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Newsgroups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
Subject: [alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt] Mini-FAQ
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 09:58:06 -0700
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WELCOME TO ALT.COMP.HARDWARE.PC-HOMEBUILT -
Building your own PC from motherboards and cards.
This posting describes the newsgroup alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,
including posting guidelines and where to find more information.
============================================================================
Contents:
0.0 This FAQ
1.0 What the group is about
1.1 Topics and emphasis
1.2 Related newsgroups
1.3 Posting guidelines
1.3.1 Format
1.3.2 Crossposting
1.3.3 Forsale or commercial posts
2.0 Questions
2.1 How can I build my own computer?
2.2 How do I select components for a computer?
2.3 I built my own computer. It doesn't boot. Why not?
2.4 My homebuilt computer crashes. Why?
2.5 How do I transfer the files from my old hard disk?
2.6 How do I identify what motherboard I have?
============================================================================
0.0 This FAQ
..contains frequently asked questions and general information pertaining
to the Usenet newsgroup alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt. It is really a
mini-FAQ at this point since it does not attempt to answer most questions
relating to PC homebuilding, but rather primarily serves as an
information locator and guideline for posting.
The latest version of this FAQ is posted to the newsgroup. It is archived at
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt/
and other Usenet FAQ mirrors.
1.0 What the group is about
The newsgroup alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt is a discussion forum for
people building or thinking about building their own personal computers.
The term personal computer is not to be construed to mean only x86-based
computers ("IBM clones"), although that is what a vast majority of the
posts are in reference to. It is a bastard child of the newsgroup
alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt that was intended to offload discussion
related to assembling PCs from consumer-level boards and devices, from the
discussions of building computer parts from electronic components. Sadly,
many users of a.c.h.h have left that group for one on the comp.* hierarchy
and abandoned it to the off-topic noise.
1.1 Topics and emphasis
Being about homebuilding, the proper topics to raise on
alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt are the issues concerning the homebuilder:
identification and selection of parts, techniques for assembling,
troubleshooting, and optimization.
This group is NOT about: software issues (except hardware drivers and
suchlike), or items for sale (see 1.3.3).
Being an alt.* hierarchy group, the rules are a bit relaxed. There is no
moderator, so useful functioning of the group relies on the prudence of
the posters.
1.2 Related newsgroups
PC-Clone Hardware Newsgroup Pointer at
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/finding-groups/pc-hardware/ is an excellent
guide to finding PC hardware related newsgroups.
Here are some specific notes:
alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt - as mentioned previously, this group deals
with building computer boards and devices from electronic components. You
know, resistors, wires, ICs, etc. There are other groups in the
alt.comp.hardware.* sub-group that appear to be related:
a.c.h.homedesigned and a.c.h.scratchbuilt, but these seem to be defunct
and are not widely carried. A new group is alt.comp.hardware.overclocking.
Please direct issues regarding overclocking and its effects there.
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.* - this is a series of newsgroups dealing with
issues related to computer components: CDROM, chips (CPU, memory, I/O),
modem, network card, storage, systems and video card/monitor. The
c.s.i.p.h FAQ (available at
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/pc-hardware-faq/
part1/) attempts to answer such questions as:
Q) 2.2 How do I pick the right processor?
Q) 2.5 What is over clocking and should I do it?
Q) 2.16 How do I tell how big/fast my SIMMs are?
Q) 2.37 How do I enter the CMOS configuration menu?
Q) 2.38 What is bus mastering and how do I know if I have it?
Q) 3.9 Which is better, SCSI or IDE?
Q) 4.1 Why do I lose x Meg on my hard drive?
Q) 6.1 What should I upgrade first?
Q) 8.1 What is the pin out for ...?
alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.* - help on motherboards by brand. For some
reason, these aren't on the Pointer.
NOTE: Many news servers delete messages from busy newsgroups only
weeks or even days after they were posted. Luckily the site
www.deja.com provides archived copies of newsgroup messages going back
years! This is an excellent way to research a specific question you
may have about your older equipment.
1.3 Posting guidelines
It helps to follow a few simple rules when posting to the newsgroup.
1.3.1 Format
Select a short, descriptive subject line. Subjects such as "HEEEEELLLLP!!"
or "computer problem" are likely to get passed over by impatient folks
(experienced net.users) and so will result in fewer useful responses for
you.
The body of the message should usually mention the operating system and
the pertinent pieces of hardware you are using.
1.3.2 Crossposting
Crossposting is posting the same message to multiple newsgroups. Excessive
crossposting is considered bad form and is universally frowned upon. Of
course one's definition of excessive is subjective. IMO, three groups or
less is acceptable, this shows you selected the newsgroups to which you
sent the message carefully and reflects a knowledge of the principles of
netiquette.
In particular, crossposting to alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt is a no-no
since it's subject is completely distinct from a.c.h.p-h.
1.3.3 Forsale or commercial posts
This group is NOT for the posting of items for sale. These belong in
newsgroups with "forsale" or "market" in the name.
2.0 Questions
As mentioned previously, this mini-FAQ does not attempt to answer most or
even many questions related to building computers, merely the ones that
seem to be asked and answered over and over again on the newsgroup. It
points to a number of sources of information on the web; credit
should be given to the creators/maintainers of these web sites.
2.1 How can I build my own computer?
The way to start is by becoming familiarized with what components go into
a computer. The PCGuide (
http://www.pcguide.com) serves as an excellent
resource in this regard. Then read through some guides for assembling a
PC. The following provide step-by-step assembly instructions for a x86 PC:
http://www.motherboards.org/newbie.html - a good place to start
http://www.pcguide.com/proc/pcassy/ - well thought out procedures
http://www.citlink.net/~otero/buildpc.html - concise illustrated assembly
http://www.hardwarecentral.com/hardwarecentral/tutorials/109/1/
http://www.ars-technica.com/guide/building/
http://www.computercraft.com/docs/pcbuild.html - getting a bit outdated
http://www.firingsquad.com/guides/buildsys/ - lots of advertising, slow
It may be that in the end you decide you don't want to deal with the
hassle of building the whole thing yourself, but still want control over
the contents of your PC. Reading these guides will give you enough
information to know what to specify in a bare-bones configuration, and
what you think you can do yourself.
2.2 How do I select components for a computer?
The main advantage to building your own computer is that you have control
over exactly what components go into it. This allows for customized
performance, and the ability to upgrade at any time.
The following provide guides for intelligently choosing system
components:
http://www.css.msu.edu/PC-Guide1.html - a good place to start
http://www.hardwarecentral.com/hardwarecentral/tutorials/97/1/
The following sites feature independent reviews of hardware components:
http://www.anandtech.com/ - extensive hardware reviews
http://www.tomshardware.com/ - emphasizes high-performance hardware
http://www.tweakit.com/ - cases, CPUs, motherboards - getting outdated
http://www.hardwarecentral.com/hardwarecentral/reviews/
http://www.ars-technica.com/reviews/
2.3 I built my own computer. It doesn't boot. Why not?
This is the crux of the homebuilder's dilemma. You've spent weeks
selecting components, ordering them, painstakingly assembling a computer,
and now the thing doesn't turn on. But you have no one to turn to since
you built it yourself. Generally, the diagnosis is fairly
straightforward, it depends on how far the computer gets into the boot
process.
Try starting the system with only the following connected: motherboard
power, case power switch (or motherboard power switch for ATX), speaker,
CPU, memory, video card. Disconnect/remove all other peripherals.
Symptom Probable Causes
======= ===============
No power (power motherboard shorted to case,
supply fan does ATX power switch not connected,
not spin) power supply bad
Power, no video, speaker not connected, motherboard shorted to case,
no POST beeps CPU not seated, m/b power connectors reversed
Power, POST beeps, memory improperly seated or wrong type, video card
no video improperly seated or bad. See BIOS manufacturer's web
site for translation of beep code, or
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/sys/beep/index.htm
Power, no beeps, incorrect motherboard jumper settings, incorrect BIOS
video, no error parameters - select "power on defaults" from BIOS
message setup menu
Power, no beeps, see
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/sys/booterr.htm
error message for translation of error message
Power, no beeps, disk CHS parameters incorrect, incorrect translation
"missing operating mode (LBA/ECHS), hard disk not partitioned and/or
system" message formatted, system files missing or corrupt
See the following for a very detailed boot troubleshooting procedure:
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/quick.htm.
Here's another analysis procedure:
http://www.computercraft.com/docs/pcanalysis.html
2.4 My homebuilt computer crashes. Why?
There a great number of problems that can cause a computer to lock up or
crash. The keys are to pay attention to the circumstances under which it
happens, and what symptoms occur.
Crashes that result in error messages but allow the operating system to
continue are usually due to bugs in the software or OS. This can be
checked by reproducing the bomb with the same sequence of actions in the
software.
Windows crashes ("Blue Screens of Death") are usually caused by driver
version problems or incompatibility. Make sure you have the latest
driver set for your hardware. If however, you're getting random BSODs
in different VxDs, dll's etc., this indicates an overheating problem or
that your BIOS settings are too aggressive. Try "BIOS power-on defaults".
System hard lock ups (no mouse movement or other activity) are usually
caused by resource conflicts or defects in the hardware itself.
If the lock ups occurs only after several minutes (and happen
consistently) it is likely a problem with power management or with
CPU overheating. With todays graphics processors, overheating of the
video card is also a possibility.
The following sites provide insights and information on this topic:
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/sys/crash.htm
If after reading these you come up with nothing, it is best to make note
of all the circumstances surrounding the problem, symptoms and any error
messages, then post to the newsgroup. Responses will usually be in terms
of troubleshooting steps rather than outright answers.
2.5 How do I transfer the files from my old hard disk?
New drives come with a utility to copy everything verbatim from the old
drive; this software can be downloaded from the drive manufacturer's web
site if for some reason you didn't get it with the drive.
If you have a generic drive without this utility, commercial software such
as Drive Copy and Ghost will do the job. Ghost has a trialware version
available for download.
Manually copying everything (e.g. using Xcopy) is not recommended because
of Windows short filename problems. See:
http://www.pcguide.com/art/xcopy.htm
2.6 How do I identify what motherboard I have?
When assembling a computer, you need to know how to set the jumpers, and
what types of memory and CPUs it supports. This becomes difficult when you
have an unidentified board with no manual.
The first thing to do is to have a close look at the motherboard and find
the manufacturer name and model number. The model number is usually a
short, alphanumeric string such as 486-PV/I or P55IT. 486 boards will often
have "486" in the model number, and Pentium boards may have "P54" or
"P55". If you found the manufacturer name on the board, you can go to
their web site and usually find a manual, or at least a summary of jumper
settings. If you only found some candidate model numbers, it's time for
more detective work.
I always start with doing a web search for the model number
(
http://www.altavista.com and
http://www.hotbot.com seem to work
particularly well for alphanumeric text searches). There is also a search
engine at
http://www.motherboards.org/search/wais.cgi for this purpose.
These may point you to the manufacturer web site directly.
In the case your motherboard is pre-web and the manufacturer has no copies
of a manual on file or they went out of business, there are a few sites
which maintain collections of motherboard manuals:
http://www.peteweb.com/386man.htm - Yes, 386 manuals!
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/WEB_HQ/database.html - jumper settings
As mentioned previously, DejaNews (
http://www.deja.com) provides an archive
of newsgroup messages. Sometimes you can turn up a gold nugget by searching
old messages for information about your motherboard.
If the computer boots already, you'll be able to find the model or at
least the manufacturer by looking at the BIOS ID string that comes up on
the boot screen. This is a long string of letters and numbers that may
take a few tries to read (try adding a boot delay if you need time to
write it down). A database of motherboard model numbers based on the BIOS
id string can be found at:
http://www.ping.be/bios
As a last resort, you can turn to the FCC OEM database. The FCC maintains
a database of manufacturers licensed to sell computer and communications
products in the USA. If the component has an FCC ID number printed on it
(and to be legal for sale in the US it does), you can track the
manufacturer by searching the database at
http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/.
However, this may not give helpful results if the manufacturer turns out
to be a tiny company in Hong Kong or Taiwan.
