First-time Builder: Good (v. Bad) Instructions

There seems to be a limitless number of "how to build a pc" guides on
the internet.

Can anyone recommend one that they like?

Thanks!

Jimmy

Buy a cheap second hand computer.
Take it apart and note where everything goes.
Then put it together and try troubleshooting it to get it going again. Best
experience you can get.

"jimmyleadfoot" wrote in message
...
There seems to be a limitless number of "how to build a pc" guides on
the internet.

Can anyone recommend one that they like?

Thanks!

Jimmy

On May 7, 10:32*pm, "SkyHigh" wrote:
Buy a cheap second hand computer.
Take it apart and note where everything goes.
Then put it together and try troubleshooting it to get it going again. *Best
experience you can get.

"jimmyleadfoot" wrote in message

...



There seems to be a limitless number of "how to build a pc" guides on
the internet.

Can anyone recommend one that they like?

Thanks!

Jimmy- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


I actually am starting with Sony Vaio box that runs slowly...

I figure I will replace the motherboard first, but that is just a
quess...

jimmyleadfoot wrote:

I actually am starting with Sony Vaio box that runs slowly...

I figure I will replace the motherboard first, but that is just a
quess...

I wouldn't start that way.

What are the specifics of the Sony Vaio? Specifically the hardware
resources, cpu, ram, hdd, modelno of the box.

What OS are you trying to run in it/ on it/ that is 'slow'?

What resources do you own/ have access to/ in terms of installable
operating system?

--
Mike Easter

On May 7, 10:39 pm, jimmyleadfoot wrote:
On May 7, 10:32 pm, "SkyHigh" wrote:



Buy a cheap second hand computer.
Take it apart and note where everything goes.
Then put it together and try troubleshooting it to get it going again. Best
experience you can get.

"jimmyleadfoot" wrote in message

...

There seems to be a limitless number of "how to build a pc" guides on
the internet.

Can anyone recommend one that they like?

Thanks!

Jimmy- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I actually am starting with Sony Vaio box that runs slowly...

I figure I will replace the motherboard first, but that is just a
quess...

SkyHigh's suggestion is good -- problem w/ brandnames, some, is they
can be a Chinese jigsaw to figure. I'd add a qualifier to that -- get
a *generic* ATX case that will fit virtually all standard sized
motherboard mounting holes, with the same holding true for power
supplies. What's left -- a hard and optical drive, and things start
to look pretty simple from the assembly point. Meaning, there's more
time to concentrate on the component factor, researching and
understanding what's going inside a box, facilitating "swapping",
instead of unwanted proprietary part hairball issues. Also, since the
box is square one -- think about one with adequate cooling. Starting
up a "clean machine" shouldn't involve heat, or be fundamentally
problematic about causing software-related glitches and potential
hardware failures.

I've got a lot of older gear I built that's been holding up "OK" over
the years. Not worth much now if I were to sell the stuff -- which I
guess means cheap *and* good. Good being a matter of focus and
application, and what-if scenarios when eventually, as will happen,
stuff quits, breaks, or gets too outdated and has to be replaced.

On 08/05/2010 03:39, jimmyleadfoot wrote:


I actually am starting with Sony Vaio box that runs slowly...

I figure I will replace the motherboard first, but that is just a
quess...

What is the spec? It may be that the slow running is down to lack of
maintenance/malware.

I went to one that took over 10 minutes to fire up a browser. By the
time I'd finished, it was down to a few seconds. All I did was use
CCleaner, IOBit Smartdefrag and make sure there was no malware on it.

--
Conor I'm not prejudiced. I hate everyone equally.

On 5/7/2010 6:36 PM, jimmyleadfoot wrote:
There seems to be a limitless number of "how to build a pc" guides on
the internet.

Can anyone recommend one that they like?

Thanks!

Jimmy

Check this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...n-pc,2601.html

It's been a lot of years since I read one of these, but Tom's is a very
well respected source.

On 5/7/2010 7:39 PM, jimmyleadfoot wrote:
On May 7, 10:32 pm, wrote:
Buy a cheap second hand computer.
Take it apart and note where everything goes.
Then put it together and try troubleshooting it to get it going again. Best
experience you can get.

wrote in message

...



There seems to be a limitless number of "how to build a pc" guides on
the internet.

Can anyone recommend one that they like?

Thanks!

Jimmy- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


I actually am starting with Sony Vaio box that runs slowly...

I figure I will replace the motherboard first, but that is just a
quess...

Replacing the motherboard should be one of the last things you do...
Try cleaning the drive and checking for malware, then defrag before
pulling components. Others have suggested a couple of options; my
software choices for these suggestions would be:
Crap Cleaner - http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/builds (use the Slim build)
a-squared Free 4.5 - http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/ (malware
scanner/cleaner)
Defragmenting tool of your choice. I use MyDefrag http://www.mydefrag.com/

All of these are freeware. Also, make sure your AV and firewall are
still configured correctly. You can use the ToolsStartup in Crap
Cleaner to see how many progrms are loading at bootup.

Give these a try and post back if you're still having trouble; mention
the OS and hardware configuration for more suggestions.

hth

Ron Moore

On May 7, 9:32*pm, wrote:
Buy a cheap second hand computer.
Take it apart and note where everything goes.
Then put it together and try troubleshooting it to get it going again. *Best
experience you can get.

I second this advice.



Tim Mastrogiacomo

On May 7, 9:32 pm, wrote:

Buy a cheap second hand computer.
Take it apart and note where everything goes.
Then put it together and try troubleshooting it to get it going again.
Best
experience you can get.

"Noting where everything goes" may be too laborious.
It seems easier to get an (older) PC and a manual of
similar date on how to build your own PC, then begin
disassembly, writing in the margin of the manual every
feature that seems different from the manual. This
is likelier to speed reassembly and successful testing.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)