First Boot and BIOS Setup

Now that we have finished building the PC lets connect the base unit to a mains outlet. Connect a keyboard, mouse and monitor so that we are ready for the first boot. Turn the PC on by pressing the power switch. If everything goes well you will hear a short beep followed by a boot screen. At this stage we need to enter the BIOS to check that all the hardware is detected correctly. We will also make few changes so that we are ready to install an operating system such as Windows 7.
To enter bios setup press the delete key as the computer boots up. Please note it could be a different key on your system such as F1, so check your boot screen or manual for more details. This is the main bios setup menu.

Lets select the Intelligent Tweeker menu by pressing enter. As you can see the CPU speed, memory speed and size are detected correctly. Press escape to go back to the previous menu.

Lets enter Standard CMOS features. As you can see the hard drive and dvd writer are also detected correctly.

This time we will enter the Advanced BIOS features.

We will make our first boot device CDROM, and second boot device as hard disk.

By doing this we can make sure that the computer boot from Windows 7 DVD that is placed in the DVD drive. If the hard drive is set to first boot device it will not boot as it has no operating system installed.

Finally we can save & exit setup. At this stage you can place a operating system disc in the DVD drive and you are ready to install your chosen operating system.

This concludes our PC building guide. We hope you enjoyed these videos and managed to build your own perfect PC.
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How to Attach ATX Power Connector & Header Cables

To power up your motherboard you need to attach the power cables from the power supply unit. Your case has many header cables which also needs to be connected to the motherboard so the switches, led, usb sockets on front panel of the case functions properly.

Label 1 below shows the location of the ATX 2.0 power connector. It has 24 pins. It powers the motherboard and all the components. It has a fool proof design and only fits one way. Place the connector on top of the power socket making sure you are holding it the right way. Push the connector into the socket until it locks into position.

Label 2 shows the location of ATX 12 Volts connector. It has 4 pins. It powers the processor. The connector only fits one way. Push the connector into the socket until it locks into place.

Label 3 shows the location for the header connectors. Your case has header cables for front USB, firewire, power switch, power LED, reset switch, speaker, etc. Connect each header cable to the labeled header as shown below. While attaching these little cables make sure the positive and negative pins are correct. Read your motherboard manual for more details.

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How to install a SATA DVD Writer | Pioneer S18 DVD-RW Drive

To install a software or an operating system you need some kind of DVD drive. Using a DVD writer you can have best of both world as it allows reading and writing to DVD media. DVD writers are very useful for backing up your data. It is also very economical due to the cost of DVD media. Installing a DVD writer is a very simple process. If you have a retail drive it will come with mounting screws. The first thing you need to do is locate an empty drive bay. Take out the plastic or metal cover that is blocking the access to the bay. Depending on your ATX case, you can either push the cover from inside the case to release it or you need to pull off the front panel as I have done on this ATX case.

Once the plastic cover is out you can slide the DVD writer into the drive bay. Make sure the drive aligns perfectly with the case as shown below:

Lock the drive into place using the lock slider or if your case does not have locking mechanism you can just screw it into place. Attach the Sata power cable by gently pushing it into the socket. It will only fit one way so check the orientation before pushing it into place. Attach the Sata data cable to the DVD writer. It only fits one way. The connectors are like an L shape, so check the orientation to match the DVD writer before pushing it into place.

Finally attach the other end of the data cable to an empty SATA socket on the motherboard.

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How to install a SATA Hard Drive | Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.12

Installing a SATA hard drive is a very simple and straight forward task. Unlike IDE hard drives there are no jumpers to set and each drive connects to the motherboard using an individual SATA cable. There are other advantages to using a SATA hard drive such as much faster data transfer and better performance. If your motherboard has a E-SATA port then you can even use a SATA hard drive externally.

The first thing to do is choose an empty 3.5 inch hard drive bay. Position the drive so its ready to be inserted into the bay. Gently slide the hard drive into the bay as shown. Make sure the circuit side of the hard drive is facing down towards the bottom of the case. Finally lock the hard drive into place using the lock slider or if your case does not have a lock mechanism you can just screw it into place.

The image below is a SATA power cable. Attach the SATA power cable by gently pushing it into place.

It will only fit one way so check the orientation before pushing it into place.

The image below is SATA data cable. Attach the SATA data cable to the hard drive. It only fits one way.

The connectors are like an L shape so check the orientation to match the hard drive before pushing it into place.

Finally attach the other end of the SATA cable to the motherboard.

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How to install DDR3 SDRAM Memory | Crucial PC3 10600

To build a stable system it is always a good idea to buy high quality memory modules. Over the years I have always used memory from Crucial as you can buy it direct from Crucial website and it comes with life time warranty. The quality of Crucial memory is extremely high and I never had a single problem with them during the 10 years i have been using them. This is the reason I have chosen to use Crucial DDR3 SDRAM on this system. Please note DDR3 may look similar to DDR2 but the pin count are not the same and they are not compatible. So you are out of luck if you want to recycle your old DDR2 memory.
Move both clips on the memory socket to open position. Since we have two DDR3 modules we will insert the first module into socket DIM1 and the second into DIM3. This will run the memory in Dual Channel Mode. DIM1 and DIM3 sockets are colored blue. Please note, if you have 1 module it will be inserted into socket DIM1 and therefore will run in Single Channel mode.

You will notice that the DDR3 memory has a notch at the bottom. This is to prevent the memory from being inserted the wrong way round. Make the orientation of the memory module so that the notch matches the memory socket. Push the memory module down using two fingers or both of your thumbs as shown. You will hear a click as both clips on the memory socket snaps into place.

Repeat the same process for the second module.

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How to install a Processor | Intel i3 540 Socket 1156

The socket on the motherboard below is known as Intel LGA 1156 CPU socket. This socket is designed for Intel i3, i5 and i7 processors. To open the socket gently push the lever handle down and away from the socket and lift upward. This will release the plastic protector. Lift the plastic protector and remove it from the socket. Unlike older generation Intel Motherboard sockets the LGA1156 does not have any holes. Instead the socket has 1156 pins sticking out. These are the pins that make contact with the processor. Please note the 1156 socket is not compatible with 1155 socket used for the new generation Intel Sandy Bridge based processors.

We are using Intel i3 540 processor which are the first generation i3 CPU’s. Take out the processor and the heat sink from box and leave it on the side.

When fitting a processor into the socket be careful to fit it correctly. To make sure this i3 540 processor only fits one way there are two notches on each side of the processor. There is also little gold triangle in one corner to indicate that its pin 1. Make sure pin 1 on the processor is aligned to pin 1 on the socket and the notches align perfectly. If everything is done correctly the processor will easily fall in to place.

Close the CPU lever so it covers the processor. Finally close the lever handle by pushing down then towards the socket until it locks into position.

The next thing to do is to fit the CPU cooler. If you have a retail boxed processor it will come with an Intel CPU cooler like the one below. It has thermal paste applied on the heat sink so there is no need to add extra. The cooler has four push pins that fit perfectly into the holes in the motherboard. Place the cooler on top of the holes. Push firmly on top of each push pins. You will hear a click on each one to confirm its locked into position.

Take the CPU cooler power connector and attach it to the 4 pin fan socket. This is a very important step as it powers the fan on top of the heat sink which keeps the CPU cool.

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How to install a Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H

Before installing any components you must discharge yourself from any static energy. This can be done by using an anti static wrist band. Or alternatively by touching a metal surface such as the metallic area of the case.
Before we start mounting the motherboard we need to fit the ATX back plate. These back plates come supplied with the motherboard. Back plates are normally labeled and colour coded. Make sure you are holding the back plate the right way up, and face the labeled side towards the back of the case. Using your fingers push the plate so that it snaps into position. It can take some force to get all the corners into place. Once the back plate sits correctly into place, it should look something like the image below. As you can see, the plate has cut out so the motherboard’s ports fit perfectly in to position.

The gold colored screws below are called standoff screws which are used for mounting the motherboard. Your case may have many holes for the standoff screws. Which holes should you use ? The easiest way to find out which holes to use is to place your motherboard on top of the holes. See which holes on the motherboard line up with the holes on the case. Mark the holes using a pencil. Those are the ones you’ll install the standoffs into.

Do not use extra standoff that does not match the motherboard as it will cause a short circuit. Start placing the standoff’s using your finger and tighten them using a plier.

This is a Gigabyte H55M UD2H motherboard. It has an Intel 1156 socket supporting i3, i5, and i7 processors. Place the motherboard on top of the standoff screws making sure that the ports slide into the back plate first. Use the supplied screws that goes into the standoff’s to secure the motherboard. Place the screws into each hole and tighten it using a screw driver.

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Once the motherboard is in place we are ready to install the processor.

How to install ATX Power Supply | OCZ Xstream 400

I am using an OCZ 400 watts ATX power supply unit. Its enough to power up all the components that we are using. When choosing a PC power supply unit its a good idea to get one that provides slightly more watts than you need. This gives you the flexibility to add more hardware in the future. Before we can install a power supply unit we need to prepare our case. Start off by taking the screws off the case. The cooler master centurium case has 2 screws holding the side panel. Take the screws off and slide open the side panel. If you look at the back of the case you will notice that there is a cut out. This cut out is made for ATX power supply units and therefore any brand of power supply will fit perfectly into place.

Put your case in horizontal position so its easier to work with. Take your power supply and slide it towards the back of the case so that the screw holes on power supply unit align with the holes on the case.

The PSU should fit nicely into place as shown on the image below.

Start putting the screws in using your fingers and then tighten it using a Phillips screw driver as shown. The screws should be supplied with your power supply unit, if not you can use the screws supplied with the case.

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In the next few guides we will fit the various cables on power supply to the correct sockets 

How to Install Windows 8

Windows 8 is Microsoft's latest operating system which is completely redesigned. It moves away from the traditional interface to a completely new interface known as Metro User Interface. The familiar start menu is now gone. Icons and windows are replaced with live tiles and magazine styled interface. Unlike any previous versions, Windows 8 and its variation RT works across multiple architectures and has been optimized for touch screen. So it will work on Intel based PCs or an ARM based tablet.
This step-by-step guide demonstrates how to install Microsoft Windows 8 Professional. You can follow this guide if you have Windows 8 basic edition or any other version as the steps are very similar.
The best way to install Windows 8 is to do a clean install. Before you start the installation process I recommend that you check Windows 8 System Requirements to ensure that your hardware is supported by Windows 8. If you don't have Windows 8 drivers for all your hardware, it is a good idea to download all the drivers from the hardware manufacturers web site and save all the necessary drivers on a CD/DVD or a USB drive before you start the installation.
Windows 8 Professional DVD is bootable. In order to boot from the DVD you need to set the boot sequence. Look for the boot sequence under your BIOS setup and make sure that the first boot device is set to CD-ROM/DVD-ROM.
Step 1 - Place Windows 8 DVD in your dvd-rom drive and start your PC. Windows 8 will start to boot up and you will get the following screen with a rotating progress bar.

Step 2 - The next screen allows you to setup your language, time and currency format, keyboard or input method. Choose your required settings and click next to continue.

Step 3 - The next screen allows you to install or repair Windows 8. Since we are doing a clean install we will click on "install now".

Step 4 - The setup process starts as shown.

Step 5 - At this stage you need to type your product key that came with your copy of Windows 8. Click next once you have entered the product key correctly.

Step 6 - Read the license terms and tick I accept license terms. Then click next to continue.

Step 7 - Choose the type of installation you want. Since you are doing a clean install you need to click on custom.

Step 8 - Choose where you would like to install Windows 8. If you have one hard drive you will get an option similar to the image below. You can click next to continue then go to step 12.

If you have more than one drive or partition then you need to select the appropriate drive and click next. At this stage you can go to step 12.

If you want to partition a large drive then do not click next. Go to step 9.

Step 9 - If you want to partition an existing drive then click new. Choose the size of the partition and click apply.

Step 10 - Click OK to create the partition. Windows will create additional system partition which you don't have to worry about.

Step 11 - You will notice that you have 3 partitions. Partition 1 is system reserved. Leave this partition alone. Partition 2 is 30GB primary partition that was created in the last step. The third partition is unallocated which means it is not being used. You can however format it and use it as a second storage drive. This can be done after windows installation is finished so I will leave it for now.

Choose partition 2 (Primary Partition). This is where I will install Windows 8. Click next to continue.

Step 12 - At this stage Windows starts to copy files to your hard drive and begins the installation. This process might take a few minutes depending on your computer specification. Now is a good time to grab yourself a coffee.

Step 13 - When all the necessary files are copied Windows 8 will automatically restart as shown.

Step 14 - You will go through various progress bar and information messages as shown on the following images. Windows might restart automatically second time.

Step 15 - You are now presented with "Let's go through a few basics" screen. It will automatically select personalize option.

Step 16 - Choose your PC name and personalize the color.

Step 17 - Here you can choose express settings or choose customize. I will choose customize to make further customization.

Step 18 - Choose Yes, turn on sharing and connect to devices.

 

Step 19 - Help protect and update your PC. Choose your preferred option and click next.

                                                           

Step 20 - Send Microsoft info to help make Windows and apps better. Choose your preferred options or leave the default settings. Click next to continue.

Step 21 - Check online for solutions to problem. Choose your preferred options or leave the default settings. Click next to continue.

Step 22 - Sign in to your PC. Here you can login to your PC using a Microsoft email account such as your hotmail account.

If you do not have a Microsoft account you can create one by clicking Sign up for a new email address. Go to Step 23.

If you don't want to create an email account and prefer to create a local user name, click Sign in without a Microsoft account. Go to step 24.

Step 23 - Sign up for a new email address. If you want to create a new email account you need to complete the form below.

Step 24 - Click local account

Step 25 - Here you can choose a local user name and password. Choose finish to continue.

Step 26 - At this stage Windows starts to finalize your settings. You will get the following information screen as the installation moves forward.

Step 27 - As Windows 8 setup progresses you are given a presentation of the new interface. Its shows you how swiping the edge of the screen brings up the Charm bar. Using the Charm bar you can do a search or change your settings. It also demonstrates how you can hover your mouse on the bottom or top left corner to access the switch list. This list shows all open applications and allows you to switch between them.

Step 28 - Soon as the demonstration finishes windows moves into the final stages of the setup.

Step 29 - Finally the setup process is finished and you are presented with a completely new and unfamiliar Metro user interface. You have your most common application right in front of you. Clicking on any tiles will launch that application. At this point you can start using your computer. However, it may not be fully configured. You need to make sure that all the hardware is detected correctly and the necessary device drivers are installed. This can be done from the device manager.

Step 30 - To go to device manager click search on charm bar on the right. Then type devmgmt.msc. Click on the devmgmt icon on the left.

Step 31 - You will see all your hardware listed as shown on the image below. You need to check if you have any yellow exclamation marks next to the name of the devices, similar to "Base System Device" on the image below. This indicates that the driver has not been installed for this device.

At this stage you can install the driver for this device. To do so, Right Mouse click on Base System Device -> Update Driver Software...

Step 32 - You can choose to "Search automatically for updated driver software" or "Browse my computer for driver software". If you have the driver CD or if the driver is on a USB drive then choose "browse my computer for driver software". Window 8 will search and install the driver from the CD or you can locate the driver manually.

Once you have removed all the yellow exclamation marks from the device manager your Windows 8 configuration would be fully complete.

If you need more help you can watch the following video guide :