INstallation/procedures
How to Maintain a Computer System?
- If you use your computer more than a few hours per day, we suggest you not to turn off your computer at the end of the day. Instead turn off only the monitor to save electricity. Daily power up and down makes the components exposed to high and low temperature cycles that are not good for the life-time of the components, particularly the critical ones such as hard drives, CPU, and memory. The temperature cycle would result in expansion-shrinking cycle for the components. The life-time of electronic components would be increased if they are run at constant temperature with adequate ventilation.
- If your area experiences a few times of power outage per year, it is necessary to use a UPS. Sudden power downs while the system is running may cause severe damage to hard drives.
- A tape backup and a lock to make systems hard to move are worthy investment for critical data.
- Use your hand to touch and feel the cover of your computer at least once a week. The cover should be at room temperature. If it feels warm there may be a problem! Check to make sure that the cooling fans on the power supply and CPU are working properly. Clean the air pathway on the back of the power supply on a regular basis.
How to partition and format a hard disk in Windows
INTRODUCTION
This step-by-step article describes how to partition and format a hard disk with Windows XP.
Before you can install an operating system, you must first create a primary partition on the first physical hard disk (Disk 0) on your computer, and then format a file system on that partition. This partition is named the System partition. Alternatively, you can create a separate partition for the operating system on any physical hard disk. This is named the startup partition. The System partition on Disk 0 can also be used as a startup partition
MORE INFORMATION
Options for partitioning and formatting your hard disk
You can use the Microsoft Windows XP Setup program or the Fdisk and Format tools to partition and format System and startup partitions.
If your computer is already running Windows XP, and you want to create partitions other than the System or the startup partitions, you can use the Windows XP Disk Management tools.
Important things to consider before you partition and format your hard disk
Consider the following questions before you partition and format your hard disk:
- Have you prepared the hard disk by following the manufacturer's instructions?
Set the jumpers and the cabling according to the role of the hard disk (for example, master or subordinate) and make any required BIOS (or CMOS) changes. See the documentation that came with your hard disk and motherboard, or contact the manufacturers. - What type of file system do you want to use?
You can use either the FAT or NTFS file systems. - Does the hard disk already contain data? If yes, have you backed up all your important data?
If not, back up your data before you continue. When you partition and format a hard disk, all the data on that partition is permanently deleted. You can view current partition information without deleting your data. - Does the hard disk have a drive overlay or a disk management program?
If your computer uses drive overlay software for large hard disk support, do not use the Windows XP Setup program to partition or to format the drive until you have verified Windows XP compatibility with the software manufacturer. If you do not know whether you have drive overlay software installed, contact the software manufacturer before you continue. - Do you have the floppy disks or the CD-ROMs that you need to reinstall your software?
Make sure that you have the software so that you can reinstall your programs after you partition and format your drive. If you purchased an upgrade for a program, make sure that you have the full version of the original program. Many upgrades for programs require a compliance check before you can install the upgraded product. If you cannot find the original floppy disks or CD-ROMs, contact the software manufacturer before you continue. - Do you have updated device drivers backed up on storage other than the drive that you want to format and partition?
If you have installed an updated device driver for your peripheral devices (for example, modems and printers), make sure that you back up the new driver for the device to a location other than the drive that you want to format and partition. Therefore, you can reinstall it after you install your operating system. - Can you start your computer from the CD-ROM drive?
How to partition and format your hard disk by using the Windows XP Setup program
Important If you follow these steps on a hard disk that is not empty, all the data on that hard disk is permanently deleted. We recommend that you back up your hard disk before you follow these steps.
To partition and format your hard disk by using the Windows XP Setup program:
1. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, or insert the first Windows XP Setup disk into the floppy disk drive, and then restart the computer.
Note To start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM (or from the startup disk), your computer must be configured to start from the CD-ROM drive, the DVD-ROM drive, or the floppy disk drive. In some cases, you may have to modify your computer's BIOS settings to set this configuration. For information about how to configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive, the DVD-ROM drive, or the floppy disk drive, see the documentation that is included with your computer, or contact the computer manufacturer.
2. If you are starting the computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM, select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do this.
Note If your hard disk controller requires a third-party original equipment manufacturer (OEM) driver, press F6 to specify the driver.
For additional information about how to use F6 to supply a third-party OEM device driver while the Windows Setup program is running, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
314859 Limited OEM driver support is available with F6 during Windows XP Setup If you are starting from the Windows XP Setup disks, insert each of the additional disks when you are prompted, and then press ENTER to continue after you insert each disk.
3. At the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER.
4. Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement.
5. If an existing Windows XP installation is detected, you are prompted to repair it. To bypass the repair, press ESC.
6. All the existing partitions and the unpartitioned spaces are listed for each physical hard disk. Use the ARROW keys to select the partition or the unpartitioned space where you want to create a new partition. Press D to delete an existing partition, or press C to create a new partition by using unpartitioned space. If you press D to delete an existing partition, you must then press L (or press ENTER, and then press L if it is the System partition) to confirm that you want to delete the partition. Repeat this step for each of the existing partitions that you want to use for the new partition. When all the partitions are deleted, select the remaining unpartitioned space, and then press C to create the new partition.
Note If you want to create a partition where one or more partitions already exist, you must first delete the existing partition or partitions, and then create the new partition.
7. Type the size in megabytes (MB) that you want to use for the new partition, and then press ENTER, or just press ENTER to create the partition with the maximum size.
8. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to create additional partitions if you want them.
9. If you want to install Windows XP, use the ARROW keys to select the partition where you want to install Windows XP, and then press ENTER. If you do not want to format the partition and install Windows XP, press F3 two times to quit the Windows Setup program, and then do not follow the remaining steps. In this case, you must use a different utility to format the partition.
10. Select the format option that you want to use for the partition, and then press ENTER. You have the following options:
- Format the partition by using the NTFS file system (Quick)
- Format the partition by using the FAT file system (Quick)
- Format the partition by using the NTFS file system
- Format the partition by using the FAT file system
- Leave the current file system intact (no changes)
The option to leave the current file system intact is not available if the selected partition is a new partition. The FAT file system option is not available if the selected partition is more than 32 gigabytes (GB). If the partition is larger than 2 GB, the Windows Setup program uses the FAT32 file system (you must press ENTER to confirm). If the partition is smaller than 2 GB, the Windows Setup program uses the FAT16 file system.
Note If you deleted and created a new System partition, but you are installing Windows XP on a different partition, you will be prompted to select a file system for both the System and startup partitions. 11. After the Windows Setup program formats the partition, follow the instructions that appear on the screen to continue. After the Windows Setup program is completed, you can use the Disk Management tools in Windows XP to create or format more partitions.
Steps to Assemble a Computer System
Here is a brief summary of the steps to assemble a system. More details are coming soon.
Prepare the computer case
- Open case
- Mount base screws
- Open expansion slots
Prepare and mount the motherboard
- Mount CPU and CPU cooler
- Mount memory modules
- Mount motherboard onto case
- Connect power supply
Mount the drives
- Mount floppy drive
- Mount hard drive
Connect the drives and motherboard
- Connect floppy drive
- Connect hard drive
- Connect CD ROM drive
Mount video and other add-on cards
- Mount video card
- Mount sound card
- Mount FAX/data modem
Testing and getting ready for operating system
- Power-on for the first time
- Clock speed and memory counting
- Change BIOS
Microsoft Windows 95 Installation Guide
- Insert the Microsoft Windows 95 boot diskette into the floppy drive and the Microsoft Windows 95 cd into the cd-rom, then power on the computer.
- If the boot diskette doesn?t automatically start the Windows 95 setup and drops you at an a:\> or c:\> go to the cd-rom drive prompt and type X:\>setup then press enter.
- You will be prompted to let setup to a routine check on your system, Continue by pressing, ?lt;b>ENTER?
- After the system check Windows will prompt with a Windows 95 Dialog box welcoming you to the Microsoft Windows 95 Setup. Press ENTER to continue.
- Read the Software License Agreement and press YES if you agree and NO if you do not. By selecting NO you will exit the Setup and by pressing YES you will continue with the setup.
- Windows setup will now be at the, ?lt;b>Collecting information about your computer?phase. Press Next Button.
- At the next windows it will ask where you want to install this installation of Windows 95. It is recommended to install Windows 95 under c:\windows
- Windows will now prep the c:\windows directory and go onto the Options phase on the setup.
- At the Options Panel you have four choices. Typical (recommended for most computers), Portable (Windows will be setup with options that are useful for portable computers), Compact (To save disk space, none of the optional components will be installed) and Custom (For Advanced users and system administrators only. You can customize all available Setup options).
- Makes your desired Selection. This How to Install Manual will continue with the Typical Setup.
- Select Typical and press next.
- You will be prompted to enter your Microsoft Windows 95 OEM Number. This can be found on the cover of your Microsoft Windows 95 Booklet. After you have entered your OEM number, double check your entry and if it is correct, press next.
- The next step is User Information; enter your Name and Company.
- Analyzing Your Computer is the next step in the setup. If you have a network adapter, select ?Network Adapter? If you have Sound,
- Setup with now Scan your computer to see what kind of hardware is in your computer. This can take a few minutes.
- Windows Components is the next step of the setup phase. Take the Recommended choice and press next.
- Windows Setup will prompt you and ask if you want to create a startup disk. Select NO then press next.
- Windows will ask if you are ready to let the setup phase copy the require files to run Windows 95 on your computer. Press next. This will take approximately 10 to 20 minutes depending on your computer.
- After Windows setup had completed the System files transfer it will prompt to, ?Restart your computer and finish the setup? press Finish.
- Windows will now setup your computer to fit your needs such as, time zone and Printer Setup. If you do not have a printer, press Cancel and then when prompted to reboot, press OK.
- After Windows reboots and you see the ?lt;b>Welcome to Windows 95?welcome screen, press Close and install any drivers for hardware or software you desire.
Microsoft Windows 98 Installation Guide
- Insert the Microsoft Windows 98 boot diskette into the floppy drive and the Microsoft Windows 98 cd into the cd-rom, then power on the computer.
- If the boot diskette doesn?t automatically start the Windows 98 setup and drops you at an a:\> or c:\> go to the cd-rom drive prompt and type X:\>setup then press enter.
- The Windows 98 Setup will automatically run a routine check on your system. This will check for errors on your hard drive and notify you if there are any errors found.
- After the system check setup will prompt with a Microsoft Windows 98 Setup Blue screen. Your choices are listed on your screen; this installation manual will select to proceed with the setup by pressing Enter.
- Windows will run another routine check on your system, press enter to Continue.
- After the routine system check you will see a ?Welcome to Windows 98 Setup?windows. Press Continue.
- Windows will now prepare to run the Windows 98 Setup, this usually take about 2-3 minutes.
- Windows will now prep the c:\windows directory and go onto the Options phase on the setup.
- At the Options Panel you have four choices. Typical (recommended for most computers), Portable (Windows will be setup with options that are useful for portable computers), Compact (To save disk space, none of the optional components will be installed) and Custom (For Advanced users and system administrators only. You can customize all available Setup options).
- Makes your desired Selection. This How to Install Manual will continue with the Typical Setup.
- Select Typical and press Next.
- You will be prompted to enter your Microsoft Windows 98 OEM Number. This can be found on the cover of your Microsoft Windows 98 Booklet. After you have entered your OEM number, double check your entry and if it is correct, press Next.
- The next step is User Information; enter your Name and Company.
- Analyzing Your Computer is the next step in the setup. If you have a network adapter, select ?Network Adapter? If you have Sound,
- Setup with now Scan your computer to see what kind of hardware is in your computer. This can take a few minutes.
- Windows Components is the next step of the setup. Take the Recommended choice and press Next.
- Windows Setup will prompt you and ask if you want to create a startup disk. Select NO then press Next.
- Windows will ask if you are ready to let the setup copy the require files to run Windows 98 on your computer. Press Next. This will take approximately 10 to 20 minutes depending on your computer.
- After Windows setup had completed the System files transfer it will prompt to, ?lt;b>Restart your computer and finish the setup?press Finish.
- Windows will now setup your computer to fit your needs such as, time zone and Printer Setup. If you do not have a printer, press Cancel and then when prompted to reboot, press OK.
- After Windows reboots and you see the ?lt;b>Welcome to Windows 98?welcome screen, press Close and install any drivers for hardware or software you desire.
Note: If you are having problems detecting hardware in Windows 98. Reboot your computer and go into the BIOS. Go to Plug and play and turn off Plug`n Play O/S Installed.
Web Server Installation and Configuration on Windows
2000/XP/2003
A web server can be defined as any computer configured to host publicly accessible files such as text and images. Web servers enable users all around the world to easily access nearly limitless stores of data and information. With more advanced web server configurations, a web site can harness the power of a web server to provide dynamic up-do-date information that is relevant to almost any topic. Although the thought of setting up a web server can be quite intimidating, it is actually a very simple process. The following guide offers step-by-step instructions on installing a simple Apache based web server.
Something to consider before continuing:
· Where do you want to install your web server? This is a very important question. You will need to consider how much traffic (visitors) your web site will have. If the web server is going to be used for home or a small business, there will be no problem running the server software on the same computer you use for your day-to-day tasks. If you require excellent performance and know the site will be visited often, you may want to consider installing the software on a ?server? machine, in other words, a computer that is used mainly for the purpose of serving web pages. This ?server? machine does not need to be anything fancy. Many have had success with machines running Pentium 2 based CPU?s with no problems whatsoever. The whole point of using a machine dedicated to being a web server is that its main priority is to power the web site as efficiently as possible without having to reserve CPU cycles on the loading of different programs (Internet Explorer for instance); thus creating a smoother, more enjoyable experience for users visiting your site.
Installing Apache:
1. Download Apache from http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi.
Look for the "Win32 Binary (MSI Installer)" version.
For Example: apache_2.0.53-win32-x86-no_ssl.msi
Save the file to your desktop for easy access. Double-click the installer file (name should be similar to the example above). The installer will look like any other normal windows installer.
Click next through the first set of screens until you reach a screen that looks like this:
The information in these fields should be filled in with (substitute your email address in for yemail@mydomain.com):
Using localhost for your network domain and server name will ensure that your server will be up and running without problems. The term ?localhost? simply means the current computer you are on.
It is highly recommended to install apache ?for All Users, on Port 80, as a service?. This means that the Apache web server will always be running, in the background, out of your way. What?s great about services is you are never required to open any program to start up your web server; simply having your computer on keeps the web server running.
Click next after filling in the fields. The program will begin installing the required files and then simply click the ?finish? button after it has completed.
After installation, Apache2 automatically starts. The icon 
in the System Tray means it has started. The icon 
means the "Monitor Apache Servers" is running, but Apache2 isn't started.
You can easily start/stop/restart Apache and Apache2 via that icon in your System Tray. If you get "The requested operation has failed!" error while starting apache, use the "Test Configuration" shortcut in the Start Menu to find the error. (If the text window pops up then closes before you can read it, your configuration file is fine.)
Now test to make sure the server software is running. Open up a web browser (Internet Explorer) and type in the address:
http://127.0.0.1/ or http://localhost/, a window like the one below should be displayed:
If your web browser displays the same information as the picture above, then your web server is up and running!
Configuration: Now that your web server is up and running, there are a few things you will need to setup in your configuration file to make Apache run more to your liking.
Go to
Start Menu/All Programs/Apache HTTP Server/Configure Apache Server/Edit the Apache httpd.conf file
This will bring up a text file looking like this:
It may seem like a lot of information, but don?t worry, you will only be changing a few things.
First go to the Edit menu and select ?Find?. In the box that pops up, type the word ?DocumentRoot? without quotation marks. Click the find button and you should now be 1/3rd of the way down the document. The window should look a lot like this:
>
Notice that DocumentRoot is by default set to:
?C:/Program Files/Apache Group/Apache2/htdocs?
DocumentRoot simply means where you will be storing your website. It is highly recommended that you change this default setting to a folder located on your hard drive that you can easily access, for this guide we will use a folder named ?website? that is located at the top level of the C: drive. Once you have created the website directory, you will want to edit the DocumentRoot line in your httpd.conf file to match the path to your directory you have chosen. For this guide, it is C:\website. So we change the DocumentRoot line from:
DocumentRoot "C:/Program Files/Apache Group/Apache2/htdocs"
To
DocumentRoot "C:/website"
Next go to the Edit menu again, select find, and type DocumentRoot into the box and click find. Your window should jump down to the middle of the configuration file and will look like this: (if not try hitting the find button again)
You will see a line that contains:
<Directory "C:/Program Files/Apache Group/Apache2/htdocs">
Change this to whatever you used for the DocumentRoot locations for example:
<Directory "C:/website">
For the last step in editing the configuration file you will need to go to the Edit menu, and click find to search for one more word. In the find dialogue box enter the word ?DirectoryIndex? without quotation marks. Click the find button and the window should scroll down to an area that looks like this:
The directory index value tells the web server what page will be the index page for your website. In most cases this line does not need to change, but because many times index pages are named ?index.htm? we will need to add that filename to the configuration file. So change this line:
DirectoryIndex index.html index.html.var
To
DirectoryIndex index.html index.htm index.html.var
Your line should now look like this:
This will ensure that the index.htm files (often created in Dreamweaver) will not be overlooked as an index page.
After changing the DirectoryIndex line, go to the File menu and click ?Save?.
Close the text document and you should be back at your desktop.
For the final step, we will want to have the changes we just implemented to go into affect. To do this, you will simply restart your web server:
Double Click the icon in the lower right hand corner and a window should come up:
Make sure the word ?Apache2? is highlighted in blue and then click the ?Restart? button on the right. The window should then change and look like this:
Click the ?OK? button on the right and you will be returned to your desktop. Now simply put your web pages into the folder you created for your DocumentRoot, and your site will be up and running!
If you have a firewall, don?t forget to forward Port 80 to the web server?s IP address! (Check the Firewall guide on this website for instructions.)