*Pre-Installation Steps for Installing Windows Server 2008

With the release of Windows Server 2008, it is a good idea now to start to practice and learn how to install 2008, implement needed functionality (such as roles and other features) and analyze the new installation options that are now available with 2008 such as Core Server installation, using Windows Deployment Services (WDS) as well as unattended installations, upgrades and/or dual boot scenarios. This article will cover the fundamentals of installing a full copy of Windows Server 2008 on enterprise class server hardware.

With Windows Server 2008, you will find new tools to deploy your server. With 2008 you will find that not only is it easier to install a Windows Server, but now you have more options that fit your production needs and you can now install (or not install) what it is you want or need. For example, if you wanted to be selective and run a server with the most minimal set of needed services, then you would select the Server Core option when running your installation. If you wanted to deploy Windows Server 2008 with an unattended answer file, you can with new options and features, to make your deployment easier.

In this article we cover the basic installation options available to you when deploying a full copy of Windows Server 2008 on an enterprise class server. The article’s goal is to familiarize and acclimate you to the process of deploying Windows Server 2008 on systems on your production network.

Note:
It is important to note that although 2008 is a fantastic product with many new features and improved functionality, you should never run a beta or test copy of Windows in your production environment. It is not supported nor is it a complete product. As well, you should never rollout any new operating systems (or run upgrades) on production systems or networks without first testing the official release in a test lab to ensure that your applications are compatible, your drivers, your hardware and so on.

Preparation Tasks

The first step in deploying a Windows Server 2008 system is to do all of the analysis needed upfront to appropriately size your server hardware and prepare for an easy installation. There is not enough that can be said about ‘pre-planning’ your installation. Make sure that you have all the software you need, appropriate drivers and so on. You should create a checklist or some form of list to help you keep track of what you need, what you need to do and what steps have been accomplished. This is helpful for problems that you may encounter during the installation – you can quickly ascertain the source of the problem when you have a checklist to follow so you can retrace your steps. You should always pre-plan any deployment (no matter how big or small) and run thorough tests so that you know what works and what does not before installing new systems on your network or upgrading older systems as an example. For another example, when we first started to run Windows Server 2008 in its earliest forms (Longhorn) for testing purposes, it was quickly found that it was extremely difficult to install on an enterprise class server due to the fact that most of the enterprise server hardware vendors had yet to create alternatives to the new release of Windows and most Windows Server 2003 drivers would (and will) not function on the newest version of Windows, 2008.

One of the biggest earlier issues when testing Windows Server 2008 was its incompatible RAID drivers that just ceased the installation completely for lack of support and would cease the ability to continue testing. Some of the ways around this were to virtualize the instance, although this is not going to fit into everyone’s deployment schedule and needs therefore testing on the enterprise class equipment became paramount in our (and other testers) plans. Planning your deployment when working with an enterprise class server is very important, not planning will cause you to deal with problems as they occur and waste your time (such as hunting down updated drivers). When working with high end equipment, it is common to work directly with the vendors support group to get newly developed drivers that are supported under Windows Server 2008. Just as many of us (and I am sure many of you) were testing the beta version of Windows, it was wise to check with HP, Dell and other hardware vendors to see what the availability was (and is) for updated firmware and software from the makers. Some even offered beta assistance which also proved helpful in testing Windows Server 2008 on a RAID array.

So, why so much fuss about a high end system – or one called an ‘enterprise-class’ system? Simply put, most data centers run their systems on server-class hardware, not PC based hardware. An enterprise class server is a system that is built for large networks and is usually extremely powerful, scalable and redundant. Although it costs more, it gives you more functionality and flexibility when deploying and is extremely easy to fix when problems do arise – the servers can even be kept running without interruption while failed components are replaced and/or fixed.

An enterprise class server is able to be scaled up to meet the demands of enterprise class applications, such as SQL Server, Exchange, and application-based middleware. An enterprise class server usually contains advanced hardware and many times, most of these server systems (Dell, HP, IBM, etc) come with their own software tool suites which are used to install drivers and management software into Windows so that Windows can interoperate with the enterprise class hardware. An example of a high end enterprise class system is the HP DL380 as seen in Figure 1.

Figure 1: An Enterprise Class Server System

In Figure 1, you can see that most, if not all hardware installed on the server is redundant. Redundant power supplies, 2 CPU Slots (one populated), fans and network connections allow for complete failover capabilities and most if not all of these FRUs are modular, hot swappable and built to keep the server running no matter what issue arises. Match this up with redundant UPS connections and you can possible reach 5 nines (99.999) uptime if you do not need to shut down the system much, or if just running a few updates, hotfixes and service packs as needed.

One of the main issues you may encounter when installing Windows Server 2008 comes in the form of installing RAID drivers and finding ones that are supported by Windows Server 2008 in its pre-release form. Since the inception of NT 3.x and 4.0, this process has never been easy. In earlier forms of the operating system (as previously mentioned – NT as an example), you had to hit a specific key (F6) to add RAID drivers while installing, force drivers in if not available and fight with the system to get it to function correctly and remain stable. A lot has changed since, but one thing that will never change is when new operating systems come out, the vendors have to keep up and create software to run on the new platform and that process usually takes time and usually never comes out during the beta process of any new release underway – very rarely do you receive fully functional, tested and supported drivers until a full release. That being said, it is possible to create a RAID array if you can find the drivers and a system that will allow for it until the final release of Windows Server 2008 is official, by then just about every operational hardware vendor will have drivers, software and other tools ready to go for 2008.

Note:
You should make sure that any software tools, firmware and drivers you download and use in their early forms are checked again (and updated if needed) as Windows Server 2008 officially hits the market.

RAID is extremely important to consider and implement when deploying an enterprise class server. Since redundancy is important due to unexpected issues (such as a drive reaching its MTBF) which causes the drive to fail and causes the server to crash, you should consider this when deploying a new server. RAID is nothing more than a Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. Figure 2 shows an example of an Enterprise Class server configured as an array with 6 SCSI hard disks. Figure 3 shows an external RAID array that can be connected via Fiber or SCSI.

Figure 2: Viewing a RAID Array (Internal)

Figure 3: Viewing a RAID Array (External)

RAID comes in many levels. You can configure RAID in many ways. Table 1 lists a chart of the most commonly used RAID levels and their fault tolerance (or lack thereof).

RAID Level	Type	Fault Tolerant?	Disks Needed to Implement
RAID 0	Striping	No	2
RAID 1	Duplexing	Yes *	2
RAID 0+1	Striping + Duplexing	Yes	2
RAID 5	Striping with Parity	Yes	3

Table 1: Most Commonly used RAID Levels

* Note:
Duplexing and Mirroring are similar in that they both use two disks and each carry a copy of the data, the main difference lies in the disk controller. When two disk controllers are used (one for each disk), this is duplexing. This also increases fault tolerance. When mirroring is used there is only one controller. Although you have two disks in use, your single point of failure becomes the controller itself.

Note:
Striping is commonly used for an increase in performance whereas parity is used to add ‘redundancy’ to your solution. Parity commonly increases your need for disk space to carry a copy of the parity data.

Although there are many other RAID levels, these are absolutely the most commonly used today. You can also mix and match RAID levels based on how you create your partitions. You must know the available levels and know which level(s) you want to use when you deploy.

Once you have selected the enterprise class hardware you wish to use, you must make sure that you have all of the drivers and software needed for deployment. As 2008 is fairly new (just getting ready for prime time) as mentioned before, it’s likely that you will not have full driver support, or in some cases, the management software used for the server, may not run on 2008. Because of this, it’s important to make sure that you have visited Microsoft’s Web site to check for the current drivers and software and then check your server vendors Web site to check for any updates they have as well. You can also discuss options about the server hardware in a pre or post sales vendor meeting or contact them directly though their support centers. In either case, you will find yourself in a better position when you have planned out your install in advance, have gathered all of the needed software and drivers and prepped the server correctly for install.

Note:
Always use RAID – Disks are meant to fail. The MTBF (which stands for mean time between failures) is a reliability rating method used to indicate the expected failure rate of a product in power on hours (POH). This being said, drives ‘will’ fail and you absolutely need to make sure that you have a way to resolve a failed drive when in fact it does.

System Requirements

When deploying Windows Server 2008, it’s important to consider and adhere to the minimum requirements needed for the system to be installed. If you do not meet the bare minimum requirements, the installation will not continue. Table 2 shows a list of minimum and maximum system requirement levels for your review.

Component	Minimum	Maximum
CPU	1 GHz (for x86 processors) or 1.4 GHz (for x64 processors)	2 GHz or faster
RAM	512 MB	2 GB or more
Hard Disk (System Partition)	10 GB Free Space	40 GB or more
Media	DVD-ROM drive	DVD-ROM drive
Monitor	Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution monitor	Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution monitor
Peripherals	Keyboard and mouse (or other compatible pointing device)	Keyboard and mouse (or other compatible pointing device)

Table 2: Windows Server 2008 System Requirements

When sizing your installation, you should always consider the pre-planning discussed earlier. If you have a checklist or worksheet that shows you the processing power of the combined applications on the server that will be deployed, you may find that you need to add CPU’s, or increase their power as an example. Other confusing items may be dual core CPU’s. It should be noted that CPU performance depends not only on the clock frequency of the processor, but also on the number of processor cores and the size of the processor cache. An Intel Itanium 2 processor is required for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems as an example. Now that you know what you need, let’s begin deploying Windows Server 2008.

Configuring your Hardware

To install Windows Server 2008 correctly, you must first configure your hardware. When working with enterprise class server systems such as the HP DL380, you will want to configure your storage correctly, so that you can install Windows Server 2008 within the needed hard disk space requirements. To do this, you may need to configure RAID. To configure RAID, you will likely have to use your servers BIOS, or the management utility that came with it. In this example, we will use the system BIOS.

Figure 4: Configuring a RAID Array

Earlier we mentioned that you can have multiple RAID levels exist on the same Server. Figure 5 shows the BIOS configuration for an HP DL380 being prepared for an installation of Windows Server 2008. Here in this example we are configuring the HP Smart Array 6i which comes with its own controller, or HBA (Host Bus Adapter). In figure 5, you can configure the drives for redundancy.

Figure 5: Configuring Logical Drives in the Array

Once RAID is configured and setup, you can now install Windows Server 2008 on the newly prepared hardware.

Note:
Always use RAID if possible. In the previous example, the drives were configured so that a system crash or hardware failure could be corrected through the use of RAID. For the previous example, the disks in which the operating system is installed are mirrored in a RAID 0+1 configuration. The remaining disks are configured to support RAID 5 with a hot spare. In this type of configuration you can avert disaster by having a backup for your mirrored system drive, and a backup for your data located on the second RAID configuration. In the BIOS it will show up as two logical drives (one with almost 70 GB of space) and the 2nd drive with over 200 GB of space. Now, you can install Windows without issue, with plenty of usable space ‘and’ if you experience any kind of disk failure, it is likely that you can quickly fix and resolve the issue with this type of configuration.

Manually Installing Windows Server 2008

A Windows Server 2008 manual installation is fairly easy. Once you have all of the pre-planning and pre-requisites established all you need to do now is run the installation program and get started. The checklist or worksheet that was recommended should point you in the direction of getting the disks and/or software ready for the installation process. You should view and check the integrity of your disks before the installation process begins.

When installing Windows Server 2008, you will find that setup works in several stages:

1. First, you put in the installation media (if installing from CD/DVD-ROM) and then running the installation program if auto-install does not kick off. Figure 6 shows the initial dialog to install Windows Server 2008. Click next and begin the installation. Once you choose to ‘Install Now’, you will be given the option to configure and enter the activation key.

Figure 6: Installing Windows Server 2008

1. Next, enter the activation key and click – Next. If you do not have a key, you will not be able to use Windows Server 2008 at all.

1. Once you have entered the key, you will now be given a choice on what type of installation you would like to begin. Figure 7 shows that you can select a full installation (which we will do here), or a Server Core, which only installs the basic services and functionality needed, not the complete system. The two options are:

   - Windows Server 2008 (Full Installation): This option installs the complete installation of Windows Server 2008. This installation includes the entire user interface, and it supports all of the server roles.
   - Windows Server 2008 (Server Core Installation): This option installs a minimal server installation of Windows Server 2008, which you can use to run supported server roles through the command prompt interface.

Figure 7: Picking a Full Installation or Server Core

1. Next, agree to the license terms and click Next to continue. If you do not agree, you will not be able to install Windows Server 2008.
2. Next, you can agree to an installation, or if the installation program detects a pervious installation of Windows, it will ask you for a standard upgrade or custom installation which will install a fresh copy of Windows Server 2008 on your system.
3. Next you can configure drive options. If you select ‘Advanced’, you can configure the specifics of your drives and partitions and how you want Windows to layout the system on your drives.

Note:
You must ensure that when you select the option to do an upgrade that you have in fact checked what you can (or can’t upgrade to and from). With Windows Server 2008 having been released to manufacturing and on its track to worldwide availability, one aspect of the transition to the new server platform concerns the upgrade paths from Windows Server 2003 which is what most customers are currently running. If you are running Windows Server 2003 in your enterprise and using 2003 based ADS, DNS, and DHCP and so on, you are the ‘best’ candidate for an upgrade.

It’s been recommended by Microsoft that if you aren’t running an ‘ideal’ or ‘optimum’ scenario such as this, you are best served with a ‘clean installation’ scenario. In this case, you will have to backup all of your production data, install (and upgrade) to Windows Server 2008, test thoroughly and then add data and ensure that everything is running properly and as expected. As mentioned earlier in this article, it is extremely wise to test all of your software, drivers, firmware, applications and programs ‘before’ installing or upgrade to 2008. That being said, if you do in fact upgrade (or install fresh), you will know that your applications work in advance and will not cause you problems when moving into production.

1. Now, the files will install on your system and the installation will commence.
2. Once the installation has been completed, you will now be ready to log on and use Windows Server 2008 for the first time as seen in Figure 8.

Figure 8: Logging into Windows Server 2008 for the First Time

Now that you have a completely installed Windows Server 2008 system running on enterprise-class hardware and entered into production… you should now check your system logs and ensure that you do in fact have everything running correctly and as expected. It also helps to now get a baseline of the system and see how it operates under no load, expected load and then do periodic and scheduled checks as you continue to use your system to ensure that it in fact is operating as expected.

Installing a Server Core

Although this article’s focus is not on the Server Core installation, it should be mentioned and links are provided for extra information if you need it. When installing a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 on an x86-based or x64-based server, you will be prompted during Setup to install the most minimal set of requirements needed for basic (or purpose driven) functionality and extreme security. This option installs a minimal server installation of Windows Server 2008, which you can use to run supported server roles through the command prompt interface and will only give you exactly what it is you ask for. This is very reminiscent to the says of Novell NetWare, and today’s Unix and Linux based systems.

When you select this option, Setup will install the files that are required for the selected server roles to function only – nothing more will be installed without your knowledge or decision.

As an example, the GUI which we all know as the windows interface will not be installed—you configure and manage the server locally from the command prompt only and will not be given an option to work within the GUI because it simply does not exist! You should consider this option because it will reduce the servicing and management requirements and the overall attack surface of your system which in turn helps to enforce your security policy and so on.

Note:
There are other installations methods that will be covered in future articles and can also be found below in the link section of this article. You can run a Server Core installation which only installs the bare minimum functionality needed, unattended setups and multiple installations simultaneously. It is recommended that no matter what installation method you choose, you spend quality time beforehand developing pre-planning steps, designs, and any other checklists/worksheets that can help you deploy the system with ease.

Once you have your Windows Server 2008 system installed and configured, you may encounter a few issues. To resolve them, simply take note of the issue (any error codes, screenshots and warning messages) that has occurred and look it up online, in books or try to recreate on a non-production test-lab system.

Troubleshooting Your Installation

When installing Windows Server 2008, you may run into issues that may need your attention. As mentioned earlier, if you do not (or did not) get any updated drivers from the vendors, or providers of your systems and service – its likely that you will encounter installation problems with your system. Even if you have all of what you believe you need, you could still encounter issues. Some unexpected issues you may encounter include the following list. Some of the more ‘obscure’ issues you may encounter include (but not limited to):

1. Incorrect, unusable or unsupported drivers, firmware, hardware, software (applications, programs, etc) and lack of vendor updates, patches and fixes.
2. Unsupported file systems such as FAT.
3. Loss of power while installing – if over network, loss of connectivity while running installation.
4. Corrupted installation media. If using a DVD-ROM as an example, the installation media may become corrupted. Sometimes when installing an ISO to a disk for installation, the burn speed (if too high as en example) can cause an unusable disk.
5. Any error messages that you cannot decrypt need to be looked up on the Microsoft Support site and Knowledge base for further clarification.

Note:
If you are having problems with an ‘upgrade’, make sure that you are following the correct upgrade paths posted by Microsoft:

• Users of Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition (R2, SP1 or SP2) can perform a full installation of Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition or Enterprise Edition.
• From Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition (R2, SP1 or SP2) you can upgrade to a full installation of Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition
• From Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition (R2, SP1 or SP2), you can upgrade to a full installation of Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition.

Summary

In this article we covered the fundamental concepts of installing Windows Server 2008 on enterprise class servers and hardware such as initial preparation, deployment steps and caveats to watch out for. In this article we learned the basics of installing Windows Server 2008 (full installation) on hardware, configuring RAID and ensuring that the installation went smoothly. To learn more about Windows Server 2008, Installations and other helpful tips, check out the rest of the site and the links section below.

Links

Windows Deployment Services

• Configuring WDS

Installation Notes

• Server roles available in Server Core installations
• Options for Server Core Installation
• 2008 Installation Readme

<!– <<

Micro Processor

64-bit processors have entered the mainstream, such as this eight-generation Athlon processor.

Bios Chip

The basic input-output system BIOS is the first thing you see when you turn on your computer.

SIMM

Computer memory has a big effect on system performance. Pictured above is SIMM memory, or single in-line memory module, which is a type of RAM memory module.

How to Build a Computer

Have you ever thought about building your own computer? Actually buying a motherboard and a case along with all the supporting components and assembling the whole thing yourself?

Here are three reasons why you might want to consider taking the plunge:

1. You will be able to create a custom machine that exactly matches your needs.
2. It will be much easier to upgrade your machine in the future because you will understand it completely.
3. You may be able to save some money.

The first step in building a computer is deciding what type of machine you want to build. Do you want a really inexpensive computer for the kids to use? A small, quiet machine to use as a media computer in the living room? A high-end gaming computer? Or maybe you need a powerful machine with a lot of disk space for video editing. The possibilities are endless, and the type of machine you want to build will control many of the decisions you make down the line. Therefore, it is important to know exactly what you want the machine to accomplish from the start.­

­ Let’s imagine that you want to build a powerful video editing computer. You want it to have a dual-core CPU, lots of RAM and a terabyte of disk space. You also want to have FireWire connectors on the motherboard. These requirements are going to cause you to look for a motherboard that supports:

• Dual-core CPUs (either Intel or AMD)
• At least 4GB of high-speed RAM
• Four (or more) SATA hard drives
• FireWire connections (possibly in both the front and back of the case)
  

  Buying Computer Parts

  Once you have chosen your motherboard, you are ready to choose everything else. Here’s what you need to get:

• The CPU that’s the right brand and the right pin configuration to fit your motherboard. Pick whichever CPU clock speed fits your budget and intentions. (If you purchase a motherboard/CPU combo, you can skip this step.)
• The RAM with the correct pin configuration that will match your motherboard. If your motherboard is using a specialty RAM configuration (normally to improve performance), make sure the RAM you buy matches its requirements.
• If the case does not come with a power supply, you’ll need to choose one. Make sure its connectors match the motherboard. Three hundred watts are enough for most machines, but if you are building a gaming machine with multiple video cards or a machine with lots of disks, you may want to consider something bigger.
• Choose a video card if you are not using the onboard video on the motherboard. Make sure the card’s connector is appropriate for the motherboard (AGP or PCI Express).
  

  A basic AGP-based graphics card

• Choose an optical drive. If you are building a cheap machine, get the cheapest CD-ROM drive you can find. If you want to burn DVDs and CDs, make sure the drive can handle it.
• Choose a hard disk, making sure that it matches the PATA/SATA status of your motherboard.
• Choose an operating system: Windows XP (which comes in home, professional and media center editions) or Linux in its hundreds of different forms.

• Installing RAM and the Microprocessor

  <!–

  Learn why static electricity can bring your computer building to a halt.

  –>But before we start building, we need to say one thing about static electricity. Most of the parts you will be handling when you assemble your computer are highly sensitive to static shocks. What that means is that if you build up static electricity on your body and a shock passes from your body to something like a CPU chip, that CPU chip is dead. You will have to buy another one.

  The way you eliminate static electricity is by grounding yourself. There are lots of ways to ground yourself, but probably the easiest is to wear a grounding bracelet on your wrist. Then you connect the bracelet to something grounded (like a copper pipe or the center screw on a wall outlet’s face plate). By connecting yourself to ground, you eliminate the possibility of static shock.

  <!– inPagePlayer(18); // –>

  Each combination of parts is unique. But in general, here are the basic steps you will need to follow when you assemble your machine:
  
  <!–

  Watch Marshall's step-by-step instructions for installing the microprocessor, heat sink and RAM.

  –> First, you’ll need to unwrap the motherboard and the microprocessor chip. The chip will have one marked corner that aligns with another marked corner of its socket on the motherboard. Align the corners and drop the microprocessor into the socket. You don’t need to apply any pressure – if it’s aligned correctly, it should fall into place. Once you have it in, cinch it down with the lever arm.

  Now, you need to install the heat sink. The CPU box will contain a manual that tells you how to do it. The heat sink will contain either a heat sink sticker or heat sink grease to use when mounting the heat sink on the CPU. Follow the instructions closely to install it. To install our heat sink, all we had to do was put it in place, cinch it down with flanges on either side and lock it with a cam. Connect the power lead for the heat sink to the motherboard.

  <!–

  –> <!– Image courtesy –> <!– Installing the RAM

  –>

  <!– inPagePlayer(19); // –>

  Next, you’ll install the RAM. Look on the motherboard for the slot marked “one” and firmly press the RAM module into it. It will probably take more pressure than you’d think to get the RAM into place. Each side of the module should also have a rotating arm that will lock the RAM down.

  Now your motherboard is ready to put in the case.

  Assembling the Case

  <!–

  Learn how to install the motherboard and power supply in the case.

  –> Next, you’ll assemble the case. You’ll need to install the power supply, the motherboard, a faceplate and standoffs to hold the motherboard in place. You’ll also need to connect some wires to the motherboard.

  <!– inPagePlayer(20); //–>

  Your motherboard should have come with a face plate for its back connectors. The case already has a hole cut in it for the plate, so you just need to put in the plate and press it until it clicks into place. Now you can put in in the motherboard. It needs to sit about a quarter of an inch away from the case’s surface so that none of its connectors touch the case. You’ll accomplish this by placing spacers, which are also included with the motherboard.

  Because each motherboard is different, you’ll have to set it into the case first to see which screw holes on the motherboard match up with the pre-drilled holes in the case. Then you can take the motherboard back out, place the spacers, and put the motherboard in on top of them. Make sure that the motherboard lines up with the faceplate and the holes line up with the spacers.

  Find the screws that fit (these should have come with the case) the spacers and screw down the motherboard. Don’t screw them in too tightly — they just need to be in snugly. Be very careful when putting in the screws. If you drop them into the case, they could damage the fine wires on the motherboard.

  Installing the power supply.

  Now you can install the power supply in the case if it’s not already installed. The power supply has two sides. The fan side faces outside the case and the wire side faces inside. Slide the power supply onto its brackets and secure it with screws (the case or the power supply should have come with them).

  Connect the power leads to the motherboard. There should be a large one and a small one, and it will be obvious as to where each one goes.

  You’ll be left with about 15 more wires. Don’t worry — the manual has a page to tell you exactly where each one goes. Each of them has a label that corresponds to a label on the correct port.

Installing the Hard Drive

<!–

Marshall shows you how to install of the hard drive, CD-ROM and video card.

–> The last steps are installing the hard drive and the CD-ROM drive. The case has a removable bracket with four rubber grommets on it, which line up with four holes on the hard drive. It also came with four screws made just to punch through those grommets. Screw the hard drive into the bracket, then put the bracket back into its slot in the case. If you are using IDE/PATA drives, be sure to set the jumpers correctly. Then connect the hard disk to the power using one of the connectors coming off of the power supply. If it fits, then it’s a match.

<!– inPagePlayer(21); //–>

Now install the cables. One side of the cable has a red stripe on it, which makes it ” pin 1.” Look on the motherboard and hook the cable into the IDE connector marked “1.” Insert the other end of the cable on the back of the drive. Now the drive is ready to go.

Install the CD-ROM drive next. Again, set the jumpers correctly. The drive fits in the front of the case, and you may have to pop out a faceplate to make room for it. Slide it in and screw it into place, making sure that it’s aligned with the front of the case. Just as with the hard drive, you can use any available connector from the power supply. You’ll also use the cable that came with the CD-ROM drive to connect it to the motherboard (align the red stripe for “pin 1″) and plug the other end into the drive. Connect the audio for the CD drive. Again, there’s an obvious place for it to plug in on the motherboard and on the drive itself.

Placing the hard drive into its bracket.

If you’re using a video card, now you’ll install it as well. Our motherboard has an AGP video slot so we have an AGP video card. The motherboard only has one video card slot, so you should be able to find it easily (you can also use the manual). Line up the card with the slot and push it into place. If the video card has its own power connector, connect it to the power supply. If the case has extra fans, make sure they have power too.

Now you can close up the case and add a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers. In the next section, we’ll cover what to do after powering up the computer and what steps to follow if it doesn’t work.

Powering Up and Troubleshooting

<!–

Check out the final steps in the process: powering up and installing an operation system.

–>Now, the moment of truth — it’s time to turn your machine on and see if it works. If there’s a switch on the back of the power supply, make sure it is on. Also make sure that the power supply is set correctly to 110 or 220 volts (some power supplies do this automatically, others have a switch or a slider).

Then push the power switch on the front of the case. In the ideal case, four things will happen:

• You will see/hear the fans spin up
• You will hear the hard disk spin up.
• Lights will light on the case.
• You will see something happening on the monitor to indicate that the motherboard is alive.

<!– inPagePlayer(22); // –>

If you see/hear all of that happening, you are successful. You have created a working machine. Using the manual that came with the motherboard you can enter the BIOS screens and make sure everything looks OK. Chances are you will need to set the machine’s date/time, but that is probably all you have to do. Everything else is probably automatic. All the drives will be recognized and auto-configured. The default settings on the motherboard will be fine.

The next step is to install the operating system. And presto, you have a working machine of your own creation. Congratulations!

Troubleshooting
What if you put it all together and it doesn’t work? This is the one possible downside of building your own machine. It is hard to describe the feeling you get when you try turning on the machine and nothing happens. You have put in several hours of work and a significant amount of cash, so it’s discouraging to get no response.

All is not lost, however. Here are several items to check:

• Is the power supply firmly plugged in and turned on (many power supplies have a small switch on the back)? Try a different outlet.
• Did you plug the power supply into the motherboard? Look at the manual for details.
  

  <!– Image courtesy –> Make sure that your motherboard is connected to the power supply.

• Is the case’s power switch properly connected to the motherboard? If you have plugged the switch into the wrong pins on the motherboard, it will not work. Check the motherboard manual.
• Are the drives connected to the motherboard properly? Do they have power?
• Unseat and reseat the video card. If the motherboard has onboard video, try to remove the video card completely and boot using the onboard version.

If you have checked all of that and nothing continues to happen, it could mean:

• The power supply is bad
• The switch on the case doesn’t work. We actually had this happen once on a machine we built at HowStuffWorks.
• Something is wrong with the motherboard or the CPU.

The easiest way to determine where the problem lies is to swap parts. Try a different power supply. Swap a different motherboard into the case. Play around with different combinations.If it is still not working, then you have a few options at this point. You can go back to the shop that sold you the parts. If you bought them from a small local shop, they can help you debug the problem (although it may cost you). If they sold you a bad motherboard (rare, but possible) they will usually help you out. You can also try to find a more experienced builder who would be willing to help you. There is a rational cause for the problem you are experiencing — either a bad part or a bad connection somewhere — and you will find it.

Now that you’ve seen how simple it is to build your own computer, we hope that you’ll give it a shot. You’ll have a computer that you understand completely and will be easy to upgrade. You can save money, and it’s a lot of fun too. So the next time you need a new computer, consider building it yourself!

Abrahamu Devudu

Mahonnathuda Song

Recover corrupt .DOC files with the help of in-built features of MS Word

There are as many ways to recover the lost data as there are reasons to lose it. If there are 10 ways to loose data then there are 12 methods to recover back the lost/deleted data. Here in this article we will discuss about the MS Word corruptions and the inbuilt recovery options, and third part utility that specializes in data recovery and provides solutions to get back your lost data.

Generally, a word file gets corrupt due to unexpected system shutdown, power outage, software crashes, file corruption, virus attacks and due to many other endless reasons. The inbuilt recovery facility in word helps you to recover the minor corrupted files. MS Word allows you to create a backup copy of your work every time you save the file, which can be easily accessed in case if the .doc file gets corrupt or damaged.

For example, if you are working on a Support.doc in MS Word and you have enabled the backup option, MS Word will automatically create a backup copy called ‘Backup copy of support.doc’. So if in case your document file gets corrupt you can use this backup copy.

To turn on the backup option in MS Word, perform the following steps:

Click Tools > Options and click the Save tab. Select the Always Create Backup Copy checkbox.

The AutoRecover feature in Office XP constantly saves data of the file you are working on and helps in undue circumstances of unexpected system shutdown, power failure, software crash where the document automatically gets closed. The next time you launch the application, Word application restores the last saved data and presents the recovered file. The “Document Recovery Window” gets open on left side of the document screen with the list of recovered files. Double click the appropriate file or right click and select Save to save it.

As you know that there are uncountable reasons of data loss, apart from the inbuilt recovery measures, which are helpful only in the case of minor corruptions, third party utilities proves even more beneficial to recover the lost data easily and cost effectively. Kernel for Word Recovery to repair the corrupt word document files software effectively recovers the deleted and damaged data from the corrupt .doc files. The advanced word recovery software repairs and restores damaged word files after instances of virus attacks, unexpected system shutdowns, media read error and so on.

To repair corrupt word document, Demo version of the Kernel Word Recovery software is available for FREE download, to evaluate and test features and functionality of the software. You can purchase the software after testing performance of the demo version which displays the possibility of data which can be recovered in your case.

The word file recovery software restores the text, formatting, tables, bulleted list, embedded images, charts, drawings, headers and footers. The software supports recovery from Word 97, 2000, 2002, 2003, XP.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!