Building a computer is a task that anyone can accomplish. First you need to obtain the parts for your computer from vendors. The parts that are required for your computer to work are:
- case
- power supply
- motherboard
- cpu
- memory
- video card
- sound card
- hard drive
- cd or dvd rom drive
- (optional) floppy drive
- modem and/or network card
- operating system
There are numerous accessories available for computers that can enhance performance and function. I will blog about these after we have created the basic computer.
This is probably the most common call I receive for a computer repair service call. While in some cases it requires the hands of a computer technician most cases do not. When you notice that your computer is beginning to run slower there are a few procedures that you can perform and possibly save you a house call or a trip to the repair shop. First, make sure that your hard drive has been recently been defragged. I know it takes a long time for the defrag process but if I come to your house you are paying me by the hour to watch your computer defrag as that is the first check that I will make. Second, verify that you have ample free space available on your hard drive. I recommend that the maximum usage of a hard drive should be less than 70%. If you have less than 30% of the drive free then you have a choice of deleting some older programs that you don’t use or upgrading your hard drive. I will post soon about upgrading a hard drive. The third step I perform is cleaning out the Prefetch folder. This folder holds all the bits and pieces of programs that you have used on your computer. More on My Computer is Running Slow
Anyone can build a custom computer. If you can operate a phillips screwdriver, a pair of pliers and turn on a light switch you are well on your way to building your own computer. There are several components that make up a computer system. Over the next few posts I will give you some tips and ideas on selecting and obtaining these components. For now think of the various ways that you will be using your computer. Some of the popular ways to use a computer are as follows:
- Browsing the internet and reading email
- Home Office applications
- School work
- Gaming
- Paperweight
- Photo Album
- Office Setting
- Network and Web Server
These are a few of the ways to use the computer and most people fall into more than one of the categories listed above.
