Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummies
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When you’re ready to put your PC together, keep these things in mind when you’re handling and connecting the computer parts to make assembly quicker, easier, and safer:

  • Give yourself plenty of elbow room and adequate lighting.

  • Ground yourself on a metal surface before handling any components.

  • Don’t start without all the parts and components. If you don’t have everything that you need to finish one whole step of the PC-building process, stopping halfway through makes it easy to miss a step or forget something.

  • Treat your components carefully. Don’t drop a part on the floor or toss it to a friend. Never bend a circuit board or an adapter card. If something doesn’t seem to fit, take out the component, check the instructions again, and try it a different way.

  • Read all documentation that comes with each device.

  • Keep the manuals for all your parts together for easy reference.

  • Save your boxes and receipts. You might find yourself stuck with a new defective item, and you’ll need the original packaging to return it.

  • Use bowls to hold small parts. Or, if you’re a true techno-nerd, get thee to a hardware store and buy one of those wall racks with all the little compartments.

  • Keep a magnetic screwdriver handy to pick up wayward screws.

  • Check all connections after you install a part.

  • Leave the computer cover off while you test your new device first. As long as you don’t touch any circuit boards inside the case, you’ll be fine.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book author:

Mark L. Chambers has been building, customizing, and repairing PCs for over 20 years for himself and clients. As a consultant, he helps everyday folks update, maintain, and troubleshoot PCs.

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