Computer Hardware, Windows & Linux

Hardware comprises all of the physical parts of a computer, as distinguished from the data it contains or operates on. Software provides instructions for the hardware to accomplish tasks. Windows is a range of closed source proprietary commercial operating environments for personal computers and also servers. This range was first introduced by Microsoft in 1985 and eventually has come to dominate the world of personal computer market. All recent versions of Windows are full-fledged operating systems. Linux is a computer operating system. It is among the most famous examples of free software and of open-source development. Initially, Linux was largely developed and used by individual enthusiasts.

TASK1:
Identification of the peripherals of a computer, components in a CPU and its functions. Draw the block diagram of the CPU along with the configuration of each peripheral.

1. CPU The central processing unit contains the heart of any computer, the processor. The processor is fitted on to a Mother Board. The Mother Board contains various components, which support the functioning of a PC.

2. System board/Motherboard which holds the Processor, Random Access Memory and other parts, and has slots for expansion cards

3. RAM (Random Access Memory)- for program execution and short term data-storage, so the computer doesn't have to take the time to access the hard drive to find something.

More RAM can contibute to a faster PC.

4. Buses : PCI bus, PCI-E bus, ISA bus (outdated), USB, AGP 5. Power Supply - a case that holds a transformer, voltage control and fan

6. Storage controllers, of IDE, SCSI or other type, that control hard disk, floppy disk, CDROM and other drives; the controllers sit directly on the motherboard (on-board) or on expansion cards 7. Video display controller that produces the output for the computer display 8. Computer bus controllers (parallel, serial, USB, Fire wire) to connect the computer to external peripheral devices such as printers or scanners 9. Some type of a removable media writer: 10. CD - the most common type of removable media, cheap but fragile. CD-ROM, , CD-RW, CD-R, DVD, DVD-ROM., DVD-RW, DVD-R,

11. Floppy disk

12. Tape Drive - mainly for backup and long-term storage 13. Internal storage - keeps data inside the computer for later use. 14. Hard disk - for medium-term storage of data.

15. Disk array controller 16. Sound card - translates signals from the system board into analog voltage levels, and has terminals to plug in speakers. 17. Networking - to connect the computer to the Internet and/or other computers 18. Modem - for dial-up connections 19. Network card - for DSL/Cable internet, and/or connecting to other computers.

20.Other peripherals: In addition, hardware can include external components of a computer system. The following are either standard or very common. Input , Keyboard, Pointing devices, Mouse, Trackball, Joystick, Game pad

21.Output : The ouput devices are: Printer, Speakers, Monitor, Networking, Modem, Network card

TASK2
COMPUTER ASSEMBLING AND TROUBLESHOOTING

Steps 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

for Assembling Getting the cabinet ready Preparing to fit the components Fitting the motherboard; Fitting the RAM, processor, and cooler; Installing the PCI Cards; Fitting the hard disk and floppy drive; Installing the CD-ROM drives; Connecting the ribbon cables; Powering the drives and motherboard;

10. Connecting the cables for the case front panel; 11. Final check. 1) Getting the Cabinet Ready Check how to open the cabinet, and determine where to fix the components. Determine if the case has the appropriate risers installed 2) Preparing to fit the Components Collect all of the hardware components those need to be installed The list of components includes: Motherboard, CPU, Heat sink / Cooler / Fan, Ribbon Cables, RAM, Screws, CD-ROM Drive, Hard Disk, Floppy Disk Drive, Network Adapter Card. 3) Fitting the Motherboard Line up the ports on the motherboard (PS/2, USB, etc.) with the appropriate holes in the back panel I/O shield of the case. Check the points where you need to install raiser Install them and make the motherboard sit on them and fix screws if required. Motherboard Overview ATX Connectors 4) Fitting the Processor Raise the small lever at the side of the socket. Notice that there is a pin missing at one corner, determine the direction to fit in the processor. You should not force the CPU when inserting it, All pins should slide smoothly into the socket Lock the lever back down Install the Heat Sink over it. (Different type for each processor) Heat Sink / CPU fan Fitting the RAM The RAM must be suitable for the motherboard. There are currently three types of RAM available: SDRAM, DDR SDRAM and RDRAM. The motherboard's chipset determines which type of RAM may be used Installing The PCI Cards Most of the cards are inbuilt these days NIC, sound cards etc are fitted into PCI slots 5) Fitting the Hard Disk and Floppy Drive Place the floppy and hard disks in their slots. leave some space above HDD to prevent heat buildup Check the jumper configuration. Fix the screws 6) Installing the CD-ROM Drives CD-ROM drive is similar to installing a hard disk. First, check that the jumper configuration is correct. Fix the screws 7) Connecting the Ribbon Cables Attach the long end of the cable to the IDE 0 connector on the motherboard first The red stripe on the IDE cable should be facing the CD power cable. 8) Powering the Drives and Motherboard All the power cables coming form the SMPS power connectors are connected to power pins of each and every components

9) Connecting the Cables for the Case Front Panel SP, SPK, or SPEAK: the loudspeaker output. It has four pins. RS, RE, RST or RESET: connect the two-pin Reset cable here. PWR, PW, PW SW, PS or Power SW: power switch, the PC's on/ off switch. The plug is two-pin. PW LED, PWR LED or Power LED: the light-emitting diode on the front panel of the case illuminates when the computer is switched on. It is a two-pin cable. HD, HDD LED: these two pins connect to the cable for the hard disk activity LED. 11) Final Check Motherboard jumper configuration: are the settings for the processor correct? Drive jumper settings: master/ slave correct? Are the processor, RAM modules and plug-in cards firmly seated in their sockets? Did you plug all the cables in? Do they all fit neatly? Have you tightened all the screws on the plug-in cards or fitted the clips? Are the drives secure? Have you connected the power cables to all drives? Powering Up For The First Time Ensure that no wires are touching the CPU heat sink fan Plug your monitor, mouse, keyboard Plug in the power cord and switch the power supply If everything is connected as it should be All system fans should start spinning You should hear a single beep, and after about 5-10 seconds The amber light on the monitor should go green And you will see the computer start to boot with a memory check. Now check the front LEDs to see if you plugged them in correctly Check all other buttons Power off and change any wrong settings.

Hardware Troubleshooting

Computer Error Beep Codes No Beeps Short, No power, Bad CPU/MB, Loose Peripherals One Beep Everything is normal and Computer POSTed fine Two Beeps POST/CMOS Error One Long Beep, One Short Beep Motherboard Problem One Long Beep, Two Short Beeps Video Problem One Long Beep, Three Short Beeps Video Problem Three Long Beeps Keyboard Error Repeated Long Beeps Memory Error

 Continuous Hi-Lo Beeps CPU Overheating Hardware Troubleshooting Problems 1. No power to the system at all. Power light not illuminate, fan inside power supply does not turn on. Indicator light on keyboard does not turns on. 2. System in-operational. Keyboard lights are on, power indicator lights are on, hard drive is working 3. System does not boot from hard disk drive, can be booted from floppy disk drive 4. System only boots from floppy disk. Hard disk can be read & applications can be used but booting from hard disk is impossible 5. After installing an expansion card (network card, tape drive card etc..) the system no longer works properly 6. Screen message says INVALID CONFIGURATION or CMOS failure 7. Screen is blank 8. Greek looking letters on screen 9. Screen goes blank periodically 10. Keyboard failure 11. No color on screen 12. Floppy drive light stays on 13. Error reading drive A:(floppy drive) 14. Error message reading SECTION NOT FOUND or other error messages not allowing certain data to be retrieved. Identify and fix improper assembling of components 1. If power cable is unplugged make sure power cable is securely plugged in If defective power supply replace cable If circuit breaker or fuse blown use different socket, reset circuit breaker or replace fuse

2. If expansion card is partially out of place from expansion slot on the mother boardusing equal pressure on both ends of the expansion card, press down firmly on expansion card If defective expansion card make sure expansion card is secure in expansion socket 3. If connector between hard drive & system board unplugged check cable running from disk to disk controller board. Make sure both the ends are securely plugged in; check the drive type in the standard CMOS setup If hard disk directory or FAT is jumbled back up the hard disk drive is extremely important. 4. If hard disk boot program has been destroyed backup data & application files. Reformat the hard drive. Re-install applications & data using back up disks 5. If no power to monitor change the interrupt or RAM address on the new expansion card. See the documentation that came with the new card in order to change settings. 6. If incorrect information entered into the configuration programreview systems equipment. Make sure correct information is in setup 7. If no power to monitor check the power connectors to monitor & to system. Make sure monitor is connected to display card, change I/O address on N/W card if applicable

8. If memory problem, display card jumpers not set properlyreboot computer. Re-install memory. Check jumper & switch settings on display card If any Computer virusformat hard disk 9. If screen saver is enabled disable screen saver 10. If key board is disconnectedreconnect key board. Check keys again if the problem is not solved replace keyboard 11. If faulty monitorif possible connect monitor to another system. If no color replace monitor 12. If floppy drive cable is not connected properlyreconnect floppy cable making sure PIN1 on the floppy drive corresponds with PIN1 on floppy cable connector 13. If Bad floppy disk try new floppy disk If Floppy disk formatted format floppy disk 14. If number of causes could behind thisbackup any salvageable data. The low level format partition & high level format the hard drive. Re-install all saved data when completed

TASK3
Windows XP Installation:
Installing Windows XP has been broken up into 3 sections. They are: Part 1: Begin the installation Part 2: Continue the installation Part 3: Complete the installation Part 1: Begin the installation 1. Insert the Windows XP CD into your computer and restart your computer. 2. If prompted to start from the CD, press SPACEBAR. If you miss the prompt (it only appears for a few seconds), restart your computer to try again.

3. Windows XP Setup begins. During this portion of setup, your mouse will not work, so you must use the keyboard. On the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER.

4. On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement page, read the licensing agreement. Press the PAGE DOWN key to scroll to the bottom of the agreement. Then press F8.

5. The next screen is asking for the type of disk formatting to be used : If your system has already an operating system installed, you will see them listed. This page enables you to select the hard disk drive on which Windows XP will be installed. Once you complete this step, all data on your hard disk drive will be removed and cannot be recovered. It is extremely important that you have a recent backup copy of your files before continuing. When you have a backup copy, press D, and then press L when prompted. This deletes your existing data. 6. Press ENTER to select Unpartitioned space, which appears by default.

7. Select the type of disk formatting: FAT or NTFS FAT: possible to access from a DOS-boot floppy, but limited to max. 4 GByte with very inefficient file-storage (cluster-size of 64 KByte), no Security features NTFS : not accessible from a DOS-boot floppy, but NOT limited in size and using an efficient file-storage with a small cluster-size, able to use File-System Security features. Windows XP requires a lot of disk-space for itself; you should use at least a 4 GByte partition. Press ENTER again to select Format the partition using the NTFS file system, which appears by default.

8. Windows XP erases your hard disk drive using a process called formatting and then copies the setup files.

Part 2: Continue the installation 9. Windows XP restarts and then continues with the installation process. From this point forward, you can use your mouse. Eventually, the Regional and Language Options page appears. Click Next to accept the default settings. If you are multilingual or prefer a language other than English, you can change language settings after setup is complete.

10. On the Personalize Your Software page, type your name and your organization name. Some programs use this information to automatically fill in your name when required. Then, click Next.

11. On the Your Product Key page, type your product key as it appears on your Windows XP CD case. The product key is unique for every Windows XP installation. Then, click Next.

12. On the Computer Name and Administrator Password page, in the Computer name box, type a name that uniquely identifies your computer in your house, such as FAMILYROOM or TOMS. You cannot use spaces or punctuation. If you connect your computer to a network, you will use this computer name to find shared files and printers. Type a strong password that you can remember in the Administrator password box, and then retype it in the Confirm password box. Write the password down and store it in a secure place. Click Next.

13. On the Date and Time Settings page, set your computers clock. Then, click the Time Zone down arrow, and select your time zone. Click Next.

14. Windows XP will spend about a minute configuring your computer. On the Networking Settings page, click Next.

15.

On the Workgroup or Computer Domain page, click Next.

Part 3: Complete the installation 16. Windows XP will spend 20 or 30 minutes configuring your computer and will automatically restart when finished. When the Display Settings dialog appears, click OK.

17.

When the Monitor Settings dialog box appears, click OK.

18. The final stage of setup begins. On the Welcome to Microsoft Windows page, click Next.

19. On the Help protect your PC page, click Help protect my PC by turning on Automatic Updates now. Then, click Next.

20.

Windows XP will then check if you are connected to the Internet: If you are connected to the Internet, select the choice that describes your network connection on the Will this computer connect to the Internet directly, or through a network? page. If youre not sure, accept the default selection, and click Next.

 If you use dial-up Internet access, or if Windows XP cannot connect to the Internet, you can connect to the Internet after setup is complete. On the How will this computer connect to the Internet? page, click Skip.

21. Windows XP Setup displays the Ready to activate Windows? page. If you are connected to the Internet, click Yes, and then click Next. If you are not yet connected to the Internet, click No, click Next, and then skip to step 24. After setup is complete, Windows XP will automatically remind you to activate and register your copy of Windows XP.

22. On the Ready to register with Microsoft? page, click Yes, and then click Next.

23. On the Collecting Registration Information page, complete the form. Then, click Next.

24. On the Who will use this computer? page, type the name of each person who will use the computer. You can use first names only, nicknames, or full names. Then click Next. To add users after setup is complete or to specify a password to keep your account private, read Create and customize user accounts.

25. On the Thank you! page, click Finish.

26. Now you can log on by clicking your name on the logon screen.

27. You are now ready to use the "colorful" Windows XP:

Fedora Linux Installation

Actually Linux can be installed in two different modes, based on the requirement of the user. Graphical Mode. Text Mode. Graphical Mode - In this you can work with Graphical Interface (i.e., it supports mouse and Icons ). By clicking the icon with the mouse, you can perform related action. To install Linux in Graphical Mode Press Enter. Text Mode - In this mode you have to interact with character based interface ( i.e., Command prompt ). To install Linux in Text Mode Type : Linux text and Press Enter. After selecting the mode of installation, it goes on detecting the basic input output devices and file systems. And at last it displays a screen asking whether to test the CD inserted to install or to Skip the test process. Otherwise we can test total installation CDs. On completion of testing the CDs, it goes on loading an installation program ANACONDA which helps us in the installation of the remaining part.
2 WELCOME TO INSTALLATION PROCESS

It starts with the display of the welcome screen containing the online help , and four buttons to help us in the different activities in the installation process. Hide Help/Show Help - Which helps you in guiding the installation process, which can be activated or hidden. Release Notes - Which contain the Basic Hardware Requirements that are necessary for the installation of the Red Linux 9.0 and some other post-installation issues. Next - This button allows you to go to next step of the installation process by the current step. Back - This button allows you to move back of the installation process to make any changes that previously mentioned. Action: click Next to move to next screen. 3. SELECTING A LANGUAGE

It displays a screen containing various languages, to select a language you would like to use during this installation process.
4. CONFIGURING KEYBOARD AND MOUSE

Here we need to select our own keyboard and mouse layouts which will help you to interactively proceed in the installation process. At this point of time it displays you the different types of keyboard layouts. So that you can select your desired one that you would like to use for the system. And also choose the appropriate Mouse for the system, based on the following: Do you have a PS/2, USB, Bus or Serial mouse? Hint:- If the connector your mouse plugs into is Round - It is a PS/2 If the connector your mouse plugs into is Rectangular - It is a USB mouse If the connector your mouse plugs into is Trapezoidal - It is a Serial mouse Select the exact mouse type among the available.
5. TYPE OF INSTALLATION:

There are different installation types that are available which will enable you to select that will best meet your needs. There are four different types of installations are there
Personal Desktop - You select it for personal computers or laptops, select this installation type to install a graphical desktop environment and create a system ideal for home or desktop use. Work Station - This option installs a graphical desktop environment with tools for software development and system administration. Server - If you would like to set up file sharing, print sharing, and web services and additional services. Custom - Select this installation type to gain complete control over the installation process,

Including software package selection and authentication preferences.:

6. PARTITIONING THE DISK

Partitioning the disk can be done either automatically or manually.

AUTOMATIC PARTITIONING By selecting automatic portioning, you will not have to use partitioning tools to assign mount points, create partitions, or allocate space for your installation. Automatic partitioning allows you to have some control concerning what data is removed from your system.

To remove only Linux partitions remove all Linux partitions on this system. To remove all partitions on your hard drive, select remove all partitions on this system. To retain your current data and partitions, assuming you have enough free space available on your hard disk, select Keep all partitions and use existing free space. You can review the partitions that are automatically created using the check box Review (and modify if needed) the partitions created.
MANUAL PARTITIONING To partition manually, choose the Disk Druid partitioning Tool. For the manual partitioning of Linux installation you need assign disk space for the three compulsory file systems, they are /boot, /(root), swap /boot - This type of partition should of ext3 file system type. For this /boot partition a minimum of about 150MB is necessary. Swap The swap partition should of swap file system type having a minimum of the double the RAM available on your system.

(i.e., if, RAM is of 512MB, your swap should be a minimum of 1024MB.)

/(root) The symbol / stands for the root. This root partition should be a minimum of 5GB. And you can also increase it based on your availability to increase your system performance.

To add a new partition Just click on the NEW button and select your mount point (i.e., directory of partition ex: /, /boot, /user, etc., ), select your file system type among the available i.e. Ext3, ext2, swap, vfat, etc., ), and you have different additional size options like Fixed Size, Fill all space up to(MB), Fill to maximum allowable size. And also you can make a partition to be primary partition and check for the bad blocks on each partition.
7. BOOT LOADER CONFIGURATION

The GRUB boot loader will allow you to boot other operating systems. It will allow you to select an operating system to boot from the list. To add another operating system. You can also add other operating systems that are not detected automatically. For greater system security, you can set your password for the boot loader. To avoid unauthorized changes to the system. You can also change the type of boot loader other than GRUB, among the available like LILO. And also you can avoid to install boot loader.
8. NETWORK CONFIGURATION

With this option you can set your Network devices manually or using DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) which will automatically takes default IP address, and Net mask addresses. The DHCP also set your Hostname.
9. FIREWALL CONFIGURATION

A firewall configuration is set between yours computer and network. And decides which resources of your computer are accessible by the remote users on the network. On proper configuration of firewall we can set different security levels for the system. By using firewalls we can avoid any entrusted passage of data and also we can set our own protocol supports.
10 . ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE SUPPORT

This screen shows different additional languages for installation. These additional languages can be used to switch after installation process.
11. SELECTING A TIME ZONE

To set our time zone we can do it either by selecting computers physical location or by your time zones offset from Universal Time, Coordinated. This screen shows two tabs namely location and UTC Offset. First tab offers you the ability to configure by location. Second tab allows to set UTC Offset.
12. ROOT PASSWORD SETTINGS

The Root password is for avoiding any unauthorized access to Administration settings .
13. PERSONAL DESKTOP DEFAULTS

With this screen we can accept the default package list or we can customize the set of packages to be installed. 14. SELECTION OF PACKAGES TO INSTALL On selecting the customized set of packages we can select our own selection of desktops, applications, servers, development tools and system tools to be installed among the available.

And also we have an option to select a minimal set of packages and all the packages that are available which will install complete set of packages(about 1400) which will require about 4850 MB of space.
15. ABOUT TO INSTALL

This is the final step to make any modifications to the installation process. Once you click the next button you cannot do any modifications.
16. INSTALLING THE PACKAGES

First it formats the file systems and copies the files to our hard disk to continue installation. Then there starts the installing of packages which may take up to several minutes of time during which we need to insert next two CD ROMs to complete the installation process. 17. CREATING A BOOT DISK Here the prompts you to create a Linux boot disk on your choice for your further requirement.
18. CONFIGURING YOUR DISPLAY

At this stage you need to select your video card type and monitor configuration and also you restore to the original values.
19. END OF INSTALLATION PROCESS At the end of the installation process it will remove all the media that is used by the installation. And reboots your system again.