Installing The Motherboard
The motherboard is the most expensive computercomponent so be sure to treat and handle it withgreat care.There are a few things you should doto ensure no motherboard damage occur as youprepare for the installation.
Be sure you have a clean,well lit,and level workplace.Relax your mind and make this task bothfun and educational.You will need such tools asa phillips screwdriver,maybe some needle nosepliers and the manual that came with the board.
Most importantly you must remove any and allelectrical static discharge from your body andclothes.Static electricity is a big problem and willquickly damage chips on your new board.
PREPARING FOR THE INSTALLATION
Preparing to work on your system envolves work area,lighting,and much more.One great danger is the chance of electrical static charge.But this will be no problem when this static buildup is properly removes.
Remove this danger by grounding yourself.Touch the metal case of the system unit or better yet,touch a door nobt in your work area to remove all electrical static charge.
Set down and carefully read your user's manual andfamiliarize yourself with your new motherboard andits layout.Taking this time will boost your motherboardinstallation performance ike you never thought.
Study your new motherboard and keep the box it camein.Remove it from its protective wrap very carefully andwithout damaging the wrap.This is done just in case youneed to return the motherboard.
You may need to return the motherboard if you made anymistakes in the purchase.Does the holes of your newmotherboard line up with the holes in the case?If there are any reason to return the board,you can simply put it back in the box to return.
Make the installation of your new motherboard fun andprepare well.Follow these procedures asa guildline to install your new motherboard.
REMOVING THE OLD MOTHERBOARD
First Turn on your computer and access your cmos setup.This is done as the computer counts its memory.Pressthe combination of keys to access your bios.once insideyour bios,select "Standard CMOS Setup" and write downall information about your computer's drives
Make sure you get the density of your floppy drives and the type of hard drive you have. Once you have this, turn off andunplug the computer and remove the case.
Second Study your system unit layout and you may want totake notes as your remove components and connectionsso that it will be easier when it comes to re-installing thesecomponents or connections.
Go about unplugging the wires that are connected to yourold motherboard.Remember to label any and all connectionsto make re-installing them easier later.Here's where its veryimportant to take awhile to study your old and new boardsbefore disconnecting anything.
Third Carefully disconnect all drives and label the connectorsif needed.Remove the drives and set them out of the way ina safe place.Place all small screws in a cup or somethingwhere them won't get lost.
Carefully grasp the motherboard and give it a gentle tugupwards to be sure on connections,screws,or other devicesare not interferring with the board's removal.
Once you are certain there are no obstruction for the boardto be removed,lift the board out of the system unit.Look tosee if such components as the memory need to be installedonto the new motherboard.
INSTALLING THE NEW MOTHERBOARD
Installing the new motherboard is the reverse order of removingthe old motherboard.Be sure you remove all electrical staticdischarge from you body and clothes.Inspect the new boardfor damage and to be certain it is the right motherboard foryour computer.
Carefully align the new motherboard with the system unit caseand secure the board.Be careful not to secure the screws toomuch.Install the CPU chip if it is not installed on the board fromthe manufacturer.
Connect the large power connector from the power supplythe the motherboard connector.Take care in not forcing theconnector which may bend a pin.
Install RAM Memory into their sockets and check to be surethey are puched in completely.Re-connect all other devicessuch as controllers,expansion cards and finally the drives.
Check the sound,and videos cards for proper installation.Did you install your internal modem,or scanner adapter card?Connect the leads to the On-Off switch as well the hard driveindicator.
After all connections and components are installed,stop andgo back to check again,and then,check some more.Replacethe system unit cover once you know all is well.
Your system should now be ready to go.The motherboard maycome with a cdrom containing device drivers and other softwareutilities that may be required to be installed.
Now try turning on the computer and if the POST completed without a hitch,you're there.If you experience problems,go backand check all connections and devices.
It that easy to install or upgrade not only the motherboard,butnearly every other component in the system unit.Get busyunderstanding your computer now and save big on future PCrepair costs.