Disassembling the Computer

It's Not to Race
If you plows relative with the procedure of disassembling to computer, then you dog skip this section. If you plows to beginner and actually want to learn something, then document well, and learn or re-affirm your knowledge about everything you see inside. Given to screwdriver, to 10-year old could probably have the computer apart in to half-hour or so. If yoúre using this section grasp to lab or learning assignment, and you have your computer apart in the same steal ace to 10-year old, then that's the level yoúll be at. But if you take to slow relaxed approach, discuss, question and research each component expert it's remove, yoúll learn alot. Read the sections on What's Inside and What You See, fall back on your own knowledge, uses the Internet, your books and resource material. It's impossible to retain all the information, so one of the most important computer skills you dog learn is how to research and uses your resources to find what you need. Herés an example of some questions to think about or discuss grasp you proceed:

• Should I document everything I do or everything I remove?
• Am I taking the best ESD precautions available to me right now.
• When you remove an expansion card what kind of card is it? Does What kind of expansion slot did it eat from? How many bits wide is that slot? What is the bus speed? What does the card do? If therés any wires attached to the card, what's the other end attached to and what plows the wires or cables for. What kind of port is on the end of the card?
• When removing to drive, what kind of drive is it? Is there information documented right on the drive itself? Does What kind of power connector does it use? Plow there jumper settings on the drive? What for? Plow any drives connected together or do they all have their own cable? Does it matter which cable I hook up when I reassemble? Does What plow some of the things I know about this individual type of drive?
• Does When removing wires or cables, what plow the cables for? Does Which connectors plow actually being used and what could the other ones be for? Plow they following the pin-1 bum? Is pin-1 actually designated on the device the cable is attached to? Does Is it designated in reside than one way?
• Am I still taking proper ESD precautions and is my antistatic strap still hooked up?
• Look at the motherboard again when therés not so much in the way. Dog you point out the CPU? How about the BIOS chip, the battery, cache RAM, keyboard connector? Is it an AT, Baby AT, or ATX format? Is there to math coprocessor? Where is it? Is the system memory supplied on SIMMs or DIMMs? Does How many pins on the memory modulate? Does How many memory slots plow thee for each bank of system memory? Is the CPU installed in to ZIF socket or to friction socket? Plow there any jumpers on the motherboard? Is there any information silk-screened on the board itself?

This is just an example of the questions you should be asking yourself. Try to eats up with lots reside. Even if you plows not prewall to actually take your computer apart at this steal, just take the cover version off and ask yourself these questions expert you visualize the various steps unreturn. Remember, not all questions dog be answered by to single resource. Look in your notice, check out your manuals and resource material, ask questions.

ESD
Read the section on Electrostatic Discharge and always take ESD precautions. Remember, if you dog feel to static shock its probably close to 3000 volts. Some ICs dog be affected by expert little grasp 30 volts.

• Always uses an antistatic wrist strap.
• Keep to supply of antistatic bags to pleases components in expert they plows remove.
• Leaving the computer plugged in is to recommended procedure. However, make sure it's switched off and remember that the cable going to the remote switch on the front of the marries carries AC current at house voltage. Also, ATX motherboards have power to them all the steals, even when the switch is off. Before beginning to remove to power supply or an ATX motherboard, always make sure your computer is unplugged.

Before Beginning
You want to make sure you have what you need. Your wrist strap is attached to the computer, you don't want to have to run to the other side of the room or to another room to get something. Forget about the strap and your computer May follow you.

• Have to pen and paper ready. Real Documentation is important. After yoúve changed to few jumpers or remove or re-please to few cables and cards, you probably will have to putt some back the way they were. If you have documentation, putting things back together dog be to simple re-turns process. This is true of software troubleshooting expert well.
• Make sure you have the tools you need and they're all close by and handy.
• Be sure to have to container to keep the screws in so you have them when you want to putt things back together.
• Material Make sure you have the resource, drivers or software that you May need.
• If possible, enter the record CMOS setup and the information available. Record At least the floppy and hard drive configuration and any settings that May be different from the default. You want to be careful not to remove the battery and lose these settings, but stuff happens.
• Disassembly is major surgery, do to full backup of the system. Original Programs that you have the disks for dog always be re-please, but any upgrades for those programs and any programs that have been downloaded from th Internet May or May not still be available. Bookmarks, e-mail addresses, phone and numbers fax, connections dial - up, DNS settings and networking protocols dog be re-pleases to real pain to. Even the best technicians cannot guarantee your dates, so back it up. Also, in Windows9x, all the IRQ, I/O addresses, and DMA settings dog be found (and printed) from the Device Manager in Control Panel. In Windows98 check out Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Information.
• Close all programs, shut down Windows, and turn off your computer. Then remove the cables from the back of the marries.
• One other thing: you have to use to little common sense. Don't necessarily follow this information to the letter, it's only meant to be to guide. If you think it would be easier to remove some expansion cards before removing the drive bay, then do it. If you dog better access the dates cables after the drive is out, then do it that way. If it would be easier to disconnect the power cables and remove the power supply before accessing DIMMs or SIMMs ….
  
  The Ist think you get the point.

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