Computer Assembly - How To Assemble A PC
Post Assembly Needs
There's a few more things you need and should do to complete the assembly process.
Swap File Size (Virtual Memory)
The swap file (virtual memory) is disk memory that Windows XP (or any other operating system) uses to help manage applications when they exceed the amount of RAM configured in the computer. It's important that the swap file be allocated an amount of disk space appropriate for the amount of RAM in the computer. Opinions vary on how big the swap file should be, but most state it should be at least two or three times the size of the amount of RAM. This means if you have 512MB of RAM in the computer, the swap file should be configured to something like 1536MB of RAM. It doesn't need to be exact. As you can see, I've allocated about 3 times the 1024MB of RAM I have in My Super PC. If you have ample hard drive space then it's a good idea to go ahead and allocate this much space even if you have 512MB of RAM or less. That way it won't be necessary to remember to increase it should more RAM be added to the computer later. To get to the Virtual Memory window, click on Start, right-click on My Computer, click on Properties in the small pop-up window, which brings up the System Properties window. On this window, click on the Advanced tab and then click on Settings in the Performance sub-window to bring up the Performance Options window. On this window, click on the Advanced tab and then click on Change in the Virtual Memory sub-window. Quite a little journey, but this finally brings up the Virtual Memory window. Setting the "Initial size" and "Maximum size" to the same values increases efficiency and performance. The changes go into effect when the computer is re-booted.
Windows Update
You should use this facility built into Windows XP for automatically retrieving and installing updates to Windows XP. This feature will retrieve the updates in Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 as part of its operation. Even if you already loaded the service packs using update CD's or a Windows XP CD that includes SP2, chances are there are more updates you should have. To retrieve updates, bring up your internet connection and then click on Start -> All Programs -> Windows Update. The web-site will take you through the update process. Some updates will require that the computer be restarted before they will take effect. Some updates need to be installed separately from other updates. You should repeatedly invoke the Windows Update until the web-site reports there are no critical updates that you need, so this can take a number of re-visits at first. When there are only non-critical updates left, you can look them over and decide if you want them, too. Eventually Windows XP will ask if you would like to have critical updates automatically made. I'd suggest you do. You can configure the automatic updates such that you will be prompted before anything is downloaded.
After making these kinds of changes, I suggest you rerun the DirectX Diagnostics and the Overall System Performance Test to ensure that all is well.
Firewall
If the computer you build is connected to the internet then you should seriously consider firewall protection. Firewall protection ensures there is no unauthorized access to your computer over your internet connection. Believe me, there are plenty of attempts being made! And that's not all. You may be surprised and even shocked to know that the applications you've installed yourself on your computer are themselves sending unauthorized communications out into the network!
The Firewall software I use and recommend is ZoneAlarm. It's much better than the protection given by Windows Firewall which is built into Windows XP with Service Pack 2 since ZoneAlarm protects against outgoing traffic and Windows Firewall does not.
You can
download ZoneAlarm free from here.
here.
For more information about it, see the My Super PC Firewall page.
Upgrade DirectX
DirectX is needed by graphics applications, such as games. Windows XP comes with DirectX 8.1 built-in. Loading Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 gets you upgraded to DirectX 9.0c. The latest version can be retrieved from Microsoft's DirectX Download Page. If the version of DirectX you have is not up-to-date enough then the graphics application may refuse to install, but in most cases it will prompt for permission to go ahead and upgrade your version of DirectX. That being the case, you may just want to leave what you have in place and wait for an application to do it as part of its own install. I prefer to do it as a separate step and then to re-run the DirectX Diagnostics and the Overall System Performance Test to ensure all is still well.
Verify Optical Drives Use Digital Audio
To verify digital audio is being used, go to the Device Manager and look under the entry for "DVD/CD-ROM drives".
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Double-click on the optical device. I'll check the Lite-On drive first.
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Click on the "Properties" tab.
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The box "Enable digital CD audio for this CD-ROM device" should already be checked as shown circled in blue.
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Repeat these steps for any other optical devices, such as in my case I have the Sony DVD RW device. For each drive, if the checkbox is not checked then check it. If the checkbox is grayed out, becomes unchecked again after re-booting, or there is no checkbox in the first place then the motherboard does not support digital audio. It would be quite unusual for a modern motherboard not to support digital audio. But if so then the MPC audio cable should be connected from the optical device to the sound card or the motherboard.
QuickTime
Download and install QuickTime. This is used by many software packages to provide animated clips and movie sequences, so it's a good idea to have it. It's free.
CD Burn, CD Burning Software
If your computer includes a CD-RW drive then you'll want to install the CD burning software that came with it so you can burn CDs. If you're using the Lite-On 40x/12x/48x CD-RW then you can use the
Nero Software CD Install instructions included in the CDRLabs review of the drive. If you have a different CD-RW then chances are you can still find your CD-RW drive listed on their CD-ROM and CD-RW Reviews page as a CD-RW drive they've reviewed, because they've reviewed just about all of them. Go the review for your drive and it should include a page for installing the software that comes with the drive.
Computer Monitor Display Setup
Whether or not your monitor is brand new, it's worthwhile to use a utility like
DisplayMate to test it out and make sure it's setup and works properly. DisplayMate is available as a free download which includes demonstrations and test patterns. It's all I use, although there is also a Professional version which is not free. DisplayMate does not take very long to use and it will help in using the full displayable monitor area and will help find any anomalies the monitor may have, like pixel dropouts.
Windows 2000/XP Monitor Refresh Rate Problem
If you are running Windows 2000/XP then you probably have the "Refresh Rate" problem. This problem is that you cannot really change the Hz setting that controls the rate at which the monitor is refreshed. Regardless of how the setting is change, a refresh rate of 60Hz, which updates the screen 60 times per second, is used. This is the bare minimum refresh rate and it is unacceptably slow for many people. A refresh rate that is too slow may be perceived as a screen which is jittery or faintly flickering. It can best be seen on a screen that is mostly white. However, two people can look at the same screen with a setting such as 60Hz and one can find it pleasing and the other find it disturbing. Not all eyes are the same. But even if it's not plainly obvious that the screen is not steady, a slow refresh rate can cause headaches and eye strain.
I describe how this problem can be fixed on my
Video Card Upgrade - Monitor Refresh Rate Problem page.
BIOS Flash Update
A BIOS flash update is optional. It's likely the BIOS that came with the motherboard is out-of-date by at least a few months, but it may not be necessary at all to update it. On the other hand, now is the best time before the computer is fully in-use and loaded with vital information. If you feel included to do an update then you may find the procedure I followed helpful. It's included on the BIOS Flash Update page.
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How To Build A Computer. Step By Step Instructions To Assemble. Skip To Any Assembly Step.
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© 2001-2008, Rob Williams, all rights reserved.
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