Building a PC Like an

Building a PC Like an automobile, a PC with Internet connection and application software can take you places you've never been before. Instead of being limited by asphalt or concrete however, a PC can take you immediately to countries on the other side of the world from where you are and let you peer into these cultures using websites, publicly-available videos set up by resorts to show you their properties, and even see what's happening in their cities by reading their news.

You can also use a PC to publish your own newsletters, create your own work, and post it to the Internet. A single PC with an Internet connection is just as powerful of a publishing mechanism as the printing press was in previous centuries. Throughout this article the four major steps of building a PC, including first deciding what type of PC to build, selecting components, assembling and testing the PC, and finally, loading the operating system and applications are covered.

Deciding on what type of PC to Build You'll need to first define what you want to use the PC for to decide what type to build. If you're going to be using your PC at work, school and at home, you're best bet is to plan on building a laptop. There are desktop and tower-like PCs, but laptops are by far the easiest to carry, use and the type that many people get the most value from.

Here are steps for deciding what type of laptop to build: Decide on the size and weight of the laptop. Make a list of what you want to use the laptop for. This could be accessing the Internet, writing letters, creating blogs, and also creating artwork, recording and playing back music, or a combination of all these uses. Prioritize the three most important uses of the PC. This will come in handy later on for defining the components. Plan out the budget for the PC you want to build.

Selecting Components The next series of steps define how you'll select the components you need. These include the following: Decide what type of case you want to use for your laptop. Using Google, you can find many variations in case designs. Select a motherboard that will fit into the case. The motherboard is the main circuit board of the PC. Laptop motherboards include Ethernet connections that enable your PC to connect to the Internet and also video display electronics to make it possible for your screen to work.

Select the screen you want to use. Select the disk drive and microprocessor that are compatible with the motherboard. Select the memory you want to have in your computer. Memory snaps into the motherboard like a Lego block. Total everything up and see how you are doing relative to your budget. Consider trimming back the cost of a display if your budget is being exceeded. Get the highest performance microprocessor you can however as that is essential for high system performance.

Assembling and testing the PC Once you've acquired all the components, the next step is to assemble and test the laptop. The steps to accomplish this are provided here: Open the laptop case up and lay in the motherboard. Use screws to tighten it into place. Next, layer in the other components including disk drive, memory, and microprocessor. Snap them all into place carefully. With the components in place, next close the lid and secure it using the screws included. The case is now solidly closed.

Plug in the power cable and see if the computer comes up. You will hear a slight whirring sound as the disk drive spins up to speed. The screen shows light but is not showing any characters. That's because the operating system needs to be loaded. Testing your PC at this point starts with a series of utilities than can be found at ZDNet.com and other websites. Download them using a different computer and then test your laptop computer.

Loading the Operating System and Applications The final series of steps begins with loading the operating system on your laptop and completing the installation of applications. Here are the steps necessary for this task: Select the operating system you want to install on your PC. This could be Microsoft Windows XP Home, XP Professional, Linux, UNIX, or any other type of operating system you want to use. During the installation of operating systems, typically the install routine tests the hardware configuration for compatibility.

As this check runs you need to pay careful attention to the entire process, and make sure to note any comments that reflect the system not being able to work with any specific.