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STEP 8 : Install Memory
You should now install your memory modules, better known as SIMMs or DIMMs. You probably already took care of all this, but you need to make sure you have the right kind of memory for your motherboard.
Also, make sure the banks are full on your board. On a Pentium system, 72-pin SIMMs must be installed in pairs. DIMMs can be installed alone. On 486 class machines, 72-pin SIMMs can be installed alone while 30-pin SIMMs must be installed in groups of four.
1) Decide which slots you are going to use and orient the SIMM over it. The SIMM is keyed so that it will only go in the right way. Study the SIMM and you will see what I mean, and obviously, if it won't work, turn it around.
2) Install the Module. With SIMMs, you need to stick it in at an angle, about 45 degrees. With DIMMs, they go straight in.
3) Lock the module in place. Obviously, SIMMs doesn’t sit in the motherboard at a 45-degree angle. Rotate it to the vertical position. This may require a bit of muscle, but do not force it. If it is too hard, it is probably installed backwards. When it is vertical, you should see the little plastic or metal clips snap into place, thereby holding the SIMM in place. With DIMMs, all you have to do it close the levers on either side of the DIMM. If they do not close, it is because the DIMM is not inserted all the way into the slot.
4) Done. Now just repeat these steps for each of your memory modules. When you are done, double-check your work.
STEP 9 : Install the Motherboard
Now you need to install the motherboard into the case
1) Once the case is positioned correctly for work, locate the holes on the motherboard and the holes on the case. 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.
2) Now gather your spacers, pictured to the right. Screw them in to the holes in the case or mounting plate that line up with holes on the motherboard. You can tighten them with a 3/16" nut driver.
3) 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. The little disk on the other end of the stand-off will later be used to slide into the eyelet holes. If your case does not provide eyelet holes, do not worry about this step. Some cases use only the metal spacer screws to hold the motherboard.
4) Now slide the board into the case. Make sure it sits on the spacers and that all the spacers’ line up with an available hole on the motherboard. If you have any stand-offs installed, make sure the little disks on them are placed into the wide end of the eyelet hole, and then slide over to the narrow part, thus locking them in. Once the stand-offs are locked in, all spacers should line up. If you have a case with a detachable motherboard mounting plate, simply place the board over the previously placed spacer screws on the plate, and make sure they all line up with holes through the motherboard.
5) Inspect the screws you will use to tighten the board down. If the heads of the screws are too wide, and you think they might contact any circuitry on the motherboard, place a plastic washer over each hole.
6) Tighten the board down. Install the screws into each of the spacers underneath, through the board and the washers if you used them. Tighten them down by hand first, and then finish them with a screwdriver. Make sure you do not tighten them too much. You don't want to crack your board. Just make them snug so that the board doesn't wiggle around in the case.
7) Install motherboard-mounting panel if your case uses one. This usually involves inserting a rail on the bottom end of the plate into a tab or guide on the case. Then, like a hinge, raise the top until the plate is vertical with the board inside the case. This removable plate is then closed by locking in a spring-loaded handle, or simply screwing it in. On other cases, the plate may slide in a different way, then get screwed into place. These plates are then easily removed later if you ever need to remove the motherboard.
8) Double-Check your work. Check to be sure that the back of the motherboard is not touching any part of the case or mounting plate. Make sure the slots and connectors line up with the holes on the back of the case. And definitely be sure that the board is rigid and tight. If you press down on the board at any point, it should not bend down.
STEP 10 : Install the I/O Connectors & Mouse
Now that the motherboard is in place, you can start connecting all the parts of the computer to it. The first step is to install the I/O connectors, such as your parallel and serial ports. Note that if you are installing an ATX motherboard, these connectors are built into the motherboard, and you do not have to do this step.
1) Study the Setup and determine mounting technique. AT style boards almost always come with slot inserts that have the parallel and serial ports mounted on them. These are just screwed onto a couple of your expansion slot bays on the back of the case. While this is easy, it steals the slots away from the motherboard slots, keeping you from using those slots later for expansion cards. To get around tying up these slots, you can remove the actual ports from the metal plate and install them into the dedicated port holes on the back of the case, if your case has them. These holes are located above the regular card slot bays and are usually covered with a metal cap which will need to be pried out with a screwdriver.
2) If you are installing ports on the metal insert, you can now screw these inserts into one of the available slots on the back of the case. It is best to choose a slot near the top, which will not be used for anything else and provides a short enough distance so that the I/O cables can reach the motherboard.
3) If you are installing the ports into the dedicated slots on the case, you should now choose which slots you will use, making sure you choose those that fit your I/O ports, such as 9-pin or 25-pin. Then remove the cover from these slots. Some cases hold these covers on with a screw. With others, the cover is a metal punch, where you can remove it with a screwdriver and bending it until it snaps off.
4) If the ports are installed in a metal insert, un-install them now. Then install them into the appropriate case slot. You can tighten them in with hexagonal nuts, just like those used on the metal insert.
5) Either way you installed the ports, they are installed now. All you need to do is connect them to the motherboard. Using the board's manual, determine which connectors are for the ports, usually labeled PRNT, for printer or LPT1, then COM1 and COM2. Most likely, the 9-pin connector connects to the COM 1 connector on the motherboard. Pay attention to pin 1 on the connectors. Make sure the red side of the ribbon cable is lined up with pin 1.
If you are using a serial mouse, it will simply plug into the 9-pin connector you just installed. If you will be using a PS/2 mouse with this system, then this connector is attached the same way. Install the insert near the PS/2 connector on the motherboard. The connect the PS/2 cable to the connector, usually consisting of a few pins sticking straight up off the board.
STEP 11 : Connect The Motherboard to the Case
In this step, you will connect the motherboard up to the power supply and all of the various case connections.
1) Connect the power to the motherboard. On an AT system, find the two large 6-wire leads from the power supply labeled P8 and P9. These two connectors will connect to the large 12-pin power connector on the motherboard, usually right behind the keyboard connector. MAKE SURE THE BLACK WIRES ARE IN THE MIDDLE, RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER. This is very important, because forgetting it has fried many motherboards. You may need to play with them to get them in, due to the funny little tabs placed on one side. But, they do fit, trust me. On an ATX board, the power connector is one large 20-wire one. It is keyed for correct installation.
2) Connect the CPU fan to the power. Most 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.
3) Study the case connectors on the motherboard and match them up with case connector wires. Some boards label the pins, but it is best to have your manual since it can sometimes be difficult to determine which label goes to which set of pins. If you have a good case, each connector will be labeled to tell you what case feature it leads to. If this isn't the case, you may have to physically trace the wires back to see what feature it goes to. When connecting, consult the manual for pin 1's, to make sure each connector is plugged in the right way. Remember that if the particular case feature is not working later, you may only have to turn the connector around on the motherboard.
4) Connect Turbo Switch. If your case has one. If not, you can simply roll up the wire and stuff it aside or tie it up with a garbage bag tie.
5) Connect the power switch - ATX form factor only. On ATX machines, the power switch is connected to the motherboard instead of the power supply itself. Consult your manual.
6) 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.
7) Connect Power LED/ Keylock Switch. Many system cases put these two devices on one 5-pin plug. The motherboard will probably be labeled such. Just plug in the plug. If your system has separate plugs for each, connect them separately.
8) Connect the Turbo LED. Like the turbo switch, this is a relic. You can connect it if you wish, although many boards just light it and don't really do anything with it at all. If you wish, you can skip it. Some also connect it to a different part, such as a SCSI adapter, and use it for SCSI drive activity instead.
9) Connect the hard drive activity LED. Some 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.
10) 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.

 

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