power pins
correctly. After you insure pin
alignment, firmly push the cable into
place.

Data Cable

There are many types of SCSI cables-internal

and external. Usually the cable supplied with the
SCSI controller is adequate. If you're using both
internal and external cables, be sure all cable
sets are from the same manufacturer.
Mismatched cable independence ratings causes
signal reflections. If you are using a SCSI LVD
drive, 'twisted pair' cable sets and system level
(cable attached) terminators should be used.

Poor quality cables result in

excessive error correction.
Refer to your SCSI controller
manufacturer or system
manufacturer for details on
choice of SCSI cables and
terminator. It is commonly said
pg. 52
over 90% of SCSI errors can be traced to inattention to SCSI cable and
termination concerns.

When properly connected both the power and data cables will present a snug
secure connection to the drive. When connecting the data cable you want to
make sure that Pin # 1 on the SCSI host adapter is connected to Pin # 1 on
the drive. Data cables have a stripped edge to help facilitate this
configuration. Pin # 1 on the SCSI host adapter should be well marked but if
you cannot find it you will need to reference your Motherboard manual or
contact the SCSI host adapter manufacture. Pin # 1 of the data cable
interface on a Quantum SCSI hard drive is always located next to the power
connector. The red stripe on the data cable should be facing the red wire of
the power connection when properly attached to the drive.

Standard SCSI flat ribbon (Teflon) data cable

Ribbon data cable is commonly used internally, on SCSI Single Ended

drives. If you are installing only a single drive, place it at the end of the data
cable. Consult your SCSI Host Adapter documentation or system
manufacture for details on SCSI cable placement.

SCSI LVD (Low voltage differential) Twisted-pair cable.

Twisted pair data cables and system level (external) bus termination is
required for LVD drives running at SCSI Ultra2 or Ultra3 speeds. A twisted
pair cable set has greater immunity to signal (cross-talk) interference.
System level termination allows easy exchange of SCSI peripherals without
regard to bus termination concerns.

When properly connected, both the power and data cables present a snug and
secure connection to the drive. SCSI data cables typically have a missing pin
pg. 53
to help identify correct orientation. (In some cases the connector is keyed),
but if you cannot locate it, you must reference your System manual or
contact the SCSI Host Adapter manufacturer for assistance.

68 pin Twisted Pair Data Cable

Active LVD Terminator

Once you have installed jumpers on the drive(s), and data and power cables
connected, turn on the PC (but leave the cover off). Listen to the hard drive
to be sure the disks are spinning.

Define the drive in the system's SCSI Host Adapter

A SCSI Host Adapter of recent build, with BIOS support for Logical Block
Addressing (LBA) generally can detect the full physical capacity of today's
large capacity hard drives (>8.4 GB). If you are unsure of your SCSI host
adapter's ability to detect the drive or its full capacity, consult your PC
manufacturer or SCSI host adapter documentation to determine if it supports
of large capacity hard disk drives. A BIOS or ASPI driver update may be
needed.

There are many ways to configure your SCSI device(s) and host adapter
setting according to your needs. It is impossible to mention every variation.
For the purposes of this section, we'll focus on installation of a hard drive in
a PC compatible system with a DOS/ Windows 9x configuration. Your

pg. 54
computer system or host adapter vendor is the best resource for the latest
product information on device driver support, cable, and SCSI termination
concerns.

SCSI Host Adapter BIOS

Partition and Format

The final step to preparing a drive for use is to partition and format it.
Partitioning the drive defines the storage area and prepares the drive to
accept data. Formatting sets up the File Allocation Table (FAT).

At this point you will need to decide what Operating System you will be
installing. For Win9x Operating Systems you will use fdisk.exe to partition
the drive and format.com to format. If you will be installing Win NT,
partitioning and formatting is part of the Operating System installation
process. If you use fdisk.exe from Win95 second edition, Win98, or Win2000
the
"Large
Drive"
screen
will be
the first
page

pg. 55
displayed.

Large Drive Screen

Answering Yes will create a 32bit FAT (File Allocation Table). FAT 32 will
support partitions sizes up to two terra bytes. If you answer No, a 16bit FAT
will be created which allows for only two GB partition sizes. Once you
answer Y or N the next screen displayed is the fdisk main menu.

Fdisk Main
Menu Option
Screen

1. Menu Item
#1 is used to
create Pri DOS, Logical, and Extended partitions.
2. Menu Item #2. is used to set a Pri DOS partition Active. A partition
must be set Active in order to make it bootable.
3. Menu Item #3. is used to delete Pri DOS, Logical, Extended, and
Non-DOS partitions.
4. Menu Item #4. is used to display partition information.
5. Menu Item #5. is viewable only if you have two or more SCSI drives
installed in the system. It is used to toggle between the drives.

After you have created your partition it will need to be formatted. If the
drive you are installing is the C: drive you will need to boot from a floppy
that has a copy of fdisk.exe, so you can create the partition, and a copy of
format.com that you will use to format the partition. At the A: prompt you
would enter;
format C:/s (the /s copies the system files to the hard drive).

pg. 56
 If you are installing a second, third, or forth drive you would, at the C:
prompt type format and the drive letter of the partition(s) you just created
followed by a colon.

For example if you just installed a second hard drive and made two
partitions on it you would type

format D: at the C: prompt.

When that partition is done formatting you would then type;

format E: (for the second partition)

Troubleshooting Checklist for SCSI Drives

SCSI checklist
For DOS, Windows, and OS/2 operating systems

1. SCSI ID (device address jumper settings):

• Each device must have a unique SCSI ID.
• Recommended SCSI ID for the boot device is 0.

2. Interface type:
• If you have more than one SCSI device on the cable, make sure that all
devices are of the same type.
• High Voltage Differential (HVD) SCSI devices are not compatible with
Single Ended (standard) or Low Voltage Differential (LVD) SCSI
devices.

3. Termination:
• SCSI systems should have termination at both ends of the cable. Make
sure that the controller terminates one end of the cable and that a drive
supplies termination at the other end. If a drive doesn't have onboard
termination, a terminator should be placed on the last connector of the
cable.
• Make sure that there is no extra cable after the terminator at the end.
• Any device attached that is not at the end of the cable must have internal
termination disabled.
• For adapters with multiple SCSI ports with differing performance, ALL
ports must be correctly terminated.
pg. 57
 • For adapters with a common port with both internal and external
connections in use, DO NOT enable termination on the controller.
• Narrow (50 pin) devices SHOULD NOT be connected at the end of a wide
(68 pin) SCSI cable. A terminator in a 50 pin SCSI device cannot provide
the correct termination for the unused data lines.
• Using a 68-50 pin cable converter to connect a 68 pin disk drive to a 50
pin SCSI adapter could cause problems because the 68-50 pin cable
converter leaves 18 of the 68 pins on the disk drive without termination.

Resolution:
Place the 68 pin drive at the end of the bus and set the jumpers for the
drive for active termination which provides termination to all 68 pins. If
the drive does not provide termination, the converter should provide on
board termination so that all unused lines are terminated.

• The termination for a drive should match the interface type of drive. For
example, Single Ended drives should use Single Ended terminators.

4. Cables and connectors:

• Check that the cables are seated tightly and that no pins are bent.
• If possible, try replacing the cable and terminators and use the drive's
internal termination.
• Make sure that pin 1 of the cable is plugged into pin 1 of the SCSI
connector. Pin 1 on the SCSI cable is normally identified by a red or red-
striped wire. This is especially important if you are using cables or
connectors (on the SCSI adapter) that are not keyed. The connectors on
our drives have a slotted key to prevent you from plugging the cable in
backwards but not all SCSI cables are made with a key.

5. Ensure that the drive is jumpered to enable auto start when power is applied.

6. Try resetting the SCSI adapter defaults:

• Enable "Reset IC Initialization"
• Disable "plug and play" SCAM support
• Enable "Unit Start" command
• Enable Synchronous and Wide negotiations if available

pg. 58
7. Ensure that the drive is jumpered to disable sync negotiations.

8. Does the drive spin up and remain spinning?

9. Does the SCSI adapter recognize the drive during boot up?

10. Check that the cable lengths are within the ANSI specification for the
interface transfer rate used and the number of devices installed on the bus.

11. If the drive is attached through a removable carrier, try removing the drive
from the carrier and attaching the drive directly to the bus.

12. If you are using a narrow bus/cable (50 pin) with a wide (68 pin) device and a
wide SCSI adapter, try disabling wide negotiation in the adapter settings.

13. LVD devices are backward compatible to Single Ended adapters as long as
the system and the drives are configured correctly. When attaching LVD
devices to Single Ended, Wide or Narrow adapters, the following applies:
• LVD hard disk drives have no termination on the drive.
• You must provide termination externally, either from another device or
from a separate termination block.
• Depending on how the adapter handles the "Diff Sense" line on the
interface, you may need to set the jumper on the drive to Force Single
Ended mode.

14. On multi-channel SCSI adapters, do not use more than two channels off each
adapter.

15. In RAID environments, it is important to disable SCAM.

• Disable at the adapter, if available.

• Disable at the drive. This is only necessary with the DORS-3xxxx,
DCAS-3xxxx and DDRS-3xxxx family of SCSI drives. Newer drives
have SCAM disabled as default or removed completely.

pg. 59
 WEEK 10

Replacing Mass Storage

The main mass storage device in any PC is the hard disk. If we ever want to choose a
newer hard disk then we must take into consideration the following:

1- The manufacturer of the hard disk

2- capacity of the newer hard disk (in GB)
3- speed (in rpm)
4- seek time (in milliseconds)

Hard disk normally sits in a cage like the

following. It has two screws from each side of the
cage.

Hard Drive in Cage

Hard drives in PCs are either mounted in fixed

cages (as above), in removable drive cages, or on
rails. The standard method in older clones was
fixed cages, these being the cheapest to build and
the hardest to work with. The problem is that
while the two screws on the front side are
exposed and easily removed, as shown to the left,
the two screws on the back side or hidden within
the case infrastructure and in some instances,
even blocked by the motherboard! So keep in
mind that you have to remove four screws to
replace your hard drive.
Removing Hard Drive Mounting Screws

pg. 60
Once the screws are all removed, the hard drive is
sitting in the bottom of the cage. This won't
always be the situation, some really cheap cages
are open at the bottom, so the instant the last screw
is removed the drive drops if you aren't holding
on. Oddly enough, this is the most critical stage of
replacing a hard drive, in the sense that removing
the drive through the case where the ribbon cables
are bunched up and over the CPU and heatsink is
most likely to create another problem. If the cables
are long enough, you can leave them attached to
the hard drive as you slide it out, but don't try
pulling through a mess, clear a path first.
Removing Hard Drive

Once the hard drive is out, you can remove the

broad ribbon cable which carries the data and the
4x1 power cable. The ribbon cable is sometimes
secured in place with a glob of glue or silicon to
prevent it from working out of the drive due to
vibrations. The cable is often keyed properly to
the drive, but if not, the important thing is to get
the red wire on the Pin 1 location. The power
connector is often tough to remove just because
it's a tight fit. Work it back and forth gently along
the long axis, making sure you aren't flexing the
circuit board as you do so. The jumpers for
Master/Slave are between the two cables.
Remove IDE Cable

When you replace or upgrade any hard drive, you

want to make sure that the jumper settings for
Master/Slave selection on older drives are set
correctly. The correct setting, in case of replacing
a drive, means they should be set the same way
they were on the old drive. In this case, the CD
drive is installed on its own cable and controller,
so the proper setting was "Single" (same as Master
on most drives) and didn't need changing. These
setting are normally shown on the label on the face
of the drive, as to the right.

pg. 61
 Install IDE Cable

Again, since hard drive are three dimensional

objects and fairly large relative to the size of the
computer case, you have to clear plenty of room
behind the cage to slide the drive straight in. Any
time that you replace a hard drive and have new
problems, like a CD that doesn't work or a new
noise in the case, the culprit is usually a ribbon
cable that's gotten loose on the controller while
you were installing the hard drive, or a cable
that's now hitting a fan. Install four screws (three
is actually plenty) and the physical part of the job
is over.
Replace Hard Drive in Cage

Install Hard Drive Mounting Screws

pg. 62
WEEK 11

Practical 1
COMPUTER ASSEMBLING
ASSEMBLING AND DISASSEMBLING
DISASSEMBLING

OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES

6. Disassemble the PC desktop/tower Computer System

7. Identification of various composite components

8. Verify the correct interface cable

9. Assemble the PC desktop/tower Computer System

10. Boot up the System

RESOURCES

6. Quality screwdriver, Tester, Soldering Iron,

7. Desktop/tower Computer System

8. Operating system Windows XP or higher version installed

9. Utility programs

10. Multimeter or AVO meter for measuring Ampere,Voltage and Ohmeter

DISCUSSION

You must start the computer to verify that it is working properly. Then Disassemble and

Assemble the PC. You will go through ALL the steps of disassembling except actually

taking out the drives and the Motherboard out of the system unit.

pg. 63
PROCEDURE

2. Boot up the pc (cold Booting)

(e) Put ON the PC by pushing the power button

(f) The PC will boot to Graphical users interface, Windows XP or higher version

(g) Use the path Start/Shut Down to shut down

(h) Click on Turn OFF to finally Shut Down

NOTE: the computer will shut down Windows and the power will turn off

automatically.

2. IDENTIFY THE ADAPTER CARDS

(j) Unplug the power cord from the back of the PC

(k) Remove the screw on the back panel of the PC cover

pg. 64
(l) Take the cover or the side panel off.

(m) Identify the video card. It is the one that the monitor is plugged into.

Figure 1-2 Removing the PC cover

(n) Write down the slots the video card is plugged into in Table 1-1.Slots are

numbered from right to left starting from slot 1

pg. 65
(o) Identify the modem card. It is the card with the two telephone ports at the back

of it.

(p) Write down the slots the modem card is plugged into in Table 1-1

(q) Identify the network card. It is the card with the oversize phone ports. This is

really a network port called RJ-45 or 10-base-T port.

(r) Write down the slots the network card is plugged into in Table 1-1

3. DISCONNECT EXTERNAL CABLES

Figure: !-4
(g) Disconnect the keyboard from the back of the computer

(h) Disconnect the PS/2 or Serial mouse

(i) Disconnect the phone cable (if any )

(j) Disconnect the RJ-45 network cable (if any )

(k) Disconnect the printer cable (if any )

(l) Disconnect the monitor cable

pg. 66
4. DISCONNECT INTERNAL CABLE

(a) Disconnect the IDE ribbon cable from the hard drive

(b) Disconnect the IDE ribbon cable from the CD-ROM

(c) Disconnect the IDE ribbon cable from the motherboard

(d) Disconnect the FDD ribbon cable from the floppy disk drive

(e) Disconnect the FDD ribbon cable from the motherboard

(f) Remove ALL the cable from the computer

5. DISCONNECT ALL Power supply connection

(a) Disconnect the power supply connector from the hard drive

(b) Disconnect the power supply connector from the CD-ROM

(c) Disconnect the power supply connector from the floppy

(d) Disconnect the power supply connector from the motherboard

6. Remove the adapter card

(a) Unscrew the video card from the back panel, and then remove it

(b) Unscrew the modem card from the back panel, and then remove it

(c) Unscrew the network card from the back panel, and then remove it

7. DISCONNECT ALL front panel connections

pg. 67
 Figure 1-5: Front Panel Connection
(a) Remove the power Switch connector

(b) List the color of the wire in Table 1-2

(c) Remove the speaker connector

(d) List the color of the wire in Table 1-2

(e) Remove the power LED connector

(f) List the color of the wire in Table 1-2

(g) Remove the hard drive channel 1 LED connector

(h) List the color of the wire in Table 1-2

(i) Remove the hard drive channel 2 LED connector

(j) List the color of the wire in Table 1-2

(k) Remove the reset switch connector

(l) List the color of the wire in Table 1-2

NOTE: Computer disassembly is now complete. Now let’s start to reassemble back the

computer

pg. 68
 8. Connecting the front panel connection

(a) Find the power LED connector and connect it to the motherboard where it is

- labeled Power LED. Go to Table 1-2 if needed

(b) Find the reset switch connector and connect it to the motherboard.

(c) Find the power switch connector and connect it to the motherboard

(d) Find the hard-disk LED channel 1 connector and connect it to the

motherboard

(e) Find the hard-disk LED channel 2 connector and connect it to the motherboard

(f) Find the speaker connector and connect it to the motherboard

9. Install the adapter cards

NOTE: Always make sure the cards are lined up properly with the slots. It will require a

firm push to get the card to reseat on the motherboard expansion slot

(a) Install the video card into the slot recorded in Table 1-1 and screw it into

the back panel

(b) Install the modem card into the slot recorded in Table 1-1 and screw it

into the back panel

(c) Install the network card into the slot recorded in Table 1-1 and screw it

into the back panel

pg. 69
 12. Connect the Power Supply

Figure 1-6: Connecting the Power Supply

NOTE: All the connectors are keyed to plug only in one way

(e) Plug the ATX or AT power connector into the motherboard

(f) Plug the power connector into the floppy disk drive

(g) Plug the power connector into the hard disk drive

(h) Plug the power connector into the CD-ROM

13. Connect the ribbon cables

(a) Connect the floppy disk drive to ribbon cable as in Figure 1-7

pg. 70
 Figure 1-7: Connecting the Ribbon Cable

(k) Connect the motherboard to ribbon cable, striped side to pin 1

(l) Connect the power cords to the PC

(m) Turn ON the PC

(n) Does the LED on the floppy turn ON immediately?

(o) Turn OFF the PC

(p) Unplug the power supply.

(q) If the answer is NO to step e above, skip to step j

(r) The cable is on backward if you answer YES to step e. Reconnect it correctly

(s) Connect the hard disk drive cable to motherboard in the primary IDE controller,

striped side to pin 1

(t) Plug the middle of the connector into the hard disk drive, striped side to pin 1, and

plug the end into the CD-ROM drive, striped side to pin 1

pg. 71
12. Connect the external cable

(a) Plug the keyboard into the lower connection. Make sure that the orientation is

correct. Otherwise you can bend the pins and ruin the keyboard.

(b) Plug the mouse into the port just below or beside the keyboard as the case may be.

Make sure that the orientation is correct

(c) Plug the monitor back into the video card. The connector is keyed in only one way.

Make sure that the orientation is correct; otherwise you can bend the pins and ruin the

monitor

(d) Plug in the power cord

(e) Replace the cover of the PC

(f) Screw in the cover screw

NOTE: reassemble is complete. You need to reboot the PC to see if it is still working

properly

13. Booting up the PC

(a) Put ON the PC by pushing the power button

(b) The PC will boot to Windows XP

(c) Use the path Start/Shut Down to shut down

(d) Click on Turn OFF to finally Shut Down

pg. 72
 Tables
Table1-1

Adapter card Slot

Video card

Modem card

network

Table1-2
Cable Color
Power switch:
Speaker:
Power led:
Ide 1st channel:
Ide 2nd channel:
Reset:

Lab questions
1. What does the color stripes on a disk drive’s signal cable indicator?
2. How do you shut down Windows XP?
3. How do you shut down NIC?
4. What will happen if you plug a floppy drive cable in backward?
5. How many wires are on the power connectors for a hard drive?

pg. 73
Answers………..

pg. 74
WEEK 12

LAB WORK 2
Measurements of electrical quantities on a

Computer

OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES

1. Measure Resistance on a speaker

2. Measure Voltage from a power supply

RESOURCES

1. PC desktop/tower Computer System

2. Digital Multimeter with Lead

3. A good fuse

4. A bad fuse

DISCUSSION

Here you will measure various electrical quantities on a computer. The Multimeter can be

used to measure resistance, current and potential across a circuit

Procedure

4. Resistance on a speaker

(f) Open the inside of the PC

(g) Rotate the Multimeter dial to 200 ohms

(h) Hold the Red lead on the exposed end of the Red wire that connect the systems’

speaker

pg. 75
 Figure 2-1: Power Supply Connector

(i) Hold the Black lead on the exposed end of the Black wire that connect the

systems’ speaker

(j) Record the reading of the meter in Table 2-1

5. Voltage

(f) Turn on the power of the PC

(g) Look for the 20-pin ATX power connector that in plugged into the motherboard.

It should look like the location 1 in Figure 2-1.

(h) Rotate the Multimeter dial to 20 Vdc

(i) Firmly secure the black connector to the Multimeter into a black connector of the

4-pin internal drive power connector as in location 2

pg. 76
 (j) Insert the Red Multimeter connector into each pin on the ATX connector and

record their various voltages in Table 2-2

NOTE: the pin number is small and may be labeled on the back wire of the connector.

The yellow wire should be one

(f) Check the voltage at each pin of the 4-pin internal drive power connector and

record the . values in Tables 2-3

(e) Turn off the PC

(f) Replace the side panel

6. fuses

(k) Obtain the two fuses; one good and one bad

(l) Rotate the Multimeter dial to 200 ohms

(m) Touch the two leads together and record the Multimeter reading in Table 2-4. You

now establishing a datum or zero point of no resistance

(n) Without touching the leads together, record the Multimeter reading in Table 2-5

(o) Place one lead on one and of the good fuse.

(p) Place the other lead on the other end of the good fuse. Make sure that your finger

or the leads are not touching each other

NOTE: The only path for electricity to flow is through the fuse

(q) Record the Multimeter reading in Table 2-6

(r) Place one lead on one and of the bad fuse

(s) Place the other lead on the other end of the bad fuse. Make sure that your finger

or the leads are not touching each other

NOTE: The only path for electricity to flow is through the fuse
pg. 77
(t) Record the Multimeter reading in Table 2-7

Tables
Table 2-1

Speaker Resistance

Table 2-2

ATX Voltage

Pin No. Voltage Pin No. Voltage

1 11

2 12

3 13

4 14

5 15

6 16

7 17

8 18

9 19

10 20

Table 2-3

4-Pin Internal Drive Power Connector Voltage

Pin No. Voltage Pin No. Voltage

1 3

2 4

Table 2-4

Zero Resistance

pg. 78
 Table 2-5

Maximum

Resistance

Table 2-6

Good Fuse

Resistance

Table 2-6

Bad Fuse

Resistance

Lab questions
1. What is the total range of Voltage across the power supply?
2. How many pins does an ATX power connector have?
3. What is the Multimeter used to measure?
4. What should be the resistance of a good fuse?

pg. 79
Answers………..

pg. 80
pg. 81
WEEK 13

LAB WORK 3
Troubleshooting the IDE on a Computer

OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES

1. Explore IDE cable Configuration

2. Explore IDE device Master/Slave Jumper Setting

RESOURCES

1. PC desktop/tower Computer System

2 Faulted hardware component- faulted IDE cable

DISCUSSION

The setting of the various drives comprises the Master/Slave format. The Master/Slave

setting will normally Master if the unit is the primary or the only HDD in the system.

This is called the default setting, that is, from the factory. The CD-ROM will be the Slave

unit by default.

Hard drives are very sensitive to physical damage. If a Hard drive drops from your hand

from about 4 inches above the table, there is no guarantee that it will still work. The hard

drive’s head will crash on the disk and will create bad or unreadable sectors, especially if

sector 0 is involved. Then the drive table and information will be lost and drive will be

unusable.

Procedure

1. Standard configuration

pg. 82
(a) Refer to the HDD documentation to determine the Drive Select or Master/Slave

jumper setting

(b) Obtain the drive’s parameter information from the driver or information booklet and

record it in Table 3-1

(c) Check to make sure that ALL the screws are secured in the drive and that it is not

loosed. See Figure 3-1

Figure 3-1: Hard Drive Mounting Screws are Secure

NOTE: IDE drives use a signal wide signal cable’s you know from lab 1, the signal cable

must be aligned correctly at both the drive and controller ends. The strip must be aligned

with #1 pin at both ends. All new cables are keyed to prevent backwards installation.

(d) Verify the connection of the signals cable to the HDD, the CD-ROM, and the

HDD controller on the mother board .

(i) Turn on the computer.

(j) Press DELETE to enter CMOS when prompted.

(k) Go into standard CMOS setup.

pg. 83
(l) The primary master should be the HDD. Press ENTER to verify it is set to

“AUTO”.

(m) Make sure all other hard drives are set up for Auto deletion, and be sure the

“Access mode” is also set to Auto. Change the settings if they are not set to Auto.

(n) Press ESC to view the Main menu.

(o) Press F10, Y, and ENTER to save and exit CMOS.

(p) Verify that the computer boots up to the Microsoft Windows XP.

(q) Turn the computer off.

2. MASTER IDE devices

(a) Connect the CD-ROM and hard disk drive to the same ribbon cable (the original

HDD cable). Verify that the hard disk drive is set to master on the Drive

Select jumper. Verify the CD-ROM to the Master setting also on the Drive Select

jumper.

(b) Turn the computer on.

(c) Write the result in table 3-2.

(d) Turn the computer off

3. Master CD-ROM, slave HDD

(a) Change the jumper on the hard disk drive on the slave settings.

(b) Turn the computer on.

(c) Press DELETE to enter CMOS.

(d) Enter standard CMOS setup.

pg. 84
 (e) Note the differences in Table 3-3.

(f) Press F10, Y, and ENTER to save and exit CMOS.

(g) Write the results in Table 3-4.

(h) Turn off the computer.

7. Master HDD, Slave CD-ROM

(a) Change the CD-ROM Drive Select jumper back to the Slave position.

(b) Change the hard drive jumper back to the Master position.

(c) Turn the computer on.

(d) Record the result in table 3-5.

(e) Turn the computer off.

As you can see, it does not matter which drive is set to Master as long as there is one

drive set to Master .However , if the slave device had been a hard drive instead of a

CD-ROM the computer would have tried to boot from the IDE-0 every time. If it was

not bootable you would have received an error message.

8. Incorrect IDE cable orientation

(a) Unplug the 80-pin cable from the CD-ROM and HDD.

(b) Plug the 40-wire CD-ROM cable into the HDD.

(c) Turn the computer on.

(d) Write the results in Table 3-6.

(e) Turn the computer off.

pg. 85
 9. Return all cables and jumper to their original

configuration.

TABLES

Table 3-1

HDD PARAMETER FROM INFORMATION BOOK OR

STICKER

Cylinder Heads Sectors

Table 3-2

Table3-3

Table3-4

Table 3-5

pg. 86
 Table 7-6

Table7-7

LAB QUESTIONS

1. Before exchanging a hard disk what should be done first?

2. Name two configurations for HDD jumper settings used in the lab.

3. What is the default setting for a CD-ROM from the factory?

4. If you have two drives, one a master and the other a slave, does it

matter which device is plugged into the center or end of an ide cable?

5. If two hard drives are both set to slave on one cable, WHAT WILL

HAPPEN?

pg. 87
Answers………..

pg. 88
pg. 89
 WEEK 14

LAB WORK 4
Troubleshooting hardware of a Computer

OBJECTIVE

1. Unplug The Keyboard.

2. Unplug The Mouse.

3. Disable The L2 Cache.

4. Unplug The Video Card.

5. Unplug The Ram.

6. Unplug The FDD Interface Cable.

7. Unplug The Power To FDD, CD-ROM , HDD , and The Mother Board.

RESOURCES

1. PC-compatible desktop /tower computer system

2. Fault hardware components:-user supplied fault hardware components

(defective mouse, defective DIMM module, defective FDD cable

,defective power connector)

DISCUSSION

This lab will familiarize you with some of the error associated with bad devices. You will

receive different messages from the computer depending on which device has a problem

.You will explore a fault with IDE connectivity various no –signal problems

pg. 90
Procedure

. 1. Establish the “halt on” setting in the cmos setup utility

(a) Turn ON the PC

(b) Press the DELETE key to enter the CMOS setup Utility

(c) Press the ENTER key to enter the Standard CMOS setup

(d) Change the Halt On: setting to All errors, and press the ESC key

(e) Press the F10 key and ENTER key to save the change and exit the CMOS

Setup Utility

. 2. Keyboard

Figure 4-1

(a) Verify that the PC is off; if it is not, shut it down.

(b) Unplug the keyboard connector from the back of the PC as shown in Figure 4-1

(c) Put on the PC

(d) Record your observation about any error given in Table4-1

(e) Put off the PC

pg. 91
 (f) Plug in the keyboard

3. Mouse

Figure 4-2: Unplug the Mouse

Unplug the mouse connector from the back of the PC as shown in Figure 4-2

(a) Plug in the faulted mouse

(b) Put on the PC

(c) Let the PC boot to Windows XP desktop

(d) Move the mouse and record your observation in Table 4-2

(e) Make sure that “Shut Down” is selected from the Start button

(f) Click on Turn Off to put off the PC

(g) Replace the original mouse

pg. 92
. 4. L2 Cache

(a) Turn on the PC and press DELETE to enter CMOS setup

(b) Use the arrow keys to browse to L2 Cache, usually in Advance settings

NOTE: the L2 Cache is sometimes called the External Cache

(c) Disable L2 Cache by pressing the +/- key or by pressing ENTER and using the

arrow keys

(d) Save settings and exit CMOS Setup

(e) Boot the PC to Windows XP

(f) Record your observation in Table4-3

(g) Restart the PC and enter CMOS Setup as before

(h) Repeat Steps b-d, only this time, Enable L2 Cache

(i) Put off the PC

. 5. Video card

(a) Remove the side panel of the PC

(b) Unplug any external connection to the video card

(c) Unscrew the mounting screw of the video card

(d) Pull the card out of the slot, either a PCI or AGP slot as shown in Figure 4-3

(e) Turn the PC on and record you observation in Table 4-4

(f) Put off the PC

(g) Replace the Video card in it’s slot

(h) Replace the mounting screw.

(i) Replace any external connection.

pg. 93
 Figure 4-3: Unplug the Video Card

. 6. Ram

(a) Unplug All the external memory from the motherboard. Be careful with the clamps

on the ends of the memory slot as shown in Figure 4-4

Figure4-4 Unplug Memory

(b) Insert the faulted memory

(c) Put on the PC on and record your observation in Table 4-5

pg. 94
(d) Put off the PC

(e) Replace the memory in their original slot

7. Fdd interface

(a) Unplug the floppy-disk interface at the end connected to the floppy drive as

shown in Figure 4-5

Figure 4-5: Unplug Floppy Interface

(b) Plug in the faulted floppy interface

(c) Put ON the PC

(d) Record you observation in Table 4-7

(e) Put off the PC

(f) Replace the floppy drive power connector to it’s original location

pg. 95
9. Cd -rom power

(a) Unplug the power connector to the CD-ROM as in Figure 4-6. Don’t unplug the

interface cable

(b) Put ON the PC

Figure 4-6:CD-ROM Connection

(c) If the hard drive and CD-ROM are on the same cable, record the error of

the non-booting system in Table 4-8. Skip to Step i

(d) Once Windows has boot up, move the mouse and double-click on My

Computer

(e) Record the icon listed on the right in Table 4-9

pg. 96
 (f) Close My Computer by clicking the X in the top right part of the Window.

(g) Shut down Windows by clicking Start/Shut Down and Turn Off.

(h) Put off the PC and replace the CD-ROM power connector into it’s

original location

10. HDD power

(a) Unplug the power connector to the HDD as in Figure 4-7.

(b) Put on the PC on and record your observation in Table 4-10

(c) Put off the PC and replace the HDD power connector

Figure 4-7: Hard Drive Connections

11. Motherboard

(a) Unplug the motherboard power connector to the HDD as in Figure 4-8

(b) Put on the PC on and record your observation in Table 4-11

(c) Put off the PC and replace the motherboard power connector

pg. 97
 Figure 4-8: Power Connectors

TABLES

Table 4-1

No Keyboard Connected

Table 4-2

No mouse Connected

Table 4-3

L2 Cache Disable

Table 4-4

pg. 98
No Video Adapter

Table 4-5

No Memory

Table 4-6

No Floppy Drive Interface

Table 4-7

No Floppy Drive Power

Table 4-8

No CD-ROM Drive Power

Table 4-9

My Computer Content

able 4-10

No Hard Drive Power

Table 4-11

No Power to Motherboard

pg. 99
 LAB QUESTIONS

1. What type of Mouse did you use?

2. How many Memory modules did you remove?

3. What slot does your Video Card use?

4. What item do you think was missing from My Computer during the CD-

ROM steps?

5. Why do you think there are different results between

(a) a non-power CD-ROM set to Slave with a hard drive as Master on one

cable

(b) a non-power CD-ROM set to Master on it’s own?

pg. 100
Answers………..

pg. 101
 WEEK 15

LAB WORK 5
Upgrading/Overclocking the CPU

OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES

1. Install a CPU on a Motherboard.

2. Employ different clock frequency.

RESOURCES

1. PC-compatible desktop /tower computer system

DISCUSSION

This lab will familiarize you with upgrading a CPU. The process is fairly simple with

today’s auto -detecting motherboard. When you are Upgrading a CPU, you need to be

concern with the Voltage, Internal Frequency, and FSB (Front Side Bus). The internal

frequency is determined by multiplying the PC’s BUS by a particular number. The

frequency specifications are usually written on the box the processor came in or on the

processor. You will physically remove a CPU and reinstall it as if it were a new

processor. Your motherboard may have Physical jumper’s settings for clock frequencies

or software-controllable settings in the BIOS. Overclocking can be dangerous to your PC

and may cause PC failure. It is recommended not to overclock more than 20% above the

recommended frequency. It is also important to have a good heat sink and fan on the

processor

Procedure

. 1. Remove the CPU from the Motherboard

pg. 102
 (a) Shut down the PC if in operation

(b) Put off the power supply

(c) Open the panel of the PC and lay the case horizontally

(d) Unplug the CPU cooling fan’s power connector

(e) Unclamp the cooling fan and the heat sink from the CPU as shown in Figure 5-1

Figure 5-1: CPU, Fan and Clamp

(f) Release the CPU by gently sliding the lever slightly away from the socket and
rotating the lever to - vertical
(g) Remove the CPU gently by being careful not to torch the PINS on the bottom of
the CPU. If you bend the pins, the CPU will be useless.

. 2. Install the CPU into the Motherboard

(a) Refer to the documentation to determine the Voltage, FSB, and internal frequency.

The processor may have internal frequency printed on it. Record the values in Table 5-1

pg. 103
 Figure 5-2: CPU in the Socket

(b) Reinsert the CPU into the socket as illustrated in Figure 5-2. Make sure you insert
correctly. Usually - two of the corner pins are missing in order to prevent
improper connection
(c) Close the clamping mechanism
(d) Clamp the cooling and heat sink on the processor and plug in its power connector.

. 3. CPU settings

(a) Verify that everything is properly connected and put on the PC

(b) Press the PAUSE key and record the values in Table 5-2

4. CPU overlocking

(a) Enter the BIOS setup by press DELETE

(b) Depending on the processor, you can change its clock frequency or multiplier to

attain higher performance from the processor. Select frequency Control and press

ENTER

(c) Select CPU Host Clock and press ENTER

pg. 104
(d) Increase the frequency to its nest highest setting

(e) Press ESC, F10, Y, and ENTER to save changes.

(f) Restart the PC and record the result in results in Table 5-3. if the PC does not start

you will need to reset the CMOS.

(g) If the CPU does not generate a higher frequency turn the multiplier back to its last

working settings.

(h) Restore all settings to their original state.

(i) Put the case back on the computer and set it back to its original position.

TABLES

Table 5-1

Documented CPU Parameter

Voltage

FSB

Internal Frequency

Table 5-2

CPU Parameter I Chipset Features Setup

CPU Name

CPU Speed

CPU Clock Frequency

CPU Clock Radio

pg. 105
 Table 5-3

Increase BUS Speed- Result

LAB QUESTIONS

1. What are two methods of settings frequencies on various motherboards?

Which one is yours?

2. How many pins are missings to prevent improper installation?

3. What was the smallest increment used to overclock the CPU?

4. What was the name of the menu for CPU settings in your particular

BIOS(if available)?

5. Is it possible to underclock a CPU?

pg. 106
Answers………..

pg. 107
pg. 108
pg. 109
 LAB WORK 6
Boot Sequence

OBJECTIVE

1. Show the boot sequence of the PC-compatible desktop/tower computer system.

2. See the extended memory count.

3. Change settings in CMOS.

4. Seethe LED sequence.

5. Detect hard disk drives.

6. Boot to operating system.

RESOURCES

1. PC-compatible desktop/tower computer system

2. Windows XP Installed

DISCUSSION

In this lab you will learn about the booting sequence of a computer, observing what the

computer checks before going on the next sequence of events. The sequence will be

manipulated so that it will either skip checking something or stop booting up because of a

diagnostic check.

You will learn how to set up hard drives easily in CMOS.

pg. 110
Procedure

1. Pausing the bootup process

(a.) Put on the PC: Depending on the video card in the system, you may see a video

ROM message flash on the screen. Some video cards display this message while

others do not.

If so this will tell you the video card type and amount of memory on the card as

in figure6-1.

Figure 6-1: Bootup Process Video ROM Message Screen

(b) When the computer is counting memory press the PAUSE key: The PAUSE

key allows you to pause the bootup process so that you can see some key processes

happening. Notice the bottom of the screen says you can press the DEL key to enter

setup or press the ESC key to bypass the memory test as shown in the figure 6-2. We

will be entering CMOS later. Notice at the bottom there is a CMOS BIOS date and

serial number; these would be useful in an upgrade.

pg. 111
 Figure 6-2: Boot-up Memory Test Complete

(c) Press the SPACE key to memory test.

(d) After the memory count is done a plug and play BIOS extension should pop up.

Press PAUSE and record the copyright date info in Table 6-1

(e) Press the SPACE key to continue.

(f) The plug and play BIOS should find a CD-ROM drive.

(g) Press the PAUSE key.

(h) Record the CD-ROM type and number in Table 6-2

(I) Press the SPACE key.

(j) A System Configuration box should come up, as shown in figure 6-3.

(k) Press the PAUSE key

(l.) This is the system information. Fill out Table 2-3 as completely as you can

pg. 112
 Figure 6-3: Systems Configuration

(m) Below the System Configuration box is a PCI device listing. In Table 6-4 write

down the Device No., Device Class, and IRQ numbers used for each device.

(n) Press the SPACE key to continue.

(o) The PC will boot Microsoft Windows XP

(p) Put off on the PC by flipping the power switch on the back of the power supply.

2. Standard CMOS Setup Utility

(a) Put on the PC.

(b) Press the DEL key when the PC is counting memory. The CMOS Setup Utility

screen appears as shown in figure 6-4.

(c) Press ENTER on standard CMOS features setup.

pg. 113
 Figure 6-4: CMOS Setup Utility Screen

(d) Here you can change the date, time, floppy-disk drive type, hard-disk drive

settings, video display type, and what errors to halt the boot process on.

(e) Use the DOWN ARROW key to highlight the halt on: area as shown in figure2-5

(f) Press the PAGE DOWN key to change the settings.

(g) Enter all possible options in Table2-5

Figure 6-5: Standard CMOS Features Screen

(h) Set it to halt on all errors.

(i) Press the ESC key to exit the standard CMOS features Setup screen.

pg. 114
 (j) Press F10 to save changes and exit CMOS.

(k) Press Y

(l) Press ENTER to confirm.

(m) Put off the PC.

(o) Unplug the keyboard.

(p) Put on the PC.

(q) Write the message from the screen into Table 6-6

(r). Put off the PC.

(s) Plug the keyboard in; make sure it is oriented the correct way.

3.. CMOS BIOS Features Setup

(a) Put on the PC.

(b) Press the DEL key to the enter CMOS setup.

(c) Press the DOWN ARROW key once to highlight Advanced BIOS features

setup.

(d) .Press ENTER. The BIOS features screen will appear as shown in figure 6-6.

(e) Check the bootup floppy seek; make sure that it is enabled. Press PAGE

DOWN to change.

(f) Move arrow to Quick Power on self-test.

(g) Press PAGE DOWN to disable it.

(h) Press the ESC key.

( I).Press F10 to save and exit CMOS.

(j). Press Y.

(k). Press ENTER to confirm.

pg. 115
 (l) Watch the memory test. Write down in Table 6-7 what is different from before.

(m) Press the DEL key after memory stops counting to enter CMOS setup.

(n) Arrow down to Advanced BIOS Features Setup.

(o) Press ENTER.

(p) Arrow down and change the Quick Power on self-test to Enabled.

(q) Press ESC.

(r) Press F10.to Save and Exit

(s) Press Y

(t) Press ENTER to confirm

(u) Put off the PC

4. The drive LED sequence

(a). Put on the PC.

(b) Watch the LED on the front of the case. Write down the order in which the

floppy disk drive . . LED and the hard disk drive LED come on in table 6-8

(c) Let the computer boot to MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP

(d). Press ENTER

(e). Click on start button.

(h) Click on shut down.

(i). Then shut down the PC

pg. 116
 TABLES

Table 6-1

Table 6-2

Table 6-3

System Information

CPU type Base Memory

Co-processor Extended Memory

CPU Clock Cache Memory

Drive A Display Type

Drive B Serial Port

Primary Master Parallel Port

Primary Slave Cache L2 Type

Secondary Master SDRAM at Rows

Secondary Slave EDO RAM at Row

Power Management Fast-Page Ram at

Row

pg. 117
 Table 6-4

System Configuration

Device No. Device Class IRQ No.

Table 6-5

Standard CMOS Setup

Halt On

Table 6-6

Keyboard Removed

Table 6-7

Quick Power on Self-Test Disable

pg. 118
 Table 6-8

Drive LED Sequence

LAB QUESTIONS

1. How do you enter a CMOS set up screen on most BIOS?

2. How do you Pause the bootup process?

3. What is the box called on bootup that has a lot of information about the computer?

4. How do you save changes and exit CMOS setup?

5. What does the Quick Power on Self-Test do?

pg. 119
Answers………..

pg. 120
pg. 121
 LAB WORK 7
CMOS Passwords and Resources

OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES

1. Use BIOS Features extended setup.

2. Use CMOS password.

3. Learn about power management settings.

4. Learn about integrated peripherals.

RESOURCES

1. PC-compatible desktop/tower computer system

2. Windows XP Installed

3. Phillip Screwdriver

DISCUSSION

CMOS settings may differ from Manufacturer to Manufacturer. Passwords for PC can

give you the necessary security for your PC. One of the biggest problems faced when

repairing PCs is CMOS password. You need to know what to do if the PC you are trying

to repair has a password and you don’t know what it is. The way to get around this is to

clear the CMOS settings. This will clear out the password, but it will also clear out any

custom settings that may has been set up

pg. 122
Procedure

1. Prepare the PC for adding a bootup password

(a) Start the PC

(b) Press DELETE to enter CMOS when prompted on the bottom of the screen

(c) Arrow down to Advance BIOS Features Setup and press ENTER

(d) Arrow down to highlight the Security option

(e) Press PAGE DOWN to change it from Setup to System as shown in Figure 7-1

Figure 7-1 Advance BIOS Features Screen

(f) Press ESC

(g) Press F10

(h) Press Y

(i) Press ENTER to save and exit CMOS. The PC will reboot

2. Setting up User password for CMOS entry

pg. 123
(a) Press CRTL+ALT+DELETE to reboot the PC

(b) Press the DELETE key when the PC is counting Memory.

(c) Arrow over and highlight Set User Password

(d) Press ENTER

(e) The Enter Password box will appear as in Figure 7-2

Figure 7-2 Enter Password Box

(f) Type hardware for user Password

(g) Press ENTER

(h) Type hardware again to confirm

(i) Press ENTER

(j) Press F10

(k) Press Y to save and exit CMOS

(l) Press ENTER

(m) Reboot the PC

(n) When prompted to enter password, type hardware

(o) The PC then boots to Windows XP

pg. 124
3. Disabling the user password

(a) Press CRTL+ALT+DELETE to reboot the PC

(b) Press the DELETE key to enter CMOS when prompted

(c) When prompted to enter password, type hardware

(d) Arrow over and highlight Set User Password

(e) Press ENTER

(f) Leave it blank and press ENTER. This should disable the password

(g) Press a key to continue

(h) Press F10

(i) Press Y

(j) Press ENTER to save and exit CMOS

(k) Press the DELETE key to enter CMOS.

NOTE: there may com a time you may not know the password and will need to get

into CMOS setup. We will enable the password again and show you how to clear it

and proceed to enter CMOS

(l)Arrow over to User Password

(m) Press ENTER

(n) Type hardware

(o) Press ENTER

(p) Type hardware again

(q) Press ENTER and confirm it.

(r) Press F10

(s) Press Y
pg. 125
 (t) Press ENTER to exit CMOS

(u) Boot PC to password prompt

(v) Put off the PC

4. Clearing the CMOS settings

(a) Unplug the PC

(b) Remove the screws from the PC cover

(c) Remove the PC case cover

(d) Remove the CMOS battery

(e) Locate jumpers JP32 in Figure 7-3

Figure 7-3: Jumper JP32

NOTE: this is the jumper for clearing the CMOS. See motherboard manual on other

PCs

(f) Move jumper from Pins 2and 3 to 3 and 4. Put on the PC and count to 20

(g) Put off the PC and then return the jumper back to Pins 2 and 3 on JP32

(h) Put the PC on and press DELETE key during the memory count. The password

should be gone

(i) Press ESC key and then press the ENTER key to reboot

pg. 126
 (j) Write down the error message that appears when rebooting in Table 7-2

(k) Press F1 to continue booting

(l) Replace the case cover

(m) Screw on the cover

(n) Press CRTL+ALT+DELETE to reboot the PC

(o) Press the DELETE key to enter CMOS setup

NOTE: the default CMOS settings will be fine except that the time may have been

reset to the BIOS date. If the time is reset, we can reset the time in CMOS by the Step

5 below.

5. Changing the Date and Time in CMOS

(a) Press ENTER on standard CMOS Setup

(b) Highlight the Month

(c) Press PAGE DOWN on the Month to change it to the desired Month as shown in

Figure 7-5

Figure 7-4: Standard CMOS Features Screen

pg. 127
 (d) Highlight the Day

(i) Press PAGE DOWN or UP to change it to the correct Day

(j) Highlight the Year

(k) Press PAGE DOWN or UP to change it to the correct Year

(l) Highlight the Hour

(m) Press PAGE DOWN or UP to change it to the correct Hour

(n) Highlight the Minute

(o) Press PAGE DOWN or UP to change it to the correct Minute

(p) Press ESC to exit

Power management in CMOS helps preserve power usage on a PC. Integrated

peripherals are the Input/Output devices that are included on the Motherboard. These

are USB, serial ports or COM port, parallel port (for printers and scanners), IDE

hard drive controllers, and floppy-disk drive controller

We will now deal with Power Management setup in the CMOS. Power Management

is sometimes used for computers that are always on, but mostly it is used for battery-

powered computers like laptops. By changing these setting you will be able to save

power. You can also be able to let the computer know on which type of activity it

should “wake up”.

6. Power Management Setup

(a) Arrow down to highlight Power Management Setup.

(b) Press ENTER

(c) Arrow down the highlight Power Management ,, and press ENTER

(d) Press PAGE DOWN to change it to Min Savings as shown in figure7-5

pg. 128
 Figure7-5: Power Management Screen

(e) Write down the value in the Table 7-3

(c) Press PAGE DOWN again so it display Max Saving

(d) Write these value in Table 7-3

(e) Press PAGE DOWN until it displays User Defined settings.

(f) Press ESC key twice to return to the main menu

The integrated peripherals setup can set the on-clip primary IDE to be enabled or

disabled.

The On-Clip USB controller can be either enabled or disabled. USB is a relatively

new serial bus type, allowing up to 127 devices to be connected simultaneously

through one USB port. It also allows for “hot-swapping” devices easily, which means

changing the devices while the computer is still power on..

pg. 129
The Unit for Display first, has a selection PCI slot (default) or AGP slot. This simply

tells the computer what slot to first “snoop” for the video card. If the correct one is

listed here, it will make booting up slightly faster.

The onboard serial port setting is one of the most used settings in this CMOS section.

It allows you to select what COM port you want each serial port to be. The main

reason this is important is that old modems work best if they are on one of the

standard COM port; 1, 2, 3, or 4. In order for the IRQ of the modem not to conflict

with the IRQ of the COM port, you must either change the modem or change the

setting in CMOS. Usually you would just disable COM 2 and set the modem to use

the COM 2 settings.

The Onboard parallel port allows you to change the mode in which the parallel port

operates. This is important because some devices, such as scanner, require the port to

operate in ECP mode in order to communicate correctly. This is where you would

change those settings.

7. Integrated Peripherals setup

(a) Arrow up to highlight Integrated Peripherals.

(b) Press ENTER. The integrated peripherals screen will appear as in figure 7-6

pg. 130
 Figure7-6: Integrated Peripherals Screen

(c) Arrow down to highlight the Onboard Serial Port 1

(d) Press PAGE DOWN.

(e) Write down all options available for Serial Port 1 in Table 7-4.

(f) Change the setting back to Auto.

(g) Press ESC

(h) Press F10

(i) Press Y

(j) Press ENTER to confirm and exit CMOS setup.

8. Verifying the computer is still booting properly

(a) The computer wills boots up to Microsoft Windows XP.

(b) Click on Start.

(c) Click on Shut Down.

(d) In the Shut Down windows dialog box select turn off.

pg. 131
 Tables
Tables 7-1

Tables 7-2

Error
Mess
ages

Tables 7-3

Power Management Min Savings Max Saving

HDD Power Down

Doze Mode

Suspend Mode

Tables 7-4

Options Available for Serial Port

LAB QUESTIONS

1. When will a user be prompted for a password if the security option is “Setup”?

pg. 132
2. When will a user be prompted for a password if the security option is “System”?

3. How do you reboot the computer without pushing the reset switch or the power

switch?

4. How do you get into the CMOS of a computer if you don’t know the system

password that it is asking for?

5. When clearing the CMOS setting with the jumper, what time will the computer be

set to?

6. What computer system is Power Management most useful to and why?

7. How many serial Port setting can be set up in CMOS?

pg. 133
Answers
Answers……….

pg. 134
pg. 135
LAB WORK 8
HDD Setting

OBJECTIVE

1. Auto-detect IDE drive in CMOS.

2. Use CMOS IDE modes.

3. Learn about CD-ROM setup consideration.

RESOURCES

1. PC-compatible desktop/tower computer system

2. Windows XP Installed

DISCUSSION

You need to enter the BIOS’s CMOS configuration Setup program during boot up and set

several parameters to match the type of HDD being installed. Before exchanging or

reformatting a hard disk, it is always advisable to make backups of the drives content and

record its configuration parameter

There are certain pieces of information that should be known, and Configuration verified

before inserting the drive into the disk drive bay. In particular, the drive’s type parameter

should be verified and its physical Drive Select or Master/Slave setting should be made.

pg. 136
 Figure 8-1: HDD-related Component

For some drives, this information is contained in an information booklet that comes with

the drive. Other drives include this information on a sticker that is mounted on the drive

itself. In these cases, it is somewhat difficult to access the information after the drive has

been installed in the system unit

Figure 8-1 depicts the relationship of the hard disk drive to the rest of the system. In

addition, it shows the hard disk drive’s information and controls the signal path between

the drives and motherboard 9through the signal cable).

PROCEDURE

1. Auto-detection

(a) Put on the PC

(b) Press reset to reboot the PC; and then press DELETE to enter CMOS

(c) Press ENTER to go into standard CMOS features

pg. 137
(d) Arrow down to highlight IDE Auto-Detection and then press ENTER. The IDE

Primary Master setup is open as shown in Figure 8-2

Figure 8-2: IDE Primary Master Screen

(e) Press the ENTER key to begin the auto-detection process

(f) Press the ESC key twice to access the main menu and then use the ARROW keys to

highlight Integrated Peripherals

(g) Press the ENTER key

(h) Make sure the On-Chip IDE Channel 0 and Channel 2 are both enabled, and press

the ESC key

(i) Press F10, Y, and ENTER to save and exit CMOS. The PC will boot

2. Check Configuration

(a) Press the PAUSE key on the keyboard at the System Configuration Box. See

Figure 8-3

pg. 138
 Figure 8-3: System Configuration Screen

(b) At the bottom of the screen, under Device Class, find IDE Controller

(c) Write down the IRQ(s) that it is using in Table 8-1; press SPACE.

(d) Press CRTL+ALT+DELETE to reboot the PC

3. Disable 2nd Channel IDE (1)

(a) Press DELETE to enter CMOS when prompted

(b) Arrow over to Integrated Peripherals and then press ENTER

(c) Arrow down to On-Chip IDE Channel 1. See Figure 8-4

pg. 139
(d) Press PAGE DOWN to disable it.

(e) Press ESC to return to the Main menu

(f) Press F10, Y, and ENTER to save and exit CMOS.

pg. 140
 LAB WORK 9
Windows XP Computer Management

OBJECTIVE

a. View various area of Computer Management

b. Use Task Manager

RESOURCES

3. PC-compatible desktop/tower computer system

4. Windows XP Installed

DISCUSSION

Windows Computer Management provides access to administration tools for managing

disk as well as local and remote computer. Some of the tools include are Event Viewer,

Performance Logs and Alerts, Shared Folders, Device Manager, User , and Disk

Defragmenter. These can be useful tools for viewing the hardware and software

component of your PC.

PROCEDURE

a. Start Computer Management

(a) Boot the PC to Window XP

pg. 141
(b) Open Computer Management through the part Start/ Control Panel. Double-

click on Administrative Tools and double-click on Computer

Management. The window looks like Figure 9-1

Figure 9-1: Computer Management

(c) Click on Event Viewer. Notice the content in the right-hand windows plain.

2. Performance Logs and Alerts

(a) From Computer Management, expand Performance Logs and Alerts by

clicking on (+)

(b) List the area you see in Table 9-1 and collapse Performance Logs and Alert

by clicking on (-)

3. Shared Folders

(a) From Computer Management, expand Shared Folders

pg. 142
 (b) Click on the Shares Icon. From this Window, you can see all the folders

that are shared on you computer

(c) Click on the Shares. Record the Shared Folder in Table 9-2

(d) Click on the Sessions Icon. From this Window, you can view all the remote

users attach to you computer

(e) Click on the Open Files. From this Window, you can view which files are

being accessed over the Network. Record any open file in Table 9-3 and

collapse Shared Folders.

4. Device Manager

(a) From Computer Management, click on Device Manager. The Window

should look like Figure 9-2

Figure 9-2: Device Manager

(b)The Device Manager is a useful tool for viewing any conflict or hardware

setup problem with various components on the computer

pg. 143
(c) Expand Mice and other pointing devices and record any item listed in Table

9-4

(d) Click on the View menu and selected Device by connection. From this view,

you can see the hierarchical structure of connection to the PC.

(e) Click on the View menu and selected Resource by type.

(f) Expand the Interrupt Request (IRQ) list.

(g) Look for the keyboard and double-click on its icon

(h) You will see a properties Window appear. It looks like Figure 9-3. Click the

Resources tab.

Figure 9-3: Keyboard Properties

(i) From this Window, you can view the I/O and IRQ of the device. Record the

Input/Output Ranges of the keyboard in Table 9-5. Click Cancel

5. Local User and Group

pg. 144
(a) From Computer Management, double-click on the Local Users and Group

icon to expand it

(b) Click on User

(c) By default, there are two users set up by Windows: Administrator and

Guest. Guest is disabled by default. Double-click on Guest.

(d) You will see a Window similar to Figure 9-4. The account is disabled by

default. Uncheck Account is disabled

Figure 9-4: Guest User Properties

(e) Click OK

(f) Click in the blank space in thee Window

(g) Click on Action menu and Select New User

(h) From this Window, you can create a new user to log on the PC. They can

log on locally or over the Network. Click Close

(i) Click on Group and record the description of Administrator in Table 9-6

pg. 145
NOTE: you may need to double-click the icon next to the name to view the user

properties

(j) Collapse Local User and Groups

6. Storage

(a) ) From Computer Management, expand Storage

(b) Click on Disk Management.

(c) From this Window, you can view partitioning information, similar to the

Fdisk command in DOS.

(d) Record the File system of (C:) in Table 9-7

(e) Click on the Disk Defragmenter. Disk Defragmenter moves the piece of

each file or folder to one location on the volume, so that each occupies a single,

contiguous space on the disk drive. Regular defragmentation will improve PC

performance

(f) Click on Volume (C: )

(g) Click on Analyze button

(h) That moment, the Analysis Complete dialog will appear. Click View Report

(i) Read the Most fragmented files section and click Close

(j) You will see a Window similar to Figure 9-5. Depending on system speed

and percentage fragmented, the defrag may take from 5-60 minute. If time

permits, click Defragment.

(k) ) Click on Logical Drive

pg. 146
 (l) You will see A:, C:, D:, and any other physical drives installed in your PC.

You can double-click on each one and view its properties.

(m) Expand Removable Storage. From this area you can manage backup

devices on the PC

Figure 9-4: Disk Defragmenter

7. Service and Application

(a) From Computer Management, expand Service and Application

(b) Click on Services.

(c) Expand Indexing Service. This services indexes all the files and folders on the

{C for east searching. Record any catalog items in Table 9-8

(d) Close Computer Management and all Windows.

8. Task Manager

(a) From Windows XP desktop, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE on the keyboard

pg. 147
(b) Click on Task Manager button.

(c) Click on Task Manager tab. If you have any application running, such as

Microsoft Word, you can view their statue and end them if necessary.

(d) Click on Process tab. This displays all services, application, and other processes

running on the PC. Record how many processes are running in Table 9-9

(e) Click on View/Select Column. The Windows looks like Figure 9-5

Figure 9-5: Select Column

(f) From this Column, you can add column that display advance information about a

process. Select the entire column by clicking in the box to the left of each name

and placing a check mark.

(g) Click OK. You can now view more in formations about a specific process. You

may need to use the horizontal scroll bar.

pg. 148
(h) Look at the system idle process and record its memory usage in Table 9-10

(i) Click the Performance tab.

(j) From this tab, you can view a graphical representation of CPU usage and

Memory usage. Record the values for total Physical Memory (K) in Table 9-11.

(k) Close the Task Manager

(l) Close all Windows and shut down the PC.

Table
Table 9-1

Performance Log and Alerts

Table 9-2

Shared Folders

Table 9-3

pg. 149
 Open Files

Table 9-4

Items Listed

in Mice and

other

Pointing Devices

Table 9-5

Keyboard

Input/Output

Ranges

Table 9-6

Administrat

or

Descriptions

Table 9-7
pg. 150
 File System of (C:):

Table 9-8

Indexing Service Catalog:

Table 9-9

Processes Running on

System:

Table 9-10

System Idle Process:

Table 9-11

Total Physical Memory:

LAB QUESTIONS

1. What is Systems Information used for?

pg. 151
 2. How can you view all the shared folders in your PC

3. What is Device Manager used for?

4. What default user are set by Windows?

5. What does Disk Defragmenter do?

Answers
Answers……….

pg. 152
pg. 153
 LAB WORK 10
Windows XP Start
Start up Mode

OBJECTIVE

a. Restart and try various startup options

RESOURCES

1. PC-compatible desktop/tower computer system

2. Windows XP Installed

3. A PS2 Mouse

pg. 154
DISCUSSION

Here, we are going to explore different startup options when typing the F8 key at startup.

These options con be useful when troubleshooting PC problems. The Windows Advance

Option Menu include the following default options.

• Safe Mode

• Safe Mode with Networking

• Safe Mode with Command Prompt

• Enable Boot Logging

• Enable VGA Mode

• Last Known Configuration (Your Most recent setting that worked)

• Directory Services Restore

• Debugging Mode

• Start Windows Normally

• Reboot

Safe Mode will start windows with a minimal set of drivers to run Windows, including

mouse, monitor, keyboard, hard drive etc. you can enter Safe Mode with Command

Prompt /Networking and so on, by selecting the appropriate mode.

• VGA mode is useful when you have installed a vide driver and configured it

incorrectly. If the PC starts with a blank screen or you see random lines all over

the screen, you may choose VGA mode to start Windows. This mode will start

the PC with the base video setting (640 X 480, 256 Colors).

pg. 155
• Boot logging start Windows and log services that load or do not load to

C:\winnt\ntbtlog.txt.

• Last Known Good Configuration start Windows using the Registry information

saved at the last proper shut down.

• Directory Services Restore is used for Windows Domain Server System

• Debugging Mode starts Windows and sends debugging information through the

serial port to another PC

In hardware Profile, you can change Windows start up to select a designated profile.

Hardware Profile can be useful for saving hardware specific information when

transporting a hard drive between two PCs. One can do this without the need to re-

install all devices on each PC at every startup.

PROCEDURE

1. Safe Mode

(a) Boot the PC to Window XP

(b) As it boots, keep pressing F8 key until you get to Advance Option

Menu

(c) Select Safe Mode and press ENTER

(d) As Windows starts, you will see an information window about Safe

Mode. Click OK

(e) Right-click the desktop and select Properties from the drop down

menu to open the Display Properties window, and click the Setting

tab

pg. 156
 (f) While in Safe Mode, Window gives small options on many things.

Click the Color drop-down menu. Record your observation in Table

10-1

(g) Click the Cancel button

(h) From desktop, double-click the My Network Places Icon.

(i) Double-click on Entire Network

(j) Double-click on Microsoft Window Network

(k) You will see a dialog box like Figure 10-1. Click OK button

(l) Close all windows and restart

NOTE: During Safe Mode, You cannot view the network

2. Safe Mode With Networking

(a) Boot your PC to Window XP and press the F8 key.

(b) From Windows XP, select by the scrolling down to Safe Mode With

Networking and press ENTER

(c) Then you will see an information Window about Safe Mode. Click

Yes to the question asked.

(d) From desktop, right-click the My Network Places Icon and select

Explore from the drop down menu.

(e) Double-click on Entire Network

(f) Double-click on Microsoft Window Network

(g) You will see your work group in the windows.

(h) Close all windows and restart

pg. 157
 3. Safe Mode With Command Prompt

(a) Boot your PC to Window XP and press the F8 key.

(b) From Windows XP, select by the scrolling down to Safe Mode With

Command Prompt and press ENTER

(c) Select Windows XP and hit ENTER on your keyboard

Week 12

Replacing other Add-On cards:

Sometimes we need to replace a sound card, a modem, or even a network

card. In modern systems, these cards all occupy a PCI slot on the motherboard
so the procedure for replacing one of them will the same for others.

pg. 158
 Sometimes we need to replace a sound card if we want a better performance
of audio software. Also some sound cards have better audio quality, or support
more channels if we are using a subwoofer or a system of speakers.

Replacing a modem is required sometimes if we need a faster browsing of the

internet or additional features of the newer one.

Whenever you install a sound card or other adapter

in your PC, you should be careful not to touch the
contact edge (the gold stripes) when handling the
adapter, and ideally, you should only touch them on
the metal bracket or unused real estate on the card.
You must seat this adapter in the PCI slot with even
pressure on the bracket and the back edge of the
sound card. Immediately after installing the sound
card, secure both it and the SPDIF riser with one
screw each through the bracket on the back rail.
That covers how to install a sound card, now you
have to get the internal and external connections
made right.

Week 12

Replacing other Add-On cards:

Sometimes we need to replace a sound card, a modem, or even a network

card. In modern systems, these cards all occupy a PCI slot on the motherboard
so the procedure for replacing one of them will the same for others.

pg. 159
 Sometimes we need to replace a sound card if we want a better performance
of audio software. Also some sound cards have better audio quality, or support
more channels if we are using a subwoofer or a system of speakers.

Replacing a modem is required sometimes if we need a faster browsing of the

internet or additional features of the newer one.

Whenever you install a sound card or other adapter

in your PC, you should be careful not to touch the
contact edge (the gold stripes) when handling the
adapter, and ideally, you should only touch them on
the metal bracket or unused real estate on the card.
You must seat this adapter in the PCI slot with even
pressure on the bracket and the back edge of the
sound card. Immediately after installing the sound
card, secure both it and the SPDIF riser with one
screw each through the bracket on the back rail.
That covers how to install a sound card, now you
have to get the internal and external connections
made right.

Week 14

Installing a Keyboard
The following steps explain how to install the keyboard:

Step 1. Identify the type of keyboard to be installed. If the keyboard's cable

pg. 160
has a connector at the end that's a circular plug with 6 pins, it will connect to
a PS/2 port. If the connector has a flat, rectangular plug, the keyboard will
connect to a USB port. Figures below show a PS/2 and USB connectors
respectively.

PS/2 Connector USB Connector

Step 2. Power down your system before you begin the installation. Anytime
you're connecting a device to a computer system, it is best to have the power
turned off (with the exception of hot-pluggable devices, such as a thumb
drive or card reader, which the system will recognize immediately after you
plug it in, even if the system is running).

Step 3. Locate the appropriate port in the I/O

(input/output) port cluster at the back of your
computer. Remember, PS/2 ports are circular
with six round pin holes, and USB ports are flat
and rectangular. Figure below shows the ports.

Step 4. Insert the keyboard connector into the corresponding port. PS/2 and
USB cables will fit into their corresponding ports only one way. If the plug
doesn't slide easily into the port with minimal force, double-check that
you're using the correct orientation. The rectangular key in a PS/2 cable
should line up with the rectangular hole in the port. If the USB connector
doesn't readily slide into the USB port, flip the connector over and try again.
The USB icon that's branded into the connector will usually face up. If the
connector is not fitting correctly, take care to not use excessive force or you
may damage the pins on a PS/2 connector.

pg. 161
Step 5. With the connector in place, power-up the system and let your
operating system load and detect the keyboard.

Step6: Once the keyboard is connected to your system, there is usually no

other configuration necessary. However, with some motherboards and USB
keyboards, you may have to enter the system's BIOS (Basic Input/Output
System; software built into the system that controls certain routines and
functions of the computer, including the keyboard) and enable USB
keyboard or USB legacy device support.

To enable USB keyboard support, power up your system and press DELETE
(or F1 or F2, depending on your BIOS type) to enter the BIOS. The specific
option to enable USB Keyboard support, is found in the Integrated
Peripherals section or in a subsection of Integrated Peripherals that's labeled
OnChip PCI Device or PCI Devices. Change the setting from Disabled to
Enabled and then exit the system BIOS, making sure to save the changes.
When the system restarts, the keyboard will be ready for use..

Keyboard Cleaning

1. Switch off the computer and unplug the keyboard.

2. There is a removable cover on the bottom of the keyboard. open all the
screws and remove the cover of keyboard.
3. Take a air blower of vacuum cleaner and blow the air on it. this will
remove all the dust from the keyboard.
4. Now make a keyboard map on paper so you know where each key goes.
5. Carefully pry each key loose with a small screwdriver and place all these
keys in to a container. open wider keys properly which may have guide
wires like space bar, enter, caps lock and shift keys. Now clean every key
with a dishwasher or rubbing alcohol with a soft cloth.
6. Now clean the rubber components and the plastic cover of keyboard.
7. Dry completely all the keys, rubber and plastic covers.
8. Lubricate keys if needed.

pg. 162
9. Properly fit all the keys to the right place. you can take the help of the
paper map. cover them and tighten the screws.
10. Connect the keyboard to the computer and turn on the computer.

Week 15

Installation of a Dial-up Modem

Procedure Steps:

1. Turn System Off and unplug it.

2. If your modem is a conventional
type that uses jumpers to set the
COM port and IRQ number, you
need to configure the jumpers
pg. 163
 according to the instructions in your modem manual. If your modem
is plug and play (most newer ones are) then you do not need to
configure any jumpers on it.

3. Select an open expansion slot (shown above), preferably away from as

many other components as possible.

4. Unscrew and remove the metal insert on the back of the system case
that corresponds to this expansion slot.

pg. 164
5. Insert the card into the expansion slot carefully. You may have to rock
it back and forth from front to back to get it to go in. Figure below
shows a modem card and insertion of the card into the slot.

6. Secure the card by screwing it into place.

7. Connect one end of the phone cord to the back of the modem (in the
"Wall" or "Line" jack) and the other end to the wall socket.

Included with your new modem should be a CD (or perhaps a floppy

diskette) that contains the software the computer needs to recognize and
work with the modem. This small utility program is called a device
driver. Most computers come with preinstalled device drivers for a
selection of the most common modems, but it's best to work with the
software the modem manufacturer provides, as it is specifically created
to match your modem. (It also may be more up-to-date than that supplied
with your computer's operating system.)

pg. 165
8. When your computer starts up after the new modem has been
installed, you should see the Found New Hardware Wizard. Follow
the instructions on your screen, and the wizard will configure the
computer to work with the new modem.
9. Insert the disc into the CD (or floppy) drive on your computer when
the wizard prompts you to do so. When the installation is complete,
the wizard will ask you to restart
your computer.
10.If the Found New Hardware
Wizard doesn't start up, Follow the
steps given below (For Windows
XP)

a) Click Start -> Control Panel

b) Double click on the Printers and Other Hardware icon

pg. 166
c) Double click on Phone and modem Options

d) To install a new
modem, click on the
Modems tab and
press the Add button.

pg. 167
e) Click Next

f) Windows will now detect your modem.

pg. 168
g) Press Finish to complete the installation procedure.

Note: By following the instructions above, you can install the majority of
the modems that can be found in the market. However, if for any reason the
installation of your modem fails, you will have to consult the manual that
came with the modem for further instructions.
There is also a possibility that your modem gets installed automatically by
your O/S, since Windows XP uses the Plug and Play technology.

pg. 169
11. Set Up Your Modem

a) Click Start, Settings,

and Control Panel and
select Dial-Up
Networking.

b) Select the icon labeled

Make New Connection.
You will need to name
the connection (the ISP
name, for instance) and
supply the ISP's dial-up
information, as well as
the username and
password you use with
the ISP.

c) you can set up the connection by opening the Internet Options Icon on
the Control Panel. When you select the Connections tab, you will see
a button labeled Setup; clicking the button will guide you through

pg. 170
setting up your connection. You will need some information from
your ISP to do this, including the phone number to call, the names of
the ISP's email servers, the type of service, and your password for
initial login.

pg. 171