Build Your Own Computer

This guide will teach you step-by-step on how to build your new computer from scratch. However, due to the fact that I'm posting this in a blog, I will leave out some details, which will require common sense on your part to figure out. This guide will teach you how to assemble a basic PC. Parts of this tutorial can be found at PCMech.com. However, this version is heavily edited as I took the liberty to add and remove many aspects that are now obsolete (such as using a floppy disk drive and adding other information that was missing in the article.) So, this tutorial is customized for newer and more practical PC's by yours truly. If you need any more information or have questions, feel free to e-mail me at ortiz71791@yahoo.com. Well enough chit-chat, let's get started.

Step 1: Required Materials

Tools Required

• Screwdriver - A Phillips-head (cross-point) screwdriver is what is used in most PCs.
• Screw Extractor - If you have surgeon’s fingers you may not need this. But, if you’re human, it is likely you might drop a screw into your PC during this procedure and be too big-thumbed to get it out. A screw extractor can help you grab those screws and get them out without messing with the hardware. You definitely do not want to run your PC with loose screws in there. It could cause a short circuit.
• Flashlight - Unless you are in a fantastic lighting situation, you will likely need a flashlight to get a look of the landscape in your PC while you’re working.
• Tweezers - May be helpful for you in switching jumpers later in the tutorial.

Hardware Required

• PC Case
• Floppy Drive (Obsolete in today's computers...for the most part)
• Hard Drive
• CD-ROM Drive
• Processor
• Processor Cooling Fan
• Motherboard
• Memory Modules
• Power Supply
• Video Card
• Keyboard & Mouse

To build a basic PC, you will need at least a motherboard, a memory module (RAM), a processor with cooling fan, a power supply, a hard drive, a floppy drive (Not so much the case with modern computers), a video card and a CD-ROM.

Most electrically sensitive hardware comes in a static bag which is designed to protect the electronics from static electricity shock. Leave your hardware in these bags until you are ready to install them.

Software Required

• System Disk
• Device Drivers (these usually come with the hardware above)
• Operating System (for the purposes of this tutorial, we will assume you are choosing Microsoft Windows as your operating system – PC Mechanic has lots of great information on Linux and other alternatives)

Cables and Miscellaneous

• Drive cables
• Motherboard spacers (usually come with the motherboard, but are used to space the motherboard up off the mounting plate)
• Screws (usually a whole pile of screws will come with your PC’s case, but if you are using a case you happened to have around, you will need to collect some screws)
• Power cords (for both your PC and your monitor. They usually come with the hardware when you buy it, of course)
• CPU Cooling Compound

I cannot go into great detail on what parts to buy. Most motherboards come in a form factor which dictates how big it is, where the mounts for it are, etc. When you are buying a case, motherboard and power supply, make sure they are the same form factor. One of the most common form factors today is ATX. So let's assume you're planning to build an ATX computer. Your motherboard, case, and power supply must be ATX. When buying parts, the form factor is given to you, so it takes alot of the guess work out. Also, make sure that your motherboard supports IDE, SCSI, or SATA hard drive and optical drive connections, depending on what type of connections you are planning to use. Make sure your memory modules match with what the motherboard supports, which include DDR, DDR2, and the newest DDR3 RAM. Again, if you are planning to buy a video card, make sure it is compatible with the MB and fits in the correct slot, wether it's PCI, AGP, or a PCI-Express slot. Finally but not least, each motherboard supports one type of processor socket! For example, many motherboards suppoert the LGA 775 Intel socket, which includes the new Duo Core processors. Once again, when buying parts, all the specifications are given to you, so please, research a little on your own!

Once you have your parts, open the case.

Step 2: The Case

Now that the case is open, now is a good time to go through the screw supply provided with the case. These are usually held in a small plastic bag nestled inside the case. Inside this bag you should find:

• Chassis screws - this is the type used to tighten down cards, etc.
• Smaller screws - just like the chassis screws, just with a smaller diameter. It is used to fasten the motherboard in.
• Standoffs - these are screws that are used to hold the motherboard about 1/8″ from the motherboard mounting plate. Their ends have a threaded opening in them that accept the smaller chassis screws. If you have an AT case, you may find small white standoffs. These serve the same function as the metal standoff, but are simply punched through the board and slid into slots on the case. They are rather clumsy to use compared to the metal standoffs, but they get the job done. Lastly, some cases use small metal clip-looking stand-offs. They are pinched together and slipped into small rectangular holes in the motherboard mounting plate and they snap in. These are, too, a bit awkward.
• Washers. These are typically small, loose washers, not the metal kind you’ve seen in your toolbox. These will be used to cushion your motherboard from the screws you will be using to hold it in. Some motherboards have metal plates around the holes to keep the screws from shorting the circuitry, and in this case, washers are not necessary and may not be included.

Now, verify a few things have been done, if they need to be done.

1. Clean Case - If the case is new, this should be no big deal. But, if the case has been used before, it could probably stand a cleaning. Clean out the inside with a rag or compressed air. Make sure the fan in the power supply
   
   is free of furry dust. Also take a rag and wipe it off.
2. Inspect the Power Supply - Make sure it is tightly attached to the case, make sure it is free of dust, and make sure it is set to the proper voltage of your area- 110V for U.S. and 220V for outside countries.
3. Inspect Power Switch - Make sure the power switch is securely tightened and correctly connected to the power supply. In ATX cases, the power switch will have one loose wire coming off of it. This wire will then connect to the Power Switch connector on the motherboard.
4. Install Feet - These are little tabs inserted into holes at the bottom of the case. The case sits on these tabs when on your desk. If the case has been used before or it is a more expensive case, this may not need to be done.
5. Install Case Fan - Sometimes, you may want to install a separate fan that screws onto a rack next to the vent on the front of the case. This helps increase circulation of air through the system. Many cases already have this installed, so you may not need to worry about it. Some like to put a little filter over the hole so as to prevent dust from being drawn in. An ideal and simple setup for proper airflow is to set the front, lower fan to pull air in, and have the higher, rear fan exhaust.
6. Free Up the Drive Bays - Brand new (cheaper) cases sometimes have the drive bays sealed with metal plates. It’s the most annoying thing. If you want to install any drives, and you probably do, you’ll need to remove these. Choose the drive bays you want to use (usually the ones at the top on tower cases) and remove the metal plates. These are attached by metal, so they take some cutting, prying and twisting to break them free. Be careful not to hurt the case or yourself. The plate will likely have sharp edges once removed. Better cases have these bays covered with plastic, replaceable plates which are a lot easier and make infinitely more sense.
7. Replace I/O Shield. The Input/Output shield is a piece of metal with various holes punched in it that allow for the motherboard connections, such as mouse and keyboard, USB and LAN to poke out the rear of your case. All cases will come with one but since all motherboards are laid out differently, you’ll need to install the one that came with your board. Remove the old one simply by pushing it from the rear of the case inward. It usually will pop out easily, if not use a flat-head screwdriver to pry the edges so it comes loose. Push the new one in from the inside of the case and allow it to pop into place. Check to be sure it is secure.

Step 3: Install the Power Supply

Sometimes, cases already come with their own power supplies. However, if you are planning on using high-end parts, it is recommended that you buy a power supply that provides more power.

If the power supply is not already installed, you will need to install it now. Here’s how:

1. Take the power supply unit and line it up for placement into the PC case. The fan should blow toward the rear and the wires should face forward.
2. Insert the PSU into the case. Sometimes this takes a little maneuvering to get it into position.
3. Once the unit is in place, check the back of the case and make sure the holes on the rear of the PSU line up with the screw holes on the case. If they do not, you may need to turn the power supply over.
4. Using your screwdriver, tighten the PSU down using standard chassis screws.
5. Make sure the voltage is set correctly. There is a little switch on the back that lets you switch between 120 or 220 volts. Here in the United States, the voltage is 120.

Step 4: Installing the CPU

At this point, your MB shoulld be outside the case. Keep it that way for now, because installing components on it is much easier when it is outside. Here is how to install the CPU.

Most processors in use today use a socket to connect to the motherboard, and the type of socket in use is typically the ZIF socket. The ZIF socket opens and closes using a small lever. When the lever is down, the CPU is locked into place. When in the upright position, the processor is loose and can either be installed or removed.

All modern systems make use of the zero-insertion force (ZIF) socket. Therefore, this procedure is relevant with that setup. To install a processor using this type of interface, follow this procedure:

1. Check the pins. Turn the chip over and inspect the pins. Are they bent? They should all stick straight up. If many of them are bent, then it is best to request a replacement processor. If only a couple are bent and the bend is not that much, then you may be able to use a screwdriver to gently bend the pins back into place. Do so VERY carefully.
2. Open ZIF Socket. This is done by grabbing the lever on one side of the socket and opening it. Pull the lever from the closed, level position, to the open, vertical position. You may need to pull the lever out a bit before it will open. Do this slowly and don’t force it. You don’t want to break the socket. On the way up, you may experience a little more force. This is normal. The top part of the ZIF socket will slide over a bit.
3. Orient The Chip. This involves locating Pin 1 on both the chip and the socket. This is easy to do. The chip is always marked at Pin 1. The mark may be a little dot on one corner, a slightly notched corner, or a mark at one of the pins under the chip. On the socket, there is usually a notch on one corner, or a big “1″. These corners will be matched up for correct installation.
4. Insert Processor. Bearing in mind the orientation determined in Step 3, insert the chip into the socket. With a ZIF socket, the chip should install very easily. It should almost fall into the socket with all pins lining up. That’s why they call it the Zero Insertion Force socket. If not, the socket is probably not open all the way. If you do not have a ZIF socket (God forbid!), you need to exercise extreme care. Lay the chip on the socket. Make sure all pins line up. Then, slowly push the chip into the socket. Use your thumb and push on one side of the chip until it starts to go in. Then proceed to another side and repeat. Do this around the chip several times until it is completely installed.
5. When done, there should be basically no gap between the bottom of the processor and the socket.
6. Close ZIF Socket. Just close the lever. You will probably feel some resistance. This is normal and it should close anyway. If you really need to lean on it, though, check to be sure the chip is installed correctly. When down, make sure the lever snaps into place.
7. Some retail processors come with the heat sink and fan already attached to the CPU, in which case you will need to attach the CPU fan to the socket at the same time as you close the ZIF socket. After you lock the CPU into place, take the retention clips on either side of the CPU fan (which should line up automatically for you if you inserted the processor correctly in step 4 above) and push them down until each side clips over the tabs on either side of the socket. Sometimes it takes using a screwdriver as leverage to be able to get the retention clips out and over the tabs, but if you do this be very careful not to slip and jab your motherboard with the screwdriver.

Step 5: Installing the Heatsink

Make sure the processor is clean, you can do this by using isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth.

1. Attach the fan to the heat sink. This step is almost always already done for you, but if not, you must do it yourself. This is done using the four screws that came with the CPU fan.
2. Clean the top of the processor. Using a lint-free cloth and isopropyl alcohol (or some other non-abrasive cleaning solution), ensure that the surface of the processor is clean and free of dust and finger oil. Do the same to the bottom of the heat sink. Pay attention to the note above on heat pads if your heat sink had or has a rubber heat pad.
3. Apply the Heat Sink Compound. Assuming you are not using a heat pad on your heat sink, apply a very thin layer of heat sink compound to the top of the processor core. Only a very thin layer is required. The compound must be spread out evenly across the top of the chip, forming that very thin layer. When spreading the heat sink compound, do not use your finger. Use the edge of a credit card, or you can use a rubber glove or even just a plastic bag over your hand. Do not apply any heat sink compound if you plan to use a heat pad.
4. Attach The Heat Sink. Place the heat sink/fan combo squarely on top of the processor, pressing down lightly. Do not do any twisting as you install the heat sink. Press down firmly, but straight down so as to preserve the heat sink compound layer you just applied.
5. Secure the heat sink. Most newer heat sinks use a set of clips on each side to fasten itself down. These clips attach to a pair of tabs on each side of the socket. It will probably take a little bit of force to bend the clip down over the tab.
   
6. Double-Check. No compound should have oozed out from the sides. If it did then you applied too much and need to remove the HSF, clean both the heatsink and CPU and start over.
7. Attach fan to power source. Unless your CPU fan is powered via a standard power supply plug, it is probably powered by a wire attached to a 3-pin power lead on the motherboard itself. You can attach this now. The CPU_FAN power lead is located near the CPU interface somewhere. The lead will have two small pins on each side, and these pins surround the power plug and the pins are inserted into the holes in the plug. It should be pretty easy and obvious.

Step 6: Installing the Memory

At this point, please consult your motherboard manual for placement specifications. Some MB's require that the memory modules be placed in a certain array, while others let you choose any slot. Regardless of type, memory module installation is the same.

1. Ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal object. This will discharge any built up static electricity in your body.
2. Pick up the memory module by its edges.
3. Decide which slots you are going to use and orient the memory module over it. The module slot will have a small plastic bridge which will be off-center in the socket. This will match up with a notch in the module placement slot, thus there is only one way you can insert the module.
   
4. Insert the memory module. Make sure the notches in the RAM line up with the little bumps in the slot.
5. Lock the module in place. Usually, all you have to do is continue to press the memory module down until the ejector clips on either side of the memory slot automatically get pushed into the closed position. Sometimes, you may need to help the ejector clips close, but the idea here is that those clips need to close so as to lock the module into place. If they do not close, it is because the module is not inserted all the way into the slot.
6. Repeat this procedure for any other memory modules you are going to install.

Step 7: Installing the motherboard

Once the CPU and memory modules are in place on the motherboard, it is time to install the motherboard.

1. Turn your PC case onto its side and move all the power leads from the power supply out of the way so that you have clear access to the motherboard plate. Some cases have a removable slot to place the motherboard, making this process easier.
   
2. Locate the holes on the motherboard and the holes on the case or motherboard mounting plate. You might want to hold the board just above the case motherboard plate and see which holes on the case line up with holes on the motherboard. All motherboards have mounting holes in different places.
3. Now gather your standoffs. Some cases have these pre-installed, if not, simply screw them in the holes on the case or mounting plate that line up with the holes on the MB.
   
4. For the holes on the motherboard that line up with an eyelet hole on the case (a hole that is very long so that you can slide things in it), install a plastic stand-off on the motherboard. The stand-offs should poke through the motherboard and expand to keep them in place. Some cases already have these installed, so don't worry about this step if your case does.
   
5. Take the motherboard by its edges and hold it over the case. Align it so that it is properly aligned with the rear connectors facing backward, etc.
6. Lower the motherboard into the case and make sure everything aligns.
   
7. Inspect the screws you will use to tighten the board down. If the screws are too wide, place a plastic washer in between, this will avoid in short circuits due to the head of the screw contacting with the MB.
   
8. Tighten the board down. Simple step, just don't tighten the screws too tight.
   
9. If you were installing the board to a removable mounting plate, install the motherboard mounting plate back into the case. On some cases, the plate is installed from the side.
   
10. Double check your work.

Step 8: Connecting the Motherboard

Once the motherboard is inside the case, it is time to make the necessary connections to the motherboard.

1. Connect the power to the motherboard. On an ATX board, the power connector is one large 20 or 24 wire plug. It is keyed for correct installation. Just plug it in. The board may also require a square, 4pin +12v plug and even a spare 4pin Molex or two. Check your manual to make sure the board is fully powered.
2. Connect the CPU fan to the power. Many CPU fans connect to one of the power supply leads. They often, then, provide a pass-through so that you have a connector free for a drive, thereby placing the CPU fan on the circuit to a particular drive. Others have a little 3-pin lead that connects to a small connector on the motherboard itself. Just plug it into the motherboard. The connector is usually labeled CPU_FAN 1, or something to that effect. If your cooling uses the 3-pin type and you are following this tutorial to the letter, then this is likely already done.
3. Study the case connectors on the motherboard and match them up with case connector wires.
   
4. Connect the power switch - On ATX machines, the power switch is connected to the motherboard instead of the power supply itself. Consult your manual. The connector is usually labeled PWR_SW, or maybe just PWR, but you must make this connection. Doing this wrong could cause yoursystem not to start later.
5. Connect the reset switch. It can be plugged in any way, just make sure you connect it to the right pins. The pins may be labeled RST or RESET, but it is best to also consult the manual.
6. Connect Power LED/ Keylock Switch. Many system cases put these two devices on one 5-pin plug, but if you case does not have a keylock, it will be alone. The motherboard will probably be labeled accordingly. Just plug in the plug. If your system has separate plugs for each, connect them separately.
7. Connect the hard drive activity LED. Some come on a 2-pin plug. Others come on a four-pin plug, sometimes only two of the pins actually doing anything. Consult your manual, or play with it until it works. It is usually labeled HDD, HDD_LED, or something like that. If this is attached wrongly, the light may either never come on later or will stay on all the time when the PC is running.
8. Connect the PC speaker. Most cases put this onto a 4-wire plug. Just plug it in to the 4 pins on the motherboard. Other cases put the speaker connector on two 1-wire plugs. In this case, plug them into pins 1 and 4. I never could figure out why they did that…
9. Double-Check your work, as always. Note that if an LED does not light up, its case connector needs to be flipped 180 degrees.

Once again, please refer to the motherboard and case manuals to connect everything correctly.

Step 9: Configuring the CD Drives and Hard Drive(s)

Your motherboard has two built-in IDE channels, each supporting two devices. If two devices are on one channel, one must be the “master” and the other the “slave”. Usually, your primary hard drive (the one which contains the operating system) is the master and the other drive is the slave. If you only intend to install one hard drive and having nothing else on that IDE channel, then you can select the “cable select” setting for the drive, which tells the drive it is alone on the channel.

You can attach any IDE device onto your IDE channels in any order. But, it is recommend you use IDE1 for your hard drives and IDE2 for your CD drives. It is always best to keep the CD drives on a separate channel from the hard drives.

Configuring these drives is very easy. Often the jumper settings are printed on the top of the drive itself. On CD drives, the settings are described right above the jumper pins. On hard drives, the information is printed on the top of the hard drive, if it is printed at all. If not, then consult the manual for it or go online to try finding the specs. The manuals will also outline any special jumper settings such as use of the limiter jumper on Maxtor hard drives.

If you are using SATA Hard drives, you are in luck. Because each SATA drive uses its own channel, there is no need for jumpers or worrying about master/slave relationships.

Step 10: Installing the Hard Drive

***Some cases give room under the power supply to install a hard drive. Bad idea. A power supply is like a magnet, and magnets and your data do not go together. Don’t install a hard drive anywhere near the power supply. Keep your hard drive near the front of the case.***

1. Slide in the hard drive. If you are using a removable drive rack, just push the drive into the rack so that the screw holes line up. If your case has the drive rack as part of the chassis, then just lift the drive into the case and line up the screw holes on the drive with the drive rack. Be sure the drive connectors face toward the back of the case.
2. Fasten the hard drive into place using your screws. With or without removable racks, the placement for the hard drives is obvious.
   
3. If using a removable drive rack, you can now install the rack back into your case. Some racks are fastened into place using a simple thumb lever. Others need to be screwed in.
4. If you have any other hard drives which you are installing as you build your PC, then repeat the 4 steps above for the other drive.
5. Attach the power cable. Choose an unused power lead from the power supply and plug it into the power plug on the hard drive. The plug will be keyed so that it will only go in the correct way. SATA connectors are thin and black; they are obviously different from other white Molexes.
6. Attach the ribbon cable to the hard drive. The ribbon cable goes from the primary IDE controller of the motherboard to the drive, usually labeled IDE1. Make sure the red edge of the ribbon cable is aligned with Pin 1 on the drive ribbon connector. As for the cable itself, usually you have two plugs closer together on one end of the cable and then a third plug on the far end of the cable. The far plug plugs into the motherboard. Of the two remaining cables, there are no requirements as to which plug to use on which hard drive. If you are only installing one hard drive, just use whichever one of those plugs reaches the drive best without stretching the ribbon cable out. If you are installing two hard drives, then plan it out so that you can use both connectors in whichever order works best. With SATA the ribbon cable goes to an SATA controller. Start with SATA_1 and move on if you have multiple drives.

Installing the CD-ROM drives is almost the exact procedure, use common sense to figure it out.

Step 11: Installing the Video Card

If you do not have a video card and your motherboard has on-board video, skip this step. If you did purchase a video card, here's how to install it.

1. Find an expansion slot ideal for your video card. You can consult the bottom right image for a look at the three types of video card slot types: ISA, PCI or AGP. Most video cards in use today use the AGP or PCI-Express slot.
   
2. Remove the case insert that corresponds to the slot on the motherboard. This is usually done by unscrewing, but some cases have punch out inserts. If unclear, what we are referring to by “insert” is the small plate which covers up the rear slots on your case which your expansion cards will emerge from.
3. Insert the video card in the slot. You might need to rock the card in, inserting one end first, then rocking the rest of the pins into place.
   
4. With the video card inserted into the correct slot, it will probably sit there with no support at all. It is still, though, necessary to tighten it in using a screw. The card’s metal plate will have a notch for a screw and it will line up with a screwhole on the side of the expansion hole on the rear of the case. Just insert a screw into that hole and tighten it.
5. Double-check your work. Make sure the card is securely in place and, if your video card has a cooling fan on it, make sure no ribbon cables or power leads are getting into the fan blades.

Step 12: Double Check Your Work

Here is a list of everything that you should make sure of after following the previous steps.

• Drives properly connected to the power supply
• CPU fan attached to the power supply or to the power connector on the motherboard
• If this is an older AT machine, ensure the P8 and P9 main power connectors are installed properly, with black wires in middle.
• The 110/220 volt switch on the back of the power supply is configured properly for your area
• Ribbon cables attached correctly and securely.
  
• All connections tight, no connectors off by one set of pins
• If there are any key motherboard settings which are jumper-controlled, ensure these settings are correct
• No wires or ribbon cables protruding into fan blades
• Power switch connector on ATX machines properly connected to the PWR_SW pins on the motherboard. If this is not properly done, the machine may not even turn on when the switch is pressed.

Step 13: Initial Boot-Up

Let’s get everything connected and prepared to turn it on:

1. Connect your mouse and keyboard
2. Connect your monitor to the video card and connect the power cord to the monitor.
3. Connect the power cord to your power supply on the PC itself.

Okay, now for boot up time!

1. Stick your system disk into the A: drive( This corresponds to the floppy, but floppy drives are obsolte now!). You should have prepared or gotten a system disk in the first step of this tutorial. If you are using a bootable CD-ROM (as is the case with Windows XP) then just stand by on this because the CD drive will not be openable until the power is on.
2. Turn your monitor on and let it heat up a few seconds before proceeding. Heating it up for a few seconds ensures you don’t miss any potential error messages because the CRT tube is not ready to display an image.
3. Before hitting the power switch, take note of what to expect. If you notice something awry right away, you may need to quickly turn the PC back off. Here’s what to look for:

   a. The power LED should turn on

   b. The CPU and Power Supply fans should start spinning

   c. The hard drive should power up.

   d. You will see the video BIOS screen first, then you will see the BIOS screen and it will proceed to count the memory.

   e. You may hear one beep from the PC speaker. If you get more than on beep, something is wrong.
   

   f. You may also get a “CMOS checksum error” or another error saying the CMOS or time isn’t set.

   g. Know what key(s) to hit to enter CMOS setup. This will be shown on the bottom of the screen usually during the memory count. You will want to press the stated key combination to enter setup immediately because CMOS setup is the next step.

   h. If you hear any weird sounds such as grinding, scraping, or loud whining, be ready to turn the system off immediately.

   i. Keep in mind that if you miss the stated sequence to enter the CMOS setup before the boot sequence moves on, there is nothing wrong with just hitting the reset button and rebooting until you do catch what it is. It will not hurt your PC to reset it immediately or turn it off quickly if you notice a problem.

4. Press the power switch. If it powers up, observe the system closely. As soon as the BIOS screen appears, press the appropriate key(s) and enter CMOS setup. If you miss it, don't worry, just hit the reset key and try again.
   
5. If everything started up as expected and you successfully got into the CMOS setup screen, just let it sit there while you take out a flash light and inspect the system as it is running. Make sure all the fans are running. Make sure everything is operating smoothly.

Step 14: Configuring the BIOS

When you get into CMOS for the first time, do the following:

1. Go into your Standard CMOS Setup screen. Ensure your video settings are correct (typically EGA/VGA) and that your floppy disk is properly set to the size you are using (usually 1.44M). You will see settings for IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave. If these items are not already properly set for the hardware you have, have the BIOS auto-detect your drives for you. Don't worry about setting the time, you can do this later using your operating system
   
2. Unless your board has jumper-controlled processor and voltage settings, you will need to set these options in your CMOS now. Just to be safe, set these settings to AUTO. You will most likely not have a jumper-controlled processor, so skip this step if you don't.
   
3. Confirm your boot order. One of the screens in your CMOS (many times the Advanced Features screen) will have a boot order option. This controls the order in which the PC will look for a copy of something to boot off of, whether it is a full operating system or just a diskette or CD. In a little bit you will be installing your full operating system and will need to boot the system beforehand. If you are using a standard system diskette, make sure A: (or your floppy) is enabled to be first in line(Once again, you will most likely not have a floppy drive). In this case, you might want to also check to be sure that if there is a setting to disable seeking out the floppy altogether, that is set to indeed seek out the floppy drive (some people set this to off so as to make the boot process faster, but you cannot do that while building). If you are going to be booting from a CD (as is probably the case if you will be installing Windows XP) then make sure your CD-ROM is first in line.

After this step, leave your computer on for about 10 minutes to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Step 15: Installing the Operating System

Congratulations! Now that you've made it this far, all of the hardware aspects of the build are complete.

If your computer is still on, insert the CD-ROM that contains your operating system installation and reboot. Make sure you have the CD-ROM set to boot first in your CMOS settings. Once the computer reboots, it will recognize the CD-ROM and the program within it will take you through the steps of installing your new operating system.

Final Step: Cleaning Up

Once you are welcomed to your virgin version of your operating system, there's a few things you must do.

1. Enable your firewall.
2. Next, connect to Windows Update by visiting www.windowsupdate.com using Internet Explorer. Scan for Updates and then go directly to the critical updates and service packs section. If there are any major service packs listed, install them now and reboot.
3. Install your motherboard’s chipset drivers. Most likely, your motherboard came with a CD which contained drivers for the chipset as well as any integrated hardware. You can install this software and drivers now from the CD. You should also check the motherboard manufacturer’s website and see if there is any updated driver software since the CD was created. After installing these drivers, reboot again.
4. Go back to windows update, and install any other updates, including DirectX.
5. Now, visit the website of your video card manufacturer and download the latest drivers for your video card. Install them. You will likely need to reboot again.
6. Lastly, you should install any remaining hardware and drivers for your computer. Install the sound card drivers as well as the drivers for any remaining hardware. Visit the manufacturer’s website to see if there are more recent versions of each. You may need to reboot after each installation. Simply go through each until each component in your PC has the required drivers installed.
7. Finally, if you are running Windows, activate it. The safest way to activate it is online, and Microsoft makes this an easy process.

Congratulations! You new PC is ready to go. From here, do whatever the hell you want with it!