Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
You may also find it useful to have some Nylon cable ties (not the paper-covered
wire-type twist ties) for dressing cables after you build the system. Canned air
and a clean microfiber dust cloth are useful for cleaning components that you
are migrating from an older system. A new eraser can be helpful for cleaning
contacts if you mistakenly grab an expansion card by the connector tab.
SoftwareTools
In addition to hand tools, you should have the following software tools avail-
able when you build your system. Some are useful when you build the system,
others to diagnose problems. We keep copies of our standard software tools
with our toolkit. That way, we have everything we need in one place. Here are
the software tools we recommend:
Operating system distribution discs
OS distribution discs are needed when you build a system, and may also
be needed later to update system software or install a peripheral. We al-
ways burn copies of the distribution discs to CD-R or DVD+R and keep a
copy with our toolkit. If you use Windows, remember to record the initial-
ization key, serial number, and other data you'll need to install the soft-
ware. Use a felt-tip permanent marker to record this data directly onto
the disc immediately after you burn it. It also helps to record the same
information on a small piece of paper so that you'll have it available while
the disc is in the drive.
Use Some Protection
It's a very bad idea to connect a PC
directly to the Internet, and that's
especially true for an unpatched
system. Several of our readers have
reported having a new system
infected by a worm almost instantly
when they connected to the Internet,
intending to download patches
and updates. Patch the new system
before you connect it to the Internet,
and never connect it directly to the
Internet. Use a NAT gateway/router
between any PC and your broadband
modem.
Service packs and critical updates
Rather than (or in addition to) updating Windows and Office online,
download the latest service packs and critical updates and burn them to
CD-R. In addition to giving you more control of the process, having these
updates on CD-R means you can apply them even when the system has
no Internet connection, such as when you're building it on your kitchen
table.
Major applications discs
If your system runs Microsoft Office or other major applications that are
distributed on CDs, keep a copy of those discs with your toolkit. Again,
don't forget to record the serial number, initialization keys, and other re-
quired data on the disc itself and on a supplementary note (because it's
really hard to enter that serial number onscreen while it's spinning in the
optical drive).
Driver CDs
Motherboards, video adapters, sound cards, and many other components
include a driver CD in the box. Those drivers may not be essential for in-
stalling the component—the Windows or Linux distribution CD may (or
may not) include basic drivers for the component—but it's generally a
good idea to use the driver CD supplied with the component (or an up-
dated version downloaded from the website) rather than using those sup-
plied with the OS, if any.
First Things First
Pay close attention to the instruc-
tions that come with the driver. Most
drivers can be installed with the
hardware they support already in-
stalled. But some drivers, particularly
those for some USB devices, need to
be installed before the hardware is
installed.
