IT HARDWARE LAB

1.SYSTEM ASSEMBLING ,DISSEMBLING AND IDENTIFICATION

OF PARTS/PERIPHERALS:
Identifying external ports and interfacing of peripherals such as monitor, keyboard,
mice, speakers, printers, modern etc.

Types of Computer Ports and Their Functions

A Computer Port is an interface or a point of connection between the computer and its peripheral
devices. Some of the common peripherals are mouse, keyboard, monitor or display unit, printer,
speaker, flash drive etc. The main function of a computer port is to act as a point of attachment,
where the cable from the peripheral can be plugged in and allows data to flow from and to the
device.

Characteristics
A port has the following characteristics:

 External devices are connected to a computer using cables and ports.

 Ports are slots on the motherboard into which a cable of external device is plugged in.

 Examples of external devices attached via ports are mouse, keyboard, monitor,
microphone, speakers etc.
Following are few important types of ports:

Serial Port

 Used for external modems and older computer mouse

 Two versions : 9 pin, 25 pin model
 Data travels at 115 kilobits per second
Parallel Port

 Used for scanners and printers

 Also called printer port
 25 pin model
 Also known as IEEE 1284-compliant Centronics port
PS/2 Port
 Used for old computer keyboard and mouse

 Also called mouse port

 Most of the old computers provide two PS/2 port, each for mouse and keyboard

 Also known as IEEE 1284-compliant Centronics port

Universal Serial Bus (or USB) Port

  It can connect all kinds of external USB devices such as external hard disk, printer,
scanner, mouse, keyboard etc.

 It was introduced in 1997.

 Most of the computers provide two USB ports as minimum.

 Data travels at 12 megabits per seconds

 USB compliant devices can get power from a USB port

VGA Port
 Connects monitor to a computer's video card.

 Has 15 holes.

 Similar to serial port connector but serial port connector has pins, it has holes.

Power Connector
 Three-pronged plug

 Connects to the computer's power cable that plugs into a power bar or wall socket

Firewire Port
 Transfers large amount of data at very fast speed.

 Connects camcorders and video equipments to the computer

 Data travels at 400 to 800 megabits per seconds

 Invented by Apple

 Three variants : 4-Pin FireWire 400 connector, 6-Pin FireWire 400 connector and 9-Pin
FireWire 800 connector

Modem Port

 Connects a PC's modem to the telephone network

Ethernet Port
 Connects to a network and high speed Internet.

 Connect network cable to a computer.

  This port resides on an Ethernet Card.

 Data travels at 10 megabits to 1000 megabits per seconds depending upon the network
bandwidth.

Game Port

 Connect a joystick to a PC
 Now replaced by USB.
Digital Video Interface, DVI port
 Connects Flat panel LCD monitor to the computer's high end video graphic cards.

 Very popular among video card manufacturers.

Sockets
 Connect microphone, speakers to sound card of the computer

How to Connect Your Keyboard and Mouse to Your Pc

Before you connect your keyboard and mouse to your computer, you need to decide where to
place both the keyboard and mouse in relation to the PC:

 Set up the keyboard right in front of where you’ll sit when you use the
computer, between you and where the monitor goes.

 The mouse lives to the right or left of the keyboard, depending on whether you’re right-
or left-handed.

Now that you have your mouse and keyboard where you want them, you can actually connect
them:

 The PC keyboard plugs into the keyboard port on the back of the console.

 The mouse plugs into the mouse port.

Note that the two ports look identical but are different. Don’t plug the keyboard or mouse into
the wrong port or else neither device works. However, if you’re using a USB keyboard or
mouse, you can plug the keyboard or mouse into any USB port.

Some USB keyboards and mice come with a tiny adapter, designed to convert the USB port into
a keyboard or mouse port connector.

Don’t plug the keyboard or mouse into their ports while the computer is turned on. It may
damage the keyboard, mouse, or computer.
Connecting a monitor

Compare: Physical Connections

1. Plug the power cable into the back of the monitor, then connect the opposite end into
a power outlet or power source.
o Monitors do not receive power through the video signal cable, but instead need
their own power connection.
2. Compare the back of your computer to the back of your monitor. Use the table below
to ensure that you connect the correct video cable to the correct video port on the back
of your computer and monitor.
Laptop Computers: Most laptop computers have a port on the side or back of the
computer to connect an external monitor. You will use this port and the corresponding
video cable to connect your laptop to an external monitor.
Desktop Computers: Look at the back of the computer (Figure) to check for any
installed add-in video cards. Usually, integrated video cards are automatically disabled
when an add-in video card is installed. The monitor must be connected to the add-in
video card, if present.

Figure : Video Connectors On the Back of a Desktop Computer

Numbers reference image above:

1 Add-in Video Card in Expansion Slot
2 Integrated Video Card Connector

3. Connection. If you do not have an Add-in Video Card, connect it to the 2 connection. Do
not connect your monitor to both connections.
4. Use the table below to ensure correct cable usage along with best video display
results with your configuration. Use only one video signal cable to connect the
monitor to the computer. Only one connection is necessary, and connecting more than
one can cause problems.

Table : Video Connections

Display Port Display port is a new digital standard for connecting monitors to
computers and has the capability to provide a scalable digital display
interface with optional audio and High-Definition Content Protection
 (HDCP) capability. Display ports usually resemble USB ports with one
side on an angle.
A display port cable should be used if display port connectors are
available on both the computer and the monitor.

Digital Video Interface (DVI) is the digital standard for connecting

DVI monitors to computers. DVI connections are usually color-coded with
white plastic and labels.
DVI cables provide a higher quality signal than VGA cables. A DVI
cable should be used if DVI connectors are available on both the
computer and the monitor.

Video Graphics Array (VGA) is the analog standard for connecting

VGA monitors to computers. VGA connections are commonly color-coded
with blue plastic and labels.
A VGA cable should be used if DVI connectors are not available on
either the monitor or the computer.

High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is the current digital

HDMI standard for connecting all kinds of video devices.
HDMI cables provide the same quality of video signal as DVI. However
HDMI can provide sound through the cable, but the Video Card has to
support the Audio through HDMI function in order for it to work.

Add-in video cards that use a connector type other than DVI or VGA require a cable adapter, or
dongle, to connect to a monitor. Please view your specific service model for more information on
adding/removing video cards, or refer to the manufacturer of the card for more information about
supported adapters.

Connect: Physical Connections

Using the appropriate video cable for your configuration, connect your monitor to your
computer.

1. Plug in the power cord to the monitor and the wall outlet.

Figure: Power connection from the monitor to the wall outlet.

 2. Plug in the video cable to the monitor and the back of the computer.

Figure : VGA cable from a monitor to a desktop computer.

Figure : VGA cable from a monitor to a laptop.

Correct: Video and Monitor Settings

1. Set the Input

On most Dell monitors, there is a Quick Access or Input button This button allows you to
change your monitor to the selected inputs, such as VGA, Digital/DVI, display port and various
other video input sources that your monitor may have.
Press the Quick Access or Input button to change to the correct video input source.
2. Install/Update Video Driver
Install or update your video card driver; this driver will help your monitor perform at its visual
best.
Visit the Dell Drivers and Downloads web page, and enter your service tag to get updates
specific to your computer.
Refer for instructions to download and install drivers or BIOS from the Dell Drivers and
Downloads web page.
3. Configure Video Settings
Configure your resolution, color depth, and font size to exactly what visual appearance suits
you! By changing your video settings, you can change the look of your screen including Icon
size, font size and color depth.
Connecting a Printer to a Computer

Set your printer near your computer. Make sure that it is close enough that the cable can
reach your computer without tension.
Install any software that came with your printer. To make the connection process easier,
install any software that came packaged with the printer before connecting it.
If you don't have any software, don't worry too much. Windows will usually be able to
automatically detect the printer when it is plugged in.
Plug the printer into your computer using a USB cable. Make sure to plug it into a USB port
directly on your computer, and not a USB hub.
Ensure the printer has been plugged into a power source and is turned on.
Follow the prompts Windows provides to install the printer. Windows should automatically
find your new printer and install any additional software required.
Confirm that your printer was installed correctly.
Open the Control Panel.
Select "Devices and Printers".
Find your newly-installed printer on the list.
Download updated drivers from the manufacturer if your printer doesn't install. If your
printer still isn't showing up, installing new drivers from the manufacturer may solve your
problem. Visit the manufacturer's support site and download the drivers for your printer model.

Connecting Modem

To directly connect your modem into your computer you will need access to your Shaw Internet
modem and will need to use an Ethernet cable (was included with your Shaw Internet modem).

1. On the back of your modem, locate the port labeled either Ethernet or 1 or LAN1 and
connect the Ethernet cable into this port. For reference, here is a photo of an Ethernet
cable although the color of the cable can vary.

2. Connect the other end of this cable into the Ethernet port on your computer to establish a
connection. For reference, please see the illustration below for a highlighted (red) view of
a typical Ethernet port.
 3. Disconnect the black power cable from the back of the modem.
4. Reboot your computer.
5. Reconnect the power cable into the back of the modem and allow a short period of time
for the modem to come online.
6. Be sure to disable any wireless connections on your computer to ensure your only
connection is sourced from this newly established Ethernet connection.
7. You may now test the connection to confirm proper operation.

Connecting speakers

Step 1: Ensure that the computer is turned off.

Step 2: Plug the speakers into the power socket.

Step 3: Locate the 3.5mm jack connected to the cable at the back of the speakers. You’ll use this
plug to attach them to your computer tower.

Step 4: On the back of the computer tower are a number of small, round, colored-coded sockets.
The one to plug your speakers into is usually green. It may also be marked with a headphones
symbol or be labeled ‘Audio out’.

Step 5: In some speaker set-ups, there’s an additional ‘subwoofer’, a larger third speaker that
provides bass sounds. Before plugging this in, find out if your sound card can support multiple
speakers. If it does, follow the color coding on the back of the tower as you connect the jacks –
plug the green jack into the green socket, the black jack into the black socket and so on.

Step 6: Turn on your computer and speakers and adjust the volume control. Your computer is
probably set to play a small tune when it’s turned on. If you now hear it, you’ll know that the
speakers are on and working. But don’t worry if you don’t hear it.

Step 7: The computer should recognize the addition of speakers to your system and will respond
accordingly. Possibly it will say ‘New driver detected’ and run through a short set-up process.
You’ll need to click ‘Yes’ to allow it to make the appropriate changes.

Step 8: To test that your speakers are working, play something you know has a soundtrack. Pop
a CD or DVD in the DVD drive or watch a clip on YouTube. You may also notice that sounds
now occur when simple functions are carried out – for example, a noise when you click a button
or open a window or when an email arrives.
Identifying PC cards such as mother board, memory board, display card,
NIC card, Sound blaster card etc.
Power Supply

The first component is power supply. It converts AC power from the wall into DC power that
can be used by the components in the PC system.

ATX Power Supply

Motherboard

The motherboard contains all of the wiring that’s necessary for the different devices to
communicate with each other. It can also be called main-board or planar.

Motherboard

CPU

The next component is the CPU or processor, the brain of the computer system. This will be the
primary factor in how fast the system is. CPUs get really hot so to keep them cool, we use a fan
and heat-sink to dissipate the heat.
CPU

RAM

The next component is the memory. The memory is where the CPU stores the applications and
data that it’s currently working on.

RAM

Video Card

Unless the motherboard comes with a built-in video card, we will have to install a separate video
card into the computer system. Graphic or video cards are typically needed to deal with PC
gaming, high definition video and multiple displays.
Video Card

Sound Card

Sound cards enable the computer to output, record and manipulate sound. Now it is common to
have a bult-in sound card on motherboards, when talking about personal computers.

Sound Card

Expansion Slots

The next components are the expansion slots. PCs are customizable and they’re modular. If we
want our PC to perform some additional function, we can add expansion board and install it in
one of these expansion slots.

Expansion Slots
Storage

The next components are long-term storage mediums. The problem with RAM or memory is that
it isn’t persistent. When we shut down our system the contents of RAM is lost. To save data long
term, we have to have long-term storage devices. Hard drives stores data magnetically on a
spinning disk. It can be written to or it can be read from.

Hard Drive

When talking about saving data long-term, we can also mention floppy disk drive. The floppy
disk drive allows us to insert a floppy disk in and save a small amount of data on a removable
piece of media. Today it is rarely used.

Floppy Disk Drive

Floppy Disk

In addition, we also have our DVD or CD drives.

DVD Drive

Blank Media
 Identifying the ports on cards and interfacing Hard disks, CDROMs, DVDs
Connecting Hard Drives and CD-ROM/DVD

The vast majority of hard drives and CD/DVD drives are based on the IDE (Integrated Device
Electronics) standard. There's also the SCSI standard, which is mostly used for servers or
workstations. In comparison to SCSI, IDE is extremely cheap to produce, which accounts for its
higher popularity. There are four subgroups within the IDE class: UltraDMA/33; UltraDMA/66;
UltraDMA/100; and UltraDMA/133. The number at the end describes its bandwidth. As a rule of
thumb, the higher, the better. 133, for example, stands for the maximum data transfer rate of 133
megaBytes per second. DMA is short for Direct Memory Access. A beginner doesn't necessarily
have to know how DMA works in order to obtain good results.
Two drives can be run on each IDE connector block. Motherboards usually have two IDE
connectors (Primary and Secondary IDE), so that a maximum of four devices can be connected.
Modern motherboards with an additional controller can even offer four IDE connectors. If you
want to connect an IDE to a drive, it is configured as a "Master" (Single). If, on the other hand,
two drives need to be connected, one must be labeled "Master," and the other "Slave." The
jumpers are used to connect the contacts, thus configuring the drive. The connection to the
motherboard is made by way of a 40-pin ribbon cable. It has three plugs - one for the
motherboard, and the other two for the two drives.
Most PC systems have one hard drive and one CD-ROM/DVD drive. CD-ROM burners are also
a type of CD-ROM drive. The following configuration is recommended for IDE drives:
Primary IDE: hard drive as Master (Single) Primary IDE: Secondary IDE: CD/DVD drive as
Master (Single)

Users who want the full allotment of IDE components should connect the drives as follows:
Primary IDE: hard drive 1 as Master (Dual) Primary IDE: hard drive 2 as Slave (Dual)
Secondary IDE: CD/DVD drive 1 as Master (Dual) Secondary IDE: CD/DVD drive 2 as Slave
(Dual)

There's usually a sticker on top of the drive explaining the necessary jumper settings. Or, you can
also find a description in the hard drive manual.

IDE jumper table for a Maxtor hard drive.

Port panel on the hard drive: power supply, jumper blocks, IDE ribbon cable (from left to right).

Connecting the CD and/ or DVD drives is basically the same as with hard drives. The same rules
apply.

CD-ROM port panel: digital audio, analog audio, jumper blocks, IDE cable, power supply (from
left to right).

SATA Drive Connection

Power down your computer. Turn off the power switch on the back of the case and remove the
side panel. Most cases have thumbscrews, but older cases may require the use of a screwdriver to
open. Many cases will require you to remove both panels in order to secure the hard drive,
though some have removable housings.
Ground yourself. Before you begin working on the interior of your computer, make sure you
discharge any electrostatic charge you may have. If your computer is still plugged into the wall
(with the switch off), you can touch any of the exposed metal of the case to discharge. You can
also touch a water tap to discharge your electrostatic charge.
The safest way to work inside of a computer is to wear an antistatic wrist strap while working on
the computer.
Find the hard drive bay. The location will vary depending on the case, but it can typically be
found beneath the optical drive bay. If you are upgrading or replacing a hard drive, you should
see one already installed.
Disconnect the old hard drive (if replacing). Locate the HDD you wish to replace and
disconnect each of the two cables coming out from the rear of the drive. If you are adding
storage to your existing configuration, you should leave the original hard drive installed where it
is and skip down to Step 5.
Notice that the cable on the left is insulated and has a wider connector than the other. This is the
Serial ATA power cable which connects the HDD to the computer's power supply. The flat, red
cable on the right has a smaller connector. This is the SATA Data Connector which connects
the
 hard drive to the motherboard. Disconnect each from the drive by pulling gently on the
connectors.
Remove the old hard drive. The method for securing the HDD into the drive bay will vary
somewhat from system to system, but it typically requires two small screws on each side of the
drive that hold it in the bay.
Remove the screws and slide the old HDD out from the drive bay. The old drive has now been
removed.
Insert the new hard drive into an empty bay. If your case permits, try to maintain some space
between the new drive and any existing drives to help promote airflow and cooling. Be sure that
the metal side faces up and the black, plastic side faces down. Also verify that the two SATA
connection ports in back of the drive are accessible.
Secure the drive. Secure the drive into the drive bay by inserting two screws into each side of
the hard drive through the corresponding holes in the drive bay. Make sure to only use short
screws designed for hard drives; if the screws are too long they could seriously damage the hard
drive when it is running.
Connect the SATA cables to the hard drive. Connect the insulated power cable with the wider
tip into the larger connection port situated on the left-rear of the HDD. If the power cable does
not fit easily, check to make sure that it is not upside down. Connect the data cable to the smaller
SATA port on the hard drive.
If the power supply is older, it may not have any SATA power connectors. If this is the case, you
will need a Molex-to-SATA adapter. Molex plugs have four pins, and may be white or black.
Connect the data cable to the motherboard. If you are adding a new drive, you will need to
connect the data cable to a SATA port on the motherboard (if you are replacing and old drive,
the data cable should already be connected).
SATA ports are usually grouped together and labeled. If you can’t see the labels, refer to your
motherboard’s documentation.
Your primary (boot) drive should be connected to the lowest SATA port on your motherboard,
unless otherwise specified in your motherboard documentation. This is usually SATA0 or
SATA1. If you don’t have any SATA ports on your motherboard, your motherboard does not
support the SATA interface. You will need to Install-a-Motherboard install a motherboard that
supports the SATA format.
Finish the installation. Once the hard drive is secured and connected, close up your computer
and power it back on. Before you can use your new drive, you will need to format it. If you are
replacing the primary drive or building a new computer, you will need to install your operating
system.
2. Disassembling and assembling of PC

Safety Precautions:

1. Beware of electrostatic discharge (ESO)

2. Build computer on a hard surface, away from concepts.
3. Wear shoes and the short sleeved cotton wear.
4. Use Phillips, head screw driver.
5. Keep the components away from moisture.
6. Avoid using pressure while installing.

Steps for Assembling

1. Setting the cabinet ready.

2. Preparing to fit the components.
3. Fitting the mother board.
4. Fitting the RAM, processor and cooler.
5. Installing PCI cards.
6. Fitting the hard disk and floppy drive.
7. Installing the CD ROM drives.
8. Connecting the ribbon cables.
9. Powering the drives and mother board.
10. Connecting the cables for the case front panel.
11. Final check.
Steps for Disassembling

1. The first thing you do is unplug every cable that’s plugged in to your computer.

2. Now that your computer is fully unplugged, move your PC to a clean work space,
preferably a carpet. The carpet is better than tile, because screws and other small
parts will roll around.

3. Remove outer Shell/Casing

4. Now that the case is off, begin to remove the internal components which is
system fan. Remove the CPU fan.

5. Unscrew the power supply.

6. Unscrew or disassemble DVD or CD Drive.

7. Remove or unscrew the Card reader (Available in new computer)

 8. Remove the hard Disk Drive.

9. Remove the Expansion Card slots.

10. Remove the Connectivity Center Cables

11. Remove RAM (Random Access Memory)

12. Remove Power Button & Power LED + HDD LED

13. Remove the Connectivity Center

14. Remove Motherboard.

5. Preventive maintenance of PC
Below is a list of some preventive maintenance steps you can take with your computer or
computer hardware.

1. Cleaning your computer hardware.

2. Downloading the latest drivers for your hardware.

3. Downloading the latest updates for your computer software.

4. Verifying you have the latest anti-virus protection updates on your computer.

5. Running disk software utilities such as Defrag and ScanDisk on your hard drive.

6. Deleting unused programs or other files on your computer.

7. If you don't turn off your computer it may be good to reboot your computer every
few months, unless the computer is a critical computer such as a computer server.
Understanding of CMOS setup

To start the CMOS setup process, press the correct key(s) during the bootstrap process or run
the setup program from hard disk or floppy disk after the computer has started. On virtually all
systems built since the early 1990s, you'll start with a menu screen, as shown in Figure. This
menu, as well as the contents of the screens listed, will vary according to your BIOS brand,
version, and motherboard type.
Select the menu item from this CMOS Setup menu to examine or change settings.

Select Standard CMOS Setup to begin.

Other systems will immediately display the Standard CMOS Setup screen, which is typically
used to configure drive, date, and time settings.

Standard CMOS Configuration

The standard CMOS configuration screen (see Figure) includes settings for items such as

 Date

 Time

 Floppy disk drive types for drives A: (first floppy disk drive) and B: (second floppy
disk drive)

 Hard drives connected to the IDE interface

A typical standard setup screen. On this system, hard drives can be detected during the boot
process ("Auto" setting), but they can also be user-defined, as shown here.

To make selections here, you normally press keys to cycle through the different options,
including date and time.

The time must be entered in the 24-hour format (1:00PM = 13:00, and so on). Enable daylight
savings unless your state or area (Arizona, Hawaii, and parts of Indiana) doesn't switch to DST
in the spring and summer.

Change the default floppy drive types to match your current configuration if necessary. See
"Floppy Disk Drives," page 191, for details on selecting the correct floppy disk drive type.

To select the correct hard drive type, you can use one of three methods:

 Manually enter the correct settings.

 Use an auto-detection feature located here or from the main menu.

 Allow the system to detect the hard drives during every system boot.

Some systems also display the amount of memory onboard on this screen, but only extremely
old systems based on 386 or older processors require that you manually enter the amount of
RAM in the system. On virtually all systems using a 286 processor or better, the standard CMOS
configuration screens are extremely similar, varying mainly in the number and types of drives
that can be used.
The standard setup screen is the single most important screen in the entire BIOS/CMOS setup
process. If the drives are not defined correctly, the system cannot boot.

Automatic Configuration of BIOS/CMOS Settings

Many versions of the AMI and Award BIOS allow you to automatically configure all screens
except the Standard setup screen with a choice of these options from the main menu:

 BIOS Defaults (also referred to as Original/Fail-Safe on some systems)

 Setup Defaults (also referred to as Optimal on some systems)

 Turbo

Use BIOS defaults to troubleshoot the system because these settings are very conservative in
memory timings and other options. Normally, the Setup defaults provide better performance.
Turbo, if present, speeds up the memory refresh rate used by the system. As you view the setup
screens in this chapter, you'll note these options are listed. If you use either automatic setup after
you make manual changes, all your manual changes will be overridden!

Appropriately, the graphical AMI WinBIOS uses a tortoise, a hare, and an eagle for these three
options.

With many recent systems, you can select Optimal or Setup Defaults, save your changes,
and exit, and the system will work acceptably. However, you might want more control over
your system. In that case, look at the following screens and make the changes necessary.

Advanced CMOS Configuration

The advanced CMOS configuration screen, shown in Figure, allows you to adjust optional
details about the computer. In this screen, you can adjust the Num Lock setting, type of video,
keyboard repeats speed, settings for cache memory, and other special features. Most systems
built since the early 1990s include this screen.
A typical Advanced CMOS Configuration screen, also known as the BIOS Features screen—use
this screen to enable or disable anti-virus hardware features, adjust boot sequence, and adjust
memory options such as cache and parity checking.

Table 3.1 lists the most important options and my recommendations.

Recommended Advanced CMOS Settings

Option Setting Reason

Write-Protect Boot Enable for normal This doesn't really stop viruses, but it will
Sector, Virus system use help prevent users from accidentally
Warning, or FORMATting or FDISKing the hard disk.
Antivirus Protection

Cache Internal Enabled Cache memory makes system faster (see

and External"Adding Main and Cache
RAM," page 54.

Boot Sequence C: (first hard disk), A: Prevents users from booting with floppy
(floppy disk drive), CD- floppy disk left in A: won't spread disks;
ROM, C:, A: boot sector viruses to the system; system
won't stop if floppy disk is left in A:.
 Option Setting Reason

Shadowing Enable for memory Copies firmware contents such as system

addresses containing BIOS, video BIOS, and add-on card BIOS
firmware (BIOS) chips to RAM. Located between 640KB-1MB
(upper memory blocks).

LBA mode See "Overcoming Hard

Disk Capacity
Limitations with LBA
Mode," page 211

Depending on the system, you might be able to boot from CD-ROM, ZIP, or LS-120 drives in
addition to the floppy disk drives and hard drives traditionally available as boot devices, as
shown in Figure.

Depending on the BIOS version, you might need to press the ESC key, as in Figure, to return to
the main menu, or use cursor keys to move directly to another menu screen.

This recent Pentium-class system offers a variety of boot options. To view the settings for any
CMOS configuration option, either use the help key (F1) as shown here, or press the correct key
to step through the options for the setting.
Advanced Chipset/Chipset Features Configuration
The Advanced Chipset/Chipset Features Configuration screen, like the one shown in Figure,
offers many advanced options that vary by the system. The following are some typical features
of this menu:

 Memory types, speed and timing—Adjust the values here to match the memory
installed in the system (such as parity, non-parity, SDRAM, EDO, and so on).

 Cache adjustments—Some Cyrix CPUs require the user to disable pipelining for
proper operation.

 Configuration of USB ports—If you upgrade a system to Windows 98 or Windows

2000, you might need to enable the USB ports; systems with older versions of Windows
(which didn't support USB) might not have the USB ports enabled. The USB Keyboard
Support feature must be enabled if a USB keyboard is installed to allow the keyboard to
operate outside of Windows.

 Configuration of the AGP slot—Depending on the specific AGP video card installed (if
any), you might need to set the size of the memory aperture used to transfer data between
the system and the AGP port and select the AGP mode (1x, 2x, and 4x).

This recent system's USB (Universal Serial Bus) and AGP (Advanced Graphics Port) options are
located on the Chipset Features configuration screen, along with the usual system and memory-
timing options.

Power Management Configuration

Virtually all systems built since the mid-1990s are designed to allow power management; watch
for the EPA "Energy Star" logo when you start the computer.
Power management works like this: After a user-defined period of inactivity, devices such as the
monitor, the hard drive, or even the CPU will go into different low-power modes:

 Standby mode—Shuts off the hard drive and blanks monitor screens that use Display
Power Management Signaling. Move the mouse or press a key to "wake up" the
system.

 Suspend mode—Turns off the CPU clock to save even more power. Systems that fully
support suspend mode allow you to choose a special shutdown option that "remembers"
what programs and files were open, and can bring the system back to that state when
the power is restored.

Early power-management systems require that you, the user, keep working with the mouse or
keyboard to prevent the system from going into power-saving modes, which can cause modem or
network transfers to be interrupted, losing data.

On most newer systems, such as the one featured in Figure, you can prevent the system from
going into power-saving modes, or to wake up when activity takes place, by setting these options
by either the device name (modem, hard drive, floppy disk drive, parallel port, serial port) or by
the device's IRQ (see "IRQs, DMAs, I/O Port Addresses, and Memory Addresses," page 17.

I have always regarded power management as being a great idea that does not always work well
in practice.

This recent system

has support for both ACPI power management (used by Windows 98) and APM (used by earlier
versions of Windows).

To make power management work, you need to make sure that

  Devices such as hard drives and monitors can be powered down and powered back
up without loss of information.

 Power management is set to monitor network and Internet devices, such as modems
and network cards, for activity to prevent the connection from being dropped.

 All devices installed in a system are monitored for activity to prevent data loss. For
example, Figure 3.11 does not list IRQ 15 (used by the secondary IDE host adapter in most
systems) as a PM (power management) event. Activity on IRQ 15 will not wake up the
system, although the computer could be reading data from devices on IRQ 15 or saving
data to devices on IRQ 15.

 Users understand how power management works.

Normal signs of power management in use include

 Monitors with blinking power lights, or power lights a different color than normal, while
the screen remains blank

 Keyboards that seem "dead" for a few seconds after you start typing (because the hard
drive must spin up)

Users who are unfamiliar with power management might panic and reboot the computers (losing
their data!) or demand that you "fix" their systems. Sometimes, the best fix is to disable power
management completely or to use Windows to configure power management settings through its
Power icon in Control Panel. For systems that have ACPI- compatible BIOS chips that also run
Windows 98 or Windows 2000, Windows should be used to manage power.

Adjust the system to the user's requirements, and continue.

PnP (Plug-and-Play) Configuration Screen

Plug-and-Play (PnP) configuration allows either the operating system or the system BIOS to
select hardware settings for PnP-compatible cards when first installed and to change those
settings when new cards are installed. PnP BIOS support has been part of virtually all systems
shipped with Windows 95 or newer versions of Windows, and virtually all add-on cards and
other devices (such as printers, monitors, modems, and so on) also support PnP configuration.

Early versions of the Plug-and-Play Configuration screen (see Figure) were introduced with the
first Pentium-based systems with PCI slots, because PCI cards could configure themselves. PnP
can be used with PnP-compatible ISA cards as well as with PCI and AGP cards. If you are using
Windows 95, 98, or 2000, set Plug and Play Operating System to Yes. Unless you have problems
with installing cards, that is normally all you need to set. If you are having problems adding
cards, you can set IRQs to be available to PnP devices (add-on cards that are set by Windows) or
to ISA/Legacy devices (ports built into the motherboard or ISA cards you must set manually).

Some systems, as in this example, also allow you to enable or disable IRQ use for USB, VGA
video, and ACPI power management. You can disable IRQ usage for any or all of these devices,
but some devices might not work if no IRQ is assigned.

Built-In Ports/Peripherals Setup

You can enable or disable most ports built into recent systems with the Built-in Ports/Peripherals
Setup screen, shown in Figure (Some systems with PS/2 mouse ports require that you adjust a
jumper block on the motherboard.) On some systems, this screen also lets you adjust advanced
hard disk options, such as PIO mode and block mode.

A typical Plug-and-Play configuration screen. By changing PnP options for IRQs and DMA
channels to Legacy, you can reserve selected IRQs and DMAs for non-PnP cards.
This system's COM 2 port (UART 2) is disabled to allow an internal modem to be installed as
COM 2.

Generally, you disable a built-in port if you add a card containing a port that will conflict with
it. For example, you can disable COM 2 (serial port 2) to allow you to install an internal
modem.
You can also adjust the IRQ and I/O port addresses used by the built-in parallel and serial ports.
On some systems, the LBA mode setting for hard disks and USB configuration options are also
found on this screen. After observing or changing the settings, return to the main menu and
continue.

See "IDE Performance Optimization," page 212, for information about hard disk options PIO
mode and block mode.

Security/Passwords
You can enable two types of passwords on many systems: a power-on password that must be
entered to allow any use of the system, and a setup password that must be entered to allow access
to the BIOS/CMOS setup. If you don't have all the settings recorded (with screen printouts or by
writing them down), this can be dangerous to enable.

Why? If the passwords are lost, users are locked out of the system, and you would need to
remove the battery or use the "clear CMOS" jumper on the motherboard to erase the CMOS
record of the passwords—and all other settings. This would require reconfiguring the system
BIOS from scratch!

Because passwords are useful to prevent tampering with system settings, record the system
information first, before you enable this feature.
Saving and Recording BIOS/CMOS Settings
Most BIOSes allow you to save your changes, or discard changes you might have
made accidentally, when you exit the main menu and restart the system.

A few old BIOSes automatically save any changes, even bad ones. In either case, be sure to
review the standard CMOS setup screen and any others you viewed to make sure the settings are
acceptable before you save and exit. You should record critical BIOS settings, such as drive type
information and any other changes from a system's default settings. Many technicians find it
useful to add a sticker with drive type and other information to the rear of a system or to the
inside of the system cover.

Crimping RJ-45 connector

Bulk RJ45 Crimp able Connectors for

CAT-5e
or
Bulk RJ CAT-6

45 Crimp able Connectors for

RJ-45 Crimping tool

There are two kinds of

Ethernet cables you can make,
Straight Through and
Crossover.

STRAIGHT
THROUGH Ethernet cables are
the standard cable used for
almost all purposes, and are
often called "patch cables". It is
highly recommend you duplicate
the color order as shown on the
left. Note how the green pair is
not side-by-side as are all the
other pairs. This configuration
for longer wire runs. allows
 CROSSOVER CABLES - The
purpose of a Crossover Ethernet
cable is to directly connect one
computer to another computer (or
device) without going through a
router, switch or hub.

Here's how to make a standard cable:

Cut into the plastic sheath about 1

inch (2.5 cm) from the end of the cut
cable. The crimping tool has a razor blade
that will do the trick with practice.

Unwind and pair the similar colors.

Pinch the wires between your fingers
and straighten them out as shown. The
color order is important to get correct.

Use scissors to make a straight cut across

the 8 wires to shorten them to 1/2
Inch (1.3 cm) from the cut sleeve to
the end of the wires.

Carefully push all 8 unstripped colored

wires into the connector. Note the
position of the blue plastic sleeve. Also
note how the wires go all the way to the
end.

A view from the top. All the wires are all

the way in. There are no short wires.
WRONG WAY - Note how the blue
plastic sleeve is not inside the connector
where it can be locked into place. The
wires are too long. The wires should
extend only 1/2 inch from the blue cut
sleeve.

WRONG WAY - Note how the wires

do not go all the way to the end of the
connector.

CRIMPING THE CABLE ... carefully

place the connector into the Ethernet
Crimper and cinch down on the handles
tightly. The copper splicing tabs on the
connector will pierce into each of the
eight wires. There is also a locking tab
that holds the blue plastic sleeve in
place for a tight compression fit. When
you remove the cable from the crimper,
that end is ready to use.

For a standard "Straight Through" cable,

repeat all steps and wire color order on
the other end of cable. For a cross-over
cable, the other end will have a different
color order as shown by the crossover
picture above.
 Make sure to test the cables before
installing them. An inexpensive Ethernet
cable tester does this quite well.

Partitioning and formatting Hard disks.

Creating and formatting a partition in Windows

Before you can partition a hard drive in Windows, you must have installed a new unused hard
disk, deleted an existing partition, or have some unpartitioned space available on an existing
drive. In the example in this tutorial I will take the unused space from one of my hard drives and
partition/format it. The steps shown here will work whether you are working with a brand new
hard drive, deleting an existing partition and reusing it, or partitioning available space on an
existing hard drive.

All hard disk management is done in the Disk Management Administrative Tool. Follow these
steps to open this tool:

1. If you are using Windows 8, type Disk Management at the start screen, click on Settings, and
then click on the Create and format hard disk partitions option. Then skip to step 3.
Otherwise, click on the Start button and select the Control Panel option.

2. If in Classic control panel mode, double-click on the Administrative Tools icon and then
double-click on Computer Management icon.

If your control panel is in the Category view, click on Performance and Maintenance, then
click on Administrative Tools, and finally double-click on the Computer Management icon.

3. When the Computer Management screen opens, click on the Disk Management option under
the Storage category. This will present you with a screen similar to the one below.
The Disk Management Screen

When you are in the disk management tool you will see a listing of your current hard drives and
how they are partitioned. From the image above you can see that I have two hard disks installed.
The first disk, Disc 0, has two partitions. One partition is a 24 GB NTFS partition that has been
assigned the drive letter C:. The other partition on that drive is a 87 GB NTFS partition that has
been assigned the drive letter E:. The other drive, has only one partition, the D: partition. The
rest of the space, 26 GB, shows that it is unallocated and therefore can be used to make other
partitions.

To make a partition from the unused space you would do the following.

1. Right click on the space listed as unallocated.

2. At the menu that comes up, click on the New Partition option.

3. You will now be presented with a wizard as to how you would like the partition to be created.
At the first screen press Next.

4. At the following screen, determine if you need a primary or extended partition. For more
information about these partitions you can read our partition tutorial listed above. Most people
will be fine selecting Primary Partition. Select Primary Partition and press Next.

5. At the next screen you will be prompted to type in how much of the unallocated space you
would like used for the new partition. In my example, my unallocated space is 26.43 GB, so I
can choose to make a partition of that entire amount of only use half and save the rest for another
partition. Regardless, of what you decide, you need to enter a size in the Partition size in MB:
field, or stick with the default size, and press the Next button.
6. At the next screen select the drive letter you would like assigned to it, or use the default one
given. When done, press the Next button. The drive letter that you assign here will be how you
access the partition later.

7. In this step you will determine how you would like the new partition to be formatted. For the
most part you are advised to use the NTFS file system. If you need a file system that can be
readable by older operating systems like DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME, then
you should instead choose the FAT32 file system.

8. Type a name in the Volume Label field that will be associated with this partition or leave it
blank.

9. Finally press the Next button and you will come to a summary screen. Review how the
partition will be created, and if you are satisfied, press the Finish button to complete the creation
and formatting of your new hard disk partition.

When the computer finishes creating and formatting the new partition you will be presented with
the Disk Management screen again and will see that you have a new partition and drive letter on
your computer. Now you can use that drive to start storing your data.

Deleting a partition in Windows

If you have existing partitions on your computer that you would like to delete in order to use its
space for other purposes, then you first need to delete this partition. It is important to note that
by deleting a partition you will lose all your data on that partition. With that warning given,
let me give some examples of why you would want to delete a partition. Lets say that you have a
60 GB hard drive in your computer that was originally partitioned into a 20 GB partition and a
40 GB partition. You would like to install another operating system on your computer, but feel
that neither partition is big enough on its own, and would like to instead create one partition
using the full storage of 60 GB. The only way to do that would be to delete both of the existing
partitions and recreate a new one using all the available space.

To delete a partition please follow these steps:

1. Click on the Start button and select the Control Panel option.

2. If in Classic control panel mode, double-click on the Administrative Tools icon and then
double-click on Computer Management icon.

If your control panel is in the Category view, click on Performance and Maintenance, then
click on Administrative Tools, and finally double-click on the Computer Management icon.

3. When the Computer Management screen opens, click on the Disk Management option under
the Storage category.
4. Right-click on the partition you would like to delete and choose the Delete Partition option.

5. A confirmation box will come up asking if you are sure you would like to continue. If you
press the yes button, all data on this partition will be deleted. If you are sure about deleting this
partition, press the Yes button.

The partition will now be deleted and you can either create a new partition or exit the program.

2.OPERATING SYSTEM INSTALLATION:

Loading windows operating system and device drivers

Boot from Windows 7 DVD

The first step is to place your Windows 7 DVD into the DVD tray and boot the machine. Your
computer needs to be configured to boot from DVD. This is done via BIOS. On most computers,
the BIOS menu can be accessed by pressing either the F2 or Del keys while the machine is
booting.

Once you have completed this stage, Windows 7 will start loading. If you see the below image,
you're doing well so far.
After a few moments, you will reach the installation menu. Your first step is to choose the
language and the keyboard.
You will be now taken to the Install now menu. We have already prepared for the installation, so
you can click Install now and proceed.
The next step is to accept the license agreement.
After this, you will have to decide whether you want to Upgrade an existing installation or
perform a Custom (advanced) installation, which is basically creating a new copy of Windows.

We will discuss multiple boots in a separate tutorial. For now, if you are interested, you may
want to explore a Dual boot tutorial that tackles this issue from the Linux side, with a Linux
distribution being installed alongside Windows XP. In the soon-to-come multiple-boot tutorial, I
will address the installation of Windows 7 alongside other Windows (XP and 7), as well as
Linux.

Personally, I recommend you install a new copy. Fresh installations are always better. Your
machine starts in a pristine state and does not rely on old leftovers.
Partitioning

The next step is to choose where you want to install Windows 7. This is probably the most
important part of the entire installation, so you need to be very careful here and make the right
choices.
We only have a 20GB unallocated space on our disk, so we have no dilemma. However, it is
possible that you may have other partitions from previous installations present, or you may have
created a custom partitioning setup before starting Windows 7 installation using a third-party
partitioning software, like GParted. We will soon this discuss in greater detail. For now, let us
create our Windows 7 partitions.

Inexperienced users can simply highlight the unallocated space and click Next. The partitioning
layout will be created for them. However, we want to explore additional features. To this end, we
need to expand the Drive options (advanced).
You now have the option to create new partitions, format them with a desired filesystem, change
the size of existing or newly created partition (Extend), or delete them. The Load Driver function
is usually necessary if you want to create more complex setups like RAID, but this is currently
beyond the scope of this tutorial.

We will create a new partition. According to official system requirements, Windows 7 needs
16GB of free space. However, you can do with less. The minimum recommended space for a
partition where you want to place Windows 7 is 10350MB. Eventually, the installation itself will
take approx. 7GB.

Just for your information, here's a snippet of what would happen if you try to install Windows 7
on a partition that does not meet the minimum expected size limit:
This does not mean your installation won't succeed. It might, but why risk it? We will create a
14GB partition:

Windows 7 installer will now tell you that it will have to create an additional partition for the core
system files. This will be a small primary partition ahead of your newly created one.
This is what it looks like:
Important technical bits to pay attention to!

We now have a system partition and a primary partition, plus some free space. In purely
technical terms, there is no such thing as a partition of the type system. There are only two types
of partitions: primary and logical. The above-mentioned partition is a primary partition.

In total, there can only be up to four primary partitions on any physical disk. Windows 7, by
itself, creates and uses at least two primary partitions. If we created another partition in the free
space, it would too, become a primary partition.

Some quick math, this means that if we want to have more than two Windows 7 installations side
by side, we don't have enough partitions available.

Recommendation

Use a third-party partitioning tool to create a partition layout beforehand. This will allow you to
place Windows 7 files on a logical partition, saving yourself the precious commodity of wasting
primary partitions on what is essentially non-system data. We will see this example in a separate
tutorial.

If you're using ONLY Windows 7 to create a partition layout on your system, then you should
just create a partition with a sufficient size to hold the Windows 7 data files and nothing else.
The
system partition will be added. Leave the handling of any unpartitioned, free space after the
installation.

Begin installation

If you're comfortable with your setup, highlight the created partition and click Next. Windows 7
will be installed to this partition. Depending on your hardware, this can take some time. My
testing shows approx. 30-40 minutes.
During the installation, your computer may restart several times. Let it be.

User settings

Eventually, you will be asked to provide your username and a computer name. You will also
have to password-protect your account. This is most advisable. You should opt for a strong
password.
č* Windows 7 U!tİTdt6
Activation

The next step is to activate your Windows. Grab your key and type it here.
Updates

You will be asked to configure your updates. You can choose either setting you like. However, I
recommend you configure this choice later, after Windows 7 is installed and running properly.

We will discuss this separately in the Windows 7 security tutorial. Therefore, I will choose Ask
me later, but you may want to go for either the first or the second option, as you see fit.
Time zone

Configure your time zone:

Location

Your location will determine the firewall settings for your newly installed Windows 7. You have
three choices: home, work or public network. Home and work networks are supposed to be
trusted, so you should not experience any problems adding other machines to your group or
sharing data with them.

However, the public network is meant to be untrusted. So if you have installed Windows 7 in,
let's say, Internet cafe, then you should choose the third option.
Congratulations!

Congratulations, you have just successfully installed Windows 7.

Go to Start and right-click on Computers and select Manage. This will bring the Computer
Management window, now on the left sidebar select Device Manager as shown in the
screenshot below.
Now, simply select the device who’s driver you want to update. Suppose you want to update
your Graphic card’s driver, then go to Display Adapters and right click on your card’s name(In
my case it is Nvidia Geforce 9600GT) and finally click Update Driver Software as shown in
the screenshot below.

Once you are done. It will open a windows like the one shown below.
You have two options here, if you want to install a driver that came with your device
or hardware, then select Browse my computer for driver software.
It will then open a window similar like the one shown below,

Click Browse and locate your driver, once it’s done simply click Next and Windows 7 / Vista
will start installing the driver
 Understanding control panel settings
Preference extensions under Control Panel Settings include:

 Data Sources Extension: Create, modify, or delete Open Database Connectivity

(ODBC) data source names.

 Devices Extension: Enable or disable hardware devices or classes of devices.

 Folder Options Extension: Configure folder options; create, modify, or delete Open
With associations for file name extensions; create, modify, or delete file name
extensions associated with a type of files.

 Internet Settings Extension: Modify user-configurable Internet settings.

 Local Users and Groups Extension: Create, modify, or delete local users and groups.

 Network Options Extension: Create, modify, or delete virtual private networking

(VPN) or dial-up networking connections.

 Power Options Extension: Modify power options and create, modify, or delete
power schemes.

 Printers Extension: Create, modify, or delete TCP/IP, shared, and local

printer connections.

 Regional Options Extension: Modify regional options.

 Scheduled Tasks Extension: Create, modify, or delete scheduled or immediate tasks.

 Services Extension: Modify services.

 Start Menu Extension: Modify Start menu options.

 Setting up the properties of network neighborhood and copying files from
another system
1. Click on the START MENU and select CONTROL PANEL.
2. Select NETWORK AND INTERNET.
3. Select the NETWORK AND SHARING CENTER.
4. From the Tasks section on the left, select CHANGE ADAPTER SETTINGS.
5. Right-click the LOCAL AREA CONNECTION icon and select PROPERTIES.
6. From the User Access Control window, click CONTINUE.
7. Select INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then
click the PROPERTIES button.
8. Make sure OBTAIN AN IP ADDRESS AUTOMATICALLY and OBTAIN DNS
SERVER ADDRESS AUTOMATICALLY are selected.
9. Click the OK button to close the other open windows.
10. Restart the computer.
11. Log on to perform the system "health check".
What is Advanced Sharing in Windows?

Advanced Sharing is one way of sharing resources in Windows. It allows for detailed
customization of the way you are sharing and it has the following characteristics:

 You can use it to share folders, external hard drives and internal drives (your partitions, Blu-
Ray or DVD drives).
 You can use it to deny access to a specific resource for a specific user account or user group.
 You can use it to limit the number of simultaneous users accessing a shared resource.
 You can use it to share resources with one or more share names.
 You cannot use “Advanced Sharing” for sharing libraries or printers.
How to Enable Advanced Sharing in Windows

“Advanced Sharing” is enabled by default when you share devices like external hard drives or
your computer’s Blu-Ray or DVD drive. It is disabled by default when you share folders. If you
want to use it for sharing folders as a replacement for the “Sharing Wizard”, then you need to
disable the “Sharing Wizard”.

Open File Explorer in Windows 8.x or Windows Explorer in Windows 7. In Windows 8.x,
expand the “View” tab on the ribbon and press the “Options” button on the far right.
The “Folder Options” window, where you can enable “Advanced Sharing”, is now open.

In Windows 7, click the “Organize” button on the Explorer toolbar and then “Folder and search
options”.
In the “Folder Options” window, go to the “View” tab. In the “Advanced Settings” section you
will find lots of configuration options for Windows/File Explorer.
Scroll to the bottom of the list and you will find an option that says “Use Sharing Wizard
(Recommended)”. To enable the “Advanced Sharing”, clear this option and press “OK”. Then,
close the “Folder Options” window.
“Advanced Sharing” is now enabled also for sharing folders.

How to Access Advanced Sharing for a Folder or Drive

After “Advanced Sharing” is enabled in Windows, you can start using it for sharing folders and
drives. In order to start using “Advanced Sharing” for sharing a folder, you need to first select it
in File Explorer (in Windows 8.x) or Windows Explorer (in Windows 7).

Once you select the folder in Windows 8, expand the “Share” tab on the ribbon. In the “Share
with” section you will find only one option which says “Advanced Sharing”.
A click or tap on it opens the folder’s Properties window, directly at the “Sharing” tab. There you
have two sections:

 Network File and Folder Sharing – this indicates whether the folder is shared or not. If the
folder is shared, you will also see the network path to that folder. The network path is the
path used by other computers or devices to access that folder.
 Advanced Sharing – this section only includes the “Advanced Sharing” button that starts the
wizard for sharing with the network.
 Password Protection – this informs you whether others need to have a user account and
password for your computer in order to access the folders you are sharing with the network.
To start sharing with others, press the “Advanced Sharing” button.

Once you select the folder in Windows 7, click “Share with” on the toolbar and then “Advanced
sharing settings”. This opens the folder’s Properties window, directly at the “Sharing” tab, just
like in Windows 8.x. The sections and options displayed are the same in Windows 7 and
Windows 8.x.
Another way to start “Advanced Sharing” is to right-click the folder that you want to share with
the network. On the menu, select “Share with” and then “Advanced sharing”.

The folder’s Properties window is opened as shown above.

How to Share Folders or Drives with Advanced Sharing

Let’s continue with the actual steps involved in sharing with “Advanced Sharing”. To give you
an example of how this is done, we are sharing a folder on one of our network computers with
Windows 8.x.

The “Advanced Sharing” window is empty at first and unappealing.

To share the selected folder, check the box that says “Share this folder”. If you stop here and
click “OK”, the folder is shared on the network with everyone. However, the beauty of
“Advanced Sharing” is that you can customize in detail how the folder is shared.

Installation of multimedia
To configure multimedia devices in Windows 7:

1. Select Start→Control Panel.

2. Open the Hardware and Sound utility.

3. In the Sound section, select the Adjust system volume link.

4. In the Sound section, select the Manage audio devices link.

5. On the Playback tab, you can select a playback device and view its properties by using
the Properties button.

6. On the Recording tab, you can configure and view the properties of your microphone.

7. On the Sounds tab, you can assign various sounds for different windows operations.

8. You can also use the Device Manager to configure MIDI device or game controller settings.

Prevent power surges protect HD data

Prevent power surge damage to PC

The simplest procedure is to unplug your PC when you boot it down and switch off. These days
most PCs spend their lives asleep and plugged in rather than fully switched off, but if you want
to avoid the results of power surges get into the habit of physically unplugging your PC when
you
finish working on it. Of course this won't help if thunder strikes when you are in the process of
doing your annual tax return, and there's not much point in a PC that you never switch on.

So a more effective but expensive alternative is to use an anti-surge power strip. These cost more
than your average power strip, but not outrageously so. You can pick up the Belkin Surgemaster
six-way power strip for less than £20, for instance.

But let's assume that you have already suffered the outragous fortune of a PC-breaking power
surge...

Check and fix a PC after power surge

We're going to assume that your PC just won't switch on. Don't panic. All is not lost. (If you are
just concerned about damage but everything seems to be working fine, you can still follow the
procedure outlined below. But with a glad heart.)

Before you do anything unplug the PC and then the power strip - in that order. Now plug in the
monitor directly to the mains. If that works you can set it aside safe in the knowledge the
problem is the PC itself.

Now you need to open up your PC's case. This will likely involve unscrewing some screws at the
edge of the case, but consult your PC's manual if you are unsure (although this seems like a huge
deal to non-upgraders, it really is surprisingly simple).

Now imagine that you are in your car and have broken down on the hard shoulder of the M1.
What would you do? That's right, look under the bonnet for anything that looks obviously
wrong, and then shake your head and give up. Do that here: look for anything scorched or
damaged.

If you can see and identify any component that is obviously broken, it needs to be replaced.
[Awards himself gold star for obvious advice.] Now depending on your level of expertise you
should replace that component, but not before you also replace the PSU. If you know that you
have been the victim of a power surge that has damaged your PC, you need a new power supply
unit. Here's our piece offering detailed advice on how to check and replace your PC's power
supply.

Once you'd replaced the PSU you can connect the PC and monitor, and connect both to the
mains. Now look closely - if everything is working fine you are in clover. But because you know
the monitor is okay, if the PC powers up and nothing appears on the screen you have a problem
with the PC's graphics card. And if the PC doesn't power up at all you likely have a problem with
the motherboard.

15. Test serial and parallel ports

If the computer does not have a serial or parallel port

If the computer does not have a serial or parallel port, you must install a card or external device
that adds port functionallity.

 An add-in card that has the port you need. You must install the card on the computer.
 A USB to serial port adapter.
 A USB to parallel port adapter.
Step 1: Enabling the ports in the
BIOS
A parallel or serial port has to be enabled in the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) before it
can function properly. Many parallel devices also require that ECP mode be used. Use the
following steps to enable the ports and ECP in the BIOS if they are disabled:

NOTE:
These steps will work with BIOS v6 or earlier with older add-in cards. For BIOS v7, a newer
Plug and Play card with IRQ sharing must be used.

1. Turn on the computer and press the F10 key repeatedly when the first screen appears.
2. Press the RIGHT ARROW key to select Advanced.
3. Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to select I/O Device Configuration and
press the ENTER key.
4. Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to select the listing next to Serial Port A.
5. If it is not already set to Enabled, press ENTER to select Enabled.
6. If the listings next to Base I/O Address and Interrupt Request (IRQ) for Serial Port A is
the same as the listing for Serial Port B, then select the Base I/O Address number and
change it to a different number. The default numbers for most computers are 3F8H/IRQ 4
for serial port A and 2F8H/IRQ 3.
7. Select and enable Serial Port B and the other Parallel ports in the same
way. NOTE:
There may be a mode setting or mode listings for the parallel port. Many parallel scanners
and multifunction devices will not work unless mode is set to Extended Capabilities Port
(ECP) or Bi-directional.

8. Press the F10 key to save the settings and exit.

9. Connect a serial or parallel device to test the serial or parallel port. If the serial or
 parallel device fails, go to the next step.
Step 2: Reinstall the ports

Remove and reinstall the serial or parallel ports to force Windows to reset the information for the
ports. When Windows discovers the ports again it will look for open IRQ numbers and re-assign
a new IRQ and Base Address for the port. Use the following steps to remove and reinstall the
ports:

1. Restart the computer and press the F8 key repeatedly, every second, until a menu
is displayed.
2. Select Safe Mode and press the ENTER key. Windows will open with Safe
Mode displayed in the corners of the desktop.
3. Click Start , and enter Device Manager into the Search field. Click Device
Manager. Figure : Opening Device Manager

LINUX INSTALLATION:
Choose a boot option
But, first: This is a proceed-at-your-own-risk tutorial. Also, note that I'll be referring to the old
PC as the "destination system."

Here's the overall process in a nutshell:

 Step one: Download a Linux OS. (I recommend doing this, and all subsequent steps, on your current PC,
not the destination system. Although the latter is an option if it's malware-free and in decent working order,
everything will get done faster and more easily on your primary machine.)
 Step two: Create a bootable CD/DVD or USB flash drive.
 Step three: Boot that media on the destination system, then make a few decisions regarding the
installation.
The first part is easy: Just download Linux from Mint or Ubuntu or whatever site hosts the
version you want. That download will likely consist of a single ISO file. Note: An older
computer may have a 32-bit processor, which won't work with 64-bit versions of Linux.

The second part -- creating boot media -- requires a little thought. The fastest, easiest method
is to use a flash drive, even if the destination system has a CD/DVD drive. Indeed, the only
reason not to go the flash-drive route is if the destination system won't boot (or boot properly)
from one. (I've encountered this problem a few times, even after tweaking the BIOS boot
settings and actually selecting "USB drive" from a pop-up boot menu.)

My advice: Try a flash drive first. If it doesn't work, you can always use that same ISO file to
create a bootable CD later.

How big a drive do you need? It depends on the size of the Linux distro. The latest versions of
Mint and Ubuntu run about 1.8GB and 1.5GB, respectively, so a 2GB drive should suffice.
Make sure it doesn't contain any important data, as it'll need to get wiped as part of this
procedure.
Build your boot drive

Enlarge Image
Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET
Once you've downloaded your Linux ISO, you'll need a utility that can create a bootable flash
drive. I'm partial to Rufus, which is fast, free and easy to use. Download the portable version;
there's no need to actually install it, because most likely you'll just run it once.

Step 1: Plug in your flash drive (ignoring or closing any prompts that pop up), then run the
Rufus utility.

Step 2: In the Device field, at the very top, make sure your flash drive is the one selected. If
not, click the pull-down and select it.

Step 3: Near the checkbox marked "Create a bootable disk using," click the little disk icon and
navigate to the Linux ISO file you downloaded. It's most likely in your Downloads folder. Click
it, then click Open.

Step 4: If you like, you can change the "New volume label" field to something like "Linux," but
it's not necessary. Click Start, then wait while the drive is formatted and the ISO installed.

Get ready to boot

Now it's time to turn your attention to the destination system. It doesn't matter what condition
it's in or even if it's riddled with malware; you just need it to be able to boot from a flash drive.

That may mean venturing into the BIOS and changing the boot order, which by default almost
certainly puts the hard drive first. Some systems do offer a pop-up boot menu that lets you
choose what device to boot from without having to monkey with the settings. If yours does,
count yourself lucky.
For example, I did some testing with a years-old HP Pavilion dm1z. When you first power it on,
there's no boot menu -- just a blank screen and then the Windows startup screen. So I did a
quick web search for "Pavilion dm1z boot menu" and learned that I need to press either F1 or
F10 immediately after powering on the machine. (Turns out it was F10.)

That's pretty common, though based on past experience, it might also be F2, F9, F12 or even
the Delete key. Depends on the system.

Once you've found your way into the BIOS, find the boot or startup menu and make sure "flash
drive" or "USB drive" is first in the boot order. Then save and exit (usually by pressing F10,
but, again, this varies).

One OS or two?

Enlarge Image
Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET
As you probably know already, Linux can boot and run right from the flash drive -- no actual
installation required. That's a great way to test-drive a distro, but this tutorial is about installing
the OS, so let's focus on that option.

The big decision you'll need to make is whether you want to install Linux alongside your
existing OS, which would result in a dual-boot setup, or reformat the hard drive and run only
Linux. The former is worth considering if the system has a large drive and can easily
accommodate both operating systems, or you still have need for Windows.

This following instructions may vary a bit from one distro to the next, but they're based on my
installation of Linux Mint.

Step one: Boot from the flash drive directly into Linux.
Step two: Double-click the Install Linux icon on the desktop.

Step three: Make any requested selections regarding language, installation of third-party
software and so on. Then choose your OS installation preference: alongside the existing OS or
erase-and-install.
4. Double-click Ports (COM & LPT).
5. Right-click a serial or parallel port, and then click Uninstall .
6. Click OK to confirm the removal of the port.
7. Continue removing the ports until all serial ports or all parallel ports are removed.
8. Restart the computer.
9. When Windows opens, it automatically finds and configures the ports.
10. Connect a serial or parallel device to test the serial or parallel port. If the serial or
parallel device still fails, try the following items:
1. Use a different cable to connect the device.
2. Use a different port to connect the device (serial).
3. Check the Web site or documentation for the device that is using the port.
The device may require special settings in order to operate correctly.
4. If an extra parallel card was installed, refer to the documentation that came with
the card or card manufacturer's website.
 3.INTRODUCING TO PROGRAMMING ENVIRONMENT
Here is a list of basic Linux commands:

1. pwd command
Use the pwd command to find out the path of the current working directory (folder) you’re in.
The command will return an absolute (full) path, which is basically a path of all the directories
that starts with a forward slash (/). An example of an absolute path is /home/username.

2. cd command
To navigate through the Linux files and directories, use the cd command. It requires either the
full path or the name of the directory, depending on the current working directory that you’re in.
Let’s say you’re in /home/username/Documents and you want to go to Photos, a
subdirectory of Documents. To do so, simply type the following command: cdPhotos.
Another scenario is if you want to switch to a completely new directory, for
example,/home/username/Movies. In this case, you have to type cd followed by the
directory’s absolute path: cd /home/username/Movies.
There are some shortcuts to help you navigate quickly:

 cd .. (with two dots) to move one directory up

 cd to go straight to the home folder
 cd- (with a hyphen) to move to your previous directory
On a side note, Linux’s shell is case sensitive. So, you have to type the name’s directory
exactly as it is.

3. ls command
The ls command is used to view the contents of a directory. By default, this command will
display the contents of your current working directory.
If you want to see the content of other directories, type ls and then the directory’s path. For
example, enter ls /home/username/Documents to view the content of Documents.
There are variations you can use with the ls command:

 ls -R will list all the files in the sub-directories as well

 ls -a will show the hidden files
 ls -al will list the files and directories with detailed information like the permissions, size,
owner, etc.

4. cat command
cat (short for concatenate) is one of the most frequently used commands in Linux. It is used to
list the contents of a file on the standard output (sdout). To run this command,
type cat followed by the file’s name and its extension. For instance: cat file.txt.
Here are other ways to use the cat command:

 cat > filename creates a new file

 cat filename1 filename2>filename3 joins two files (1 and 2) and stores the output of
them in a new file (3)
 to convert a file to upper or lower case use, cat filename | tr a-z A-Z >output.txt
5. cp command
Use the cp command to copy files from the current directory to a different directory. For
instance, the command cp scenery.jpg /home/username/Pictures would create a copy
of scenery.jpg (from your current directory) into the Pictures directory.

6. mv command
The primary use of the mv command is to move files, although it can also be used to rename
files.
The arguments in mv are similar to the cp command. You need to type mv, the file’s name, and
the destination’s directory. For example: mv file.txt /home/username/Documents.
To rename files, the Linux command is mv oldname.ext newname.ext

7. mkdir command
Use mkdir command to make a new directory — if you type mkdir Music it will create a
directory called Music.
There are extra mkdir commands as well:

 To generate a new directory inside another directory, use this Linux basic
command mkdir Music/Newfile
 use the p (parents) option to create a directory in between two existing directories. For
example, mkdir -p Music/2020/Newfile will create the new “2020” file.

8. rmdir command
If you need to delete a directory, use the rmdir command. However, rmdir only allows you to
delete empty directories.

9. rm command
The rm command is used to delete directories and the contents within them. If you only want to
delete the directory — as an alternative to rmdir — use rm -r.
Note: Be very careful with this command and double-check which directory you are in. This will
delete everything and there is no undo.

10. touch command

The touch command allows you to create a blank new file through the Linux command line. As
an example, enter touch /home/username/Documents/Web.htmlto create an HTML file
entitled Web under the Documents directory.
11. locate command
You can use this command to locate a file, just like the search command in Windows. What’s
more, using the -i argument along with this command will make it case-insensitive, so you can
search for a file even if you don’t remember its exact name.
To search for a file that contains two or more words, use an asterisk (*). For example, locate -i
school*note command will search for any file that contains the word “school” and “note”,
whether it is uppercase or lowercase.

12. find command

Similar to the locate command, using find also searches for files and directories. The
difference is, you use the find command to locate files within a given directory.
As an example, find /home/ -name notes.txt command will search for a file
called notes.txt within the home directory and its subdirectories.
Other variations when using the find are:

 To find files in the current directory use, find . -name notes.txt

 To look for directories use, / -type d -name notes. txt

13. grep command

Another basic Linux command that is undoubtedly helpful for everyday use is grep. It lets you
search through all the text in a given file.
To illustrate, grep blue notepad.txt will search for the word blue in the notepad file. Lines that
contain the searched word will be displayed fully.

14. sudo command

Short for “SuperUser Do”, this command enables you to perform tasks that require
administrative or root permissions. However, it is not advisable to use this command for daily
use because it might be easy for an error to occur if you did something wrong.

15. df command
Use df command to get a report on the system’s disk space usage, shown in percentage and
KBs. If you want to see the report in megabytes, type df -m.

16. du command
If you want to check how much space a file or a directory takes, the du (Disk Usage) command
is the answer. However, the disk usage summary will show disk block numbers instead of the
usual size format. If you want to see it in bytes, kilobytes, and megabytes, add the -h argument
to the command line.
17. head command
The head command is used to view the first lines of any text file. By default, it will show the
first ten lines, but you can change this number to your liking. For example, if you only want to
show the first five lines, type head -n 5 filename.ext.

18. tail command

This one has a similar function to the head command, but instead of showing the first lines,
the tail command will display the last ten lines of a text file. For example, tail -n filename.ext.

19. diff command

Short for difference, the diff command compares the contents of two files line by line. After
analyzing the files, it will output the lines that do not match. Programmers often use this
command when they need to make program alterations instead of rewriting the entire source
code.
The simplest form of this command is diff file1.ext file2.ext

20. tar command

The tar command is the most used command to archive multiple files into a tarball— a
common Linux file format that is similar to zip format, with compression being optional.
This command is quite complex with a long list of functions such as adding new files into an
existing archive, listing the content of an archive, extracting the content from an archive, and
many more. Check out some practical examples to know more about other functions.

21. chmod command

chmod is another Linux command, used to change the read, write, and execute permissions of
files and directories. As this command is rather complicated, you can read the full tutorial in
order to execute it properly.

22. chown command

In Linux, all files are owned by a specific user. The chown command enables you to change or
transfer the ownership of a file to the specified username. For instance, chown linuxuser2
file.ext will make linuxuser2 as the owner of the file.ext.

23. jobs command

jobs command will display all current jobs along with their statuses. A job is basically a
process that is started by the shell.
24. kill command
If you have an unresponsive program, you can terminate it manually by using the killcommand.
It will send a certain signal to the misbehaving app and instructs the app to terminate itself.
There is a total of sixty-four signals that you can use, but people usually only use two signals:

 SIGTERM (15) — requests a program to stop running and gives it some time to save all
of its progress. If you don’t specify the signal when entering the kill command, this signal
will be used.
 SIGKILL (9) — forces programs to stop immediately. Unsaved progress will be lost.
Besides knowing the signals, you also need to know the process identification number (PID) of
the program you want to kill. If you don’t know the PID, simply run the command ps ux.
After knowing what signal you want to use and the PID of the program, enter the following
syntax:
kill [signal option] PID.

25. ping command

Use the ping command to check your connectivity status to a server. For example, by simply
entering ping google.com, the command will check whether you’re able to connect to Google
and also measure the response time.

26. wget command

The Linux command line is super useful — you can even download files from the internet with
the help of the wget command. To do so, simply type wget followed by the download link.

27. uname command

The uname command, short for Unix Name, will print detailed information about your Linux
system like the machine name, operating system, kernel, and so on.

28. top command

As a terminal equivalent to Task Manager in Windows, the top command will display a list of
running processes and how much CPU each process uses. It’s very useful to monitor system
resource usage, especially knowing which process needs to be terminated because it
consumes too many resources.

29. history command

When you’ve been using Linux for a certain period of time, you’ll quickly notice that you can run
hundreds of commands every day. As such, running history command is particularly useful if
you want to review the commands you’ve entered before.
30. man command
Confused about the function of certain Linux commands? Don’t worry, you can easily learn how
to use them right from Linux’s shell by using the man command. For instance, entering man
tail will show the manual instruction of the tail command.

31. echo command

This command is used to move some data into a file. For example, if you want to add the text,
“Hello, my name is John” into a file called name.txt, you would type echo Hello, my name is
John >> name.txt

32. zip, unzip command

Use the zip command to compress your files into a zip archive, and use the unzipcommand to
extract the zipped files from a zip archive.

33. hostname command

If you want to know the name of your host/network simply type hostname. Adding a -I to the
end will display the IP address of your network.

34. useradd, userdel command

Since Linux is a multi-user system, this means more than one person can interact with the
same system at the same time. useradd is used to create a new user, while passwd is adding
a password to that user’s account. To add a new person named John type, useradd John and
then to add his password type, passwd 123456789.
To remove a user is very similar to adding a new user. To delete the users account
type, userdel UserName
Best Text Editor Options for Programmers
Sublime Text
What makes Sublime Text stand out is its ability to make use of each OS’ native functionalities.
That makes Sublime Text one of the more resource-efficient options.

Pros: Sublime Text is highly customizable, both in appearance and in functionality (using plugins).
In addition to having many of the basic editor features (like colored syntax and searchability),
Sublime adds a Goto Anything feature. You can search inside or outside the application or open
and manipulate files with a quick keystroke. It also allows multiple selections, so you can highlight
multiple lines and edit them all at once.

Cons: Sublime Text has a steep learning curve even though it’s designed to simplify workflows. You
can use it free of charge, but it has a very intrusive popup system asking users to buy a license.

How to Install
Sublime Text is not a default application on most Linux installations. Install it with the following
command:

wget -qO - https://download.sublimetext.com/sublimehq-pub.gpg | sudo apt-key add -

echo "deb https://download.sublimetext.com/ apt/stable/" | sudo tee
/etc/apt/sources.list.d/sublime-text.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install sublime-text

Vim
Almost all Linux distributions, even older versions, come with the Vim editor installed. Vim stands
for Vi Improved, meaning that Vim is a modified and improved version of the old Vi text editor.

Pros: Vim supports automatic commands, digraph inputs (useful in programming), split and
session screens, tabs, colored schemes (color-coded by function), and tagging. It can be configured
with plugins and comes with a tutorial (invoked with the vimtutor command). When you master
the commands, Vim is very efficient.

Cons: It does not have a GUI. The only way you can initiate Vim is from the command line. The
interface is user-unfriendly, while some commands are not intuitive. Coding a file from scratch
would be too complicated. The learning curve can be steep, but Vim is very popular in the Linux
community.
Nano Editor
Nano is a revision of an older editor called Pico and comes pre-loaded on most Linux installations.
Nano is an ideal lightweight editor for beginners. It’s a lot easier to use than Vim, so it’s worth
learning Nano for quick configuration edits.

Pros: It supports GNU Autoconf, interactive search-and-replace, auto-indent, and spellcheck. Nano
is intuitive and easy to use. It lists the keystroke commands at the bottom of the editor, so you
don’t have to memorize or look them up.

Cons: The list of commands is short and some may be unintuitive.

Atom
Atom is a popular open-source code/text editor that works across several platforms such as
Windows, Mac, or Linux. Atom is also considered to be one of the best Python code editors.

Pros: Atom has color-coded syntax, a smart autocomplete feature, multiple panes, and a search-
and-replace feature. It also has its own package manager for plugins, so you can easily expand its
functionality. You can also customize the appearance manually by using themes. A new plugin –
called teletype – allows you to share workspaces with other Atom users.

Cons: Most users will have to tweak the default configuration. Low-spec computers will struggle to
run Atom, especially if you load multiple projects.

How to Install

Atom is not typically included in a default Linux installation. Install it with the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/atom

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install atom

For RedHat or CentOS systems, use the yum install command instead of apt-get install.
Gedit
Gedit is a text editor that comes with the GNOME desktop environment. The design emphasizes
simplicity so gedit is a great editor for beginners. Even though simple in design, gedit is a powerful
tool.

Pros: The uncomplicated interface includes clipboard support, multilanguage spellchecking,

undo/redo, syntax highlighting for various languages (C, C++, Java, Python, etc,), color-coded
syntax, and has a flexible plugin system.

Cons: This editor works well if you do not need too many features, or if you simply prefer a clean
interface. Gedit works great with GNOME, but there are better options for other desktop
environments.

How to Install

On older versions of Linux, or versions without GNOME, it may not come pre-installed. Install gedit
with the following command:

sudo apt-get install gedit

Note: Can’t decide between CentOS and Ubuntu? Read our CentOS vs Ubuntucomparison article.

Visual Studio Code

If you’ve installed Anaconda on Linux, you may be familiar with the option to install Microsoft Visual
Studio Code. Even though it’s from Microsoft, VSCode is cross-platform, meaning it works on
Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Pros: Visual Studio Code is lightweight but powerful, and it offers an extensive library of add-ons.
These include additional programming language support, debuggers, and commands. This text
editor is an excellent choice for developing JavaScript applications and working in cross-platform
environments.

Cons: Compared to other text editors on this list, VSCode might not always run properly on Linux,
especially Ubuntu. It is also known to use a lot of memory and CPU resources. Furthermore, it may
run slower compared to other text editors.

How to Install

Install VSCode with the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-desktop/ubuntu-make

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-make

GNU Emacs
GNU Emacs is a text/code editor for Linux professionals created by Richard Stallman, the founder of
the GNU project. Emacs allows you to write code, display a manual, or draft an email from the same
interface.

Pros: It has content-aware editing modes, extensive documentation and a tutorial, incredible
language support, and a package manager for extensions. It also offers cross-compatibility with
other GNU apps, including an organizer, mail app, calendar, and debugger.

Cons: It’s not for everyone. You might choose Emacs if you have multiple different tasks and want
a standard interface. It’s designed for the Linux power user, so if that’s you, it’s worth a try.

How to Install

Install GNU Emacs with the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kelleyk/emacs
sudo apt update
sudo apt install emacs26

Notepadqq
Notepadqq is a Linux editor inspired by the Notepad++ application for Windows. Even though
different developers manage the projects, Notepadqq is a fair replica of Notepad++.

Pros: Notepadqq supports tabbed projects, color-coded syntax, syntax highlighting, auto-tabbing,
and a good search-and-replace feature. It has a smart-indent feature that remembers the
indentation settings of the last line typed. Another strong point is how efficiently it converts files
between various types of character encoding.

Cons: Notepadqq supports over 100 languages but if you compare it to other text editors,
Notepadqq’s set of features might seems lacking. It opens any text file though it doesn’t do tag
matching or auto-completion.

How to Install

Install Notepadqq with the following command:

sudo snap install --classic notepadqq

Note: Most modern Linux distributions support Snap. If you’re running CentOS (or another Linux
distribution without Snap), you’ll need to install the Snap app first.

Brackets
Brackets is a Linux editor designed around HTML and web design. It’s a cross-platform editor so
that you can run it on Windows, Mac, or Linux for a seamless editing experience.

Pros: Brackets is a great choice for web developers. It includes live-preview for testing the
appearance of your HTML code, plus inline editors. Like many other editors, it supports many
extensions to add functionalities.

Cons: Brackets may stutter on older computer systems. Natively, it only supports HTML, CSS, and
JavaScript. You can add more with extensions, though.

How to Install

Install Brackets with the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/brackets

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install brackets
Bluefish Text Editor
The bluefish text editor is aimed at making coding more accessible. It works on most platforms so
that you can use it on Linux, Mac, or Windows.

Pros: Bluefish can be enhanced with plugins and supports standard features like color-coded
syntax, auto-indent, and auto-complete for tags and classes. It also features an auto-recover
option, in case of a power outage or system crash. It organizes data and code in a way that’s
intuitive and easy to read.

Cons: Bluefish is not updated regularly and is already getting a bit outdated. It is useful if you are
new to writing code or editing configuration files. However, some advanced features are tough to
find, and the UI is not optimized for advanced users.

How to Install

Install Bluefish by executing the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:klaus-vormweg/bluefish

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install bluefish

Geany
Geany works as a text editor, but its primary function is as an Integrated Desktop Environment
(IDE). It is a lightweight GUI text editor with basic IDE features. Its primary purpose is to be tight
and compact with short load times and limited dependencies on separate packages or external
libraries on Linux.

Pros: It is a compact cross-platform, flexible and powerful editor that supports most programming
languages. It is customizable with plugins, and features a split window, colored syntax, line
numbering, and autocomplete.

Cons: Not everyone will need IDE features, meaning that Geany is focused on coding from scratch
and debugging issues. Use Geany if you need full programming functionality, including the editor,
build automation, and debugging all accessible from a single interface.

How to Install

Install Geany with the following command:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install geany

gVim
The gVim text editor is an enhanced version of Vi and Vim.

Pros: If you’re already familiar with Vi and Vim, you’ll appreciate the added functionality of gVim.
The options include encryption, pop-out menus, and cross-platform compatibility. gVim handles
huge files better than other text editors. Another handy feature is that gVim uses a different cursor
for insert and command modes.

Cons: The gVim editor requires a graphical interface, making it unavailable on systems that run
without a GUI. Like Vi and Vim, gVim has a steep learning curve, so if you’re not familiar with the
Vi/Vim editor, gVim might not be the best choice.
Neovim
As the name suggests, Neovim is another editor based on Vi/Vim. Neovim aims to update the Vim-
style editor with modern features, such as compatibility with other applications.

Pros: Like other Vi/Vim-based editors, Neovim uses the same basic commands. It adds robust
support for plugins and integration with other applications. It was designed to be faster and use
less memory, making it an excellent choice for resource-conscious users. Neovim also includes a
terminal emulator, which allows you to run terminal commands from the interface.

Cons: Some users report that, despite the improvements, switching between insert and command
mode slows their input. It’s also not available on many older systems. Although Neovim is much
more customizable, personalization can be time-consuming. Finally, like other Vi/Vim-based editors,
there is a steep learning curve to use Neovim effectively.
Pico
Pico stands for Pine Composer. It’s a text editor that comes with the Pine email application. Pico is
the precursor to the Nano text editor.

Pros: Pico displays commands on the screen, making it easier to use without memorizing key
combinations. It includes most basic text-editor functions, including find/replace (in a single
document). Users like Pico because it’s simple to use. Many plugins are available to add
functionality and customization.

Cons: There is no support for working with multiple files, copying/pasting between files, or
searching/replacing them on multiple files.

Lime Text
The Lime text editor was a project designed as an alternative to the Sublime editor. Some prefer it
because the Sublime text editor isn’t open-source.

Pros: Lime aims to duplicate all the features of Sublime, in an open-source format.

Cons: Support and development for the Lime Text project are spotty. You can install it with
instructions from the Github page, but it appears to still be under development.
Kate / Kwrite
Kate stands for KDE Advanced Text Editor. KDE is a desktop environment (graphical interface) for
Linux. The KDE desktop isn’t required to use Kate – you can install it on Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Pros: Kate allows you to edit multiple documents at the same time. It supports color-coded
syntax, customization, and plugins. Kwrite is a lighter utility, used to open and edit a single file
quickly. If you use the KDE desktop environment, Kate / Kwrite is a solid editor to use.

Cons: Not many users have complaints about the Kate editor.
JED Editor
JED is a command-line text editor that acts as a graphical interface. It is available on most
platforms.

Pros: JED uses drop-down menus, making it more intuitive for people familiar with word
processors. It supports color-coded syntax for many different programming languages and has
broad support for plugins. JED is also light on system resources, making it an excellent choice for
older systems.

Cons: Very few users have complaints about the JED editor.
Leafpad
Leafpad is a Linux-based text editor designed to be simple and lightweight.

Pros: Leafpad uses minimal system resources, making it a great choice for older systems. It
provides a decent feature set sufficient for simple editing. Leafpad would make an excellent
secondary editor for quick, simple jobs.

Cons: Leafpad is not intended to be a full-featured text editor. It contains some of the more
advanced features, such as multiple documents, for speed and efficiency.
Light Table
Light Table is an integrated desktop environment for evaluating software. It works as a text editor,
but its main feature is live feedback on code. Light Table is available on most operating systems.

Pros: Light Table’s features include in-line code evaluation, which lets you test code without
compiling. It also runs the code as you’re entering it, allowing you to debug on the fly. Many plugins
are available to expand Light Table’s functionality. It is also reasonably fast, even without a high-
end system.

Cons: Light Table is still in the early stages of development, meaning it doesn’t support all
programming languages. It also has a moderate learning curve – the commands are not displayed
on the screen. Also, Light Table is based on a web browser, which limits its usability on text-only
systems.
Medit
Medit is another open-source, cross-platform text editor designed for Windows and Linux systems.

Pros: Medit includes common text-editor commands, such as find/replace, color-coded syntax, and
plugin support. It also adds a split view for working on multiple files at once. It’s a good editor with
plenty of features, but nothing unique that sets it apart.

Cons: Medit is designed for graphical interfaces. It has a standard menu bar for commands, but it
seems to lack robust documentation.
Kakoune Code Editor
Kakoune is a different kind of text editor for Linux. Instead of focusing on inserting/composing text,
it doubles down on navigating around the existing text. In this way, it’s similar to the Vi/Vim editor,
in that it uses different modes, like insertion mode and command mode.

Pros: Kakoune includes most modern features, such as color-coding, autocomplete, and on-screen
help. One key benefit is the ability to create multiple selections. Kakoune makes the workflow of
creating and managing files more straightforward and intuitive.

Cons: Kakoune is only available on Linux-based systems. Even with its enhancements, it’s still
based on the Vi/Vim structure
, which may be a turn off for users more accustomed to word processors.

Micro Text Editor

The Micro text editor is designed as an enhancement to the Nano text editor. It’s available for
Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Pros: Micro is a terminal-based text editor, which means it can run without a GUI. It also includes
modern improvements, such as color-coded syntax, plugins, copy/paste, and undo/redo. When it
runs in a graphical interface, it has a terminal emulator to execute commands directly.

Cons: Micro still uses hotkeys to execute functions, which some users don’t find appealing. Also,
Micro lacks some of the next-generation features that set graphical text editors apart.
Steps to write and execute a script
o Open the terminal. Go to the directory where you want to create your script.

o Create a file with .sh extension.

o Write the script in the file using an editor.

o Make the script executable with command chmod +x <fileName>.

o Run the script using ./<fileName>.

o
o Look at the above snapshot, script echo Hello World is created with echo command
as hello_world. Now command chmod +x hello_world is passed to make it executable. We have
given the command ./hello_world to mention the hello_world path. And output is displayed.
 4. MS-OFFICE:
WORD:
Adding a Page Border in Microsoft Word
Creating a page border in Microsoft Word will depend on your version of Microsoft Office. For Office
365 and Office 2019, open a Word document and click the “Design” tab in the ribbon.

If you have an older version of Office, click the “Layout” or “Page Layout” tab instead.

From here, click the “Page Borders” button, in the “Page Background” section of the ribbon.

By default, the “Borders and Shading” box that opens should default to the “Page Border” tab. If it
doesn’t, click on that tab to enter your border settings.

Click “Box” to add a typical box border to your document. You can use the default style, color, and
border width, or change these settings from the various drop-down menus.

Click “OK” to apply the page border to your Word document.

By default, this border style is ten applied to every page.

Your document editing view will update to show the new border applied.
How to insert equations in Word document
Microsoft Office contains almost all symbols that allow you to insert mathematical equations and chemistry
formulas in your Word document.

Method 1: Insert a Preset Equation

To insert a preset equation in a Word document, follow the below mentioned easiest steps -

Step 1: Open the Word document.

Step 2: Place cursor in the document where you want to insert an equation.

Step 3: Go to Insert tab in the Ribbon, click on the Equation drop-down icon in the Symbols section at
the top right corner of the screen.

Insert Symbols

SteP Step 1 − To ins ert a special symbol, bring your cursor at the place where you want to insert the symbol.
Click the Insert tab. You will find two options under the symbol button (a) Equation and (b) Symbols. Click
either of these two options based on your requirement. You will further use equations while preparing
mathematical or scientific or any similar document. For now, we are going to understand the use of
the Symbol button as shown below.

spreadsheet:

spreadsheet is a file that exists of cells in rows and columns and can help arrange, calculate and sort data.
Data in a spreadsheet can be numeric values, as well as text, formulas, references and functions.
 GRAPHS & CHARTS:
Graphs are used to illustrate trends over time, and charts illustrate patterns or contain information about
frequency. Select the Excel chart or graph format that best fits your needs.

 Open an Excel file containing data. Select a range to graph.

 Go to the Insert tab and select Chart Type or choose Recommended Charts and hover
over the options to see previews.
 Select a chart format to add to your worksheet. Use Chart Tools to make changes to the
graph.
POWERPOINT:

Features of MS PowerPoint
There are multiple features that are available in MS PowerPoint which can customise and optimise a presentation. The same
have been discussed below.

 Slide Layout
Multiple options and layouts are available based on which a presentation can be created. This option is available under the
“Home” section and one can select from the multiple layout options provided.
The image below shows the different slide layout options which are available for use:
  Insert – Clipart, Video, Audio, etc.
Under the “Insert” category, multiple options are available where one can choose what feature they want to insert in their
presentation. This may include images, audio, video, header, footer, symbols, shapes, etc.
The image below shows the features which can be inserted:

 Slide Design
MS PowerPoint has various themes using which background colour and designs or textures can be added to a slide. This
makes the presentation more colourful and attracts the attention of the people looking at it.
This feature can be added using the “Design” category mentioned on the homepage of MS PowerPoint. Although there are
existing design templates available, in case someone wants to add some new texture or colour, the option to customise the
design is also available. Apart from this, slide designs can also be downloaded online.
Refer to the below for slide design:
  Animations
During the slide show, the slides appear on the screen one after the other. In case, one wants to add some animations to the
way in which a slide presents itself, they can refer to the “Animations” category.
The different animation styles available on PowerPoint are:

Apart from all these options; font size, font style, font colour, word art, date and time, etc. can also be added to a PPT.
Creating an Effective Powerpoint Presentation:

1. PPT is an abbreviation for Powerpoint

2.A software tool by Microsoft
3.Presents information in slide-show format
4.Offers text, graphics, sound effects, & video
Hints for a Successful Presentation:
1.Plan carefully
2.Do your research
3.Know your audience
4.Time your presentation
5.Practice your presentation
6.Speak comfortably and clearly
 Animation:
 Don’t get carried away
 Restrict animation to certain slides
 Use animation for special emphasis
 Animation can demonstrate how something works
 Excessive animation looks childish
 These apply to sound effects also
Clip Art and Graphics:
 Should balance the slide
 Enhance, compliment the text
 Use when text needs visual explanation
 Limit to two graphics per slide
ACCESS:
To create a database from a template, we first need to open MS Access and you will see the following screen in
which different Access database templates are displayed.

To view the all the possible databases, you can scroll down or you can also use the search box.
Let us enter project in the search box and press Enter. You will see the database templates related to project
management.
Select the first template. You will see more information related to this template.

After selecting a template related to your requirements, enter a name in the File name field and you can also
specify another location for your file if you want.
Now, press the Create option. Access will download that database template and open a new blank database as
shown in the following screenshot.

Now, click the Navigation pane on the left side and you will see all the other objects that come with this
database.
Click the Projects Navigation and select the Object Type in the menu.

You will now see all the objects types — tables, queries, etc.
 Create Blank Database
Sometimes database requirements can be so specific that using and modifying the existing templates requires
more work than just creating a database from scratch. In such case, we make use of blank database.
Step 1 − Let us now start by opening MS Access.

Step 2 − Select Blank desktop database. Enter the name and click the Create button.
Step 3 − Access will create a new blank database and will open up the table which is also completely blank.

Data Validation In Ms-Access: Data validation can performed at various levels in MS-Access.
However, we shall be limited only to field level validation validates the data being entered in an
individual field and the record level validation validates the data of more than one field w.r.t. to one
another so as to ensure correct data. For example, in a table, the joining-data and Retirement data of an
employee cannot be same and also Retirement date cannot be less then joining Date. Such a validation is
known as record level validation. Before discussing the record level validation, let us first discuss the
field level validation techniques.
5.NETWORK CONFIGURATION AND SOFTWARE
INSTALLATION:
NETWORK CONFIGURATION:

1. Click on the START MENU and select CONTROL PANEL.

2. Select NETWORK AND INTERNET.
3. Select the NETWORK AND SHARING CENTER.9
4. From the Tasks section on the left, select CHANGE ADAPTER SETTINGS.
5. Right-click the LOCAL AREA CONNECTION icon and select PROPERTIES.
6. From the User Access Control window, click CONTINUE.
7. Select INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then
click the PROPERTIES button.
8. Make sure OBTAIN AN IP ADDRESS AUTOMATICALLY and OBTAIN DNS
SERVER ADDRESS AUTOMATICALLY are selected.
9. Click the OK button to close the other open windows.
10. Restart the computer.
11. Log on to perform the system "health check".
Installation of application software

Step 1 : Installing From a CD/DVD/BD/HD/USB:

Insert the Disc you have to the Drive of the System, if your Disc is Bootable, then you will have
the Auto play Dialog Box, If not Just Brows it through Computer and Locate the Program you
need to Install, This Will be Applicable to programs which are Stored in your Pen-drives also.

Installing by Following the Instructions:

Follow the Auto-play/Selecting it from Disc instructions,and correctly follow the Instructions, if
it's asked for the Permissions, please provide it and read any information which is provided by
windows 7.

Tip:

If your windows 7 is not happy with what you are installing, just Re-validate it by your self and
Install.
 Now your Installed program can be found at Start > Program > All program or simply by typing
the name at search box.

Installing a Program which is Downloaded from Internet/Available in PC:

Find the File you have Downloaded/Available in your PC

Double-Click it, for Windows to allow the program to

Run. Follow the Instructions and Finish the Set up.

Tips For Installing New programs on Windows 7:

Take Extra care regarding malicious Software

As some Programs need Restart to take effect, please Keep your Self ready for the installation by
Closing Important Opened Documents,Saving Data s.

A lot of Programs Suggest you to Install Toolbar,and other Utilities, kindly Check it and
Select/Reselect the Boxes you wish to go with.

Always have a Back-up of your Program In External Media

6.INTERNET AND WORLD WIDE WEB SEARCH

ENGINES.TYPES OF SEARCH ENGINES NETIQUETTE,CYER
HYGINE:
Internet, a system architecture that has revolutionized communications and methods of
commerce by allowing various computer networks around the world to interconnect.
Sometimes referred to as a “network of networks,” the Internet emerged in the United States
in the 1970s but did not become visible to the general public until the early 1990s. By 2020,
approximately 4.5 billion people, or more than half of the world’s population, were estimated
to have access to the Internet.
World Wide Web, which is also known as a Web, is a collection of websites or web pages stored in web
servers and connected to local computers through the internet. These websites contain text pages, digital
images, audios, videos, etc. Users can access the content of these sites from any part of the world over the
internet using their devices such as computers, laptops, cell phones, etc. The WWW, along with internet,
enables the retrieval and display of text and media to your device.
A web page is given an online address called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A particular collection
of web pages that belong to a specific URL is called a website,
e.g., www.facebook.com, www.google.com, etc. So, the World Wide Web is like a huge electronic book
whose pages are stored on multiple servers across the world.
Netiquette is a combination of the words network and etiquette and is defined as a set of rules for
acceptable online behavior. Similarly, online ethics focuses on the acceptable use of online resources in
an online social environment.
Cyber hygiene is a reference to the practices and steps that users of computers and other devices take to
maintain system health and improve online security. These practices are often part of a routine to ensure
the safety of identity and other details that could be stolen or corrupted.

7.TROUBLE SHOOTING:

Troubleshooting is a form of problem solving, often applied to repair failed products or processes on a
machine or a system. ... In general, troubleshooting is the identification or diagnosis of "trouble" in the
management flow of a system caused by a failure of some kind.

SOFTWARE TROUBLE SHOOTING:

1. Free up RAM by closing other open programs.

Every piece of software uses Random Access Memory (RAM). The more software that's running on your computer, the more
RAM it uses. This can be especially problematic if you're using older machines that don't have a lot of RAM. So if a software
program refuses to load or is running slowly, the first thing to do is to close all other open applications.

If you want to find out which open applications might be hogging your RAM, both Windows and Macintosh operating
systems (OS) have tools that display this information:

 In Windows, hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete, then choose the Start Task Manager option. From the window that appears, click
the Processes tab, then click the Memory menu item. This sorts all open processes based on the amount of RAM
they're using. You can shut down a runaway process by clicking the End Process button. Before you do that, you
may want to do a bit of research on the process to ensure that you don't accidentally stop a critical process or
program.
 In Mac OS X, use the Activity Monitor (called the Process Viewer in older versions of OS X). Access the Activity
Monitor by going to Applications > Utilities. Once you've called up the Activity Monitor, sort programs based on
RAM usage by clicking the column labeled "Real Memory."

2. Restart the software.

Software problems can stem from a conflict with other programs or simply from difficulties the software encountered when
starting up. Shutting the program down and restarting it can sometimes resolve these issues.

3. Shut down and restart your computer.

If restarting the problematic program doesn't resolve the issue, try rebooting your computer. Once the computer has fully
restarted, re-launch the application in question and see if the problem has been resolved.
 4. Use the Internet to find help.

No matter what software problems you encounter, chances are it's happened to someone else. So there's a good chance you
can find help on the Internet. Here are a few places to get started:

 Search for answers: In your search engine query, include the software program name and version, the problem you
encountered, and the circumstances under which the problem occurred. If you received a specific error message,
enter the exact error message text, along with the name of the application.
 Check the vendor's website: Most software vendors provide some form of product help, such as answers to
frequently asked questions, product documentation, or user discussion forums.
 Check other websites: TechSoup's article Learning About Technology Online lists a number of other websites that
offer technology tutorials, articles, and discussion forums.

5. Undo any recent hardware or software changes.

Changes to software and hardware can sometimes cause software problems, such as:

 Conflicts with other software: Newly installed software may conflict with other software. For example, Symantec
Norton Antivirus can conflict with competing antivirus products. So, if you recently installed another antivirus
program and Norton Antivirus no longer works correctly, uninstalling the other antivirus product could solve your
problem.
 Changes to computer settings: Undo any recent changes to your computer's settings, and try launching the
software again. For example, the Windows Control Panel includes an option to "Set Program Access and Defaults,"
which allows you to disable access to certain applications. If you accidentally disable access to a program here, the
program may not run.
 Conflicts with new or improperly configured hardware, such as scanners and printers. If you've recently
connected new hardware to one of your computers, try disconnecting the hardware and see if that corrects the
software issue.

6. Uninstall the software, then reinstall it.

Sometimes, software problems occur because critical application files have been removed, updated, or deleted. For example,
many Windows applications use Dynamic Link Library (DLL) files to perform basic tasks. Often, several applications will
use the same DLL file. If you've recently removed one program from your computer, it's possible you removed DLL files
that another program relied on. Similarly, adding a program could add or update DLL files. Applications that were dependent
on those DLL files may become unstable or stop working entirely.

To ensure that all the necessary files are intact, you can completely uninstall the problematic software, then reinstall it. Even
if you remove a program using its built-in uninstall wizard (if it includes one), it's still a good idea to check your hard drive's
Program Files folder — usually located on the C drive — for any remnants of the program, and delete any files or folders
you find.

Before reinstalling, check to see if there's a new version of the program available. The vendor or developer might have
introduced bug fixes that address the issue you're having.

7. Look for software patches.

Software vendors may also fix bugs by issuing patches — small software updates that address known problems. Even if
you're using the most current version of the software, there may be a more recent patch available for that version.

8. Scan for viruses and malware.

Viruses, spyware, and other forms of malicious software (or "malware") can cause software to freeze, crash, or quit working
entirely.
If tips 1 through 8 haven't helped solve your software problem, you may also want to scan the computer using both antivirus
and anti-malware tools to find and remove viruses and malware. Use the most thorough scan mode available, and remember
to restart your machine if the antivirus or anti-malware programs found any threats.

9. Check for a firewall conflict.

Some organizations may choose to install personal firewall software on each computer, rather than a centralized hardware or
software-based firewall. Personal firewalls can be an important line of defense against hackers and other security threats, but
they can also cause software conflicts.

Firewalls frequently display messages asking whether it should allow a program to run or block it. Therefore, it's possible to
accidentally tell the personal firewall to block a program from running. Check the firewall's settings to see if the problematic
software was added to the firewall's list of programs to block. If so, change the firewall's settings to allow the software to run,
then check to see if you're still having issues with your software.

10. Boot up in Safe Mode.

Some software malfunctions can be caused by OS settings or other system problems. Windows and Mac operating systems
both offer a troubleshooting environment known as Safe Mode. Safe Mode disables non-critical applications and processes,
which theoretically makes it easier to isolate problems.

Most Windows computers allow you to enter Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key as your computer is booting up. On a Mac,
enter Safe Mode by pressing the Shift key while your computer boots up (or immediately after it boots up).

Once your computer is in Safe Mode, launch the problematic software and try to replicate the problem you had while your
computer was in normal mode. If you don't have the same problem in safe mode, there's a good chance that the issue was
caused by your OS or another program, not by the application you are troubleshooting.

11. Defragment your hard drive.

As a final troubleshooting step, you might defragment your computer's hard drive. Defragmenting rearranges your hard
drive's file structure so that the system runs more efficiently. Defragmenting will probably be most useful if you're
experiencing overall sluggishness on your computer, because defragmenting is meant to make your entire system run faster.
Note that defragmenting a hard drive applies primarily to Windows-based computers.

Hardware troubleshooting:

Hardware troubleshooting is generally done on hardware equipment installed within a computer,

server, laptop or related device.

Some processes within hardware troubleshooting include:

 Removing, repairing and replacing faulty RAM, hard disk or video/graphic card.

 Cleaning dusts from RAM and Video carts slot/ports and from cooling fan.

 Tightening cable and jumpers on motherboard and/or components.

 Software related hardware problems such as device driver update or installation.