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Additional Peripheral Installation Procedure
This subprocedure of the New PC Assembly Procedure describes
briefly the installation and configuration of secondary peripherals. These are not
installed until the end of the assembly process in order to reduce the chances of a
problem in the system being difficult to troubleshoot. I do not go into a great
deal of detail here, because the particulars of installing any specific peripheral depend
almost entirely on what the peripheral is. In addition, installing these peripherals is
for the mostpart very similar to what you already did in installing your video card.
Procedure Overview:
- Difficulty Level: 2 (Low).
- Risk Factor: 2 (Low).
- Hardware Required:
- Screwdriver.
- CD audio cable, if installing a sound card.
- Phone cord, if installing modem.
- Additional hardware may be required depending on what you are installing.
- Software Required: You may require driver disks or setup programs for
some peripherals.
- Time to Perform: Depends entirely on how many devices are being
configured and how much trouble you experience. Figure on 10 to 15 minutes if performing
the whole procedure.
- Preparation / Warnings:
- Be sure to properly configure devices to avoid resource conflicts. In particular, watch
out for modems that default to using COM2, as they will conflict with the built-in COM2
port unless the latter is disabled in the system BIOS.
- I do not go into as much detail in this procedure, because I assume that you already
have some familiarity with installing an expansion card after setting up the video card in
the system. If you need more specific details on card insertion, refer to the Video Card Physical Installation Procedure.
- All of the steps in this procedure are optional. I include the installation of a sound
card, modem and network card here.
- I assume that the basic system has been assembled and is in decent working order. I
don't recommend adding peripherals to a system whose basics are not functioning well.
Procedure Steps:
- Turn System Off: If the system is on, turn it off and unplug it.
- Install Modem: Follow these sub-steps to install your modem into the PC:
- If your modem is a conventional type that uses jumpers to set the COM port and IRQ
number, you need to configure the jumpers according to the instructions in your modem
manual. If your modem is plug and play (most newer ones are) then you do not need to
configure any jumpers on it.
- Select an open ISA expansion slot, preferably away from as many other components as
possible.
- Unscrew and remove the metal insert on the back of the system case that corresponds to
this expansion slot.
- Insert the card into the expansion slot carefully. You may have to rock it back and
forth from front to back to get it to go in.
- Secure the card by screwing it into place.
- Connect one end of the phone cord to the back of the modem (in the "Wall" or
"Line" jack) and the other end to the wall socket.
- Install Sound Card: Follow these sub-steps to install your sound card, if you are
going to put one in the system:
- If your sound card is a conventional one that uses jumpers to set its configuration and
resource usage, you need to configure the jumpers according to the instructions in your
manual. If your sound card is plug and play (most newer ones are) then you probably do not
need to configure any jumpers on it.
- Select an open expansion slot of the appropriate type to match the system bus type your
card uses. Try to keep the sound card away from other devices if possible.
- Unscrew and remove the metal insert on the back of the system case that corresponds to
this expansion slot.
- Insert the card into the expansion slot carefully. You may have to rock it back and
forth from front to back to get it to go in.
- Secure the card by screwing it into place.
- Connect the CD audio cable between the sound card and the CD-ROM drive. Due to several
manufacturers having different standards for their drives, most sound cards now have more
than one jack for the CD audio cable, and they may not be all different physically, so
they can be confused for one another. Usually the connectors on the sound card are labeled
with common brand names for CD-ROMs such as “Sony”, “Matsushita”
(Panasonic) and “Mitsumi”. If your CD-ROM is not one of the brands indicated,
consult your documentation for which connector to use. If you can’t find this
information in your documents, you may want to contact the CD-ROM drive manufacturer's
technical support, or simply try each of the connectors in succession until you find one
that works.
- You will want to attach either your home stereo or your computer speakers to the sound
card, depending on which you are using. You may also wish to connect a microphone. The
sound card should have several round ports, all of which are the exact same size and
shape, so choose the correct one. There are often two different outputs, one labeled
"Speaker out" and the other "Line out". The first one is usually
better for speakers and the other for a home stereo. The microphone jack is often labeled
"Mic In". Some systems of course have integrated speakers and/or microphone,
which simplifies this process considerably.
- Install Network Card: Follow these sub-steps to install your network card:
- If your network card is a conventional type that uses jumpers to set the IRQ number and
I/O address, you need to configure the jumpers according to the instructions in your
manual. If your card is plug and play (most newer ones are), or uses a software
configuration utility, then you do not need to configure any jumpers on it.
- Select an open expansion slot of the appropriate type to match the system bus type your
card uses. Try to keep the network card away from other devices if possible.
- Unscrew and remove the metal insert on the back of the system case that corresponds to
this expansion slot.
- Insert the card into the expansion slot carefully. You may have to rock it back and
forth from front to back to get it to go in. If your network card has a coaxial (10base2)
connector on it, be careful when installing the card as the coax connector will sometimes
get caught in the insert hole of the case.
- Secure the card by screwing it into place.
- Connect the appropriate cables to the network card.
- Double-Check Installation: Go over the items that you just installed to
make sure that the cards are inserted correctly and that there aren't any problems with
them.
- Turn On System: Turn the system on. Make sure the system still boots up
with the new peripherals in it. Resolve any problems with
the new devices.
- Configure Peripherals: If your peripherals use a software configuration
utility (as some network cards do) then run them now to set up your hardware.
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