Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Burn-in utilities
PC components generally fail quickly or live a long time. If a component
survives the first 24 hours, it's likely to run without problems for years. The
vast majority of early failures are immediate, caused by DOA components.
Something like 99% of the remaining early failures occur within 24 hours,
so it's worth “burning in” a new system before you spend hours installing
and configuring the operating system and applications.
Many people simply turn on the system and let it run for a day or two.
That's better than nothing, but an idling system doesn't stress all com-
ponents. A better way is to run software that accesses and exercises all of
the components. One good (and free) ad hoc way to burn in a system is to
compile the Linux kernel, and we sometimes use that method. We gener-
ally use special burn-in software, however. The best product we know of
for that purpose is BurnInTest from PassMark Software (
http://www.pass-
mark.com
).
Troubleshooting
Many first-time system builders are haunted by the question, “What if it doesn't
work?” Or, worse still, “What if it goes up in flames the first time I turn it on?” Set
your mind at ease. This isn't rocket surgery. Any reasonably intelligent person
can build a system with a high degree of confidence that it will work normally
the first time it is turned on. If you use good components and assemble them
carefully, you're actually less likely to encounter problems with a home-built
system than with a pre-built mail-order system or one off the shelf from your
local superstore.
Contents May Settle During
Shipping
Shipping can be tough on a com-
puter. We always pop the cover of
PCs that have been shipped, and
often find something has been jarred
loose. Our editor reports that when
he shipped a PC to his parents, it ar-
rived with the video card completely
out of its slot. Not good.
Even worse, shipping can cause
the CPU cooler to break loose. A
heavy heatsink rattling around can
do some serious damage to other
components. If someone ships a
system to you, always open it up and
verify that everything is properly
connected before you apply power to
the system.
Still, it can happen. So, while it would take a whole topic to cover trouble-
shooting in detail, it's worth taking a few pages to list some of the most likely
problems and solutions. Fortunately, it's easier to troubleshoot a newly built
system than a system that's been in use for some time. Fewer things can go
wrong with a new system. You can be certain that the system is not infected
with a virus or malware, for example, and driver problems are much less likely
on a new system because you will have all the latest drivers installed.
The best time to troubleshoot is while you build the system. A good carpen-
ter measures twice and cuts once. Take the same approach to building your
system, and you're unlikely to need any of this troubleshooting advice. As you
build the system, and then again before you apply power for the first time,
verify that all cables are oriented and connected correctly. Make sure expan-
sion cards, memory modules, the processor, and so on are fully seated, and
that you haven't left a tool in the patient. Each project system chapter includes
a final checklist. Verifying the items on that checklist eliminates about 99% of
the potential problems.
Possible problems fall into one of four categories, easy versus hard to trouble-
shoot and likely versus unlikely to occur. Always check the easy/likely prob-
lems first. Otherwise, you may find yourself replacing the video card before
