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PC Installation, Configuration and
Upgrading
Part1
Key functions of a PC
(Personal Computer):
 | Input
| | Processing
| | Output
| Storage |
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System Components
System case
| Desktop or tower
| Designs: AT or ATX
| Cover, front panel, rear panel |
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Motherboard
| (aka Planar board, system board)
| Expansion slots (PCI, ISA, AGP)
| ROM BIOS Chip
| CMOS Battery
| ATX power connector
| I/O ports (parallel and serial)
| PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports.
| Memory slots (SIMMs, DIMMs)
| CPU slot, socket
| EIDE connectors |
| | | | | | | | |
CPU
| Central Processing Unit (aka processor)
| PGA (Pin Grid Array, socket) or SEC (Single-Edge Cartridge, slot) |
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Memory
| ROM (Read-Only Memory)
| RAM (Random Access Memory)
| System RAM
| Cache RAM
| ROM BIOS
| CMOS RAM |
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System Clock
| Synchronizes all parts and operations of the PC (IRQ 0) |
Speaker
| Part of the system board
| Indicates hardware errors |
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PSU
| Converts AC (wall) to DC (inside case)
| DC +/- 5 V and +/- 12 V
| Typically, 220-230 W
| AT motherboard to power supply connectors: P8 and P9 (black wires
together)
| ATX motherboard to power supply connectors: P1
| Power supply to hard drive connectors: molex
| Power supply to floppy drive connectors: mini-molex |
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Main Peripherals
The Main PC peripherals are keyboard, monitor and mouse.
Monitor
| Analog device
| | Compatibility
| Resolution (800x600, 1024x768)
| Non-interlacing (flicker rate)
| Dot pitch
| Refresh rate (vertical): 60 Hz, 72 Hz
| Viewable size |
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Video/Graphics Card
| DAC (Digital-Analog Converter)
| Screen images stored in RAM areas call UMA (385KB) plus onboard RAM
| Display resolution
| Number of Colors
| Standards: CGA, EGA, VGA, ...SVGA (to 16 million colors, 1600x1200) |
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Ports, Cabling, Connectors
I/O Ports
Port gender
| Male: pin connectors
| Female: hole connectors |
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Parallel Ports (IEEE
1284):
| Compatibility/Standard/Centronics mode: 8 bit (original)
| Nibble, Bi-Tronics mode: 4 bit, bi-directional channel
| Byte mode (enhanced bi-directional) mode: 8 bit, PS/2 parallel port,
bi-directional
| ECP (Extended Capabilities Port)
| Bi-directional 8-bit operation: can tell data from commands (CD-ROMs,
Scanners, Printers)
| EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port): bi-directional 8-bit, daisy-chain peripheral
support.
| Problems: electronic noise, signal loss, and data skew – the longer the
cable the more data is skewed (delayed and out of synch between the
individual wires)
| Max cable lengths about 5 m |
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Standard Serial Ports (RS-232C)
| DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) – interface with users (all computers)
| DCE (Data Communications Equipment) – interface with DTE (modems, mice,
devices)
| Max cable length usually 30 m |
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Universal Serial Bus (USB)
Ports
| Data-intensive tasks
| One host (e.g. PC) and one or more devices (up to 127 daisy-chained)
| Support for hot-pluggable devices (computer does not need to be restarted
or turned off)
| No need for external power (powered by the bus) usually
| Data rate is 12 Mb/s with a shielded cable, 1.5 Mb for unshielded.
| Max cable length 5 m |
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Small Computer Systems/Standard Interface (SCSI)
Ports
| Uses parallel data stream, hardware handshaking, and control signals
| One SCSI controller and one or more devices (up to 7, or 15)
| Internal or external connectors
| Can look exactly like a parallel printer port (DB25F) |
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Network Ports
| BNC
| RJ-45
| RJ-11 connectors |
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IrDA Ports and IrDA PDAs
| Infrared Device Association
| Infrared serial link
| “line of sight” communication
| (some PDAs are USB) |
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Cables
| Watch cable orientation
| Watch cable quality
| Watch cable length (data skew and electromagnet interference - EMI) |
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Connectors
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Port
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Connector
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Parallel
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DB25 female
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Serial
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DB9 male
DB25 male
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PS/2 (or mini-DIN)
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6-pin female
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AT keyboard
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5-pin female DIN
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Video
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15-pin female in
3 rows
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SCSI
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DB25F
Centronics 50-pin
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EIDE
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ATA 40-pin
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Thinnet (10Base2)
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BNC
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Ethernet (10BaseT) and
Token Ring
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RJ-45
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Phone, Modem
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RJ-11
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Communication Ports
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First serial port
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COM1
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3F8
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Second serial port
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COM2
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2F8
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Third serial port
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COM3
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3E8
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Fourth serial port
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COM4
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2E8
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First parallel port
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LPT1
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378
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Second parallel port
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LPT2
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278
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Interface Cards
Interface cards are integrated circuit boards that fit into an
expansion slot on the motherboard.
Expansion Card/Bus Types:
| NIC: Network Interface Card
| Sound Card
| SCSI Card
| Modem card
| I/O card (ports): Input/Output
| ISA: Industry Standard Architecture
| EISA: Extended Industry Standard Architecture
| MCA: Micro Channel Architecture
| VL-Bus: VESA Local-Bus (Video Electronics Standards Association)
| PCI: Peripheral Component Interconnect
| AGP: Accelerated Graphics Port |
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Install and configure peripherals
Typical installation of a peripheral:
- Power off the PC and remove the mains power cord
- Take ESD precautions
- Remove system case cover
- Find available expansion slot
- Remove blanking plate (covering slot at the back of the system case)
- Insert PC card, pressing firmly into place, and securing with a screw
- Replace case
- Connect external cables (including the mains power cord)
- Power on
- Check BIOS, Plug n Play
- Install drivers (Add/Remove Hardware)
- Check for conflicts in Device Manager
- Test the peripheral.
Always follow these steps each time, for every peripheral you
install, even if installing more than one at a time. Ensure the first one is
working properly before starting the next.
Modems
| Modulate/Demodulate
| Internal, external, PCMCIA modems
| Converts digital computer signals to audible analog tones to send data
(modulation) and reconverts analog signals to digital to receive data
(demodulation) over phone lines
| Asynchronous transmission (serial) with start and stop bits
| Speeds: V.34 - 28.8 Kbps; V.90 - 56 Kbps (Kilobits per second)
| Flow control
| Software (XON and XOFF) and Hardware (RTS and CTS) handshaking
| Data compression |
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Modem AT (Command Language) Commands
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A
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Answer
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D
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Dial
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DT
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Dial with dial tones
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H
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Hang up
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Z
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Reset
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/
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Repeat last command
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e.g. ATDT1234567
Duplexing
| Simplex: one-way communication
| Half-duplex: two-way communication, one direction at a time
(walkie-talkie)
| Full duplex: two-way simultaneous communication (telephone) |
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Error Detection
| Current modem standards: V.42 MNP4 and V.42 LAPM
| Parity check: adds a parity bit to each piece of data (sum = even/odd),
not reliable (cannot detect double-bit errors)
| Checksum: sends value as last two bits
| Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC): algorithm that divides a block of data by a
binary number (16 or 32 bit) and the remainder is the checksum. |
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