WELCOME TO ALT.COMP.HARDWARE.PC-HOMEBUILT - 
Building your own PC from motherboards and cards.

This file contains frequently asked questions (FAQ) and general
information pertaining to the Usenet newsgroup
alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt.

This is version 98.10.22 of the FAQ.  It will be posted periodically to
the newsgroup and to comp.answers.  

This file is (c) copyright 1998 by Mark Wilcutts. It may be freely
copied
and distributed as long as this notice remains intact and the file is
not
modified, and no fee is charged for its duplication. 

==============================================================================

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 identify what motherboard I have?
     2.6 How do I transfer the files from my old hard disk?

==============================================================================

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 since it does not attempt to answer most questions relating to
PC
homebuilding, but rather primarily to serve as an information locator
and
guideline for posting. 

Comments and suggestions are welcome: at this point I would most
appreciate corrections to the FAQ and additional helpful website links,
rather than questions to add to the FAQ. Send email to pc-faq (at)
altavista.net.

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 concering 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 1.2.3).

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

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 appear to be defunct
and are not widely carried. 

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 ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/) 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.

Please seek the proper newsgroup for other issues by referring to the
PC-Clone Hardware Newsgroup Pointer: 
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/finding-groups/pc-hardware/

The FAQs for Usenet newsgroups are archived at: 
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/ and http://www.faqs.org/faqs/ among other
places.

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 accceptable, 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 their subjects are completely distinct.

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 small number of sources of information on the web; much
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.computercraft.com/docs/pcbuild.html - illustrated ass'y
http://www.pcguide.com/proc/pcassy/ - well thought out procedures

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 guidelines for intelligently choosing system components: 

http://www.css.msu.edu/PC-Guide1.html - a good place to start
http://www.computerheaven.net/buildpcindex.htm

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
http://computerheaven.net/hworld/
http://hardware.pairnet.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 connector 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 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 reult in error messages can be due to bugs in the software.
These can usually be reproduced by performing the same sequence of
actions
again.

System hard lock ups (no mouse movement or other activity) are usually
caused by hardware/config problems. If the lock up occurs only after
several minutes (and happens consistently) it is likely a problem with
the
motherboard power management or with insufficient cooling of the CPU. 

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 identify what motherboard I have?

When assembling a computer, you need to know how to set the jumpers, and
to know what type of memory and CPUs it supports. This is difficult when
you have a second-hand board and no manual. 

The first thing to do is to have a close look at the motherboard and
find
the manfacturer name and model number. The model number is usually a
short, aphanumeric 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 or they went out of business, there are a few collections of
motherboard manuals on the web.  Some sites are: 
http://www.infotel-inc.com/support/manuals/

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, one can turn to the FCC OEM database. The FCC
maintains
a databse of manufacturers licenced 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/fcc-bin/ead.  However, this may not give helpful
results if the manufacturer turns out to be a tiny company in Hong Kong
or
Taiwan. 

2.6 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 also be downloaded from the manufacturer's web
site. An alternative is commercial software such as Drive Copy
(http://www.powerquest.com) and Ghost (http://www.ghost.com). Ghost is
available as trialware. This software will usually allow you to
partition
and format your new drive easily.

Manually copying everything is another less foolproof option. See: 
http://www.computercraft.com/docs/doitrightwin95hd.html