Computer Note Basic & Other

BASIC & OTHERS

AT (advance Technology)	ATX (Advance Technology Extended)
5 Pin Keyboard	6 Pin Keyboard
Pentium III / Previous Version	Pentium IV Or Latest versions
Small size	Medium / Large size
Power Connection :- Two Column and Single Row	Power Connection :Two Row and Single Column
Power Volts :- 5v, 12 v	Power Volts :- 5 Volt, 12 Volt, 3 Volt and 3.3 Volt
Power Connection :- 6+6 = 12	Power Connection :- 10 + 10 = 20 or 12 +12=24

ALU(Arithmetic Logic Unit) (Controls All the mathematical problems)

CU(Control Unit) (Controls all input & output)

Register (Total Pin & Capacity)

FAT32 File System

File System	Windows 98	Windows Xp
Fat 32	Ö	Ö
NTFS	X	Ö

1. Ps/2 Keyboard

1. Serial Keyboard

1. USB Keyboard

Main	Advance	Security	Boot	Exit
It Shows all the details about motherboard, ram, cpu, current date and time. Etc.	Here , we control all he components attached(inbuilt) with motherboard, such as   sound, Networks, Display, share memory, IDE, Floppy ,etc.	Here we control the security for the BIOS or System so that unauthorized person can’t use it.	Here we set the boot sequence from CD ROM, Floppy, etc	Here, we exit from BIOS, with saving the changes, or without saving the changes.

1. You should have some general knowledge about the Computer Hardware , specially about Hard Disk, Ram, Processor and Display Memory

1. If you are installing from CD ROM, then you need a good condition CD / DVD ROM,

1. If you are installing from any USB Devices then your computer USB Port Must be working.

1. Now confirm the CD Key or Serial Key of the Software that you are installing

1. If your computer has very limited memory, Processor then quit other running programs.

1. Now run setup / extract zip file

1. Specify the Options given on the screen (it may be your name, company name, title , cd / serial key ,etc

1. after 100 % , setup is finish , Try running the Currently Installed Software (better restart your computer)

1. If you have installed from USB Drive, then remove the USB drive and restart

1. Now insert the cd or pen drive

1. click at start >> settings >> Control Panel>> Add / remove Program

1. Now select the Program and Click at Change

1. Now , select  add / remove

1. click at next

1. Now add / remove the options

1. click at Next >> Finish

1. Now reboot your System.

1. Upgrade installation

1. Full installation

Windows 7 Installation Guide
The installation process was just like vista setup and to my surprise completed in just around 20 minutes in my low end Virtual hardware. This surely indicates the performance improvements Microsoft has put on this windows vista replacement.

The Test Machine

I decided to install Windows 7 in a VMware workstation first to make sure that the DVD I burned is perfect. VMware is great for taking screen shots and screen captures also.

VMWare Version: VMWare Workstation 6.5
Virtual HArddisk : 9 GB
RAM : 512 MB
Processor : Single Core
Windows Version : Windows 7 Ultimate M3 v6801-0-080913-2030Preparing the DVD from the ISO image

Since most the people are installing Windows 7 in a real hardware, a DVD should be burned from the downloaded ISO image. You will need a DVD Burner, a DVD burning software and a blank DVD-R or DVD-RW to prepare the installation disk. I used a Sony single layer DVD-R as media and used Nero 8 as the DVD burning software. But for those who don't have Nero installed, CDBurnerXP is a free Alternative.

So using the DVD burning software of your choice burn the Windows 7 ISO image to the DVD. Make sure you choose the a very low burning speed, 4x or 8x, for better results.
Booting Up and First Installation Steps

Steps from here are pretty straight forward. Read the descriptions in each pages before clicking the Next button to avoid any disasters. IF there is options to choose in these steps you may find them with each images.
The installation process was just like vista setup and to my surprise completed in just around 20 minutes in my low end Virtual hardware. This surely indicates the performance improvements Microsoft has put on this windows vista replacement.
The Test Machine

I decided to install Windows 7 in a VMware workstation first to make sure that the DVD I burned is perfect. VMware is great for taking screen shots and screen captures also.

VMWare Version: VMWare Workstation 6.5
Virtual HArddisk : 9 GB
RAM : 512 MB
Processor : Single Core
Windows Version : Windows 7 Ultimate M3 v6801-0-080913-2030Preparing the DVD from the ISO image

Since most the people are installing Windows 7 in a real hardware, a DVD should be burned from the downloaded ISO image. You will need a DVD Burner, a DVD burning software and a blank DVD-R or DVD-RW to prepare the installation disk. I used a Sony single layer DVD-R as media and used Nero 8 as the DVD burning software. But for those who don't have Nero installed, CDBurnerXP is a free Alternative.

So using the DVD burning software of your choice burn the Windows 7 ISO image to the DVD. Make sure you choose the a very low burning speed, 4x or 8x, for better results.
Booting Up and First Installation Steps

Steps from here are pretty straight forward. Read the descriptions in each pages before clicking the Next button to avoid any disasters. IF there is options to choose in these steps you may find them with each images.
The Test Machine
I decided to install Windows 7 in a VMware workstation first to make sure that the DVD I burned is perfect. VMware is great for taking screen shots and screen captures also.

VMWare Version: VMWare Workstation 6.5
Virtual HArddisk : 9 GB
RAM : 512 MB
Processor : Single Core
Windows Version : Windows 7 Ultimate M3 v6801-0-080913-2030Preparing the DVD from the ISO image

Since most the people are installing Windows 7 in a real hardware, a DVD should be burned from the downloaded ISO image. You will need a DVD Burner, a DVD burning software and a blank DVD-R or DVD-RW to prepare the installation disk. I used a Sony single layer DVD-R as media and used Nero 8 as the DVD burning software. But for those who don't have Nero installed, CDBurnerXP is a free Alternative.

So using the DVD burning software of your choice burn the Windows 7 ISO image to the DVD. Make sure you choose the a very low burning speed, 4x or 8x, for better results.
Booting Up and First Installation Steps

Steps from here are pretty straight forward. Read the descriptions in each pages before clicking the Next button to avoid any disasters. IF there is options to choose in these steps you may find them with each images.
I decided to install Windows 7 in a VMware workstation first to make sure that the DVD I burned is perfect. VMware is great for taking screen shots and screen captures also.
VMWare Version: VMWare Workstation 6.5
Virtual HArddisk : 9 GB
RAM : 512 MB
Processor : Single Core
Windows Version : Windows 7 Ultimate M3 v6801-0-080913-2030Preparing the DVD from the ISO image

Since most the people are installing Windows 7 in a real hardware, a DVD should be burned from the downloaded ISO image. You will need a DVD Burner, a DVD burning software and a blank DVD-R or DVD-RW to prepare the installation disk. I used a Sony single layer DVD-R as media and used Nero 8 as the DVD burning software. But for those who don't have Nero installed, CDBurnerXP is a free Alternative.

So using the DVD burning software of your choice burn the Windows 7 ISO image to the DVD. Make sure you choose the a very low burning speed, 4x or 8x, for better results.
Booting Up and First Installation Steps

Steps from here are pretty straight forward. Read the descriptions in each pages before clicking the Next button to avoid any disasters. IF there is options to choose in these steps you may find them with each images.
VMWare Version: VMWare Workstation 6.5
Virtual HArddisk : 9 GB
RAM : 512 MB
Processor : Single Core
Windows Version : Windows 7 Ultimate M3 v6801-0-080913-2030
Preparing the DVD from the ISO image

Since most the people are installing Windows 7 in a real hardware, a DVD should be burned from the downloaded ISO image. You will need a DVD Burner, a DVD burning software and a blank DVD-R or DVD-RW to prepare the installation disk. I used a Sony single layer DVD-R as media and used Nero 8 as the DVD burning software. But for those who don't have Nero installed, CDBurnerXP is a free Alternative.

So using the DVD burning software of your choice burn the Windows 7 ISO image to the DVD. Make sure you choose the a very low burning speed, 4x or 8x, for better results.
Booting Up and First Installation Steps

Steps from here are pretty straight forward. Read the descriptions in each pages before clicking the Next button to avoid any disasters. IF there is options to choose in these steps you may find them with each images.
Preparing the DVD from the ISO image
Since most the people are installing Windows 7 in a real hardware, a DVD should be burned from the downloaded ISO image. You will need a DVD Burner, a DVD burning software and a blank DVD-R or DVD-RW to prepare the installation disk. I used a Sony single layer DVD-R as media and used Nero 8 as the DVD burning software. But for those who don't have Nero installed, CDBurnerXP is a free Alternative.

So using the DVD burning software of your choice burn the Windows 7 ISO image to the DVD. Make sure you choose the a very low burning speed, 4x or 8x, for better results.
Booting Up and First Installation Steps

Steps from here are pretty straight forward. Read the descriptions in each pages before clicking the Next button to avoid any disasters. IF there is options to choose in these steps you may find them with each images.
Since most the people are installing Windows 7 in a real hardware, a DVD should be burned from the downloaded ISO image. You will need a DVD Burner, a DVD burning software and a blank DVD-R or DVD-RW to prepare the installation disk. I used a Sony single layer DVD-R as media and used Nero 8 as the DVD burning software. But for those who don't have Nero installed, CDBurnerXP is a free Alternative.
So using the DVD burning software of your choice burn the Windows 7 ISO image to the DVD. Make sure you choose the a very low burning speed, 4x or 8x, for better results.
Booting Up and First Installation Steps

Steps from here are pretty straight forward. Read the descriptions in each pages before clicking the Next button to avoid any disasters. IF there is options to choose in these steps you may find them with each images.
So using the DVD burning software of your choice burn the Windows 7 ISO image to the DVD. Make sure you choose the a very low burning speed, 4x or 8x, for better results.
Booting Up and First Installation Steps
Steps from here are pretty straight forward. Read the descriptions in each pages before clicking the Next button to avoid any disasters. IF there is options to choose in these steps you may find them with each images.
Steps from here are pretty straight forward. Read the descriptions in each pages before clicking the Next button to avoid any disasters. IF there is options to choose in these steps you may find them with each images.
IF U TO INSTALL WINDOWS 7 FOLLOW THE STEP BELOW..........
IF U TO INSTALL WINDOWS 7 FOLLOW THE STEP BELOW..........
GO TO START -->> THAN RIGHT CLICK ON MY COMPUTER -->> THAN PROPERTIES...
THERE IF U SEE 64 BITS THAT MEANS UR PROSESER IS OF 64 BITS AND IF DON'T SEE 64 BITS IT MEANS UR PROSESER IS OF 32 BITS.............OK NOW FOLLOW THE PROCEDURE.....NOTE UR PROSESER TYPE...
GO TO START -->> THAN RIGHT CLICK ON MY COMPUTER -->> THAN PROPERTIES...
THERE IF U SEE 64 BITS THAT MEANS UR PROSESER IS OF 64 BITS AND IF DON'T SEE 64 BITS IT MEANS UR PROSESER IS OF 32 BITS.............OK NOW FOLLOW THE PROCEDURE.....NOTE UR PROSESER TYPE...

• Check System Requirements

Here's What You Need to Use Windows XP Professional
               Windows XP no longer likes the "default" resolution of 640 x 480 and prompts you of that fact. Select OK to continue.
Recommended minimum hardware requirements for Windows Vista

• 800-megahertz (MHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 800-MHz 64-bit (x64) processor

• 512 megabytes (MB) of system memory

• Note On system configurations that use system memory as graphics memory, at least 448 MB of system memory must be available to the operating system after some memory is allocated for graphics.

• DirectX 9-class graphics card

• 32 MB of graphics memory

• 20-gigabyte (GB) hard disk that has 15 GB of free hard disk space

• Internal or external DVD drive

• Internet access capability

• Audio output capability

System requirements

• 486DX-2/66 MHz or higher processor (Pentium processor recommended)

• 16MB of RAM (24MB recommended, it's possible to run on 8MB machines with /im option used during the installation process)

• At least 500 MB of space available on HDD. The amount of space required depends on the installation method and the components selected, but virtual memory and system utilities as well as drivers should be taken into consideration.

• VGA or higher resolution monitor

• CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive (The First Edition was also released on Floppy Disks, but are very rare)

• Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device (optional).

Step 28:-
Trouble shooting
Common Troubleshooting Techniques & Strategies
Troubleshooting Tips for New Monitors

1. The picture does not appear

• Check to make sure the signal cable is firmly connected in the socket.

• Check to see if the computer system's power is ON.

• Check that the Brightness Control is at the appropriate position, not at the minimum.

1. The Screen is not synchronized

• Check to make sure the signal cable is firmly connected in the socket.

• Check that the output level matches the input level of your computer.

• Make sure the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.

1. The position of the screen is not in the center

• Adjust the H-Size, H-Phase or V-Size, V-Center controls.

• Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.

1. The screen is too bright or too dark

• Check if the Brightness or contrast control is at the appropriate position, not at the maximum or minimum.

• Check if the specified voltage is applied

• Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.

• Especially, check the horizontal frequency.

1. The screen is shaking

• Move all objects that emit a magnetic field, such as a motor or transformer, away from the monitor.

• Check if the specified voltage is applied.

• Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.

roubleshooting Tips for a New Motherboard

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Power cable is unplugged.	Visually inspect power cable.	Make sure power cable is securely plugged in.
Defective power cable.	Visual inspection, try another cable.	Replace cable.
Power supply failure.	Power cable and wall socket are OK, but system is still dead.	Contact technical support
Faulty wall outlet;circuit breaker or fuse blown.	Plug device into socket know to work and test.	Use different socket, repair outlet, reset circuit breaker or replace fuse.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Expansion card is partially dislodged from expansion slot on the motherboard.	Turn off computer. Take cover off system unit. Check all expansion cards to ensure they are securely seated in slots.	Using even pressure on both ends of the expansion card, press down firmly on expansion card.
Defective floppy disk drive or tape drive.	Turn system off. Disconnect the cables from one of the floppy drives. Turn on the system, check to see if the keyboard operates normally. Repeat until you have located defective unit.	Contact Technical Support.
Defective expansion card.	Turn computer off. Remove an expansion card.	Make sure expansion card is secure in expansion socket.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Connector between hard drive and system board unplugged.	When attempting to run the FDISK utility described in the HARD DISK section of the manual you get a message, INVALID DRIVE SPECIFICATION.	Check cable running form disk to disk controller on the board. Make sure both ends are securely plugged in; check the drive type in the Standard CMOS Setup (in your motherboard manual).
Damaged Hard Disk or Disk Controller.	Format hard disk; if unable to do so, the hard disk may be defective.	Contact Technical Support.
Hard Disk directory or FAT is scrambled.	Run the FDISK program, format the hard drive(See HARD DRIVE section of manual). Copy your backup data back onto hard drive.	Backing up the hard drive is extremely important. All Hard Disks are capable of breaking down at any time.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Hard Disk boot program has been destroyed.	A number of causes could be behind this.	Back up data and applications files. Reformat the Hard Drive as described in the Hard Drive section of the manual. Re-install applications and data using backup disks.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
A number of causes could be behind this.	Use a file by file backup instead of an image backup to backup the Hard Disk.	Back up any salvageable data. Then do a low level format, partition, and high level format of the hard drive( see Hard Disk section of your manual for instructions). Re-install all saved data when completed.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
The IBM PS/2 uses a different format than other computers.	IBM PS/2 disk format will not work in an AT type computer.	Format disk in the AT type computer insert disk into the IBM PS/2 and copy the files you wish.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
No power to monitor.	All or part of the system may be inoperable. The new card may work but a mouse or COM port may not work.	Change the interrupt or RAM address on the new expansion card. See the documentation that came with the new card in order to change pin settings. many expansion devices come with proprietary software that will assist you in doing this.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Incorrect information entered into the configuration (setup) program.	Check the configuration program. Replace any incorrect information.	Review system's equipment. Make sure correct information is in setup.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
No power to monitor.	Power connectors may be loose or not plugged in.	Check the power connectors to monitor and to system. Make sure monitor is connected to display card, change I/O address on network card if applicable.
Monitor not connected to computer.		See instructions above.
Network card I/O address conflict.		See instructions above.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Connector between hard drive and system board unplugged.	When attempting to run the FDISK utility described in the HARD DISK section of the manual you get a message, INVALID DRIVE SPECIFICATION.	Check cable running form disk to disk controller on the board. Make sure both ends are securely plugged in; check the drive type in the Standard CMOS Setup (in your

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Memory problem, display card jumpers not set correctly.		Reboot computer. Re-install memory, make sure that all memory modules are installed in correct sockets. Check jumper and switch settings on display card. See display card section for information of settings.
Computer virus.		Use anti-virus programs (McAfee/PC-cillin, E-port, etc) to detect and clean viruses.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Screen saver is enabled.		Disable screen saver.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Keyboard is disconnected.		Reconnect keyboard. Check keys again, if no improvement, replace keyboard.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Faulty Monitor.		If possible, connect monitor to another system. If no color, replace monitor.
CMOS incorrectly set up.		Call technical support.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Floppy Drive cable not connected correctly.		Reconnect floppy cable making sure PIN1 on the Floppy Drive corresponds with PIN1 on floppy cable connector.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Bad floppy disk.		Try new floppy disk.
Floppy disk not formatted		Format floppy disk(type ENTER)

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
SETUP program does not have correct information.		Boot from drive A: using DOS system disk. Input correct information to SETUP program.
Hard Drive cable not connected properly.		Check Hard drive cable.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Master/Slave jumpers not set correctly.		Set master /Slave jumpers correctly.
Hard Drives not compatible / different manufacturers.		Run SETUP program and select correct drive types. Call drive manufactures for compatibility with other drives.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
CMOS setup has been changed.		Run setup and select correct drive type.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Keys jammed or defective.		Replace keyboard.

PROBABLE CAUSE	DIAGNOSIS	SOLUTION
Keyboard is locked.		Unlock keyboard

• Is your modem compatible with the modem used at your ISP?

• Is your modem set up to run at full speed?

• What's the maximum speed your ISP allows?

• How far away are you from your ISP?

• Some modems need special initiation strings to get full speed.

• Some conditions are out of your control, such as weather and conditions of the telephone lines in your community.

• Problems may occur when you are dialing through a phone system such as one in a hotel.

• There may be an I/O conflict (see the solution for the previous problem).

• The Result Codes may have been disabled by the software configuration set up. Check if Q1 is in the configuration or initialization string. If so, change it to Q0.

• Your software may require numeric result codes rather than verbal result codes. Use either V0 for numeric result codes or V1 for verbal result codes in your initiazation or configuration string.

• Some software require full extended result codes (i.e., CONNECT 33600 instead of CONNECT). This can be controlled by the Xn command. X0 sends a summarized code (CONNECT) and X4 sends a full extended code (CONNECT 33600)

Trouble Shooting Tips after Installing a New Hard Drive

1. Basic Troubleshooting Tips after Installing a New Hard Drive

• Verify compatibility. Verify that the host adapter and drive are appropriately matched to each other and to your computer. Refer to the relevant documentation for details.

• Check all cards. Verify that all cards are seated in their slots on the motherboard and secured with mounting screws.

• Check all connectors and cables. Make sure all ribbon and power cables are securely connected. Ribbon cables are easily damaged, especially at the connector. Try a new cable that you know is good. Make sure no connector pins are bent. Verify that pin 1 on the interface cable is aligned with pin 1 on the drive and host adapter (see Figure 2 on page 6).

• Verify jumper settings. Review the instructions in this guide and in your host adapter installation guide. Make sure all appropriate jumpers are installed or removed as necessary.

• Check your power-supply specifications. Each time you add a new device to your computer, make sure your cornputer's internal power supply can support the total power demand. If necessary, consult your dealer for a new power supply.

• Verify the drive-type settings in the system setup program. The drive-type settings in the system BIOS must not exceed the physical specifications of your drive. Also, the settings must not exceed the limitations set by the operating system and BIOS.

• Check for viruses. Before you use someone else's diskette in your system for the first time, scan the diskette for viruses.

• After you install your new drive, your computer will not boot, and no error message appears on the screen.

• The screen remains blank when you power up the system.

• The system does not recognize the drive.

• The dealer partitioned and formatted the drive for you in the store, but the drive does not respond when you install it.

• The system hangs in FDISK or fails to create or save the partition record.

• The system error message, "Drive not Ready," appears.

• The FDISK error message, "No Fixed Disk Present," appears.

• The drive does not format to full capacity.

• The DOS message "Disk Boot Failure," "Non-System Disk" or "No ROM Basic - SYSTEM HALTED" appears.

• The system error message, "HDD controller failure" appears.

1. After you install your new drive, your computer will not boot, and no error message appears on the screen.

3. The screen remains blank when you power up the system.

• Make sure the monitor is plugged in and turned on.

• Check all cards.

• Make sure the video card is seated in its slot and secured with mounting screws.

• Turn off the computer and remove the drive host adapter. If the screen turns on after you reboot, the host adapter may be incompatible or defective. If so, see your dealer.

3. The system does not recognize the drive.

• Check all cables.

• Make sure the power supply is adequate for system needs.

• Reboot the computer and listen to make sure the drive motor starts up. If the drive is very quiet, it may be difficult to hear its discs reach operating speed. If the drive motor does not start up, recheck all drive cables.

• Verify that for each drive, a drive-type is listed in the system setup program.

• Try rebooting your computer by pressing the CTRL, ALT and DELETE keys simultaneously. If the drive is recognized after you reboot the system, the computer BIOS test may be completing before the drive is ready.

• One solution is to slow the processor speed during startup. If your computer has a turbo switch, set it to slow speed before turning the computer on. If there is no turbo switch, you may be able to use keyboard commands; see your computer manual for details. After the computer is up and running, return the processor to the fast speed.

• Another solution is to warm-boot your computer after every power-on.

• Check for I/O address conflicts. To isolate the conflict, verify that the drive and host adapter are compatible with your computer. Turn off the computer and remove all the peripheral adapter cards except for the video card and host adapter. If the computer recognizes the drive when you reboot the computer, turn off the computer. Reinstall the other peripheral cards, one at a time, until the conflict reoccurs. After you have isolated the source of the address conflict, you can resolve the conflict by changing the 1/0 address of the peripheral that appears to cause the conflict.

• If Disk Manager has installed the DDO on your hard drive and you have booted directly from a diskette, the information in the boot record for the drive may not have been loaded. Make sure there is no diskette in drive A and reboot. If you want to boot from the diskette, follow the "Booting with a Diskette" instructions under "Advanced Disk Manager Options" on page 20.

3. The dealer partitioned and formatted the drive for you in the store, but the drive does not respond when you install it.

• Reboot the computer and make sure the drive spins up.

• Check all cables.

• Make sure the power supply is adequate for system needs.

• Make sure the DOS or Windows version the dealer used to partition and format the drive is the same version you have installed in your computer. If it isn't, see your dealer.

• Verify the drive-type values in the system setup program. You must install the drive using the same drive-type values your dealer used to partition the drive.

• Check for 1/0 address conflicts between peripheral cards.

• Check for viruses.

3. The system hangs in FDISK or fails to create or save the partition record.

• Check all cables.

• Your setup system diskette may be corrupted. Try using a backup diskette.

• Make the partitions smaller.

• Change the interrupt jumper setting on the host adapter.

• Some BIOS have a Track 0 protection feature that protects Track 0 from viruses. This may cause FDISK to hang the system. You must disable this feature in the system setup program before you can use FDISK. See your computer reference guide for assistance. Be sure to re-enable this important feature when FDISK is done.

3. The system error message, "Drive not Ready," appears.

• Check all cable connections. Make sure pin 1 of the drive is connected to pin 1 of the hard-disc controller or host adapter.

• Make sure the power supply is adequate for system needs.

• Reboot the computer and make sure the drive spins up.

3. The FDISK error message, "No Fixed Disk Present," appears.

• Make sure the power supply is adequate for system needs.

• Verify the drive-type values in the system setup program.

• Check for 1/0 address conflicts.

3. The drive does not format to full capacity.

• Verify the drive-type values in the system setup program. One of the following problems may have occurred:

• The values may be set with an incorrect translation characteristic.

• You may have entered a parameter value that exceeds the physical capacity of the drive.

• You entered a translation characteristic that does not take full advantage of the drive's capacity. 

• The drive's physical specifications exceed the translation limits imposed by the BIOS.

• CAUTION: If you change the drive-type values in the system setup program, you must partition and format the drive again. This erases data on the drive.

• If you have partitioned the drive into individual logical drives, you may need to make the partitions smaller to access the full drive capacity.

• If your computer supports LBA mode, you may need to enable LBA mode in the system setup program to access the full capacity of the drive. Refer to your computer's reference guide to find out how to enable LBA.

• Your computer may not support drives that have more than 4,092 cylinders. Follow the instructions on page 25 for After you install your new drive, your computer will not boot, and no error message appears on the screen.

3. The DOS message "Disk Boot Failure," "Non-System Disk" or "No ROM Basic - SYSTEM HALTED" appears.

• Reinstall the DOS system files using the DOS SYS utility.

• Check all cables.

• Use FDISK to verify that the primary partition is active.

• Check for viruses.

3. The system error message, "HDD controller failure" appears.

• Confirm the jumper settings on the drive.

• Verify the drive-type settings in the system setup program.

Troubleshooting Tips for Cases and Power Supplies
How to format/formating/partition/partioning a hard drive with Windows XP?
How to partition and format a hard disk in Windows XP
On this Page
INTRODUCTION
Options for partitioning and formatting your hard disk
Important things to consider before you partition and format your hard disk

• Have you prepared the hard disk by following the manufacturer's instructions?

• Set the jumpers and the cabling according to the role of the hard disk (for example, master or subordinate) and make any required BIOS (or CMOS) changes. See the documentation that came with your hard disk and motherboard, or contact the manufacturers.

• What type of file system do you want to use?

• You can use either the FAT or NTFS file systems.

• For additional information about the differences between the FAT and NTFS file systems, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

• Overview of FAT, HPFS, and NTFS file systems Description of the FAT32 file system in Windows XP

• Does the hard disk already contain data? If yes, have you backed up all your important data?

• If not, back up your data before you continue. When you partition and format a hard disk, all the data on that partition is permanently deleted. You can view current partition information without deleting your data.

• For additional information about how to use the backup utility or the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

• How to use the Backup utility to back up files and folders in Windows XP Home Edition

• How to use Backup to restore files and folders on your computer in Windows XP

• How to use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

• How to use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard from CD-ROM

• How to use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard Disk in Windows XP

• Does the hard disk have a drive overlay or a disk management program?

• If your computer uses drive overlay software for large hard disk support, do not use the Windows XP Setup program to partition or to format the drive until you have verified Windows XP compatibility with the software manufacturer. If you do not know whether you have drive overlay software installed,      contact the software manufacturer before you continue.

• Do you have the floppy disks or the CD-ROMs that you need to reinstall your software?

• Make sure that you have the software so that you can reinstall your programs after you partition and format your drive. If you purchased an upgrade for a program, make sure that you have the full version of the original program. Many upgrades for programs require a compliance check before you can install the upgraded product. If you cannot find the original floppy disks or CD-ROMs, contact the software manufacturer before you continue.

• Do you have updated device drivers backed up on storage other than the drive that you want to format and partition?

• If you have installed an updated device driver for your peripheral devices (for example, modems and printers), make sure that you back up the new driver for the device to a location other than the drive that you want to format and partition. Therefore, you can reinstall it after you install your operating system.

• Can you start your computer from the CD-ROM drive?

How to partition and format your hard disk by using the Windows XP Setup program

• Format the partition by using the NTFS file system (Quick)

• Format the partition by using the FAT file system (Quick)

• Format the partition by using the NTFS file system

• Format the partition by using the FAT file system

• Leave the current file system intact (no changes)

Troubleshooting
REFERENCES

• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

• Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition

How to Maintain a Computer System?

• If you use your computer more than a few hours per day, we suggest you not to turn off your computer at the end of the day. Instead turn off only the monitor to save electricity. Daily power up and down makes the components exposed to high and low temperature cycles that are not good for the life-time of the components, particularly the critical ones such as hard drives, CPU, and memory. The temperature cycle would result in expansion-shrinking cycle for the components. The life-time of electronic components would be increased if they are run at constant temperature with adequate ventilation.

• If your area experiences a few times of power outage per year, it is necessary to use a UPS. Sudden power downs while the system is running may cause severe damage to hard drives.

• A tape backup and a lock to make systems hard to move are worthy investment for critical data.

• Use your hand to touch and feel the cover of your computer at least once a week. The cover should be at room temperature. If it feels warm there may be a problem! Check to make sure that the cooling fans on the power supply and CPU are working properly. Clean the air pathway on the back of the power supply on a regular basis.

Troubleshooting Tips for a New Sound Card

• Microsoft Volume Control or your mixer program mute options and volume sliders.

• Connect headphones to the stereo phone jack on your CD-ROM drive’s front panel; adjust the volume control settings on the drive. If there is sound from your headphones, check the CD audio cable connection from the CD-ROM drive to the audio card.

• Ensure the speakers are properly connected to the audio card’s output connector.

• The audio card joystick port conflicts with another joystick port in the system. Disable the audio card joystick port, and use the system’s joystick port.

• The joystick drivers, MSJSTICK.DRV and VJOYD.VXD, may not be installed. Uninstall the joystick, then reinstall to load the drivers. The drivers should come with the driver CD or floppy diskette with your sound card.

• A hardware conflict with another device in your system.

• Previously installed sound card hardware or software needs to be removed.

• The audio card is not seated in the slot properly.

• PCI bus mastering devices may be interfering with the operation of the audio card. Temporarily remove non-essential PCI bus mastering devices.

1. Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, and select Properties. The System Properties dialog appears.

1. Click the Device Manager tab. In the Device Manager, a plus sign(+) represents an expandable list of items. A minus sign (-) represents an expanded list. A circled exclamation mark denotes a conflict.

1. Double-click Sound, video, game controllers. A list of multimedia devices appears.

1. Select your audio card.

1. Choose the Propertis button.

1. Click the Resources tab.

1. Uncheck the Use automatic settings option.

1. Change "Settings based on:" if alternate settings are available.

1. Determine the conflict by reviewing the "Conflicting device list".

1. Select the conflicting item in the "Resource Settings" list.

1. Click the Change Settings button.

1. Use the mouse to select a new setting.

1. Select OK to close each of the properties windows, and restart your computer.

1. Click "Start" on the taskbar, and select Settings from the Start menu.

1. Select Control Panel. The Control Panel group appears.

1. Double-click the Add New Hardware icon. The Add New Hardware Wizard dialog appears.

1. Select Next to continue.

1. Choose Yes to have Windows search for new hardware, then select Next

1. Select Next to continue.

1. Select Finish, and follow the prompts to complete the new hardware installation.

1. Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, and select Properties. The System Properties dialog appears.

1. Click the Device Manager tab. A list of devices appears.

1. Double-click CD-ROM, and select your CD-ROM drive.

1. Choose the Properties button. The CD-ROM drive properties dialog appears.

1. Choose the Settings tab.

1. Click the "Auto insert notification" option to enable.

1. Select OK until all Properties dialogs are closed, and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.

• Check the Microsoft Volume Control or the Audio Mixer Program mute options and volume sliders.

• Ensure the speakers are properly connected to the audio card’s output connector.

• Check the volume control and power connection of the speakers, if they are amplified. (Refer to the speakers documentation for detailed information).

• Ensure a hardware conflict does not exist between your audio card and another device in your system. 

• PCI bus mastering devices may be interfering with the operation of the audio card. Temporarily remove non-essential PCI bus mastering devices. If the device is a display card, upgrade the display card drivers, or set the card to the default Windows VGA mode.

• Try different resource settings for the audio card, or set the card to use low DMA.

• Move the audio card to another PCI slot. Feedback from the power supply or another device may be responsible.

Troubleshooting Tips for a New Network Card

1. If you can't connect to a server or if Windows reports an error after you double-click Network Neighborhood, try the following first:

• Make sure you're using the drivers that are on the drivers disk that ships with the network interface card (NIC).

• Make sure the driver is loaded and the protocols are bound. Check the Device Properties list for trouble indicators (an "X" or "!" symbol).

• Test the NIC adapter with the diagnostic utilities that often came with the driver installation.

• Check with your LAN administrator - you may need to install additional networking software.

1. If the problem persists, follow these guidelines:

• Make sure the cable is installed properly. The network cable must be securely attached at both RJ45 connections (adapter and hub). The maximum allowable distance from adapter to hub is 100 meters. If the cable is attached and the distance is within acceptable limits but the problem persists, try a different cable. If you're directly connecting two computers without a hub or switch, use a crossover cable.

• Try another network cable.

• Check the LED Lights on the NIC. Before the LEDs can be used for troubleshooting, the network interface card (NIC) must be connected to the network and the network driver must be installed. Most NICs come with LEDs near the connection. The meaning of the LED signals may be different from one manufacturer to the other. Here is a common LED description for 3COM 10/100BT dual speed NIC. Please consult your NIC manual for any difference.

LED	Description	Flashing	Steady (On)	Off
10 LNK	Green: Link integrity	Reversed polarity	Good 10BT connection	No connection between NIC & hub
100 LNK	Green: Link integrity	Reversed polarity	Good 100BT connection	No connection between NIC & hub
ACT	Yellow: Port traffic for either speed	Network traffic present	Heavy network traffic	No traffic

3. The computer hangs when the drivers are loaded.

• Change the PCI BIOS interrupt settings. See your NIC and system manuals for more details.

• If you are using EMM386, it must be version 4.49 or newer.

3. Diagnostics pass, but the connection fails or errors occur.

• At 100BT, use Category 5 wiring and make sure that the network cable is securely attached.

• At 100BT, connect to a 100BT hub/switch (not 100Base-T4).

• For NetWare, make sure you specify the correct frame type in your NET.CFG file.

• Make sure the duplex mode setting on the adapter matches the setting on the switch.

3. The LNK LED doesn't light.

• Make sure you've loaded the network drivers.

• Check all connections at the adapter and the hub/switch.

• Try another port on the hub/switch.

• Make sure the duplex mode setting on the adapter matches the setting on the hub/switch.

• Make sure you have the correct type of cable between the adapter and the hub. 100Base-TX requires two pairs. Some hubs require a crossover cable while others require a straight-through cable.

3. The ACT LED doesn't light.

• Make sure you've loaded the correct network drivers.

• The network may be idle. Try accessing a server.

• The adapter isn't transmitting or receiving data. Try another adapter.

• Make sure you're using two-pair cable for TX wiring.

3. The adapter stopped working without apparent cause.

• Run the diagnostics program that came with the NIC.

• Try reseating the NIC in its slot, or try a different slot if necessary.

• The network driver files may be corrupt or missing. Remove the drivers and then reinstall them.

3. The Wake on LAN (WOL) feature is not working.

• Make sure the WOL cable is attached and that power is being applied to the computer.

• Check the BIOS for its WOL setting. Some computers may need to be configured for WOL.

• Make sure the network cable is fully attached to the adapter.

9. Crossover cable troubleshooting tips.

• Determine whether your equipment complies with the 10Base-T or 100Base-TX standard. This is particularly important for hubs and switches.

• Connect a straight-through cable from the PC to the hub. The hub performs an internal crossover so that the signal can go from TD+ to RD+ and TD- to RD- (see How to Make Network Cables). When you look at an RJ-45 connector from the front, pin 1 is identified on the left-hand side when the metal contacts are facing up.

• Make sure that the TD+ and TD- wires are twisted together , and that the RD+ and RD- wires are twisted together. Using wires from opposing pairs can cause signals to be lost. For a 100Base-TX cable, pins #1 and #2 , and #3 and #6 must be on the same twisted strand.

9. When there is doubt whether a hub is performing correctly, or if the impedance settings are in question, a crossover cable can help you isolate the failing component:

• Connect a file server and a client PC back to back with a crossover cable to verify that the NIC and network operating system are properly configured.

• To make a crossover cable, simple connect TD+ to RD+ and TD- to RD-. The cable performs the crossover that is usually performed by the hub. Make sure that two twisted-pair wires are used. If the file server and client PC function together as a small network, then either the existing cabling or the hub is the problem.

• If there is a proper crossover, the appropriate LED comes on. If there is a straight-through connection, the LED does not light. A blinking LED indicates that there is a polarity mismatch (that is, TD+ to RD- instead of TD+ to RD+).

• CPU Setup:

In computers where the motherboard doesn't have setup jumpers, you'll find out this menu that is used to configure the processor: clock multiplying, external clock, etc.

• Standard CMOS Setup:

Basic setup. This menu allows the basic computer configuration, like floppy unit type, date and time, and the hard disk parameters (hard disk parameters may be configured automatically by means of an option called HDD Auto Detection).

• Advanced CMOS Setup (or BIOS Features Setup):

Advanced setup. Here you can find some advanced configuration options that mostly refers to the computer customization and that can be changed according to your personal preferences. There are also some options that can increase the computer performance. 

• Advanced Chipset Setup:

These are options to set up the motherboard chipset. These options include configurations that usually refers to the computer RAM access, as the wait states. If some wrong configuration is done in this menu, the computer may freeze. Therefore, do not change the options in this menu unless you are certain of what you're doing.

• PCI/Plug and Play Setup:

Configures the allocated resources for the installed devices in the computer, such as sound boards and fax/modems.

• Power Management Setup:

In this menu you can do all the power management setup, in order to save some power.

• Peripheral Setup (or Integrated Peripherals):

Configures all devices embedded in the motherboard (on-board)

• Auto Configuration With BIOS Defaults:

Sets manufacturer values for all setup options.

• Auto Configuration With Power-on Defaults:

Sets values saved in CMOS for all setup options. In other words, it sets up all options as they were before you called.

• Change Password:

Sets up a password that will be asked when you turn the computer on (or if you try to call setup depending on what was set in the advanced setup).

• Auto Detect Hard Disk (or HDD Auto Detect or IDE Setup):

Reads computer installed IDE hard disks parameters and automatically sets up advanced setup according to read values.

• Hard Disk Utility (or HDD Low Level Format):

Formats the hard disk in low level (physical formatting). This option must never be used as you can damage your hard disk permanently.

• Write to CMOS and Exit:

Saves done changes in CMOS configuration memory e exits setup.

• System date and time in the date and time options.

• Floppy unit types installed in the computer

. You must configure the type of the A and B floppy drive units that are installed in your computer (if 2.88 MB, 1.44 MB, 1.2 MB, 720 KB or 360 KB). A common error done by beginners is to think that in order to change A unit with B unit (that is, to call the present A unit as B and vice versa) one must just change the configuration here. But that is not totally correct. In order to change unit A with unit B one must really open the computer e change the flat cable positions connecting the units to the controllers (usually in motherboard). The unit installed in flat cable end will always be A, and the unit connected to the mid-cable connector will only be B unit. As presently most computers have just one unit (A unit of 1.44 MB), you must set B unit as Not Installed.

• Hard disk geometry.

This is the most difficult setup of basic setup but fortunately there is an option in setup main menu - called HDD Auto Detection, IDE Setup or alike, that as we've seen last week, reads hard disk data e configures hard disk geometry automatically. Therefore there is nothing to worry about.

• Video card type.

Configure as EGA/VGA. Some people may get confused here. This options configures the video board type installed in the computer and not the video display. There is an option called Monochrome referring to an eventually installed MDA board. If you have a computer equipped with a VGA or Super VGA video board, and a monochrome display installed, the correct option is EGA/VGA that configures the installed video board, and not Monochrome, once your video board is not a MDA card.

• Floppy Mode 3 Support:

There is a Japanese 3 ½" floppy disk unit of 1.2 MB - instead of 1.44 MB - and in order to be recognized by the computer one must enable this option. As you most certainly don't have this type of unit installed, leave it Disabled.

• Halt On:

This option tells the computer in which error condition it has to halt during the machine initial self test (POST). The default options is "All Errors", that is in any detected error situation during self test the computer shall halt and a message will be displayed. At the "All but keyboard" option, the computer will halt in all types of error except keyboard errors. And so on according to the remaining available options. Our suggestion is that you set this option as "All Errors".

• Daylight Saving:

This is not a very common option and probably you'll find it only in the older makes. This option enables the automatic adjustments for daylight saving time. It happens that this adjustment is based on USA where summer occurs during our winter and therefore this option must stay disabled.

• Typematic Rate Programming:

You can set up the keyboard repetition rate by enabling this option, that is, when you press continuously a key it will start to be automatically repeated. The repetition rate setup is done by means of one of the two options discussed below:

• Typematic Rate Delay:

Sets up the time the computer waits before starting to repeat a key held pressed down. The value configured in this option is given in milliseconds.

• Typematic Rate:

Configures the number of characters per seconds the automatic repetition will generate.

• Quick Power On Self Test:

In the Award BIOS, the memory test is performed three times. With that option enabled, the test is done only once, making the boot process faster.

• Above 1 MB Memory Test:

Enable this option in order to have all RAM memory tested during memory counting. In case this option isn't enabled, only the first 1 MB memory will be tested, and that is not interesting.

• Memory Test Tick Sound:

Enable tick sound during memory count. The adjustment depends on personal preference.

• Hit <del> Message Display:

Having that function enabled, the "Hit <del> to Run Setup" is displayed during memory count. We suggest you let it enabled though you can run setup normally when message is not displayed during memory countWait For <F1> If Any Error: Just like previous option, it enables displaying of "Press <F1> To Resume" message is case there is an error during Post On Self Test. We suggest you leave it enabled.

• System Boot Up Num Lock:

Sets up the Num Lock key Status when powering the computer on. We suggest you leave it enabled.

• Floppy Drive Seek at Boot:

Performs a test, after memory count, to check if the floppy drive units configured at setup are actually installed. Our suggestion is that you disable this function in order that boot process be faster.

• System Boot Up Sequence:

Sets up boot sequence, that is, from which unit boot will run. We suggest you leave it as "C Only", or "C, A" in case former option is not available. This will cause a faster boot, as computer will read the operating system directly from hard disk, and will avoid boot virus contamination, as a boot from floppy will be disabled.

• Boot sector Virus Protection (or Anti-virus or Virus Warning):

Watch out, as the name of this option may lead to an error. Having that option enabled, computer will not allow hard disk boot sector updating, which is a task a virus could attempt to. The issue is that some disk utilities, like e.g. Norton Utilities and the operating system installing program itself, change data in the boot sector, causing a false error message in case this option stays enabled. That is why many technicians cannot install the operating system when this option is enabled. Therefore, our recommendation is that you leave this option disabled. If you want to be protected against viruses, use a good anti-virus program.

• Password Checking Option (or Security Option):

In the setup main setup we can set by means of the Change Password option a password that will be asked when your computer is turned on. By means of this option we can set up when this password will be required: whenever computer is powered on (Always or System option), only when one tries to access setup (Setup option). The configuration is done according to your discretion, and according to security policy.

• Swap Floppy Drive or Floppy Drive Swapping:

This option allows unit A swapping with unit B. If you have a 5 ¼" unit A and a 3 ½" unit A, when this function is enabled the unit A will be a 3 ½" drive and the B unit, a 5 ¼" drive. As presently most computer have just one 3 ½" floppy unit installed, this option should stay disabled.

• PCI VGA Palette Snooping or VGA Palette Snoop:

This option allows the compliance of older higher resolution video cards to the VGA standard. As presently all video boards are compliant to this standard, this option must stay disabled.

• Hard Disk Type 47 RAM Area or Extended ROM RAM Area or Extended BIOS RAM Area or Scratch RAM Option:

This option configures how BIOS scratch area in RAM is accessed. There are two options: "DOS 1 KB" that reduces the 640 KB conventional memory to 639 KB and that uses this 1 KB area to access scratch area; or "0:300" that uses address 300h to access this scratch area. The first option is preferable once second option can frequently cause a conflict with the network board, as network boards often use address 300h to communicate with the processor. Presently this 1 KB memory loss is negligible.

• External Cache Memory or L2 Cache Memory:

Enables L2 Cache Memory. Enable it, or else your computer will run too slowly.

• Internal Cache Memory or L1 Cache Memory:

Enables L1 Cache Memory. Enable it, or else your computer will run too slowly.

• System BIOS Cacheable or System ROM Cacheable or System BIOS Cacheable:

This option allows access to BIOS using memory cache speeding up the computer. We suggest you leave it enabled.

• Video BIOS Cacheable or Video Cacheable Option or Video ROM Cache:

Same for Video board ROM memory. Enable this option.

• System ROM Shadow or Main BIOS Shadow or Adaptor ROM Shadow F000, 64K or F Segment Shadow:

Shadow is a technique whereas ROM contents are copied into RAM which is then accessed in lieu of the ROM. This is done in order to improve computer performance, as ROM access time is longer than RAM. This option enables BIOS shadow, causing BIOS contents to be copied into RAM when the processor will then access BIOS copy stored in RAM and no more ROM memory Naturally we suggest this option stays enabled.

• Video ROM Shadow or Adaptor ROM Shadow C000, 32K or Adaptor ROM Shadow C400, 16K:

Same for Video board ROM memory. We suggest this option stays enabled.

• Other Shadow options:

The remaining shadow options should remain disabled, as there usually no further ROM memories in the computer, therefore there is no need to enable shadowing of other memory areas.

• Floppy Disk Access Control:

This options configures if user has total access to floppy unit (Read/Write option) or if he is allowed only to reading them (Read Only option). Set up R/W unless there is a specific case where you don't want to allow floppy disks recording.

• HDD Sequence SCSI/IDE First: If you have an IDE hard disk and a SCSI disk installed simultaneously in the computer, you'll need to configure, by means of this option which will boot. If you don't have a SCSI disk, leave this option as "IDE". Or set it up according to your needs.

• Assign IRQ for VGA:

This option forces the utilization of an interruption request line by the video board. If this option is disabled, video board will not use an IRQ, freeing the space to be used by another peripheral device, which may be convenient in some cases, as is the case of computers plenty of peripheral devices creating interrupt request conflicts with the video board. Though this may seems interesting, DOS programs and particularly games will not be able to access video with more than 256 colors if this option is disabled. Therefore, we suggest you leave this option enabled. Furthermore this is the solution of the classic case you're not succeeding in setting up more than 256 colors in your favorite game.

• Init Display First:

If you have more than one video board installed, in order to make use of the Windows 98 multiple displays support, and if one them if an AGP, you'll have to set which video board will initiate first by means of this option. the AGP board or the PCI one. You must adjust this option according to your personal preferences. In computers having an on-board video card, this option can be used to disable on-board video, installing a PCI video board and setting this option as PCI. In case you don't have more than one video board this option is ignored.

• BIOS Update:

This option enables BIOS upgrade. There is a famous virus, called CIH (better known as Spacefiller or Chernobyl) that erases BIOS. If this option is disabled, BIOS upgrade is not possible, and this virus will not be able to erase BIOS, in case computer gets infected. Our suggestion is that you disable this option and enable it only during BIOS upgrade procedure (this procedure is seldom needed for most users).

• Report No FDD For Win95: Enable this option only if you don't have any floppy unit installed. Naturally this option must stay disabled.

• Delay for HDD:

Very old hard disks take a while to reach their normal rotating speed. The most common symptom of this problem is the "HDD Controller Failure" error message being displayed at power on but functioning correctly after a reset. This happens because at the first time computer tried to boot, the disk had not reached full rotation speed, causing the display of the error message. If this is the case, you may set up a waiting time - in seconds - that will be timed after memory counting until start of hard disk reading. As this problem can only be found in old hard disks, let this option disabled - or in zero.

• S.M.A.R.T. For Hard Disks:

Enables Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Report Technology - SMART - for the hard disk, in case it has this technology (all new hard disks have it). It is a preventive internal diagnostic facility that is performed by hard disk informing to processor the probability of a possible damage in a near future, thus giving time for the user to backup his data before damage occurs. We recommend you enable this option.

• Graphics Aperture Size:

AGP video boards can use RAM memory to store z-buffering and texture data. This option defines how much RAM these video boards can use for themselves. Generally you may leave this option setup with its default, but you may try to change this value in case you're getting errors in 3D games.

• CPU Level 2 Cache ECC Checking:

Intel processors from Pentium II-300 onwards allow the utilization of an advanced error correction mode when accessing L2 cache memory, called ECC (Error Correction Code). This access method increases data reliability. Though it may seems interesting to enable this option, it decreases computer performance, as computer will spend more time storing and reading memory cache data because of this error verification. Therefore our suggestion is that you leave this option disabled.

• System BIOS Cacheable or System ROM Cacheable or System BIOS Shadow Cacheable:

This option enables the utilization of memory cache when access BIOS. As BIOS is accessed all times and as the memory cache increases computer performance, this option will also increase computer performance. Therefore we suggest this option stays enabled.

• Video BIOS Cacheable or Video Cacheable Option or Video ROM Cache:

This option is equivalent to previous option except for the video board ROM memory. We suggest this option stays enabled improving video performance.

• Memory Parity Error Check: Enables parity test. As most of present memories don't have a parity chip, we suggest to leave this function disabled, in order to avoid a random parity error message.

• DRAM ECC/Parity Select: Selects the error correction method used for RAM memory access. ECC or parity. ECC method can only be selected if you have an ECC type RAM, that is mainly used by network servers. Unless you have ECC memory installed (that we think most unlikely), set up this option as "Parity".

• ECC Checking/Generation: Enables ECC error correction scheme. Only enable this option if your computer is equipped with RAM memory supporting this error correction method, which, as we mentioned, we think is quite unlikely.

• Run OS/2>= 64 MB or OS Select for DRAM> 64 MB: If you use OS/2 operating system, you must enable this option to access more than 64 MB RAM memory. As most users use Windows 0x, disable this function, or set it as "Non-OS/2").

• Fast EDO Path Select: Enable this option if your computer memory is of the EDO type.

• CAS

Read Wait State or DRAM Read Wait States: Number of wait states used in RAM memory reading.

• CAS

Write Wait State or DRAM Write Wait States or DRAM Wait State Select or DRAM Write CAS Pulse: Same but for writing into memory.

• Memory

Wait State or DRAM Wait State: Some setup display just a single option for the wait state adjustments.

• RAS to CAS Delay or Fast RAS to CAS Delay: States how many clock pulses are there between the      RAS signal and the CAS signal, controlling the RAM memory access.

• DRAM RAS Precharge Time: Number of CPU clocks allocated for the RAS signal (controlling memory access) to accumulate its charge before the DRAM is refreshed (Memory refresh is a cyclic memory scan done in order to recharge the stored values).

• DRAM R/W Leadoff Timing: Number of CPU clocks needed before each read from or write to the memory.

• DRAM Speed: To be set up according to access time of installed memories.

• DRAM Speculative Leadoff: Motherboard chipset will pass the read command to memory slightly before it has fully decoded the address, thus speeding up the read process. We recommend you enable this option.

• Turn-around Insertion: Inserts one wait state to the access to two consecutive memory data. Disable this option to suppress this wait state, increasing the PC performance.

• Read-around Write: If a data is read from address of latest write to memory, the memory controller embedded in motherboard chipset may pass the data without an actual memory read, as data is still held in the chipset internal buffer. Enable this option to get some performance improvement.

• I/O Recovery Time or AT Cycle Wait State or AT Cycle Between I/O Cycles or 8 Bit I/O Recovery Time or 16 Bit I/O Recovery Time: Set up additional wait states to be used in the access to devices installed in the ISA bus. As wait states utilization degrades performance, we suggest you disable these options (or set them up at 0 wait states) or, in case it is not possible, set the utilization of just one wait state.

• ISA Line Buffer: Enables a data buffer to ISA bus increasing its performance. We suggest you enable this option.

• Memory Hole or Memory Hole At 15 MB Add: Creates a memory hole between 15M and 16M in order to have the PC compatible with some old ISA video boards using this memory area. As this options results in a loss of 1 MB of memory, we suggest you keep it disabled.

• CPU Burst Write or CPU-to-Memory Burst Write: Increases the write to RAM performance.

• PCI Bursting or Host-to-PCI Burst Write or PCI Burst Mode or PCI Burst Write Combine or PCI Dynamic Bursting: Enables PCI burst mode, increasing the PCI bus performance.

• PCI Concurrency or Peer Concurrency: Allows the PCI bus controlling more than one PCI device at a time, increasing the performance.

• PCI Streaming: Allows the transfer of larger data packets, increasing the PCI bus performance.

• PCI-to-DRAM Pipeline: Increases data write performance done by PCI bus to RAM.

• CPU-to-PCI Write Post or CPU-to-PCI Write Buffer: Enables a buffer memory to temporarily store data sent by the processor to PCI bus, in case the bus is not ready, thus freeing the processor for the execution of another task. If this option is disabled, the processor will have to wait for the bus to become ready to receive data, decreasing the write performance of PCI bus.

• PCI Master 0 WS Write: Allows that PCI devices write in RAM without using wait states.

• Passive Release: Increases the PCI bus performance.

• PCI IRAQ Activated By: Sets whether PCI bus interruptions are triggered by edge or level of the interrupt request signal. We suggest you set it at "level".

• Delay Transaction or PCI 2.1 Support: If enabled, motherboard chipset will be compliant with PCI 2.1 specifications. We suggest to enable.

• AT Bus Clock or AT Clock Selection or Bus Clock Frequency Select or ISA Bus Clock Option or AR Bus Clock Control or PCICLK-to-ISA Sysclk Divisor: This option sets the ISA bus clock which should run at 8 MHz. As most motherboards are not equipped with an internal 8 MHz generator, they will use a division of the Bus Clock or of the bus clock (PCICLK). If the PCI bus clock runs at 33 MHz, we must set up this option at "1/4 PCICLK" that will set up the ISA bus clock at 8.25 MHz. You can do this calculation yourself to determine the best setup for this option. We recall that ISA devices usually cannot run much above 8 MHz. Therefore if you set up this option at a higher clock frequency, i.e. 11 MHz, your PC ISA devices probably will not operate properly.

• On-Chip VGA: Enables onboard video, if your motherboard is equipped with such facility. In case you want to disable the onboard video to install a new video board in one of the computer slots, just disable this option.

• Onboard VGA Memory Size or VGA Shared Memory Size: In computer equipped with onboard video and using UMA architecture (Unified Memory Architecture) the motherboard chipset uses part of the RAM Memory as video memory. In this option you will set how much RAM memory will be assigned to video functions. The more memory you set the worse as you will be losing memory for applications execution. The appropriate amount depends on the Windows chosen resolution. We suggest the following setup: 640x480, 1 MB; 800x600, 2 MB; 1.024x768 or 1.280x1.024, 4 MB. For instance, it is useless to assign 4MB to video if the used resolution is 640x480 as this resolution will not use more than 1MB video memory. Therefore you would waste 3MB.

• Onboard Sound: Enables onboard audio, if your motherboard is equipped with such facility. Disable this option in case you want to install an external soundboard in one available slot.

• Programming Mode: If you set this option as auto, setup will automatically set up all remaining functions of this menu. If in manual you can manually configure the existing functions.

• Onboard FDC: Enables the floppy disk unit. (leave it enabled).

• FDD AB Exchange Function or Swap Floppy Drive: Swaps logically A unit with B unit. Leave it disabled.

• Serial

Port 1: Sets up serial port 1. Leave it in "Auto", "COM1", or "3F8".

• Serial

Port 2: Sets up serial port 2. If you have an installed fax modem using address COM2, you have to disable motherboard serial port 2 to avoid the conflict If that is not the case, leave it in "Auto", "COM2", or "2F8".

• Serial

Port 1 MIDI Support: Enables serial port 1 with MIDI interface. Leave it disabled.

• Serial

Port 2 MIDI Support: Equal.

• Parallel

Port: Enables the computer parallel port. Leave it as "Auto", "LPT1", or "378".

• Parallel

Port Mode: Sets up the parallel port operating mode as normal ("Normal", or "SPP") or bi-directional ("Extended", or "ECP/EPP"). We suggest to set as bi-directional mode.

• Parallel

Port Extended Mode: Configures the bi-directional mode which is used by parallel port - EPP or ECP. We suggest you set it as ECP which offers a highest performance.

Use Windows Safe Mode
Ø  This tool opens the four configuration files (Autoexec.bat, Config.sys, System.ini, and Win.ini) in a small text editor. If you have experience with these files, you'll be able to alter system, program, and driver settings from within them. If these files are new to you, the trick to using them is to locate items that reference programs or drivers you know are causing problems, deleting the offending items, and saving the file. But before you change anything, make a copy of the originals for later retrieval if necessary. 
Ø  If all of these procedures fail to solve your problems, it's time to work directly with your hardware via the Device Manager while in Safe Mode. In WinMe and Win98, right-click My Computer, select Properties, and choose the Device Manager tab. In WinXP open the Start menu, click Control Panel, click Performance And Maintenance, click System, choose the Hardware tab, and click the Device Manager button. In Vista, click Start, Control Panel, and Device Manager. 
Ø  From the Device Manager, locate one device you suspect might be causing trouble, such as a device you recently installed, and right-click it and select Properties. Disable the device using the Device Usage drop-down menu or deselecting the appropriate checkbox from the Device Usage area and restart your computer into Normal mode. If your system now works properly, you've discovered the problem. You can shut down your system, remove the hardware from your computer, and call the manufacturer to report the problem. 
Ø  If your computer still won't start (or won't start properly), the two probable causes are a hardware conflict or a Registry problem. Before trying to correct a suspected hardware conflict, you can check your Registry for problems it might be encountering. 
Ø  Restart your system, enter the Startup Menu, and choose Command Prompt Only (or Safe Mode With Command Prompt in WinXP/Vista). You can accomplish this in WinMe, which has no such menu item, by launching from your Windows startup disk. Then, at the command prompt, type scanreg and press ENTER. The Windows Registry Checker tool will appear on-screen and try to locate and repair invalid entries. It draws its information from backups of system files and the Registry settings it creates once per day when your computer starts normally.
How and why to use Windows Safe Mode
Show notes
Ø  Safe Mode

1. If the system is already turned off, power it on.

1. If the system is already on, shutdown the system normally, wait 30 seconds, then power it back on.

1. Begin tapping the F8 key every few seconds as the system boots up until the screen offering the Safe Mode option appears.

1. Use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode and press the Enter key.

1. The system will now boot into Safe Mode.

1. On Windows XP, you may receive a prompt asking if you really want to boot into Safe Mode. Choose Yes.

1. Once Windows has booted into Safe Mode, open your antivirus program using the Start | Programs menu and run a complete virus scan.

1. If your PC is a multi-boot system (i.e. has more than one operating system to choose from), first select      the desired OS and then begin tapping the F8 key every few seconds while it boots.

1. If tapping F8 did not result in the Safe Mode option being offered, repeat the steps.

1. If after several attempts you are still unable to boot into Safe Mode, post a message in the Antivirus Forum. Be sure to note which operating system you are using.

Computer hardware

• The Motherboard and things directly attached to it.

• Computer chassis and screen, preferly with standard sizes (i.e. ISO A4 for notebook chassis).

• Storage media

• Other peripherals

---

Class 1 Components
CPU
Case
Power Supply
Motherboard
RAM
External Links

• http://www.kingston.com/tools/umg/default.asp (Ultimate memory guide)

PCI Express Cards/Slots
AGP Cards
PCI Cards

• Plug and play configuration (through standardised means for interacting with configuration software)

• Standardised electrical connections

• 32-bit addressing

• 33-MHz bus clock

• 64-bit addressing

• "Hot plugging" (the ability to add / remove PCI devices from a running machine)

• 66-MHz bus clock

ISA Cards
Class 2 Components: Storage
Floppy Disk drives
Hard drive
CD-ROM drive
CD-RW drive
DVD-ROM drive
DVD-RW drive
Other removable media
Flash memory
USB Flash drive
Class 3 Components: Peripherals
Display device
Sound Output
Mouse
History
Keyboard

• Keyboards differ between languages. Most English-speaking people use what is called a QWERTY layout. This refers to the order of the top row of keys. Some foreign languages (i. e. German) use QWERTZ, where the Z and Y are switched.

• Many laptop computers do not include a number pad. (There is sometimes a function on the keyboard to enable a numpad-like mode.)

• Modern keyboards sometimes have extra controls such as volume, and keys that can be programmed to bring up programs of the user's choice.

Printer

• Laser printer: Prints very crisp text, but cheaper models can only print in black and white. Good for places like offices where high printing speed is needed.

• Color inkjet printer: Prints photos and other images in color (using 4 colors of ink -- cyan, magenta, yellow, and black), but the text they print is often not as crisp as a laser printer.

Scanner

• hand-held scanners (in which the user manually drags a small scanning head over the document), and

• flat-bed scanners (which are designed to accommodate a whole sheet of paper, which is then examined by a motorised scanning head).

Modem
Appendix A: Connectors and Cables
Internal Connectors

• Motherboard Power Connector: This connector is designed especially to move electricity from the power supply to the motherboard. Older computers use the AT power connections, with two six-pin connectors lined up side by side. ATX motherboards used a single connector with 20 pins arranged in two rows of 10.

• Many motherboards now also use supplementary power connectors, such as a 4 pin plug specifically for the CPU supply.

• Some others have more than 20 pins for the main connector. The extra pins are in the form of a       'seperate' connector, that fits onto the end of the standard 20 pin connector. This may be used or not as required by the particular motherboard.

• The PCI-e inteface may also require the use of further power cables from the power supply.

• Power Connectors for Drives: Hard drives, optical drives, and, increasingly, high-end video cards use a 4-wire power connection, of which several are available from a power supply. Floppy drives use a smaller connector.

• With the introduction of the SATA interface for data another type of power connector for drives was also introduced. This is thinner than the previous power connector.

• 40 and 80-pin IDE Cables: These cables are used by hard drives and optical drives to transfer data to and from the motherboard. These are now sometimes called PATA (Parallel ATA) cables to differentiate from the more recent SATA.

• SATA (Serial ATA) Cables: These cables are now used by most hard drives and even optical drives to carry data to and from the motherboard. They are much thinner than SATA ribbon cables, and the connectors are much smaller. Generally red coloured.

• SATA drives generally also require a new type of power connector, though some can also use the older white 'Molex' plug. Adaptors are available if the power supply doesn't have the correct connector.

• 34-pin Floppy Cables: These are used to connect floppy drives to floppy disk connectors on the mainboard/motherboard.

External Connectors

• AT Keyboard Connector: Found on older computers, this connector is large and round with five pins.

• PS/2 Connector: This connector is currently the most popular for connecting both the keyboard and mouse. Note that older mice once used serial ports (defined below), and newer mice frequently use the Universal Serial Bus (USB).

• VGA Connector: This connector has 3 rows of 5 pins each, and is used to connect the computer to the display screen.

• Parallel Port (DB-25): This connector is commonly used to interface with printers, and can also transfer between computers. It has been mostly replaced by USB.

• Serial Port (DB-9): This 9-pin connector is used to connect all sorts of devices, but is being replaced by USB. It has been used in the past to connect mice and transfer data between computers.

• Universal Serial Bus (USB): This relatively recent connector can connect the computer to almost anything. It has been used for storage devices, printers, sound, mice, keyboards, cameras, and even networking. USB 2.0 allows transfer speeds of up to 480 Mbps.

• FireWire (IEEE 1394) port: This high-speed connection runs at 400Mbps (1394a) or 800Mbps (1394b), and can connect up to 63 external devices to a single port. Most digital camcorders have a firewire port to connect to a computer.

• RJ-11 (phone) Connectors: This is the type of connector you will see on phones and modems. It is not used for much else.

• RJ-45 Connectors: These are used to connect computers to an Ethernet network. Maximum speed of such a connection is now 1000 Mbps (1Mb/second is equal to one megabit), or 1 Gbps (1Gb/second is equal to one gigabit.)

• Audio Connectors: Three of these connectors can be found on an average sound card, and are used to connect to microphones (usually pink), speakers (usually green), and other audio devices (usually blue). The external device connector is usually a silver or gold-plated plug that fits into a round hole.

Hardware & Networking

After the course

1.    can work as a hardware administrator

2.      Software installations

3.      Windows Installations

4.      Partitions (create, delete, modify)

5.      Can easily work with system files (io, Ntldr, NTDetect, DOS0

6.      Can easily work with file system (NTFS,FAT)

7.      Can do networking for Offices, Cyber, etc

8.      Easily find out the problems and can troubleshoot them.

9.      Can add/remove the major components of pc

10.  Can do assemble and Dissemble of pc.

Computer?

1.      Software

a.   Application Software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc)

b.   Programming Software (VB, Java, C, C++)

c.   Utilities Software (WinZip, Antivirus, Simple Programs)

2.      Hardware

a.   Major Components

b.   Binary System (Hardware Language)

Hardware

Any piece of Devices in Computer is called hardware, or you can say physical parts of Computer is hardware, such as cd rom, floppy drive, pen drive, etc

Devices

It’s a part of hardware which has particular name and internally or externally can add to the computer, May their functions are different from each other, such as Modem, Sound Card, Pen Drive, etc

Device Driver

Means software of Device is called device driver, suppose you have recently added modem in your computer, now you have to install the driver of Modem Device to make work properly with your windows, that software is called device driver, Without device driver, device may not work properly, but now a days, windows xp or later version of windows auto installs the driver of Devices.

Types of Devices (according to size)

1.      Internal devices

2.      External Devices

Internal Devices

These type of devices are plug or seat inside the cashing box and they are very sensitive and most give care then the external devices, they are plug or seat into the Motherboard slots or connect through data cables. Such as

Internal sound card, modem, Memory, Hard disk, is internal devices

Here, internal sound, modem and memory plug or seat into the slot and Hard disk connects to Motherboard through data cable.

External Devices

These types of devices are plug or seat outside the cashing box and they are connect through USB, parallel port or serial port or through wireless Connectivity. Such as monitor, Printer, Keyboard, mouse, etc are External devices; all the external devices are connects directly or indirectly with motherboard.

Types of Devices according to Functions

(How does computer works)

1.      Input devices

2.      Processing Devices (units)

3.      Output Devices

All the orders goes through Input Devices >> Calculates or Find the Solutions at Processing Unit >> Results, shows at Output Devices

Computer Encodes the Orders >> Computer Decodes the Results

Encodes in Binary, ASCII, and Decodes in Decimal and Characters.

Input devices

Keyboard, Mouse, Microphone, Scanner, etc, keyboard is also called main input device.

Processing Units

1.      Processor (CPU)

2.      Memory(RAM)

Output Devices

1.      Monitor / Projector

2.      Printer

3.      Speaker

(Monitor is also called soft output device and Printer is called hard output device)

Plug and Play Devices

It means those devices which is auto detects by the system and  can work easily in the same time, such as CD ROM, Mouse, Monitor, Keyboard, Pen Drive, etc are Plug and play devices. Now days, all the devices are plug and play devices.

Non Plug and play devices

It means those type of devices which are needs to setup manually after adding them into the computer system, such as Printer, Joysticks, etc are Non plug and Play devices,

USB

It stands for Universal serial bus which is mostly used and  every devices has USB Port now a days, its every easy to plug and play, every external devices has USB Ports because we can easily can plug it in computer and can work with hassle  free.

Cache Memory

In simple word cache can be defined as temporary memory. Most processors have an internal cache which stores frequently used data and instructions. Cache RAM and normal RAM are very similar in the way they work. Hard drives are very slow compared to the CPU.  RAM is much faster than a hard drive, but still 4-5 times slower than your CPU.  Also, RAM is erased if the power goes off.  Cache RAM is extremely fast, it is capable of delivering data at or near the speed of the CPU. Cache is just extremely fast, and expensive.

L1 is cache memory that is located on the CPU. L2 is cache memory located outside the CPU.

Buses

Each processor has buses which work with it. The external bus, also called the system bus, allows the processor to connect with other devices such as expansion cards and devices.

Buses consist of two parts: data bus and address bus. The data bus transfers the information and the address bus tells where the information should go.

Safe Mode

This option uses a minimal set of device drivers and services to start Windows. If the computer couldn’t start in normal mode then we can choose this option. To display the options, restart your computer and start pressing the F8 key on your keyboard

Disk Cleanup

There are so many unnecessary files and folders occupy some disk space.

It can affect the performance of the system. So it is better to remove it. To clean these files and folders follow below procedure:

à Open ‘My Computer’. There are local and removable drives displayed.

à Select the any local drive and go to the property page.

à On the ‘General’ tab there is button having caption ‘Disk cleanup’, just click on it.

 àAfter that click on only ‘Ok’ and ‘Yes’.

(System will get little bit but important space.)

Virus

A Computer virus is a destructive program that can crash the system. There are three most common types of destructive computer programs are the Trojan horse, Logic bomb and the worm. The virus may be a memory resident waiting to be activated. Virus can corrupt the boot record and makes any application to malfunctioning. Some viruses affect the .exe and .com files. The virus can be spread by reading files from infected floppy or downloading files from the internet. Once activated, it will start to infect other system files and application files and the important data may be lost. Some viruses target some specific application and affects overall performance of the system.

Virus Removing tools

The virus can be cleaned from the system by using some virus removing tools. These tools can remove lots of viruses. It is a just another application, occupying some disk space and monitoring the system all the time system is on. Some tools monitor the e-mail and downloaded file from the internet, this called firewall. The virus removing programs have special instruction written in some script which checks the entire file and finds some danger words such as ‘Format’, ‘Delete’.

Removing virus

Virus removing process is easiest one. The process is described below.

àOpen the virus removing application.

à Finds out the system scan and begin the scan.

It also allows checking individual file, folder and drive.

à Right click on the file, folder or drive to be checked.

à Click on ‘Scan with Virus Remove’. And the scanning is started.

Registry:

            The registry is a database maintained by windows operating system to store configuration information. Most programs stores information in registry during installation and use those information to look for setting and supporting files when program is running. A user can edit registry manually through start menu >> run >> regedit but user should be extremely cautious while editing the registry because any invalid entry in registry can cause mal function of the whole system so better option is to download software through which we can use registry. Registry contains following major sections:-

i)                    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT-

ii)                  HKEY_CURRENT_USER

iii)                HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

iv)                HKEY_USER

v)                  HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG

Measurement Unit of Computer

Generally we, measure the size of file / disk in Binary system.

4 bit           =       1 nibble

8 bit            =       1 byte

1024 bytes = 1 kb (kilo byte)

1024 Kb = 1 Mega byte

1024 mb = 1 gb (giga byte)

1024 gb = 1 tb (tera byte)

1024 tb = 1 pb (pera byte)

Major Components of PC

1.      Motherboard

2.      Processor (CPU)

3.      Memory(RAM)

4.      HDD

5.      FDD

6.      Keyboard

7.      Mouse

8.      Monitor

9.      Printer

10.  Scanner

11.  AGP Card

12.  Interfaces

a.   Modem

b.   Sound Card

c.   Internal or External Devices

d.   NIC (Network Interface Card) /LAN card / Ethernet Card

e. TV card

Motherboard

It is the main system BUS where directly or indirectly connects all the computer's internal or external devices. All the Sound, VGA(Video Graphic Adapter) Color, Communication and Network Ports, USB Ports, are directly connected with motherboard, It’s a Printed Circuit Board (PCB)where data pass through one port to another with Electronic Signal. It is also called main Hardware device of COMPUTER. There are different types of Board, according to the manufacturer

1.      Intel Motherboard

2.      Intel Chipset motherboard

3.      MSI Motherboard (*****)

4.      VIA Motherboard

Some Features that are attached with motherboard

1.      Graphics Memory

2.      USB Ports

3.      Ethernet Controller ( Network Port)

4.      Sound Port

5.      Serial / Parallel Ports

6.      Firewall Port

7.      Modem

Know your Motherboard Details

1.      From BIOS

2.      From Windows

From BIOS

1.      Restart the system or computer.

2.      Press Del or F2 Alternately

3.      Now it shows the Motherboard details

From Windows

(if the driver of motherboard is installed properly then)

1.      start >> run

2.      Dxdiag 8

(Now it shows the details

System Manufacturer: - Intel

System Model: - Intel 845

(Click at Display to view the VGA Memory)

Get all information about your Computer

1.      start >> run >> Dxdiag 8

2.      click at save all information

3.      Click at desktop, then read the saved text file, where you can get all the information about your computer system except Hard disk size.)

Some Available Models of Motherboard

815 / 810 Pentium III

845 / 865 / 915 / 945 / 965 / 946 later (Pentium IV)

(945 / 965 /865) Pin less Motherboard (means where pin less Processor can be used).

To View the Hardware Details

1.      Rt. Click at my Computer

2.      Click at Manage

3.      click at Device Manager

4.      Now at right side, it shows all the details

5.      if the hardware list shown in yellow color that means, it needs to install the driver

6.      click at +(plus) sing of every hardware to view its detail information

7.      Click at disk management, to view the total drives and size of Hard disk.

Types of mother models according to features

1.      Diagram of Motherboard

2.      Name the Every Components of Motherboard

3.      Describe Every components position and work

4.      Diagram of PCI Cards , such as sound card, Modem, Ethernet card, etc

Central Processing Unit:-

At the heart of the computer is the motherboard and its heart is the central processing unit (CPU). The CPU is responsible for most of the processing of software applications, directing of data traffic inside the computer, and other operations of the computer. CPU is a fixed device which is plug / seat into to the CPU slot in motherboard and it controls all the input & output of the computer. An example of a CPU is a Pentium III, IV, Core 2 Duo, Duo Core, Celeron, AMD, SUN Microsystems, etc.

The processor contains millions of transistors. The CPU is measured by its clock speed in MHz. One Megahertz is one million cycles per second. The first IBM PC CPU, the Intel 8088, ran at 4.77 MHz. Today’s PCs exceed 3 GHz (3,000 MHz!)

(Clock Speed: - Every digital circuit is given a fixed number of clock cycles to operate. It determines the number of instruction executed per second)

Memory

ROM

ROM (Read-Only Memory) is a form of non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory keeps its contents even there is no power. Read-only memory is just that, read only, it cannot be written to. The computer ROM contains the setup program and POST (Power On Self Test) software.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

RAM is a volatile type of memory which loses its information when power is not present. RAM is where your software and data is stored when your computer is on and you are actively using or accessing them. Primary function of RAM is to speed up the jobs and supply display to output device. There are different types of RAM available.

-          SDRAM

-          DDRAM

-          DDRAM II

SDRAM These type of RAM were especially used in 810,815 & earlier version if 845 m/b

DDR These type of RAM were especially used in 845 and earlier version if 865 m/b

DDRII These type of RAM were especially used in late version of 845 &865, 945, 946, 965,  and later version of m/b.

To know the total memory of PC:

Start >> run >> Dxdiag 8

OR

Right Click on My Computer >> Properties

Sizes of Memory:-

8 MB, 16 MB, 32 MB, 64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1024 MB(1 GB), 2048 MB(2 GB)

AGP / Express Graphic Slot

Where we seat or plug internal 3D Card / Graphic Card,

Why to add the Graphic / 3D card

1.      Go add the more graphic memory

2.      to remove the flicker display

3.      to add the high color capacity

4.      For actual Entertainment and Multimedia Purpose

5.      specially used for high level Multimedia Programs, Games

6.      Mostly used in Ad media Agencies, Video Editing Parlor, etc.

Different sizes of Graphics available in the Market, such as

32 MB Graphic card

64 MB graphic Card

128 MB Graphic Card

256 MB Graphic Card

512 MB Graphic card

1024 MB Graphic card, etc

You can get different manufacturer's Graphic card in the Market, such as

1.      ATI Graphic Cards

2.      NVIDIA Ge-force Graphic Card , etc

File System:

          File system is the main key of windows to write the data on the Disk, without File System there is no Possibility to write the data on the drive, it means we can't install the Operating system so File system is a kind of system which is very essential for computer to install Operating System. We can Change/Create the File system

NTFS File System (New technology file System)

An advanced file system that provides performance, security, reliability, and advanced features that are not found in any version of FAT. For example, NTFS guarantees volume consistency by using standard transaction logging and recovery techniques. If a system fails, NTFS uses its log file and checkpoint information to restore the consistency of the file system. In Windows 2000 and Windows XP, NTFS also provides advanced features such as file and folder permissions, encryption, disk quotas, and compression.

A derivative of FAT is file allocation table file system. FAT32 supports smaller cluster sizes and larger volumes than FAT, which results in more efficient space allocation on FAT32 volumes.

Volume

An area of storage on a hard disk. Using a file system, such as FAT or NTFS, formats a volume and has a drive letter assigned to it. You can view the contents of a volume by clicking its icon in Windows Explorer or in My Computer. A single hard disk can have multiple volumes, and volumes can also span multiple disks.

Partition

A portion of a physical disk that functions as though it were a physically separate disk. After you create a partition, you must format it and assign it a drive letter before you can store data on it. On basic disks, partitions are known as basic volumes, which include primary partitions and logical drives. On dynamic disks, partitions are known as dynamic volumes, which include simple, striped, spanned, mirrored, and RAID-5 volumes.

Master Boot Record (MBR) :-

The first sector on a hard disk, which starts the process of booting the computer. The MBR contains the partition table for the disk and a small amount of executable code called the master boot code.

Right Click on Drive >> Properties

OR

Right Click on My computer >> Manage >> Disk Management

It means, windows 98 supports the file system of FAT32 but doesn’t supports / recognize the File system of NTFS,

Windows 2000 and later Operating system supports both FAT 32 & NTFS file system,

W2k recommended the file system of NTFS for better performance, reliability & security.

Convert FAT to NTFS:

Start > Run > CMD > Convert d: /fs:ntfs (Enter)

Device Manager

Run > DEVMGMT.MSC (Enter)

Or,

Rt. Click at My Computer > Manage > Device Manager

Or,

Rt. Click at My Computer > Properties > Hardware > Device Manager

It is very common window where all the hardware devices are located. It can gather the information of hardware devices. It also finds out the problematic hardware devices, disable devices and system resources conflict.

1        X(Red Cross): Disable > Simply Rt. Click > Enable

2        ?/! (Yellow): Problem from driver > Rt. Click at related device > Update Driver > Provide the location of driver software.

3        No marks: Properly running > no action

Hard Disk:

This device can be defined as primary storage device of the computer where all our data including Operating System is stored. There are two types of HDD available in market

SATA port & PATA port. Size of a HDD is measured in MB / GB

            10 GB / 20 Gb/ 40 GB / 80 Gb/60 GB, etc

Hard disk can be divided into various numbers of local drives for easy working and managing the files. (c:\, d:\, e:\, etc) which are called local drives and letters (c,d,e) are just assigned letter to drives.

Suppose I have a 80GB HDD which I want to make 4 partitions, now lets see e.g.

C:\ à 12000 MB (Primary Partition)

(Remaining 68000 MB is Extended Partition)

D:\ à 20000 MB, E:\ à48000 MB

(Now D:\ & E:\ are called logical drives)

 To know the total capacity of hard disk

Rt. Click at My computer >> Manage >> Disc Management.

(Now it shows all the detail about the HDD(s) such as total size, no. of partition, file system, free space)

Position of Jumper in HDD

Master/ Slave / Cable Select

Memory:

            It is another main device of the computer whose main function is to display the data in output device through VGA and speed up the computer, so without memory display system is impossible for computer. There are various types of memory available.

            SDRAM / DDRAM / DDRAM II

SDRAM: - specially this module of Ram is used in 810, 815 & earlier version of 845 m/b

DDRAM:-

DDRAM II:-especially this module of RAM is used in late version of 865,945,965 and later version of Motherboard.

Know the Total Memory Speed

ü  Start >>Run

ü  Type "dxdiag" and press enter

(Now list the details memory of the system)

Some Capacity of the Memory

8 Mb,16Mb,32Mb,64Mb,128Mb,256Mb,512Mb,1024Mb(1GB),2048(MB)/2GB,etc.

Keyboard

Mouse

1.      Ps/2 Mouse

2.      Serial Mouse

3.      USB Mouse

Monitor

            It is an output device and also called soft output device.

1.      Analog Monitor

2.      Digital monitor

i) Normal Monitor

ii) Flatten Monitor

iii) LCD Monitor (Liquid Crystal Display)

USB Universal Serial Bus

UPS Uninterrupted power Supply

PCI – Peripheral Control Interface

AGP – Accelerated Graphic Port

IDE- Integrated Drive Electronics

         Integrated Development Environment

PCB – Printed Circuit Board

NIC – Network Interface Card

Directory

Directory is like a table where we can store the files and folders but can’t write at directory, it is known as <dir> on listing.

Better always create the directory and put the files inside it.

Md      --          Make Directory

CD      --          Change Directory

RD      --          Remove Directory

BIOS Setup / CMOS Setup

BIOS is permanent memory which is programmed with basic instructions required for computer to start and run. BIOS is stored in the chip of the motherboard and controls all the interactions between Operating system and components. Every time computer is switched on, control is handed to BIOS which conducts a basic diagnosis to ensure all the key components are working properly. This process is also called Power On Self Test (POST). And all the components are working well then we can hear a single beep sound and after that BIOS hands over the control to Operating System.

BIOS / CMOS Setup is very important for the hardware technicians, where you can list / control the components of motherboard, such as: -

-          IDE Drives

-          Floppy Drives

-          Sound CODEC

-          Display Mode

-          Total Memory  Size

-          Processor speed

-          Motherboard model

-          Can control the Boot sequence

-          Control the security system, etc.

BIOS stand for: - Binary input / output system and

CMOS stands for Complementary Meta Oxide Semi- Conductor.

BIOS / CMOS setup only possible after switching on the System, but you don’t need any windows, software or hard disk to run the BI OS, it’s a initial setup for the computer, the methods to run the BIOS is different for the computer which has different motherboard , such as

In Intel Motherboard, Press F2 to run BIOS,

In Intel chip or VIA Board, Press Del to run the BIOS / CMOS

Different types of screenshots of BIOS

How to clear CMOS?

If the board has a clear CMOS jumper then clear the CMOS using this jumper. If board doesn’t have such jumper then takes off the on-board battery to leak voltage to clear CMOS. The steps are explained below.

1. Turn off power.

2. Disconnect the power cord from motherboard.

3. Take out the battery gently and put it aside for about 10 minutes.

4. Re-install the battery to the battery holder.

5. Connect the power cord to motherboard again and turn on the power.

# Installing the Fonts:-

Extension of Font: - .TTF

a. Insert the Floppy, Cd or Pen drive of Fonts into the Floppy Drive / Cd ROM.

b. Click at start >> Settings >> Control Panel

c. Open the Folder of Fonts.

d. Click at File >> Install New Font

e. Now choose the Drive or Folder where the Fonts are located.

f. Click at Select all (Now it starts to read the Fonts )

g. Click at Ok

(Now it installs the selected fonts from the folder or drive into the computer system)

# Installing/uninstalling software, Programs

Before Software Installations

Installing:--

                        Any software or program which is in computer and through which we perform different tasks and work, we need to install every software or program that we wish to use in computer. We can install those software / programs through cd, pen drive, hdd, backup etc. and during installation it may ask for various types of details such as name, organization, etc. main thing here is the serial number of the software, we need to specify the correct serial number of the software or program that we are going to install. And the serial number can be found on the cd cover or in the folder that contains the software or program. Here are few common names that may contain serial number.

cdkey, serial number, SN, keygen, serial key, product key etc but it might different.

          Here are the steps through which we can install our software or program.

            1. Open the source (it may be cd, pen drive, and backup)

            2. Now open the program you want to install in your computer

            3. Once you have opened the program that you are going to install, look for the file which has name setup.exe or install. Here thing to remember is that there might be more than one file with such name but we need to choose the file which will start installation.

            4. Once the setup begins then we need to click on next, accept, etc as required and also we need to give details such as name, organization, serial number, etc.

            5. Always choose "Typical" or "Complete" installation type

            6. We can also specify location where we want to install our program such as c:, d:,

Mainly there are 3 different types of installation which are given below

            Normal / Activate / Crack

Uninstalling a program/ software:-

            All programs or software that we install in our computer needs to be uninstalled. We shall never delete these software or programs because after installing any software it installs various kinds of files in registry of our computer which is very essential for program to work properly and run in our computer. And if we delete the program those are installed, it will only delete the files which are outside the registry of the computer, and files in registry won't get removed so we need to uninstall the software in order the delete files from registry of unnecessary program. While uninstalling the program, it automatically deletes files from registry. Follow the steps given below to uninstall a program:

            1. Go to start menu

            2. Click on settings

            3. Click on control panel

            4. Now open Add/remove program (usually it is located in 3rd)

            5. Now once the list of your programs is shown, select the program and click on Remove.

Making changes (add / Remove) options of installed Programs

It means once the program is installed; now you want to add / remove the options of the program, then it is possible, but you need a cd of the program or back at the hard disk / pen drive.

Working with Users, Groups and Security

Users:-

1. Super User (Administrator):-a special user having all authorizations.

2. Normal User: - can only Access the Programs,

Creating the Normal User

1. Right click at My computer >> Manage

2. Click at Local users >> Users

3. Right click on empty space >> New User

4. Specify the user Name, Passwords, and Password Securities.

5. Click at ok

(Now log off from current user and log on with password & user name of new user, remember normal user can't change their passwords, create new user, add / remove programs, etc, they can only access the available programs but super user can make any changes as required)

Making the Normal User under the Administrator group

1. Right click at my computer >> Manage

2. Click at local users

3. Click at Users

4. Right click at normal users >> Properties

5. Click at Member of >> advance >> find

6. Select the Administrator group, and then click at ok

(Now normal users can act as administrator user)

Changing the way of log off / log on

1. First log on from administrator user

2. Control panel >> User

3. Click at Change the way of Log off / log on settings

4. Remove the available options, then click at apply >> Ok

Deleting the user and its personal folder:-

1. Right click at My computer >> Manage >> Local users >> Users

2.  Select the user to delete,

3. Right click at user >> Delete user

(Now it removes the users from the system but the won't remove its profile, to delete as well go to  c:\my documents and settings\ OR start menu>>run>>%userprofile%)

Deleting the Personal Folder:-

1. My Computer >> C:\

2. My documents & settings

3. Now select the User and delete it

 (Remember only delete the user folder which you deleted from the local users)

# Making the user Folder private

1. My computer >> C:\ Documents and users \

2. Right click at User Folder.

3. Click at Sharing and Security

4. Put Right Tick Mark at [  ] Make This Folder Private

5. Specify the Passwords,

6. Click at Apply >> Ok

(No body can access your user Folder)

After installing windows, it installs some system files which are very essential for windows to run, we should not remove these system files and if these files are removed or corrupted then windows might not work or might show errors. There are five (5) System files which are listed below.

-- Boot.ini

-- IO. SYS (Input /Output)

-- NTLDR

-- NTDETECT

-- MS DOS

To List System Files

System files are located in the drive where windows is installed (normally c:) and are in hidden state. We can unhide it by following the steps given below

(Through DOS)

1. Run MS Dos Prompt (start à Run à CMD)

2. C:\>Attrib [space] - h [space] -s [space] *.* [enter]

(Now open My Computer and the Drive where you installed the windows, now it shows the above system Files)

(Through Window)

Start Menu >> Settings >> Control Panel >> Folder Options >> View

Now select Show Hidden Files & Folders

To Hide the System Files

1. Run Ms Dos prompt

2. C :\> Attrib [space] +h [space] +s [space ] *.* [enter]

(Now it hides the system Files)

Boot Files and Its Work

Boot.ini

This System file which helps to show the path of the Operating System (drive and windows  directory) to run the currently installed windows version , if the this file is deleted / removed, then it'll show the error message during the boot process from hard disk. But if the path of boot.ini file is missing then Windows might not load at all instead it will display a message and won't go beyond that.

Here is the format of boot file

 [boot loader]

timeout=30

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINOWS

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

If the path of the Boot File is Missing then you will get the Following Error Message

Windows couldn't start because the following file is missing or corrupt

<Windows Root> \system32\hal.dll

Please reinstall a copy of the above File

If the Boot File is deleting or removed then you will get the following message while booting

Invalid boot .ini file

Booting From C:\Windows\

Creating / Opening Boot File:

1. Run Note pad

2. Type the Detail Boot Loader and Save it in the Drive where the Windows version installed from the name of Boot.ini

3. Restart your Computer.

Know the Windows Directory

1. Click at start >> Run

2. Msinfo32

3. Now list the Windows directory.

(N.B. If path of the Boot.ini is missing and computer couldn’t boot we can remove the HDD and connect to another available computer then copy the boot.ini)

If the NTDETECT.COM File Lost

If  msdos and io are deleted then system file may run the windows and can recover it later but in the loss of NTDETECT system application file may not run the window, it'll give restarting problem at the initial boot position from hard disk with out any message.

Troubleshoot of NTDETECT File Loss

Process I:-

            1. Make floppy disk bootable for windows xp and copy ntdetect file from another computer to the same Floppy.

            2. Now boot the computer with Floppy then copy the ntdetect system file to hard disk.

Process II:-

                        1. In another computer connect the hard disk (which has problem) as slave or secondary and make the hard disk (which is in good condition) master of primary, and boot from Primary master HDD (which is in good condition) and now copy the NTDETECT system file to the hard disk (which has problem).

Process III:-

1. Boot the computer with windows XP recovery cd, during the boot process, it'll give options for installing windows & repairing the current windows so Press R to repair Operating System.

2. Then copy the file ntdetect.com to hard disk from the cd

3. Later boot the computer from hard Disk.

If the NTLDR File Lost

          If this system file is missing then Operating System cannot load instead it will give message

            NTLDR is missing

            Press ctrl + Alt + Delete

Troubleshooting:

            Same as NTDETECT.COM

Using Group Policy and Registry:

Group Policy:

We use group policy to edit default settings of the OS. We can perform various tasks using this option. Such as blocking usage of control panel, prohibiting changing of wallpaper, etc.

Loading Group Policy:

Start menu >> Run >> type "gpedit.msc" and press enter

Let's see an example:-

To block control panel

           

1.      Open Group Policy

2.      Select Administrative Template

3.      Select User Configuration

4.      Double Click on Control Panel.

5.      Open the option "Prohibit access to Control Panel"

6.      Now click on "Enable" and Ok >> Ok.

(Now we can't open control panel and can't use options available in control panel)

Turning off Auto play

           

1.      Open Group Policy

2.      Select Administrative Template

3.      Select User Configuration

4.      Double Click on System

5.      Open the option "Turn off Auto Play"

6.      Now select All Drives

Installing Operating System

          Every computer has its own operating system to work. No system can work without an OS. The computer application needs to work in certain environment; the OS provides this environment and allow the application program to do its work. There are many OSs available such as Windows, OS/2, Macintosh, DOS and the most secure Linux. The Windows OS is more user-friendly than any other. It is the most popular one as well. But now the Linux wind is blowing. The OS is too needed to install in the system just as any other software but is takes more time and employing different method. Let’s have a look at the installation of OS (Windows).  There are mainly two types of installation.

First type of installation is simple comparing to second one where we just upgrade the previous operating system. We can perform this by inserting the cd of the new OS and running the setup file. Where as Full Installation is a long and different process comparing to upgrade installation here we've given detail process with pictures of Full Installation.

There are various versions of Windows OS available in the market, to name few, Win95, Win97, Win98, Windows2000, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows Server, Windows XP, and latest being Windows Vista. OS should be installed according to the requirement of user. Currently, Windows XP being most common OS all we'll see detail installation process of Windows XP.

Installing Windows XP

Plan your installation

          When you run the Windows XP Professional Setup program, you must provide information about how to install and configure the operating system. Thorough planning can make your installation of Windows XP Professional more efficient by helping you to avoid potential problems during installation. An understanding of the configuration options will also help to ensure that you have properly configured your system. I won't go into that part right now but here are some of the most important things you should take into consideration when planning for your XP installation:

·         Check Hardware and Software Compatibility

·         Determine Disk Partitioning Options

·         Choose the Appropriate File System: FAT, FAT32, NTFS

·         Decide on a Workgroup or Domain Installation

·         Complete a Pre-Installation Checklist

Beginning the installation process

You can install Windows XP in several methods - all are valid and good, it all depends upon your needs and your limitations.

·         Manual installations usually come in 3 flavors:

·         Boot from CD - No existing partition is required.

·         Boot from the 6 Setup Boot Disks, then insert the CD - No existing partition is required

(There are other non-manual installation methods, such as using an unattended file along with a uniqueness database file, using Sysprep, using RIS or even running unattended installations from within the CD itself, but we won't go into that right now .It doesn't matter how you run the setup process, but the moment it runs - all setup methods look alike.)

The text-based portion of the Setup program

The setup process begins loading a blue-looking text screen (not GUI). In that phase you will be asked to accept the EULA and choose a partition on which to install XP, and if that partition is new, you'll be asked to format it by using either FAT, FAT32 or NTFS.

•           PC with 300 megahertz or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233 MHz minimum required (single or dual processor system);* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
•           128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)
•           1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space*
•           Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
•           CD-ROM or DVD drive
•           Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Start the computer from the Bootable CD of Windows XP.

1) Shall we begin?

After configuring the system for booting from a CD, the Windows Setup screen appears. At this point, Setup is loading the driver files it needs to continue with installation.

2) Welcome to Setup:

The "Welcome to Setup" screen appears with the option of Continuing Setup, Repair a previous installation, Quitting. Press ENTER to Continue Setup. You may also choose R to Repair or F3 to Quit and reboot the system.

3) Windows XP Licensing Agreement:

The "Windows XP Licensing Agreement" screen, otherwise known as "EULA," displays the legal in's and out's of this particular software package. You may press F8 to signify that you agree with the terms, hit ESC if you do not agree and PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN to scroll through each screen. Note: If you do not agree to the terms, setup will quit and reboot the system.

 4) Insert the previous version

As this is an Upgrade, a previous qualifying product is required to be inserted in the CD drive to continue. Even though Microsoft states that "Windows 95" cannot be upgraded to XP Home, the CD is good enough for a clean install. At this point, the options include pressing ENTER to Continue or F3 to Quit and reboot the system.

5) Hard drive partition information:

Hard drive partition information is now displayed. This varies with each systems hardware configuration. This example already has a partition defined. I will choose not to use this and create a new one by pressing D. You may skip this and the next few steps if you do not have any partitions defined. At this point, the options include pressing ENTER to Install on the selected partition, D to Delete the selected partition, or F3 to Quit and reboot the system.

6) Warning screen:

After pressing D to delete the selected partition, a warning screen appears explaining the pitfalls of deleting it. This particular screen only appears when the partition selected to be deleted is formatted as a bootable system partition. Other partitions will display the next screen. I want this to happen, so I press ENTER to continue. The options include pressing ENTER to continue, or ESC to Cancel.

7) Confirmation screen:

A confirmation screen that displays the logical drive, what file system the partition is currently using, the size in MB and controller information. Options include L to Delete the partition and ESC to Cancel the action.

8) No partitions have been previously defined:

If no partitions have been previously defined, this screen will be displayed. You may section your hard drive in as many partitions as you wish by selecting C to Create a Partition and then entering in a value less then the total available. Here, I will Create a Partition in the highlighted, unused portion. Select the partition you wish to install to using the UP arrow and DOWN ARROW keys. Press ENTER to use the highlighted partition and Install, C to Create a Partition, or F3 to Quit and reboot the system.

9) Enter in the partition size:

Enter in the partition size in MB within the displayed minimum and maximum. I chose the default or maximum available here. You may choose ENTER to Create the new partition or ESC to Cancel the action.

10) Continue to create partitions:

Continue to create partitions until all space is used or the configuration meets your requirements. Note: a small portion will be unavailable to partition. This is normal. In this example, it is 2 MB. I chose drive C: or Partition1 to install the Operating System You may choose ENTER to Install to the selected partition, D to Delete the highlighted Partition, or F3 to Quit and reboot the system.

11) Format the partition:

Since this OS supports NTFS, format the partition with it. If you do not, many folder and file security features will be unavailable. Note: If you are dual booting your system, a previous OS will not be able to read the local information. This is a fact with Windows 9x and Me. If you have a requirement to view this partition from another OS installed on the system, do not format it as NTFS. Also, the boot partition must be formatted with FAT32 if you wish to dual boot. I have found no problems accessing a NTFS partition mapped as a network drive from an older OS. Select what format you wish to use by pressing the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys. Press ENTER to confirm your selection and Continue or ESC to Cancel

12) Setup formats the partition:

Watch the progress bar as Setup formats the partition, or get up and get a soda. It may take awhile.

13) Creating File List:

Setup is now figuring out what files to copy over to the hard drive.

14) Setup copies various files:

After the partition is finished formatting, Setup copies various files to support booting from the hard drive and continue on.

15) Creates various information files:

Setup then creates various information files required to continue on with setup.

16) Press ENTER to Restart:

The first reboot and the end of the blue background has arrived. If you are impatient, press ENTER to Restart before the 15 seconds expire. ENTER to Restart the Computer is the only option available.

17) Windows XP boot screen:

The new Windows XP boot screen is displayed. Now you need to boot from hard disk drive not from your cd as we have done previously.

18) Windows XP Installation:

If you have installed Windows before, this type of screen will look familiar.

Sit back. It may be awhile.

19) Faster and more reliable:

Every Windows OS that comes out has the same claim. Faster and better. It is subject to debate whether or not it could get "any worse."

20) Region and Input Languages:

A little while later, you will be prompted with options of configuring your Region and Input Languages. The default was fine for me, so I selected Next.

Options include Customize button, Details Button, plus the standard Back and Next.

21) Enter in your Name:

Enter in your Name and optional Organization information, and then select the Next button.

22) 25 digit Product Key:

Thought you could get away from it? Think again Enter your unique 25 digit Product Key that came with your CD, then select the Next button.

23) Enter a Computer name:

The "suggested" name for the computer is always really whacked out. Choose one that meets your needs.

24) Date, Time and Time Zone:

Configure the proper information for the Date, Time and Time Zone here.

25) Network Settings Dialog:

The Network Settings Dialog is next. Under usual circumstances, the Typical settings are fine. Choose your method and select the Next button

26) Display Settings Pop-up: 

27) Please wait:

800 x 600 is a wonderful thing; however, I chose to have it time out and return to 640 x 480 for this guide.

28) The Welcome Screen:

The "Welcome Screen" will now appear while Windows XP Hod in the background.

29) Display Settings Pop-up:

A balloon dialog appears

30) Windows XP tour: Click the balloon dialog to start a tour of Windows XP. Even if you do not wish to see the information, you should click on the balloon to get rid of the annoyance in a timely fashion.

1) Windows XP Tour dialog: Windows XP Tour dialog popup is shown. Select the Cancel button to never see it again.

32) Activate:

A little reminder also appears in the task bar about activating.

33) That is all!

That's all there is to it! I hope this guide helped you out or gave you a sneak peek at what is to come. More information about  Windows XP is located HERE

Installing windows vista

The following list describes the recommended minimum hardware requirements for basic functionality of the different editions of Windows Vista. Actual hardware requirements will vary, depending on system configuration and on the programs and the features that you install. If you install Windows Vista over a network, additional hard disk space may be required.

Windows Vista Home Basic

After configuring the system for booting from a CD/DVD, the Windows Setup screen appears.
At this point, Setup is loading the driver files it needs to continue with installation.
The next screen is a more graphical progress bar indicating Windows Vista is still working in the background.

The first options you will come across are selections for Language, Time and currency format, and Keyboard layout.
Make your selections by using the pull down menus and press the Next button.

Here we have the option of repairing a previous installation or "Install Now."
Highlight the "Install Now" button to continue to the next screen.

Windows Vista is working in the background. This may take several minutes depending on the system.

This screen is where you enter your product key or "CD Key" as it is sometimes called.
An option also exists to automatically activate Vista upon first coming online. I uncheck this box to ensure everything is running smoothly before activating and having issues later on. 30 days is the standard amount of time before activation is required, though some products (such as MSDN subscriptions) have 60 days or more.
After entering your product key, press the Next button.

Here we see the License Agreement you must accept before continuing.
After reading the agreement, check the box next to "I accept the license terms".

Here we would be able to choose an "Upgrade" install (if running setup from a previous version of Windows, such as XP) or a "Custom" (clean) install.
Select the whole box containing "Custom (advanced)" to continue to the next screen.

This is where you can select which hard drive/partition to install Vista on. Since this system only has one hard drive, only one place Vista can go. Advanced options are shown in the next screen shot.
This is also where you would install drivers for your RAID/ACPI controller by using the "Load Driver" option. After the installation of the RAID/ACPI drivers, your hard drives should appear as shown tot he right.
If no additional drivers are needed, select the Next button.


The advanced options allow creation of multiple partitions and the option of formatting existing partitions.
After finishing your particular partition configuration that you desire, select the Next button.

Here is where Vista installs major components of the OS. This process can take 10 to 60 minutes depending on the system.

Here we see the system needing to reboot to continue installation tasks.
You can hit the Restart Now button or just allow the reboot to happen automatically after several seconds.

Here we see a "..." progress as Vista tries to start for the first time. This process may take several minutes before going to the next screen.

Vista continues to install at this screen. Depending on system, another reboot or two may happen before the next screen is displayed.

Here is where we create the first user account for the system and select an icon to be displayed on the login screen. Ensure you password your account.
After finishing entering your information and icon selection, select the Next button.

Here is where we can name the system for networking purposes. By default, it uses the account name entered in the previous step and adds "-PC" to it. We can also select a background for the desktop.
After making your selection, select the Next button.
Here we can configure Windows Update with several options. I suggest "Use recommended options" or the top option for most PC users.

Here is where you can set the time and daylight savings time options.

After configuring your time zone, clock settings and date, select the Next button.

Vista now asks our network configuration by asking "Home, Work or Public Place."
Descriptions are expanded on screen so I will no go into them here.
Make your selection to continue to the next screen.

On this screen, we are thanked by Bill G. for installing Windows Vista.
After you are done being thanked, select the Next button.

Vista now checks the system performance to automatically configure a few options. This may take several minutes while the system does this and it will only do it this one time.

We are finally greeted with the login screen, however, there is still more configuration to come.
Enter in your password that you used previously during the install process and hit ENTER or the little blue arrow to login.

Your account profile starts being created here starting with your personal desktop configuration. More happens on the next screen. This process will also take several minutes, but only happen once.

Vista now sets up profile configurations for Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player as well as a few more Windows applications. This could take several more minutes but we are almost there!

Vista is installed!
On this screen, we are presented with our system configuration as well as several different options.
I hope you enjoyed this install guide and I thank you for reading!

Assemble of system (Some Tips & Tricks)

It means to fit all the parts of the system and make it ready to use. Before assembling the system, you should remember the following steps.

-          Your hands and body must be dry

-          Put off the Power plug from the SMPS.

-          You should have the better knowledge of parts that you are going to add.

-          You should have enough some space

-          Be ready with all the tools like Screwdriver, screws & other manual installations guide before installations.

-          Don’t hurry while you are assembling

-          After finishing the assemble part, Re check all the Parts that are seated & plugged properly.

-          Finally, plug the Power and SWTICH on, and then do the further Process.

Choosing the Correct Cashing Box.

-          Before assemble you should have the knowledge about AT & ATX Motherboard, if you have AT M/B then choose the AT cashing, If you have ATX M/B then choose the ATX Cashing Box.

-          Lay down cashing box horizontally, then add the SMPS properly and Check other LEDS are available or Not,

-          Make sure that you have Screws on the Cashing Box to attach the Motherboard on it.

Adding the Motherboard on the System.

-          First Take the M/B

-          Now Carefully attach it on the Cashing box

-          Match the Side of Keyboard / Mouse first Properly

-          Cashing Box should not touch any part of motherboard

-          Properly Skew the Screws.

Adding the CPU on the Motherboard.

-          Turn off the computer

-          Make sure that CPU is compatible with your Motherboard.

-          Unlock the CPU SLOT.

-          Now carefully add the CPU on the CPU Slot Properly by matching the Pointed Corners.

-          Give Little Pressure and Lock the CPU Handle.

-          Finally add the Cooling Fan on the CPU and Add the Power of Cooling Fan on the Power plug of System Fan.

Adding the IDE on the Motherboard.

-          First make confirm that you have IDE Cables of Good Condition.

-          Make the IDE Drives Master / Slave (Specially Make HDD Primary Master and CD / DVD Slaves)

-          Now add the IDE and detect it later from BIOS Setup.

Adding the Floppy on the Motherboard.

-          First make confirm that you have Floppy Cables of Good Condition.

-          Add the IDE Cable on the Motherboard and do same at Floppy and Add the Power

-          Now Control it from BIOS Setup. ( if the Connection is not ok, then it keeps Lighting the Indicator light continuously )

Adding the Power  on the Motherboard.

-          First match the side of Power supply

-          Now add it on the Motherboard Properly.

Adding the RAM on the Motherboard.

- First be confirm which memory is compatible SD RAM or DDRAM.

- Now take the RAM and unlock the sides of RAM MODULE.

- Now carefully, add the RAM on the RAM Slot and Lock the Sides of RAM Module Sides.

Adding the PCI cards on the Motherboard.

-          Before adding the PCI Cards on the Motherboard First Make confirm that are compatible with your system and Compatible version of windows.

-          Now carefully add the PCI Card on the PCI Slot of M/B.

-          Now switch on the later add the Driver of PCI card.

Adding the LEDS  

- This one is the main part of assembling, don’t loose the Installation guide of Motherboard / Read carefully the caption of LEDS on the Motherboard.

- Add Properly the LEDS By Checking

- After Finishing all the Assemble Side Now add the Back plane Sides Properly and give and Power and Switch on the Powers

Troubleshooting

Keyboard

                   The keyboard is most useful part of the computer. It can not be thought a computer without a keyboard. It is used in most application as an input device. The keyboard is an integral part of the computer. Some common problems in keyboard are.

1)      Inputs more characters except the specified number.

2)      Need to press hard to input the character

3)      Misprint the character

4)      Keyboard doesn’t respond in the windows version

Troubleshooting keyboard

1)      These problems are mainly caused due to flow of liquid into the keyboard and also caused by dust. So, always keep the keyboard clean using blower or put it upside down when keyboard is not in use.

2)      If there is facility of changing the language of the keyboard from control panel always set to United State language

3)      If you are replacing the new keyboard of PS/2 type then always turn off the system and then plug the keyboard.

4)      Check the hardware list from the device manager whether the keyboard is detected or not.

5)      Check carefully the keyboard wire is in proper condition and is not damaged.

6)      If the keyboard is not responding then check it to another computer.

7)      If the problem arises then replace the keyboard.

Mouse

          A mouse is pointing device which selects and moves the item on the screen. The main goal of any mouse is to translate the motion of the hand into signals that the computer can use. Few common problems in mouse.

1)      Displays the pointer in the middle of the screen without any response.

2)      Moves the pointer very slowly.

3)      Moves the pointer horizontally only.

4)      Moves the pointer fatly at unneeded direction.

Troubleshooting

1)      Turn off the system and reset or re plug the mouse.

Troubleshoot for keyboard and mouse

2)      Then if the problem continues try it at another computer.

3)      Even if it doesn’t work then be confirmed that mouse is to be replaced.

4)      First check the mouse configuration from the control panel. For pointer speed. Try it setting to its default or at medium position.

5)      If the problem continues then try it at another computer. If it continues several times then replaces it.

6)      Also try by changing the mouse pad too.

Display troubleshooting

1)      If monitor is flashing the signal for cable then be confirmed that data cable is disconnected or signal is not passing through VGA cable. It also may be that your­ computer is turned off and monitor is on.

a) Troubleshooting monitor

Check VGA cable connected with CPU whether properly plugged or not.

Notice that line on keyboard is on or off listing by pressing the Num lock key or caps lock

Monitor doesn’t display any signal or message and goes blank.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

1)      Switch on the system

2)      Check the keyboard indicator

3)      Check the data cable of monitor to the CPU (VGA card)

4)      (if you are using the 3d card then try changing the VGA port i.e. try connecting both 3D card and the VGA card)

5)      Check properly that power is connected to the monitor and is switched on

6)      Check the brightness and the colour of the monitor

No display along with Beep Sound

These problems tend to occur due to RAM i.e, .RAM has no contact with the system. If the CPU speaker is attached properly then it gives this sound Tii……………., Tii…………., Ti………………. (A long Beep Tone). If the CPU speaker is not attached then it doesn’t play the sound.

d) Troubleshoot

Properly insert the RAM into the RAM module before replacing the new one.

At this time you replace the RAM at next computer or change the new one and try again the same. If there is no display then join the CPU speaker and try it again. If the Beep sound is coming then it is the problem of RAM also try by changing the slot of the RAM module before inserting the RAM.

If there is no longer Beep- sound and  with no display then check the power and display cable of monitor properly.

Hardware troubleshooting

RAM ERROR

      1) Shows the error during the setup

      2) Hangs the program

      3) No display

Troubleshooting

Shows an error during the setup.

1) This is the main problem of RAM nowadays. We purchase CD from the market     which may cause problem of error during the setup. Make confirm that CD program is Ok. If it is still giving the problem then replace the RAM MODULE.

2)      If again the problem continues then replace with new one and try. Now if it doesn’t work properly then RAM has a problem

3)      If you are using maximum net with restricted sites then there are maximum possibilities of virus infection into the memory.

Hangs the Program

1) This problem arises due to low capacity of memory because some program requires high memory to access, if so then add another memory into the slot and if the problem occurs replace with new one and try. Problem of software CD also cause. Read carefully the system requirement of the software before installation process.

     Troubleshooting Floppy Drive

ERROR

Floppy disk fails

Access is denied

Press F1 to continue

Troubleshoot

1)      First of all take the data cable of floppy and insert into the floppy drive port on the motherboard properly.

2)      Then plug the data cable into the floppy and plug the cable power.

3)      Notice that if the indicator of the floppy disk keeps on lighting then there may be problem or error on the connection.

4)      If the indicator just lights during the boot then it is ok

5)      If this message “Can’t be accessible” occurs then enable the drive from the windows or BIOS/CMOS setup. (It can also be the problem of Floppy diskette).

Troubleshoot of IDE devices

ERROR

1)      disk boot failure, insert the system disk &press enter

2)      no media found ,insert the media and press enter

Troubleshooting

1)      Plug the IDE cable into the port of motherboard and IDE  channel properly

2)      Give the power plug to IDE

3)      Make primary/secondary/master/slave to the IDE.

4)      Now detect the IDE from the BIOS/CMOS setup. Be confirmed that windows is installed on HDD.

5)      Change the data cable of the IDE

6)      Replace the new IDE and try it.

Troubleshooting resolution

Normal resolution – 800 x 600, 1024 x 768

Desktop properties setting

Sometimes we change the resolution of the windows more than the previous one or normal resolution, then it shows only the blank screen which means more resolution can’t support by the monitor. Here we can see the following type of errors or symptoms.

Computer boots shows the windows loading but at the startup of desktop, it shows the blank screen.

Troubleshooting

1) First reboot the system by pressing restart.

2) Press F8

3) choose the safe mode and press windows

4) My computer (right click)

5) Properties >> Settings then adjust resolution to 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768

Motherboard troubleshooting

Problems

No display

Boot and bang

Sound codec error (inbuilt)

USB error inbuilt

VGA error inbuilt

PCI slot problem

RAM slot problem

Keyboard/mouse problem

Hangs the particular software like Photoshop

Troubleshooting

No display

May this type of problem are caused by the following reasons:

1        RAM

2        CPU

3        Power supply

4        Motherboard

5        Cmos or jumper setting

So check them first properly and insert them as normal or replacing them into another system.

Troubleshooting of Boot and bang

This type of problem may be cause of RAM and jumper setting or may be problem of PCI card.

1        So try removing the PCI cards

2        Try resetting the jumpers

3        Try removing all the internal and external connection such as removing speaker, parallel poet and IDE connection

Troubleshooting of sound codec

The error can cause due to following reasons:

1                    The sound may be disabled from the BIOS setting to check there

2                    Windows error may cause therefore try reinstalling the windows.

3                    The driver CD can also cause the error

4                    The sound codec (inbuilt) is damaged, replace the PCI card

Troubleshooting of USB error (in-built)

If your inbuilt USB is not working properly or not detecting the USB devices, this may be the following reasons:

1                    The USB may be disabled from BIOS/CMOS

2                    Viruses can also cause this type of problem, so check that the USB is detected or not. If the USB is detected then it doesn’t show the drive or USB devices if the viruses are affecting your system.

3                    You may need to install the driver of USB, notice that when you add the USB devices, does it ask for the drive or not?

4                    Your USB may be of high speed which is not compatible with your motherboard.

5                    Your USB codec may be damaged

Troubleshooting of VGA

It means the graphic or video controller problem, after windows installation, we need to install the video controller which is for the best graphics. If the drivers of the graphics are not installed then it may cause the following problems.

1                    Install the driver of the video controller according to the driver of motherboard model and manufacturer.

2                    Remove the previously installed driver of the motherboard and again try by installing the driver.

3                    If the problem continues then try reinstalling the windows and try.

4                    Try installing the graphic driver according to the windows version.

5                    Check the video controller is enabled from the BIOS.

6                    Replace the driver CD of the graphic and try from another.

7                    Your inbuilt VGA codec may be damaged so try inserting display card in PCI VGA card or using AGP card.

Troubleshooting of PCI card

Generally this type of problem occurs very rarely, if the problem with the PCI slot then it may be the following reasons:

1                          The PCI card may not be properly inserted into the PCI slot

2                          The problem may also be in the PCI card, so check it at another computer or at another slot.

3                          The problem may be with PCI slot, so change the PCI slot.

4                          After installing the PCI card, notice that hardware detects the PCI card.

5                          Check that windows auto installs the driver or not.

6                          If there is no response from the windows then try it by manually detecting from control panel >>add hardware.

7                          If this problem continues then check it at another system, if this works then there may be problem with the windows so reinstall the fresh copy of windows and try.

8                          Always remember that you need the driver of that particular PCI card.

Troubleshooting of RAM

These types of problem are rare

1                    Fore mostly notice the sound coming from the motherboard.

2                    Replace the RAM module slot.

3                    Replace with the new RAM and try

4                    Insert the RAM properly.

5                    You may need to change the RAM slot from the expert system technician if the problem occurs.

Troubleshooting of Boot and bang

This type of problem may cause of RAM and jumper setting or may be problem of PCI card

Ø  So try removing the PCI cards

Ø  Try resetting the jumpers

Ø  Try removing all the internal and external connection such as removing speaker, parallel poet and IDE connection

Troubleshooting of VGA

It means the graphic or video controller problem, after windows installation, we need to install the video controller which is for the best graphics. If the drivers of the graphics are not installed then it may cause the following problems.

Ø    Install the driver of the video controller according to the driver of motherboard model and manufacturer.

Ø    Remove the previously installed driver of the motherboard and again try by installing the driver.

Ø    If the problem continues then try reinstalling the windows and try.

Ø    Try installing the graphic driver according to the windows version.

Ø    Check the video controller is enabled from the BIOS.

Ø    Replace the driver CD of the graphic and try from another.

Ø    Your inbuilt VGA codec may be damaged so try inserting display card in PCI VGA card or using AGP card.

Ø      If this problem continues then check it at another system, if this works then there may be problem with the windows so reinstall the fresh copy of windows and try.

Ø      Always remember that you need the driver of that particular PCI card.

Troubleshooting of RAM

These types of problem are rare

Ø    Fore mostly notice the sound coming from the motherboard.

Ø    Replace the RAM module slot.

Ø    Replace with the new RAM and try

Ø    Insert the RAM properly.

Ø    You may need to change the RAM slot from the expert system technician if the problem occurs.

Troubleshooting hangs the computer or system while running the program

Be confirmed that this problem is with the graphic although driver is installed but hangs the system only in particular program, then that is the problem with your motherboard.

Ø  First try reinstalling the windows and install the software, if the problem continues in the same cases then you need to replace the motherboard. 

The following article is based on years of experience. It is provided as a free service to our customers and visitors. However, Directron.com is not responsible for any damage as a result of following any of this advice

Copying the contents for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited without Directron.com's written consent. However, you are welcome to distribute these computer support tips free to your friends and associates as long as it's not for commercial purposes and you acknowledge the source

Here are five common-sense techniques and strategies to solve common computer hardware problems.

(1) Trial-and-error

Personal computers are highly modular by design. The most powerful trouble-shooting technique is to isolate the problem to a specific component by trial-and-error. Swap compatible components and see if the system still works. Try different peripherals on different machines and see if the same problem occurs. Make one change at a time.

(2) "It's the cable, s-----."

More than 70% of all computer problems are related to cabling and connections. Ensure all cables are connected firmly. IDE and floppy ribbon cables and power cables can often go loose. Ensure microprocessor, memory modules, and adapters such as video card and sound card are inserted correctly and didn't "pop-up" during transportation.

(3) Don't be frustrated!

Don't be afraid of computer problems. It is often the best opportunity to learn. Trouble-shooting is part of the fun of owning a computer. Imagine the satisfaction you could get by solving a problem yourself.

Of course the fun could ran out quickly once you are frustrated and have spent too much time on the same problem. If you feel frustrated, it's time to leave it for a while and go back with some new ideas or call someone who can help. Rule of thumb: You shouldn't spend more than three hours on the same problem at one time.

(4) Take notes!

Take notes of what you have done and all the error messages. You may need to use them later. For instance, when you see an unusual blue screen with an error message, copy the entire message onto a piece of paper. In many situations, that message may point to the right direction in getting the problem solved quickly.

(5) Take a look?

It's OK to open a computer case and take a look inside. There is only 5V and 12V DC voltage supplied to the components outside the power supply. Those who have never seen the inside of a computer are often amazed by how simple it looks. Of course, still always power down and unplug the power cord first.

The following advice is based on many years of experience. They are provided as a free service to our customers and visitors. However, Directron.com is not responsible for any damage as a result of following any of these advises. You are welcome to distribute these tips free to your friends and associates as long as it's not for commercial purposes.

More than 70% of all computer problems are related to cabling and connections. Ensure all cables are connected and connected firmly. IDE and floppy ribbon cables and power cables can often go loose. Ensure microprocessor, memory modules, and adapters such as video card are inserted correctly and didn't "pop-up" due to vibration.

System has no power at all. Power light does not illuminate, fan inside the power supply does not turn on, and indicator light on keyboard does not turn on.

System inoperative. Keyboard lights are on, power indicator lights are lit, and hard drive is spinning.

System does not boot from hard disk drive, can be booted from floppy disk drive.

System only boots from Floppy Disk. Hard Disk can be read and applications can be used, but booting from Hard Disk is impossible.

Error message reading "SECTOR NOT FOUND" or other error messages indication certain data is not allowed to be retrieved.

Disk formatted on IBM PS/2 will not operate with this system.

After install an expansion card (network card, tape drive card, etc.) the system no longer works properly.

Screen message says "Invalid Configuration" or "CMOS Failure."

Screen is blank.

System does not boot from hard disk drive, can be booted from floppy disk drive.

Problem

Screen goes blank periodically.

Keyboard failure.

No color on screen.

Floppy drive lights stays on.

Error reading drive A:

C: drive failure.

Cannot boot system after installing second hard drive.

Missing operating system on hard drive.

Certain keys do not function.

Keyboard is locked, no keys function.

Fax/Modem Troubleshooting Tips

The following general-purpose advises are provided as a free service to our customers and visitors. Actual procedure may vary among brands. Read your product user manual carefully before any work. Directron.com is not responsible for any damage as a result of following any of these advises. You are welcome to distribute these tips free to your friends and associates as long as it's not for commercial purposes.

My modem is a 56K, but I can connect to the Internet only at slower speed.

The current copper wired telephone lines are limited only to about 53K. If you are connected only to 33.6 or 28.8K, check the following first
Modem answers incoming calls and then returns to the on-hook condition, disconnecting the caller: 

This occurs most often when connecting to a UNIX system. In most case, the host does not prefer to see any result or command echo codes. If this is the case, the codes can be disabled by adding E0 Q1 to the modem configuration string.

The modem dials and appears to complete the connection, but the communications software does not enter the correct mode. (The screen remains blank)

This is normally caused by an I/O address or IRQ conflict. Verify that the COM port is not in use by any other serial device and if necessary use another COM port or I/O address settting. Refer to your computer manual on how to determine what serial ports are installed.

The modem dials and appears to complete the connection, but the communications software does not enter the correct mode. (The screen remains blank)The modem does not auto answer

The auto answer mode is determined by the S0 register. If S0 has been set to 0, the modem will not answer. Asign another value to S0 by entering the following command: S0=n, where n = the number of rings to occur before the call is answered (ATS0=2, the modem answers after two rings)

The modem always answers the phone.

Set the S0 register to 0. ATS0=0.

The communications software displays, "No Dialtone."

Make sure that your phone cable is working properly and that it is firmly seated to the phone socket at your phone jack and in the real panel of the modem.

A high pitched squeal is emitted from the external speakers

This phenomenon is "feedback" and occurs when the microphone is pointed at the external speaker or is close enough to pick up the speaker output. This may be remedied by using a unidirectional microphone, making sure that it is pointed away and as far from the speaker as functionally possible. Another option is to use a headset with an attached microphone.

The following article is based on years of experience. It is provided as a free service to our customers and visitors. However, Directron.com is not responsible for any damage as a result of following any of this advice.

Copying the contents for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited without Directron.com's written consent. However, you are welcome to distribute these computer support tips free to your friends and associates as long as it's not for commercial purposes and you acknowledge the source. You are permitted and encouraged to create links to this page from your own web site.

Based on Seagate IDE hard drives.

If you have installed your drive and it does not function properly, perform the following basic checks:

Warning: Always turn off the computer before changing jumpers or unplugging cables and cards. Wear a ground strap or use other antistatic precautions while working on your computer or handling your drive.
Additional Troubleshooting Tips

If you have performed the preceding basic checks but the problem persists, follow these guidelines for troubleshooting specific cases:

Check your computer manual or BIOS manufacturer to determine whether your BIOS supports drives that have more than 4,092 cylinders. If your system has this limitation, use the following procedure to configure your computer:

Ø  Turn off your computer, open the case, and remove your new drive.

Ø  CAUTION: To avoid electrostatic discharge damage to your computer or hard drive, make sure you are well grounded before touching the drive, cable, connector or jumpers.

Ø  Move the jumper on the alternate-capacity jumper, as shown in Figure 6. This causes the drive to appear to your BIOS as having a 2.1-Gbyte capacity (4,092 cylinders, 16 heads, 63 sectors per track). You may need third-party partitioning software, such as Disk Manager, to achieve full capacity of the drive.

Ø  Remount your drive in the computer and replace the computer cover.

Ø  Insert a bootable system diskette into drive A and turn on the computer. It should boot from drive A and automatically detect the new drive as a 2.1 -Gbyte drive.

Ø  Insert your DiscWizard diskette into drive A and type A:XDM. Then press ENTER. This runs the Disk Manager program.

Ø  Follow the Disk Manager instructions to install the dynamic drive overlay and to partition and format your new drive to its full capacity.

Ø  After Disk Manager is done, reboot your system. You should see the Disk Manager banner and be able to access the full capacity of your new drive.

If the steps listed above do not remedy this problem, try the following:You are encouraged to make links to this article from your website and tell your friends

The following advises are based on many years of experience. They are provided as a free service to our customers and visitors. However, Directron.com is not responsible for any damage as a result of following any of these tips. You are welcome to distribute these guides free to your friends and associates for personal usage as long as Directron.com is clearly identified as the source. Use of these guides without written permission by Directron.com on business web sites and/or for commercial purposes is strictly not allowed.

  The most important part of a computer case is its power supply. Unfortunately, it's also the part that has most of the problems for a case. There are two situations when a new power supply may appear dead on arrival (DOA) when they are actually working as described below:

  Most cases and power supplies these days are made and tested in China and other Asian countries where 220V electricity is used. Desktop computer power supplies do not switch the power voltage automatically. (Most notebook computers do!) If the factory forgets to turn the manual switch back to 110V for the North American market after testing, the power supply would appear DEAD if you use on a 110V-outlet. Therefore, always check the voltage setting on the back of a new power supply FIRST if it appears dead.

  Do not expect an ATX power supply to work by simply plugging the power and turning on the switch. ATX power supplies are soft-switched on and off by the motherboard and BIOS. Therefore, you must plug it to a working motherboard with a working microprocessor, memory and video card to work. If your computer does not turn on after you turn on the power switch, it may not necessarily mean a dead power supply. The problem might be with the motherboard, microprocessor, memory or video card instead. You must examine all these components to isolate the problem.

Ø  The most effective technique to tell if a power supply is causing any problem is to use a different one to see if it solves the problem. If everything works with a different power supply, then the new power supply is most likely the troublemaker. Alternatively, you can plug the new power supply to an existing, working computer to see if it works there.

Ø  Computer cases are highly modular. If your computer case is still under warranty, you don't have to send the entire case back if only one part of it is defective. For instance, send only the power supply back for exchange if only power supply is dead. The same is true for the face panel and cover. This would save you quite a bit of shipping and sometimes downtime.

Ø  More than 70% of all computer problems are related to cabling and connections. Ensure that you all the power plugs are connected firmly, including power connections to your motherboard and all the drives.

Ø  Make sure the cooling fan inside the power supply is working all the time. Reach out to feel the fan behind your case often. Clean the fan if necessary. If your case feels warmer than room temperature, check the power supply fan first. Most power supply fans are difficult to replace. You are better off to replace the entire power supply since the new one comes with a brand-new warranty.

Ø  Before ATX form factor became popular, the compatibility between a power supply and a specific motherboard could be problematic. However, this problem nowadays does not happen very often any more.

Ø  The rest of a case is mostly mechanical. You should be able to find a way to get around most of the problems if you are mechanically inclined.

You are encouraged to make links to this article from your website and tell your friends

The following article is based on years of experience. It is provided as a free service to our customers and visitors. However, Directron.com is not responsible for any damage as a result of following any of this advice

Copying the contents for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited without Directron.com's written consent. However, you are welcome to distribute these computer support tips free to your friends and associates as long as it's not for commercial purposes and you acknowledge the source. You are permitted and encouraged to create links to this page from your own web site.

MORE INFORMATION

Options for partitioning and formatting your hard disk

Important questions to consider before you partition and format your hard disk

How to partition and format your hard disk by using the Windows XP Setup program

Troubleshooting

REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION

MORE INFORMATION

REFERENCES

This article describes how to partition and format a hard disk with Microsoft Windows XP. Learn about your partitioning and formatting options, what to consider before you partition or format your hard disk, and how to partition and format your hard disk. Additionally, this article contains links to resources that can help you troubleshoot if problems occur.

This step-by-step article describes how to partition and format a hard disk with Windows XP. Before you can install an operating system, you must first create a primary partition on the first physical hard disk (Disk 0) on your computer, and then format a file system on that partition. This partition is named the System partition. Alternatively, you can create a separate partition for the operating system on any physical hard disk. This is named the startup partition. The System partition on Disk 0 can also be used as a startup partition

MORE INFORMATION

You can use the Microsoft Windows XP Setup program or the Fdisk and Format tools to partition and format System and startup partitions.

For additional information about how to use Fdisk and Format to partition and format your hard disk, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to use the Fdisk tool and the Format tool to partition or to repartition a hard disk

If your computer is already running Windows XP, and you want to create partitions other than the System or the startup partitions, you can use the Windows XP Disk Management tools.

For additional information about how to use the Windows XP Disk Management tools to partition and format your hard disk, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to use Disk Management to configure basic disks in Windows XP

Back to the top

Consider the following questions before you partition and format your hard disk:
Important If you follow these steps on a hard disk that is not empty, all the data on that hard disk is permanently deleted. We recommend that you back up your hard disk before you follow these steps.

To partition and format your hard disk by using the Windows XP Setup program:

1. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, or insert the first Windows XP Setup disk into the floppy disk drive, and then restart the computer.

Note To start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM (or from the startup disk), your computer must be configured to start from the CD-ROM drive, the DVD-ROM drive, or the floppy disk drive. In some cases, you may have to modify your computer's BIOS settings to set this configuration. For information about how to configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive, the DVD-ROM drive, or the floppy disk drive, see the documentation that is included with your computer, or contact the computer manufacturer.

2. If you are starting the computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM, select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do this.

Note If your hard disk controller requires a third-party original equipment manufacturer (OEM) driver, press F6 to specify the driver.

For additional information about how to use F6 to supply a third-party OEM device driver while the Windows Setup program is running, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

314859 Limited OEM driver support is available with F6 during Windows XP Setup If you are starting from the Windows XP Setup disks, insert each of the additional disks when you are prompted, and then press ENTER to continue after you insert each disk.

3. At the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER.

4. Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement.

5. If an existing Windows XP installation is detected, you are prompted to repair it. To bypass the repair, press ESC.

6. All the existing partitions and the unpartitioned spaces are listed for each physical hard disk. Use the ARROW keys to select the partition or the unpartitioned space where you want to create a new partition. Press D to delete an existing partition, or press C to create a new partition by using unpartitioned space. If you press D to delete an existing partition, you must then press L (or press ENTER, and then press L if it is the System partition) to confirm that you want to delete the partition. Repeat this step for each of the existing partitions that you want to use for the new partition. When all the partitions are deleted, select the remaining unpartitioned space, and then press C to create the new partition.

Note If you want to create a partition where one or more partitions already exist, you must first delete the existing partition or partitions, and then create the new partition.

7. Type the size in megabytes (MB) that you want to use for the new partition, and then press ENTER, or just press ENTER to create the partition with the maximum size.

8. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to create additional partitions if you want them.

9. If you want to install Windows XP, use the ARROW keys to select the partition where you want to install Windows XP, and then press ENTER. If you do not want to format the partition and install Windows XP, press F3 two times to quit the Windows Setup program, and then do not follow the remaining steps. In this case, you must use a different utility to format the partition.

10. Select the format option that you want to use for the partition, and then press ENTER. You have the following options:
The option to leave the current file system intact is not available if the selected partition is a new partition. The FAT file system option is not available if the selected partition is more than 32 gigabytes (GB). If the partition is larger than 2 GB, the Windows Setup program uses the FAT32 file system (you must press ENTER to confirm). If the partition is smaller than 2 GB, the Windows Setup program uses the FAT16 file system.

Note If you deleted and created a new System partition, but you are installing Windows XP on a different partition, you will be prompted to select a file system for both the System and startup partitions. 11. After the Windows Setup program formats the partition, follow the instructions that appear on the screen to continue. After the Windows Setup program is completed, you can use the Disk Management tools in Windows XP to create or format more partitions.

For additional information about how to use the Windows XP Disk Management tools to partition and format your hard disk, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to use Disk Management to configure basic disks in Windows XP

Back to the top

For additional information about how to troubleshoot partition problems in Windows XP, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Windows XP does not recognize all available disk space

Cannot view NTFS logical drive after using Fdisk

Maximum partition size using the FAT16 file system in Windows XP

How to use Convert.exe to convert a partition to the NTFS file system

During Setup you are unable to format a partition with a File Allocation Table format

How to change drive letter assignments in Windows XP

How to remove the Linux LILO Boot Manager

Back to the top

For additional information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Definition of System partition and Boot partition

The default cluster size for the NTFS and FAT file systems

Description of the FAT32 file system in Windows XP

The purpose of the Boot.ini file in Windows XP

For additional information about how to create and manage partitions in Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

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The following article is based on years of experience. It is provided as a free service to our customers and visitors. However, Directron.com is not responsible for any damage as a result of following any of this advice.

Copying the contents for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited without Directron.com's written consent. However, you are welcome to distribute these computer support tips free to your friends and associates as long as it's not for commercial purposes and you acknowledge the source..Here are some sites on the same or related topics: System Optimization Information, reviews, and much more.

The following advises are based on many years of experience. They are provided as a free service to our customers and visitors. However, Directron.com is not responsible for any damage as a result of following any of these advises. You are welcome to distribute these tips free to your friends and associates as long as it's not for commercial purposes.

No sound is heard from audio (music) CDs

Various conditions may cause this problem. To troubleshoot, check the following:
Joystick port is not working

To troubleshoot, check the following:
Computer hangs or restarts during installation

A hardware conflict may cause the computer to hang or restart during the installation procedure. Check the following to resolve the conflict:
Resolving hardware conflicts

Hardware conflicts occur when two or more devices contend for the same resources. Conflicts between your audio card and another device may occur regarding the I/O address, IRQ line, or DMA channel:\

BIOS or CMOS setup.                                             

How to enter the BIOS or CMOS setup.

Because of the wide variety of computer manufacturers and BIOS manufacturers over the evolution of computers, there have been numerous different ways to enter the BIOS or CMOS Setup. Below is a listing of the majority of these methods as well as other recommendations for entering the BIOS setup.

Notice: If you are unable to get into the BIOS or CMOS setup because of a password please see document CH000235.

New computers

Thankfully, computers that have been manufactured in the last few years will allow you to enter the CMOS by pressing one of the below five keys during the boot. Usually it's one of the first three.

Þ     F1

Þ     F2

Þ     DEL

Þ     ESC

Þ     F10

A user will know when to press this key when they see a message similar to the below example as the computer is booting. Some older computers may also display a flashing block to indicate when to press the F1 or F2 keys.

Press <F2> to enter BIOS setup

Tip: If your computer is a new computer and you are unsure of what key to press when the computer is booting, try pressing and holding one or more keys the keyboard. This will cause a stuck key error, which may allow you to enter the BIOS setup.

Older computers

Unlike the computers of today, older computers (before 1995) had numerous different methods of entering the BIOS setup. Below is a listing of general key sequences that may have had to be pressed as the computer was booting.

Þ     CTRL + ALT + ESC

Þ     CTRL + ALT + INS

Þ     CTRL + ALT + ENTER

Þ     CTRL + ALT + S

Þ     PAGE UP KEY

Þ     PAGE DOWN KEY

ACER BIOS

If your computer is unable to boot or you wish to restore the BIOS back to bootable settings and your computer uses an ACER BIOS, press and hold the F10 key as you turn on the computer. While continuing to hold the F10 key, you should hear two beeps indicating that the settings have been restored.

AMI BIOS

Older AMI BIOS could be restored back to bootable settings by pressing and holding the Insert key as the computer is booting.

BIOS / CMOS diskettes

Early 486, 386, and 286 computers may have required a floppy disk in order to enter the BIOS setup. These diskettes are known as ICU, BBU, and SCU disks. Because these diskettes are unique to your computer manufacturer, you must obtain the diskettes from them. See our support list for contact information on computer manufacturers.

Early IBM computers

Some models of early IBM computers required that the user press and hold both mouse buttons as the computer was booting in order to enter the BIOS setup.

Other suggestions

Finally, if none of the above suggestions help get you into your CMOS setup you can cause a stuck key error, which will usually cause the CMOS setup prompt to appear and remain until you press a key to continue. To do this press and hold any key on the keyboard and do not let go (you may get several beeps as you're doing this). Keep holding the key until the computer stops booting and you're prompted with an option to enter setup or to press another key to continue booting.

Introduction

Setup is a configuration program found in every PC, which is burned on ROM (which in turn is placed in the motherboard). Usually, to call the setup you must press Del key during memory counting.

PC configuration is stored in a special memory called configuration memory. As this memory is built with CMOS technology, most guys refer to it just as CMOS memory. As this is a RAM type memory, its data are erased when PC is turned off. To avoid that, there is a battery that holds power to it, such that stored data won't be lost when mains is turned off. This battery is also responsible for powering the PC real time clock (RTC) circuitry for the same reason. Every PC has this clock built in and that's what keeps date and time updated.

In setup we alter the parameters stored in configuration memory, as shown in the picture. There is a general misconception about setup operation, though. As it is stored in PC's ROM memory, many guys think that setup and BIOS are just the same thing, which is not true. Inside ROM three different programs are stored (actually burned). The Basic Input and Output System (BIOS) that is responsible for teaching the main processor how to deal with basic devices, such as floppy unit, hard disk or video in text mode; the Power On Self Test (POST) which is the program in charge of the self test that is executed every time PC is powered up (like memory counting, for instance); and the Setup which is the program that allows the alteration of the parameters stored in the configuration memory (CMOS).

Another common misconception is to think that the configuration altered by setup program is stored in BIOS. As BIOS is a ROM type memory, it just can't allow its data to be altered. All information handled and altered by setup are stored solely in the configuration memory (CMOS).

Therefore when we run setup we don't enter BIOS nor do we alter BIOS values, as some guys say it by mistake. Actually we enter in setup and alter the values in the configuration memory

Figure 1: Motherboard ROM memory chip. BIOS, POST and Setup softwares are written in this chip.

Figure 2: Example of a south bridge chip. The CMOS memory and the Real Time Clock (RTC) are both embedded in this chip nowadays.

Figure 3: This battery is connected to the south bridge chip, to power both CMOS memory and RTC circuits.

Main Menu

In order to call the setup you must press Del key during memory counting. In some computers (like those from IBM) the key may be another one, and you must pay attention to the instructions displayed on screen during the memory counting in order to have access to the setup.

Once inside setup, browsing is normally done using the keyboard arrows to moving around the options, the Enter key to select a menu, the Esc key to return to previous menu, and the Page Up and Page Down keys to modify an existing option.

It is very important to note that the changes done when you're inside setup are not automatically saved in CMOS configuration memory. Therefore you save the changes before leaving setup, choosing the Save and Exit option.

When entering setup you'll see the main menu displaying options for calling other setup menus. Those options are basically the ones listed below (don't worry, we'll discuss all of them in detail).

Do Not Write to CMOS and Exit: Exits setup without saving the changes

Basic setup doesn't present any difficulties in its setup There you must find:

That's it. Some setups may display some additional options:

Naturally some computers may display some additional basic setup information like installed RAM size. But the options you'll find out in all setups are those we discussed today.

Advanced CMOS Setup

As referred by the name itself, the Advanced CMOS Setup displays the computer configuration advanced options. However, most advanced setup options are set according to user preferences as you'll see. Below we'll discuss the most common advanced options, indicating our setup options, though you'll don't have to take them literally, because, as we mentioned, several options are configured according to user's taste.

It is worth noting that your computer setup may not have all options discussed here, just as it can eventually display options that were not discussed.

Advanced Chipset Setup

Next we'll discuss the main options available in the Advanced Chipset Setup. Most options of this menu refer to RAM memory access setup. Therefore take care when changing any option as a wrong configuration can cause a computer freezing. In case computer freezer after this option is enabled, just reset computer and undo the setup changes in order to function properly. Though sometimes we will suggest to enable some functions, it may happen your computer doesn't support that function enabled, and keeps freezing.

Most Advanced Chipset Setup configurations are restricted to a standard configuration and you can only change these configurations if you disable the existing Auto Configuration or Auto Config. This happens because the configurations of this menu involve the time base and all sort of configurations of this kind may freeze the computer if wrongly set.

Therefore, if you don't want to take any risks, the safest is to enable automatic configuration and not changing any of the configurations that may have been far from optimum.

Among the several options involving time base options are the wait states configurations. Wait states are clock pulses that are added to the memory reading or writing cycles in order to match the processor speed with RAM memory speed, as RAM is much slower than processor. During the wait state clock pulses processor doesn't do absolutely nothing, it stays waiting for RAM memory to be ready to receive or send data. Therefore wait states decreases computer performance. However processor can't access RAM directly, without using wait states.

But the less wait states the processor uses, the better. This means that you can try to reduce the number of wait states to get a little more computer performance. The Automatic Configuration doesn't rate the best wait state values, but rather it sets values that safely won't freeze the computer. Therefore there is a chance to decrease the number of wait states keep computer from freezing.

If you decide to decrease the wait states, disable the Auto Config option and decrease the number of wait states used for each option, one at a time. For example imagine that CAS Read Wait State option is set as 4 - that is, using 4 wait states. You can decrease this value to 3, save the changes and try to use the computer to check if it won't freeze. If it freezes, you must restart the computer enter setup and undo the last change done. In case the computer doesn't freeze you must try to decrease even more this number, repeating all process until the ideal number is found, which is always one before computer freezes.

But do not try to change lots of options simultaneously, because if computer freezes you will not know which of the options is freezing the computer. The wait states final adjustments must be done individually for each existing option. It is a lengthy process, but it can bring an extra performance to the computer.

If you don't feel inclined for such patient jobs or if don't have the necessary time to do it, don't worry: just enable the Auto Configuration option and forget about this story of wait states adjustments.

The main wait state adjustment options are:

DRAM Speed Option: In some setups, the number of wait states may not be presented in numerical form, but by means of labels: Fastest (0 wait state), Faster (1 wait state), Slower (2 wait states) and Slowest (3 wait states). By means of this option you adjust the number of wait states just like the options presented earlier. For example, to set it up as Faster is equivalent to set it as 1 wait state.

Generally, options related to the time base must be set up in the same way as the wait states - the shorter the time, the higher the performance. But, in order to do that, you must find the precise setup value as we discussed previously. The following options may be set up similarly to the wait states:

We will discuss below other common options to be found in the chipset advanced setup.

Today we will discuss other important options available in the advanced machine setup. The options below increase the PC performance when enabled, therefore we suggest you enable them. However not all PCs are fully compatible with those options, and some PCs may not boot after having enabled some of them. If that happens, one must disable the option that is causing the problem.

Below are some other options available in the advanced setup:

Power Management Setup

Now that we've seen the major advanced setup options, we will discuss the PC advanced power management setup, which is performed by means of the setup Power Management menu.

The PC has several sleep modes in order to save electrical power. This is obtained in several different ways, as for instance, reducing the processor clock frequency or turning off the hard disk. Naturally the PC only goes into sleep mode after a determined inactive time period, that is, without executing any task at all. It is right in the power management menu that you set up the appropriated inactivity time needed before the PC goes into the sleep mode.

There are three sleep modes: Doze, Standby and Suspend. The difference between them is the sleeping "deepness". The deeper the sleep, the more energy you'll save. The Doze mode is the most superficial and the Suspend mode is the deepest.

At setup you set the inactivity time needed before PC goes into those sleeping modes. Additionally you'll set up the length of the inactivity period of time before the hard disk is turned off (IDE Power Control or HDD Power Down Time options) and you may even set up the option to turn off the processor fan when it goes into sleeping mode (CPU Fan Off option). As the processor clock is reduced in that mode, the fan may be turned off, as the processor will not heat as much.

You may also set up the activity type allowed to wake up the PC. Modem is a good example. It is quite common to use the modem as a fax and let the PC on throughout the day waiting for fax calls. In order to save energy, you can set up the PC to stay in sleeping mode and to wake up at the reception of a fax call, then going back into sleeping mode after an inactivity period. This facility is called Wake-up On Ring.

Most setups show an option where an interruption request (IRQ) wakes up the PC. This means that any activity in the device using that IRQ will wake up the PC. The keyboard, for instance, uses interruption 1 (IRQ1). Consequently if you set that IRQ1 wakes the PC up, that is to say that any keyboard activity will wake up the PC. The same happens with any device connected to the PC as for instance, the serial mouse, which usually uses IRQ4 (that is setting IRQ4 to wake the PC up, it jumps out of sleeping mode whenever you move the mouse). You can get a complete list of the relations between devices and IRQ in your computer by means of the Device Manager (an icon in the Control Panel System), selecting Computer and clicking in the Properties box.

When power management is enabled, Windows 98 displays a new option in the Start menu: Suspend. This options puts the PC immediately into Suspend Mode and no programmed inactivity time needs to be timed out.

Occasionally your PC may display many other options in the power management menu, but we expect that you will be able to set them up intuitively grounded on today's discussions

PCI/Plug and Play Setup

There is in the setup a menu for the setting of the PCI bus and of the ISA Plug and Play devices, usually called PCI/Plug and Play Setup (or PNP/PCI Configuration). The proper menu setting is important in order to avoid interruptions or DMA conflicts in your computer, specially when you have an old peripheral device installed as for instance a sound board.

Usually when two or more peripheral devices are configured to share the same facility, they don't work appropriately. When two Plug and Play devices are installed using same facility (same interruption line or DMA channel) the operating system itself may automatically reconfigure the devices in order to solve the facilities conflict.

Old Plug and Play devices are not Plug and Play therefore there is no way to change their settings by means of the operational system (in those type of peripherals the setup is changed by means of jumpers). If a Plug and Play device consistently uses same interruption or DMA channel as a legacy non Plug and Play device, it may happen that the system is unable to manage this conflict permitting that peripheral devices conflict and therefore don't operate.

Therefore in the computer setup there is how to manually set which interruptions (IRQ) and DMA channels are being used by legacy non plug and play devices. In that way such facilities are set apart by the system and no Plug and Play device may use them.

If you have any legacy non plug and play device installed in the computer - as a sound board or fax modem - you must perform this procedure. Sound boards normally use IRQ5, DMA1, and DMA5 while fax modem uses IRQ3.

The set up is done by means of options such as "IRQ x Available To" and "DMA x Available To". There are two configuration possibilities: "PCI/PnP" in case the facility is being used by a Plug and Play PCI or PCI device, or "ISA/EISA" (or "Legacy ISA") when the facility is being used by a non Plug and Play device.

If you have a legacy sound board in your computer, you will have to set "IRQ5 Available To", DMA1 Available To", and DMA5 Available To" as "Legacy ISA", while other options should stay in "PCI/PnP".

In case you don't have legacy boards installed, you can just set the option "Resources Controlled By" in Auto to inform all peripherals in your computer are Plug and Play. In case there is at least an installed legacy non Plug and Play board, you must leave this option in Manual and execute the discussed setup.

The existing "PnP OS installed" option must be enabled if you are using Windows 9x.

Peripheral Setup

Now we will discuss the Peripheral Setup (or Integrated Peripherals) which configure all peripherals integrated in the motherboard (onboard), including the serial ports, the parallel port the IDE port and the floppy drive controller.

The most frequent options found in this menu are:

Safe Mode is exactly what its name indicates: a safe means of starting your WinXP system. In this context, the word "safe" means predictability and certainty. You won't see your full system up and running while in Safe Mode, but what you do have access to will work. From Safe Mode, you can troubleshoot your system, adjust your configuration, uninstall programs, and even (when you select the networking option, if available) access online help over the Internet.

Safe Mode: Windows' Greatest Troubleshooter

Safe Mode launches your OS with only the files, settings, and drivers necessary for it to operate. Specifically, it loads the basic Windows files, along with standard drivers for your keyboard, mouse, monitor, and drives. It dispenses with third-party drivers and inessential drivers you might have installed after initially setting up the OS. It doesn't load any of the programs in the Startup menu. Plus, it bypasses many of the settings stored in the Windows Registry. Instead, it loads a minimal version of Windows, using technologies proven to function across virtually all PC hardware types.

Safe Mode does all of this because the conflict usually lies beneath the surface of difficulty that the system is experiencing. If you installed a new video driver, for example, and your monitors don't function after launching Windows normally, entering Safe Mode tells Windows to load the OS using only standard video drivers, ignoring the ones you just installed. With Safe Mode running, you can uninstall those drivers and then install earlier versions when you restart your computer (or let Windows choose drivers for itself).

To start in Safe Mode, you'll need to access Windows' Advanced Boot Options menu. You can do this by holding down the F8 key (or pressing it repeatedly in one-second intervals) as your computer boots. Safe Mode differs a little between Windows XP and Vista, so we provide instructions for both.

In WinXP. Once it detects your keystroke, WinXP displays the boot menu, asking you to select the OS you wish to launch (even on WinXP-only systems). At the bottom of this menu, you'll find the instruction: "For troubleshooting and advanced startup options for Windows, press F8." Pressing the F8 key yields the Windows Advanced Options Menu, the full version of WinXP's Startup Menu.

In Vista. Vista has a straightforward Safe Mode layout. Once you press the F8 key, the Advanced Boot Options menu will appear.

Both WinXP and Vista display the same Safe Mode options at this point:

Safe Mode

Safe Mode with Networking

Safe Mode with Command Prompt

A truncated version of the Startup Menu appears if Windows proceeds partway through its boot process but fails. In this case the next time you try to launch the OS, you'll encounter the Startup Recovery Menu, complete with a statement apologizing for the inconvenience. Your Safe Mode options here are the same:

Safe Mode

Safe Mode with Networking

Safe Mode with Command Prompt

You will get the most from Safe Mode by choosing the Safe Mode With Networking option. This option loads Windows with the same minimal configuration as standard Safe Mode, except that it includes the networking subsystems, including the networking protocols (TCP/IP [Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol]), that let you connect to the Internet. This mode is especially useful for downloading updated drivers to help you get your system working properly, and it can also be a godsend if WinXP isn't working properly but you desperately need to check your email or to log on to your company network.

Once in Safe Mode, you have numerous tools at your disposal to help you fix your system. First, if you've chosen the Safe Mode with networking option, you can search the Web for answers. Second, you can use the System Information utility (accessible by opening the Start menu and clicking Programs [All Programs in Vista], Accessories, and System Tools), to help you determine device conflicts and find out more about the technical details of your PC's configuration. Expand the Hardware Resources menu in the left pane of the System Information window and click the Conflicts/Sharing item. Here, you'll see a list of shared resources and a notification if the sharing is causing a system conflict.

You also can use Safe Mode to access the System Restore utility. You'll find System Restore by opening the Start menu and clicking Programs, Accessories, and System Utilities. Launch it and follow the wizard to return your system to the configuration of a previous date.

From within Safe Mode, you also can access the System Configuration Utility. In WinXP, click Start and Run, type sysedit in the Open field, and press ENTER. In Vista, click Start and then type sysedit into the Start Search bar. Press ENTER or click sysedit.exe when it appears in the Programs menu.

Computers are pretty complex devices. You install software, device drivers, and data. You hook up printers and cameras and scanners and more. Sometimes things conflict and it makes using your PC nearly all but impossible. For those times there’s Safe Mode. Michael "Doc" Callahan explains how Safe Mode can save you when your Windows computer won't boot up

Ø  In Safe Mode drivers aren't loaded so they can't cause a conflict.

Ø  When you boot into Safe Mode only the absolute necessities are loaded.

Ø  You'll even note that your screen will appear in a greatly reduced resolution.

Ø  Safe Mode is very useful for removing drivers that the system won't let you remove in the normal mode because they're loaded when the computer boots up.

Ø  You can also remove software in this mode that won't uninstall otherwise.

Ø  Some software programs actually need to be installed in Safe Mode.

Ø  To get into Safe Mode first restart your computer.

Ø  In XP click Start then Log off computer and click Restart.

Ø  In Vista click Start then click on the arrow next to the lock icon and click Restart.

Ø  Just as your computer starts to reboot, when it the screen is black and the system is checking memory and BIOS, tap the F8 function key.

Ø  This will bring up a Windows boot options screen.

Ø  Use the arrow keys to move to the option for

Ø  Highlight it and press enter. You'll see a lot of commands scroll off your screen. Memorize each and every one of these commands... just kidding.

Ø  When your computer comes up the screen will be black and it will say Safe Mode in each corner.

Ø  Do what you need to do and when you're done restart back into normal mode.

Ø  If all else fails, it might be time for a full re-install of Windows XP using our 10-part tutorial series.

Some viruses may not be detected, or may be only partially removed, if the system is not booted into Safe Mode for the scan. Booting in Safe Mode prevents extraneous services and programs - including most malware - from loading at startup.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: Less than a minute

Here's How:

Tips:

Class 1 components are integral to the function of the computer.

The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the 'brain' of the computer.

It's typically a square ceramic package plugged into the motherboard, with a large heat sink on top (and often a fan on top of that heat sink).

All instructions the computer will process are processed by the CPU. There are many "CPU architectures", each of which has its own characteristics and trade-offs. The dominant CPU architectures used in personal computing are x86 and PowerPC. x86 is easily the most popular processor for this class of machine (the dominant manufacturers of x86 CPUs are Intel and AMD). The other architechtures are used, for istance, in workstations, servers or embedded systems CPUs contain a small amount of static RAM (SRAM) called a cache. Some processors have two or three levels of cache, containing as much as several megabytes of memory.

Dual Core

Some of the new processors made by Intel and AMD are Dual core. The Intel designation for dual core are "Pentium D", "Core Duo" and "Core 2 Duo" while AMD has its "X2" series and "FX-6x".

The core is where the data is processed and turned into commands directed at the rest of the computer. Having two cores increases the data flow into the processor and the command flow out of the processor potentially doubling the processing power, but the increased performance is only visible with multithreaded applications and heavy multitasking.

Hyper Threading

Hyper Threading is a technology that uses one core but adds a virtual processor to an additional thread at the same time.

Normally the processor carries out one task and then proceeds onto the next task. But with Hyper Threading the processor continually switches in-between each task as if to do them at the same time.

For more information, consult the Wikipedia article on microprocessors.

Most modern computers have an "ATX form factor" case in which ATX-compatible power supplies, Mainboards and Drives can be mounted.

The Mini-ITX is much different in important ways unlike its relatives the Micro-ATX and the Flex-ATX. The mainboard size can be up to 170mm x 170 mm which is smaller than the Flex and Micro-ATX can be. Usually at less than 100 watts, the Mini-ITX PSU is energy efficient. The Mini-ITX is also backward-compatible with the Flex/Micro-ATX models.

During the 1980's and 1990's almost all cases were beige, even Apple's Macintosh line. A few rare exceptions to this were black. Only recently have computer case designers realized that there was a worthwhile market for other colors and designs. This has led to all sorts of modifications to the basic design of a computer case. Now it is easy to find cases with transparent windows and glowing lights illuminating their insides.

All computers have some sort of power supply. This converts the supply voltage (AC 110 or 220V) to different voltages such as DC 5V, 12V and 3.3V. These are needed inside the computer system by nearly every component inside the computer.

There will be a bunch of connectors coming off of the supply, called Molex connectors. They come in varying sizes, meant for different applications, such as the motherboard (usually the largest of the connectors), the hard and optical drives (a bunch of medium-sized connectors), as well as the floppy drive (a relatively small connector, also saw usage among videocards in 2004). As newer standards come out, the types of connectors have changed. Many power supplies now come with power connectors for Serial ATA hard drives. These are smaller and are "hot-swappable", meaning they can be removed and plugged in again without fear of data loss or electrical problems.

The power supply also has an exhaust fan that is responsible for cooling the power supply, as well as providing a hot air exhaust for the entire case. Some power supplies have two fans to promote this effect.

It is important to buy a power supply that can accommodate all of the components involved. Some may argue that it is the most important part of a computer, and therefore it is worth spending the money to get a decent one.

The Motherboard (also called Mainboard) is a large, thin, flat, rectangular fiberglass board (typically green) attached to the case. The Motherboard carries the CPU, the RAM, the chipset and the expansion slots (PCI, AGP - for graphics -, ISA, etc.).

The Motherboard also holds things like the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) and the CMOS Battery (a coin cell that keeps an embbeded RAM in the motherboard -often NVRAM- powered to keep various settings in effect).

Most modern motherboards have onboard sound and LAN controller, some of them even have on-board graphics. These are adequate for standard office work and system sounds. But dedicated sound and graphics cards plugged into the expansion slots offer much better quality and performance

The expansion slots (PCI, PCI-e, PCI-X, AGP, ISA, etc.) allow additional functions.

Random Access Memory (RAM) is a memory that the microprocessor uses to store data during processing. This memory is volatile (loses its contents at power-down). When a software application is launched, the executable program is loaded from hard drive to the RAM. The microprocessor supplies address into the RAM to read instructions and data from it. RAM is needed because hard drives are too slow to operate with the speed of a microprocessor.

Some of the types of RAM are SDRAM, DDR RAM, Rambus RAM, SIMM, DIMM.

The PCI Express standard was created to replace both AGP and PCI slots, with PCI Express 16x and PCI 1x respectively for most implementations. The current implementation of PCI Express allows up to PCI Express 32x.

The reason for the change is that the older PCI cards don't transfer data quickly enough to keep up with modern day gaming, autocad and video editing software.

Think of it this way, there is a tap that is two inches in diameter, but a drain that is only one inch in diameter. The water doesn't drain quickly enough and eventually the sink overflows. Just like a PCI video card.

Most graphic cards produced from about 1998-2004 were AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) cards. They are placed in a certain slot on the mainboard with an extra high data transfer rate. The interface was invented to keep the graphics card away from the PCI bus, which was starting to become too constrained for modern graphics cards.

Every graphic card carries a graphic chip (GPU) and very fast DDR RAM for textures and 3D data. Their data buses have 1X, 2X, 4X, and 8X speeds. The bus is 32-bit, much like PCI.

AGP slots are slightly shorter than PCI slots and often brown in color. A similar type of slot called AGP Pro is longer and has extra power leads to accommodate modern video cards. It didn't really catch on in the mainstream market, and graphics card makers preferred to add an extra power connector to supply the power they needed.

The PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus is the most popular internal interconnect for personal computers. They are usually white in color.

The specification features:

Common PCI implementations in desktop PCs feature:

High-end implementations may also feature:

(all of these are characteristic of PCI-X)

There have been many revisions and evolutions of the PCI specification over the years. Recently, PCI-X has sought to extend the aging architecture for the needs of modern server-class machines, avoiding some of the performance bottlenecks of previous revisions. The new PCI Express specification seems likely to succeed PCI in all classes of personal computer within the next few years.

Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) cards were the original PC extension cards. Originally running on an 8-bit bus, they ran on a 16-bit bus as of 1984. Like PCI slots, they supported Plug-and-Play as of 1993 (prior to this, one had to set jumpers for IRQ interrupts and such). In comparison to PCI slots, they are rather long, and often black in color. They are not found on most computers built after 1999.

Class 2 components are storage media for non-volatile data.

Do not put magnetic media (including floppy disks, hard drives, video cassette tape) through airport X-ray machines. The X-rays themselves are not the problem -- it's the magnetic fields from the conveyor-belt motors that all too often erase magnetic media.

Optical media -- Compact Disks (CDs) and the similar-looking DVDs -- are completely immune to magnetic fields. They can be run through airport X-ray machines without any problems.

Flash memory is also immune to magnetic fields.

Sometimes one can distinguish between "fixed media" (the hard drive) that is more or less permanently mounted inside the computer case, and "removable media" (just about every other kind of media) that is easy to pull from one computer and put into another computer.

8" Floppy Disk: In the late 1960s IBM invented the 8-inch floppy disk. This was the first floppy disk design. Used in the 1970s and as a read-only disk it had storage-write restrictions to the people it was distributed to. However, later on a read-write format came about. In today's modern society it is rare to find a computer that uses the 8-inch floppy disk.

5.25" Floppy Disk: This disk was introduced some time later, and was used extensively in the 1980s.

3.5" Floppy Disk: This is the one the oldest and more commonly used storage media listed here. Floppy disks hold from 400KB up to 1.44 MB. 720K(low-density) and 1.44 MB(high-density) with a 3.5" disc are usually the average type found. Floppy disks have largely been superseded by flash drives as a transfer medium, but are still widely used as backup storage.

A hard drive consists of one or more magnetic platters or disks and a read arm with two electromagnetic coils for each disk. Each hard disk is divided into many sectors, each containing a certain amount of data. As of now, it is the cheapest and most common way to store a lot of data in a small space.

Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) is a standard format for storing a variety of data. A CD-ROM holds about 700 MB of data. The media resembles a small, somewhat flexible plastic disc. Any scratch or abrasion on the data side of the disc can lead to it being unreadable.

Cleaning CD's: Dust can be removed from a CD's surface using compressed air or by very lightly wiping the information side with a very soft cloth (such as an eyeglass cleaning cloth) from the center of the disc in an outward direction. Wiping the information surface of any type of CD in a circular motion around the center, however, has been known to create scratches in the same direction as the information and potentially cause data loss. Fingerprints or stubborn dust can be removed from the information surface by wiping it with a cloth dampened with diluted dish detergent (then rinsing) or alcohol (methylated spirits or isopropyl alcohol) and again wiping from the center outwards, with a very soft cloth (non-linting : polyester, nylon, etc.). It is harmful, however, to use acetone, nail polish remover, kerosene, petrol/gasoline, or any other type of petroleum-based solvent to clean a CD-R; the use of petroleum based solvents will damage the polycarbonate surface and the CD-R will become unreadable.

Compact disc Read/Write drives support the creation of CD-R and CD-RW discs, and also function as CD-ROM drives. These drives use low-powered lasers to 'burn' data into the active layer of the disc.

CD-R (Compact disc recordable) discs are 'write once' - once they have been written to, the data cannot be erased or changed. However, multisessions can be created and more data can be added.

CD-RW (Compact disc rewritable) discs can be rewritten or erased multiple times. This is a two-pass process so they typically take twice as long as CD-R discs to produce.

CD-RW drives will typically have three speed ratings - one for reading discs, one for writing CD-R discs and another for writing CD-RW discs. Speed ratings vary from 1x to 52x, where 1x means that a CD is written/read in 'real time' - a 52 minute audio CD would take about 52 minutes to create at 1x speed, and about 1 minute at 52x speed.

The data can be written to the disc in a variety of formats to create an audio CD, a data CD, a video CD or a photo CD. The audio CDs should play on most standard audio CD equipment and the video and photo CDs will play on many consumer DVD players.

Many CD writers (also known as 'burners') are now combination drives which also function as DVD-ROM drives.

Most DVD-RW drives also have CD-RW capabilities.

Digital Video/Versatile Disk Read Only Memory (DVD-ROM)

This optical drive works on a similar principle to the CD-ROM, with a laser being used to read data stored in pits on the surface of a reflective disk. DVDs are read using a shorter wavelength of light (a red laser, rather than an infra-red one). In addition to having a greater data-density, DVDs may be double sided and may be "dual layer".

DVD's hold about 4.7 gigabytes and dual-layer disks hold 8.4 gigabytes (dual layer equipment and disks are now becoming more affordable)

Some common types of Flash memory cards are CompactFlash, Secure Digital (SD), and xD. There are other formats which have fallen into deprecation, such as Smartmedia and MultiMediaCard (MMC).

Flash memory is faster than magnetic media and much more rugged. The only reason Flash hasn't replaced hard drives is that Flash memory is much more expensive per gigabyte than hard drives.

Memory sticks or Flash drives are solid-state NAND flash chips packaged to provide additional memory storage. These drives are quickly replacing floppy disks as a means of transferring data from one PC to another in the absence of a network.

Class 3 components are components which allow humans to interface with computers.

Includes computer monitors and other display devices. CRTs and LCDs are common. LCDs are a more recent development, and are gradually replacing CRTs as they become more affordable. LCD's in addition to being lighter also use less energy and generate less heat.

Includes internal or external speakers and headphones.

A user interface device that can enable different kinds of control than a keyboard, particularly in GUIs. It was developed at the Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) and adopted and made popular with the Apple Mac. Today, nearly all modern operating systems can use a mouse. Most mice (sometimes the plural is 'mouses' to prevent confusion with the rodent) are made from plastic, and may use a ball to track movement, an LED light, or a laser. Today you can get a wireless mouse that allows you to easily give a presentation with out being tied to a desk. These mouses are usauly LED or Laser based tracking.

In 1964, the first prototype computer mouse was made to use with a graphical user interface (GUI), windows. Douglas Engelbart received a patent for the wooden shell with two metal wheels (computer mouse U.S. Patent # 3,541,541) in 1970, describing it in the patent application as an "X-Y position indicator for a display system.". It was nicknamed the mouse because the tail came out the end, Engelbart revealed about his invention. His version of windows was not considered patentable (no software patents were issued at that time), but Douglas Engelbart has over 45 other patents to his name.

A keyboard is an input device which is connected to a computer and used to type instructions or information into the computer. Typically, a keyboard has about 100 or so keys.

A printer makes marks on paper. It can print images and text.

The most common types of printers today are

The average printer of the early 1990s would connect to a computer through its parallel port. To connect it to the computer via parallel port, one would have to screw it into the port. Today many printers are connected through USB. This is because it is easier to connect and remove through a simple plug and play system. It also allows for faster transfer speeds than parallel.

A scanner is a device for digitizing paper documents into images that may be manipulated by a computer. The two main classes of scanner are

If the original document contained text, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software may be used to reconstruct the text of the document from the scanned images.

A contraction of "Modulator - demodulator", a modem allows a computer to communicate over an analogue medium (most commonly a telephone line). The modem encodes digital signals from the computer as analogue signals suitable for transmission (modulation) and decodes digital data from a modulated analogue signal (demodulation). Using modems two computers may communicate over a telephone line, with the data passed between them being represented as sound.

Modems are usually involved with dial-up internet services. As broadband catches on, they are falling into disuse. However, the devices used to connect to broadband connections are also called modems, specifically DSL Modems or Cable Modems.

There are many different types of connectors and cables in personal computers, and this section will address as many as the various editors deem relevant.

Several types of cables are used to connect components together inside the case, providing power and a path for data. These include:

Without connections to the rest of the world, a computer would just be a fancy paperweight. Numerous connectors are used to make a computer useful.

DOS COMMENT

CTRL+2                     Display media player in skin mode

CTRL+B                     Use to play the previous item in media player

CTRL+F                     Use to play the next item in media player

CTRL+E                     Use to Eject CD or DVD from CD or DVD drive

CTRL+P                     Use to Play or Pause the item in media player

CTRL+T                     Use to Repeat the items in media player

CTRL+SHIFT+B           Use to Rewind a file in media player

CTRL+SHIFT+F           Use to Fast Forward a file in media player

CTRL+SHIFT+S           Use to play items slower than a normal speed

CTRL+SHIFT+ G          Use to play items faster than a normal speed

CTRL+SHIFT+ N          Use to play items at normal speed in media player

F8                            Use to mute the volume in media player

F9                            Use to decrease the volume in media player

F10                          Use to increase the volume in media player

ENTER or SPACEBAR    Use to play an itemIn Windows Media Player, you can use the combination of different keyboard keys to accomplish routine task. By using these keys, you can increase the working speed in media player, otherwise require a conventional mouse to select menus and buttons options. Basically keyboard shortcuts keys help you to save time and you can perform any tasks without leaving the keyboard keys.

Shortcut keys                        Action

ALT+1                      Adjust zoom to 50 percent

ALT+2                      Adjust zoom to 100 percent

ALT+3                      Adjust zoom to 200 percent

ALT+ENTER               Display the video in full mode

ALT+F                      Go to media player File Menu

ALT+T                      Go to media player Tools Menu

ALT+V                      Go to media player View Menu

ALT+P                      Go to media player Play Menu

ALT+F4                     Use to close media player

Q: What is Windows XP

A: Windows Whistler is the codename for the first joint business/consumer version of Windows built on the Windows 2000 OS kernel for stability and reliability. To bring the reliability of Windows 2000 to consumers as soon as possible and address the feedback from enterprise customers, Microsoft planned a phased release of Windows XP beginning with the desktop products and followed by the server versions. Windows XP is their first step in the Microsoft .Net vision.

Q: Is Microsoft Windows XP available in multiple languages?

A: Windows XP Professional will be available in 24 official localized versions in addition to English. In any version of Windows XP Professional, you can display, input, edit, and print documents in hundreds of languages. Users or administrators can set regional preferences, fonts, keyboard layouts, sorting orders, date formats, and so on.

The biggest innovation for multilingual computing is the Windows XP Multilingual User Interface Pack, which is an add–on to the English version of Windows XP Professional. It lets users or administrators switch the User Interface (menus, dialogs and help files) from one language to another. This feature greatly eases desktop administration in multilingual computing environments, and lowers cost of desktop change and configuration management considerably. The Multilingual User Interface Pack will be available in 33 languages.

Windows XP

Q: What is Windows XP

A: Windows Whistler is the codename for the first joint business/consumer version of Windows built on the Windows 2000 OS kernel for stability and reliability. To bring the reliability of Windows 2000 to consumers as soon as possible and address the feedback from enterprise customers, Microsoft planned a phased release of Windows XP beginning with the desktop products and followed by the server versions. Windows XP is their first step in the Microsoft .Net vision.

Q: Is Microsoft Windows XP available in multiple languages?

A: Windows XP Professional will be available in 24 official localized versions in addition to English. In any version of Windows XP Professional, you can display, input, edit, and print documents in hundreds of languages. Users or administrators can set regional preferences, fonts, keyboard layouts, sorting orders, date formats, and so on.

The biggest innovation for multilingual computing is the Windows XP Multilingual User Interface Pack, which is an add–on to the English version of Windows XP Professional. It lets users or administrators switch the User Interface (menus, dialogs and help files) from one language to another. This feature greatly eases desktop administration in multilingual computing environments, and lowers cost of desktop change and configuration management considerably. The Multilingual User Interface Pack will be available in 33 languages.

Q: What version of DirectX does Windows XP ship with?

A: Windows XP ships with DirectX 8.1, which improves pixel shaders among other things.

Q: What is the difference between the 32 bit and 64 bit versions?

A: The 64-bit versions will only work on newer Intel Itanium based hardware. The 32-bit versions will work on all x86 compatible hardware (such a Pentium III, 4, etc).

Q: What is the official website?

A: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp

Q: What is "Whistler Embedded"?

A: "Whistler Embedded" delivers all the richness, innovation and reliability of the next generation of Windows in a componentized version, enabling embedded developers to select specific technology components required for a wide range of unique Windows Powered devices. Beta 1 is focused on delivering embedded client scenarios, including Windows-based terminals, advanced set-top boxes and retail point-of-sale kiosks. With the release of "Whistler Embedded" beta 1 coming only 48 days after release of the "Whistler" beta, Microsoft underscores its commitment to bringing the latest, most innovative Windows technology to the embedded space in a timely manner."

Q: What features of Windows XP have been taken from Windows Me?

A: Features such as System Restore, Image acquisition and more. Most of the new multimedia features in Windows Me will be carried over to Windows XP.

Q: What is new in Windows XP?

A: Microsoft is aiming to combine the features of Windows Me for the consumer, and reliability of Windows 2000 for businesses and power users into one new operating system. This operating system in its' different flavors will have new features for gaming, multimedia applications, audio, etc. in addition to features for networking, development, etc. for businesses and power users.

Q: What flavors is Windows XP available in?

A: Windows XP comes in Professional and Home versions.  Servers will also come out, but they are still in beta testing.

Q: What is the difference between Home and Profession editions?

A: The features of Windows XP Home and Pro are very similar.  Most home users have no need to the Professional version.  Windows XP Pro has support for multiple processors and an encrypted file system.  There are also a few other differences, check them out here.

Q: What are the major new features?

A: Windows XP has many new features.  Users upgrading from the 9x code will find the larges changes in terms of stability.  Other great advances are built-in CD-R/RW support, Remote Assistance, a built-in firewall, and Device Driver Rollback.  Find a complete feature list here for Home and here for Pro.

Q: What are the minimum requirements?

Here’s exactly what Microsoft says:

PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233-MHz minimum required;* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended

128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)

1.5 gigabyte (GB) of available hard disk space.*

Super VGA (800 × 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor

CD-ROM or DVD drive

Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

 Q: What are the upgrade paths?

A: Both Home and Professional can be upgraded from Windows 98, Windows 98SE, and Windows ME.  Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 and Windows XP Home can all be upgraded to Windows XP Professional. Windows 95 is not a supported upgrade path from either version.

Q: What’s next for Windows development?

A:  With SP1 complete, Microsoft will be working on Longhorn, the next consumer version of Windows.  Longhorn isn't expected to hit stores till 2004 or later (probably later), so expect a second service pack in the works soon!

Q: What were the milestones in Windows XP development?

A: There were 6 major steps in the development of Windows XP:

Beta 1 – October 31, 2000, build 2296

Beta 2 – March 25, 2001, build 2462a

RC1 – June 29, 2001, build 2505

RC2 –   July 28, 2001, build 2526

RTM – August 24, 2001, build 5.10.2600

SP1 RTM - August 30, 2002

Q: Does Windows XP have a new Graphic User Interface (GUI)?

A: Yes, Windows XP will have a "newer" look to it but will still have the basics of Windows we have grown accustomed to. The one that is debuted at the EMP is the "Luna" theme.

Q: What features does SP1 include?

A: Although Microsoft has developed a habit of not including new features, Windows XP SP1 was an exception to that rule.  It included support for USB 2.0 and included a nifty, government-required tool that will let you hide MS products, if you want.  It also included support for other version of Windows, like Media Center and Windows Powered Smart Displays editions (codenames Freestyle and Mira, respectively).  Windows XP SP1 also includes bug fixes and other general improvements.

Q: Where can I download SP1?

A: SP1 should be available to download from Windows Update, but if you would like to order a CD or download the entire file, both can be obtained from Microsoft's website.

Q: What are some of the new visual features, what did they change?

A: The taskbar has been overhauled (icon grouping), and a new uncluttered notification area.  Only the recycle bin is on the desktop - the rest are kept in a new, larger start menu.

Q: But what if we want to keep the classic look?

A: Well, luckily, it seems that you can keep either the classic look or the newer, XP look as default. The GUI should be sinkable to developers.

Q: What is fast user switching?

A: This is a new feature included in Windows XP. "Based on the Windows 2000 profiles, user accounts are created for all users during installation. As the default, passwords are not required, although users can create them if desired. A friendly new welcome screen featuring user names and pictures or icons rather than code names or aliases replaces the logon dialog box. Further, a new control panel applet makes it easy to add and edit user accounts. Each user has their own settings, including wallpaper, music, pictures, favorites, and so forth. In fast user switching, multiple users do not have to not log off when using a single computer. Instead, their accounts are always logged on, and they can switch quickly between all open accounts."

Q: Do you have a feature list from a developer's point of view?

A:

Windows XP employs Windows 2000 power management features

Graphics Device Interface Plus (GDI+) is the portion of Microsoft Windows.NET that provides two-dimensional vector graphics, imaging, and typography. GDI+ improves on GDI (the graphics device interface included with earlier versions of Windows) by adding new features and by optimizing existing features.

64 bit compatibility 

Support for high density displays

Q: What are the design goals for Windows XP? What will it improve?

A:

Richer communications. Real-time voice, video and application-sharing will enable people to communicate more effectively.

Enhanced mobility. Mobile users' ability to access their information any time, anywhere will be further improved.

Improved help and support. Users will be able to easily connect to people and resources for help whenever they need it.

Simple digital photos and video. Windows XP will make it easy to create, organize and share digital memories.

Exciting music and entertainment. Windows XP will deliver the best experience for the discovery, download, personalization and playback of high-quality audio and video content.

Enabling of the "connected home." Windows XP will give people an easy way to share information, devices and Internet connections within the home.

Q: Will most of my programs from Windows 9* work in Windows XP?

A: Most programs that work on Windows 95/98/Me and NT will work on versions of Windows XP. As with Windows 2000, several compatibility updates are sure to made after the product is released. There will be problems running older DOS programs (if they will run at all).

Q: If I am a games player, should I go for Windows 2000 or Windows XP?

A: Definitely go for Windows XP for the simple reason that it is designed for both the business & consumer thus is more adept at games playing.

Q: What are Win32 classes? How many new ones are released with Windows XP?

A: Microsoft Win32 classes give you the means to manipulate a variety of objects. Objects can be divided into four main categories. There are 40 new ones. Check out the info here.

Q: What does USB stand for?

A: It stands for Universal Serial Bus

Q: What Is USB?

A: USB is a specification that allows computer peripherals to be attached to the outside of the computer. It eliminates the need to install cards into dedicated computer slots and reconfigure the system. USB is really an ultimate plug-n-play specification that no switches or jumpers are required to configure. One of the top benefits from USB is that users can install hardware without needing to reboot their computers. USB allows up to 127 devices to run at the same time on the bus, with hubs connecting to devices to the bus. The USB also provides a much higher transfer rates than the traditional RS-232 or parallel-port devices.

·         One standard connector type - "one-size-fits-all."

·         Hot insertion and removal - now you can attach and detach peripherals while your system stays up and running.

·         Chain devices together - USB allows some peripherals to incorporate "hubs" that serve as connection points for other devices. This lets you use more than one USB-compatible device at a time.

·         Automatic installation - when a USB-compatible peripheral is connected, PCs with USB automatically install and configure the necessary drivers and system resources.

·         Separate power cord not required - most USB devices get their power through the USB bus (connection) itself, so only one cable is needed.

·         Faster - USB transfers data 10 times faster than traditional serial ports.

Q: What devices support USB?

A: Almost any I/O (Input/Output) device can be used with USB. They include Mice, Keyboards, Joysticks, Scanners, Monitors, Zip Drives, Telephones, Cameras and Printers.

Q:  What is USB 2.0 and will it replace the original?

A:  USB 2.0 runs at a whopping 480 Mbps and features complete backward compatibility with the original USB.  USB 2.0 will most likely not completely replace its predicator because, simply, a keyboard or mouse doesn’t need 480 Mbps bandwidth.  While peripherals won’t utilize 2.0, it will be great for web cams, digital cameras, etc. 

Q:  How fast is USB?

A:  USB is designed to run at 12 Mbps with a sub-channel running at 1.5 Mbps.

Q: I have Windows 95, Can I still use USB?

A: The original Windows 95 cannot use USB no matter whether you have USB or not. You need to have Windows 95 OSR 2.1 (Service Release). If not you can download the supplement for Windows 95B.

Q: Will I need special software to run USB with other Operating Systems?

A: No, what you need is Windows 95B ,Windows 98, Windows 2000, or MacOS 8.5 (found in iMac and G3 systems).  The operating systems pretty much cover the software side.  If you got a USB device, either the operating systems have the necessary drivers or the manufacturers ship with the required software/drivers for the hardware.

Q: I don't have USB, Can I add it to my PC?

A: You must have an available PCI slot to install USB PCI card. OS requirement is Windows 98 or Windows 95 OSR2.

Q: Is USB support stable?

A: Good question. USB is a relatively new specification, Windows 98 was really the first OS to have what Microsoft considered full USB support. Unfortunately while the majority of USB devices work fine, Windows 98 did have many USB related problems.