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Part II. AssemblingHow to Build a Win 2000 System? By Lee Penrod
Tools Needed
Before we build anything, the first thing that you need to do is to select a clean flat work surface and lay out our basic tools. The best place to assemble your new system is on a computer desk, or a kitchen table. Try to avoid assembling the system in a room that has a carpeted floor. If the room is carpeted put an anti-static mat down under your feet if possible. This will help minimize the risk of damaging the equipment by static discharge. If you are worried about the finish of the wood on the table, it is best to put down a sheet or two of poster board first. It is easy to scrape the wood a little bit when flipping a case over.
Basic Tools Needed: Paper Towels, Isopropyl Alcohol, Nail Polish remover, Cotton Swabs, Needle nose pliers, Flat head screwdriver, Philips screwdriver, various screws, zip ties/tape, thermal compound and a screw grabber (it’s yellow in the picture).
Put all parts you will need for the build nearby, but give yourself enough room to put the case on its side without fear of knocking off a card or other component.
Basic Handling Procedure: Handle your components gently, especially the motherboards. Only pick components up by the edges. To prevent ESD damage to the components do not remove them from static-shielded bags until you are ready to install them. Only handle them after touching an unpainted metallic surface, like the frame of your case. If you have one, wear an anti-static wrist strap. Never remove a power connector with the power supply switched on.
Now we are ready to build the system.
Note: The case I will be working with is the Fong Kai 320. Although most parts of the building process will be the same with most cases, please bare in mind that some parts of this guide will refer to specific features of the FK320.
Step 1. Prepare the case. Remove your new case from the box, and remove both side panels. Take any and all loose parts out of the case, and place them with your tools. Throw away any silica gel included with the case. The Fong Kai 320 has a bit of a unique way of opening. There are two switches on the back of the case on each side panel. To remove the side panels, switch all of the switches to UNLOCK. Once the switches are set to unlock, grip the indent on the side panel you want to remove, and pull back hard. It will be quite stiff, and is best done with the case on its side.
Step 2. Remove the fan duct from your case if your case has one. Most fan ducts are held in either by 4 screws or by a quick release lever. The FK320 uses a 92mm fan duct, that is held in by four screws.
Take out the screws with your screwdriver, and put the duct with your other parts.
Step 3. Place your motherboard standoffs in the appropriate holes for your form factor. Get your flash light out and look at the motherboard mounting area. (This is the area inside the case with lots screw holes). Beside each hole is the name of a form factor. (ATX, mATX, XATX, Xeon) Get into the bag of screws that came with the case and get the brass colored motherboard standoffs out. The stand offs have screw thread at one end, and the other end has a place where you can screw in another screw.
Place one standoff in each of the screw holes for the form factor of the motherboard you are using. For the Asus A7V I am using, this is ATX.
Step 4. Check the actual hole placement vs. the labeled placement on the motherboard mounting area by laying the motherboard into place. To do this lay the motherboard carefully on top of the standoffs and move the serial ports, and printer port through the I/O shield on the back of the case. You may need to bend up the spring-like metal pieces on the inside of the I/O shield in some cases. If there are stand offs that do not show through the screw holes in the motherboard then you need to do some adjustment. Additionally if the motherboard has holes without standoffs beneath (but a hole is there) then you should place a standoff under it. In the case of the A7V & the FK320 there were 2 misplaced / additional standoffs needed. The ATX standoff by the third slot needed removed, and a standoff needed placed in the Xeon hole nearest where the mouse port would stick out.
Step 5. Mount the motherboard by placing the motherboard on top of the standoffs, with the appropriate ports going through the proper places on the I/O shield. You may need to apply a small amount of pressure to the edge of the motherboard to make it stick properly through the I/O shield & line up all of the motherboard mounting holes. Secure the motherboard by placing a screw in each mounting hole that has a standoff beneath it. Screw the screw down, but do not over tighten it, as this may damage the motherboard. If a screw doesn’t want to go in right, try using a different screw. Your case will use a few screws of different diameter, and only one type will work. These screws come with the case.
Step 6. Install your processor.
Pull the lever away a tiny bit so that it isn’t impeded by the locking tab. Pull the lever up so that it is perpendicular with the socket.
Insert the cpu with the correct orientation. The notched corner of the processor should point towards the hinge of the lever; the AMD logo will be upside down. The processor will slip right into place with no force. Put the lever back how it was. The lever will be stiffer with the processor in than without it.
Step 7. Apply Thermal Compound to the processor.
Apply a drop of arctic silver II or other thermal compound on the core of the processor. Smooth the compound into a paper-thin layer using the edge of an old credit card. You may also use a razor blade if you have a really steady hand.. You only need a drop about the size of half a grain of rice in order to do a Thunderbird or Duron core. Applying too much will degrade performance.
Step 8. Assemble and carefully mount your HSF on your processor, following the instructions provided on the instruction sheet. For an Alpha 6035 pal, mounting means carefully setting the heatsink on the processor, and latching the side without the movable part on the center tab while keeping the heatsink from falling off. Then I use either a flat heat screwdriver or an unsharpened pencil to press the latch on the other side down and hook it to the center tab. When done latching, you have to hook the fan to the 3-pin fan header on the motherboard labeled CPU_FAN.
Once the motherboard, and CPU w/heatsink fan combination are installed the battle is half over. If you haven’t already done so, take a break for a minute to get over the stress of the heatsink installation. When you are ready move on to the next step.
Step 9. Install your memory DIMMS in order from largest to smallest, starting with the dimm slot labeled DIMM1. Memory is actually very easy to install. Look at the motherboard, and look at your DIMM(s). There are three notches in your DIMMS, and these 2 notches correspond to 2 small tabs in the DIMM slot. The key is to line them up right. On the motherboard flip the white retaining pieces on the DIMM slot you want to use out. Now take your DIMMS and place it in the slot, while lining up the notches. Press down on the top edge of the DIMMS with 3 fingers until the white pieces click into place. If the DIMM is double sided you may have to grip the top edge on either side and press down.
Step 10. Reinstall the Fan duct if your case uses one. Take the duct, and re-secure it to the inside of the case with the four screws you removed earlier. Plug the fan into the 3-pin header of your choice. The stock powersupply that comes with the FK320 doesn’t have a motherboard-controlled fan, so the best place is the PWR_FAN. Otherwise, F_FAN would probably be the best header as it is the closest and easy to work with.
(Note/Update: There is debate about which direction the fan should be pointing in the duct. In my application I found it better to have the fan set to exhaust. This may be linked with my usage of a high output fan in front, and the fact that the fan on the Pal6035 is supposed to be set to suck heat away from the processor and not blow down. My advice is to set the direction of the fan in the duct with the direction of the fan on the heatsink. e.g. If the fan on the heatsink is set to suck heat off the heatsink set the fan to exhaust. If the fan on the heatsink is set to blow down on it, then set the back fan to intake. The case normally comes stock with the duct fan set to intake.)
Installing Drives | Go to Top |
Step 1. Install Floppy drive(s). Take your floppy drive cable, and stretch it so you can see both ends. The connector that has a twist/split in the ribbon cable near it is the connector that goes in the back of the floppy drive. Plug the cable into the floppy drive with the extra cable hanging down. See the picture for step 4.
Flip up the door on the case, and leave it there for the remainder of the build. Carefully take the floppy drive and place it in the exposed 3.5 bay by pushing it into the bay from inside the case. The front of the drive should be flush with the front bezel plastic under the door. Secure the drive into the 3.5 bay by using four drive-mounting screws. (2 on the open side, 2 on the side of the case that is mostly metal?use a screwdriver through the somewhat rectangular shaped hole). Plug the end of the floppy drive cable into the floppy connector on the motherboard.
Step 2. Install hard drive(s). If possible remove the internal 3.5 drive cage to install, as this is the easiest way. On the Fong Kai 320 you remove the internal 3.5 drive cage from the case by pressing the release lever inward and pulling down and off on the cage.
Take each hard drive you have, and secure them in the cage using 6 mounting screws per drive. The back of the drives should be jutting out a bit from the cage. Set the jumpers on the drives to the desired setting. For the setup I choose, the larger 20-gig drive should be master, and the smaller and older drive should be set to slave. Now take the loaded cage back to the case, and re-attach it by hooking the four notches and pressing forward. This will line up a screw hole. You may further secure the drive cage with a screw here if you wish.
Step 3. Install Cd-rom drive & burner. Now take a look at the front of your case and determine which bays you want your CD-RW drive & CD-ROM drive in. From the factory the top 5.25 bay is punched out on the FK-320. This is a good place to put the cd-rom drive. Since the CD-RW can get a bit warm it is best then to place it in the bay furthest from the CD-ROM drive. (bottom 5.25 bay).
There are two things blocking you from installing a drive in the bottom bay: A plastic cover that is attached to the front bezel and a metal piece that is attached to the case’s frame.
To get rid of the obstructions we have to first take off the front bezel. Find the 3 plastic tabs on each side of the bezel. Pull out a slight bit on each of the tabs, and pull the bezel off. Now, Pop the plastic covers off the bay(s) you wish to use if they block them. Then take a flat head screwdriver, and pry the metal cover off the required bay. Replace the plastic front bezel.
Take the CD-RW drive and slide it into the bottom 5.25 bay. It is usually easiest to do this by sliding the drive in from the front. Face the inside of the case, and use a hand to lift the back end of the drive just enough to line up the screw holes. Using your free hand, secure the drive on this side using 2 mounting screws. Do the same to the other side.
The CD-ROM drive is mounted basically the same in the Top bay. However, when you push the drive through from the front, you need to have a hand inside the case to keep it from falling. Once secured with screws the drive is fine. If your motherboard has a second controller integrated, set both the burner, and the CD-ROM drive to master using the jumpers on the back of the drive. This should assure us the best performance from our burner later on.
Step 4. Plug the appropriate cables into all drives. Take an ata66/100 cable and plug the blue end into the motherboard’s Primary IDE (ata66) connector. Plug the other end of the cable into the ide connector on the top hard drive (set as master), and plug the middle connector into the second hard drive (set as slave). If you only have one hard drive just put it at the end of the cable set as master. Now take an ata66/100 or ata33 cable and plug it into the secondary IDE (ata66) connector on the motherboard. Plug the other end of this cable into the CD-Rom drive at the top of the case. Take a ata66/100 cable and plug the blue end of it into the primary ATA100 connector on the motherboard. Plug the other end of it into the back of the CD-Burner.
Installing the Basic Cards | Go to Top |
Step 1. Prepare the slots you are going to use by removing obstructions and appropriate slot covers. Place the case on its side, so that you can look down and see the motherboard. The FK 320 has a flimsy metal slot guard. Take out the middle screw down slot cover by removing its screw. Pull the guard up and out, with a pair of needle nose pliers.
Now remove the slot cover that is nearest the AGP slot by prying it back and forth with a flathead screwdriver in the middle hole. Also remove the slot cover for PCI slot 4. This slot will house the USB card.
Step 2. Install motherboard accessory card in a slot that will not be used, if your motherboard has one. Take the USB card that was included with the A7V and put it in the slot nearest PCI4. The USB ports on the card should be facing out. Secure the card with a screw. Take the short cable with a 5 pin connector on each end, and plug it into the 4 pins (with a one pin gap) near the middle of the card. Take the other end of the cable and plug it into the motherboard’s "USB3A" header. Now take the small ribbon cable that came with the motherboard, and attach it to the card & to the motherboard’s "USB3" header. The both cables will go in only one-way; do not try to force them. Tape the extra length of cable to the bottom of the case.
Step 3. Install the Video card. Take the Asus v7700 Deluxe card, and push it into the AGP slot by pressing it with two fingers on the top edge. Use a screw to secure the card. Note: be careful not to rock the card from side to side. Make sure the card is in all the way, and secure the card with a screw. TIP: If you are going to use a PCI video card it should go in the slot nearest the AGP slot or PCI 1.
Connect the IO panel, and install Intake fan | Go to Top |
Step 1. Connect The I/O panel as outlined in your motherboard’s manual. Connect case switch & led leads to the motherboard I/O panel, in the places indicated on the motherboard & in the manual. The with this case & motherboard, the white text on the connectors should be facing the top of the case. Route and tape any extra cord length so that it doesn’t impede the front fan mount.
Step 2. Remove fan drawer/mount and prepare the drawer if needed. The FK 320 uses a fan drawer. Remove it by reaching into the area under the removable 3.5 drive cage, and pushing the black lever towards the back of the cage and pulling the drawer out. If you are using a 120mm fan bust out the 4 long black tabs. You’ll end up with something that looks like this.
Step 3. Mount the fan in the drawer/mount with 4 mounting screws or pins. The airflow arrow on the fan should be pointing towards the inside of the case. (For the FK320 fan drawer this means that side with the screw hole tabs should be on the side opposite the direction of the arrow.
On a side note: The Fan drawer on the Fong Kai 320 is large enough to use even the thickest 120mm fans available. The fan I choose to use for this system is a massive 120mm NMB oversized server fan rated at 132 CFM airflow. Below is a picture comparing the NMB’s thickness to that of a normal thickness fan.
As you can see it fits perfectly.
Step 4. Connect the 120mm fan to a 4-pin power lead from the powersupply. If the fan has a 3-pin lead, use a 4-pin converter to connect it. Fans in the 120mm range should never been connected to the 3-pin fan headers on the motherboard due to the amount of power they draw.
Last Step | Go to Top |
With the powersupply off, and unplugged, connect the 20pin ATX lead from the powersupply to the 20pin connector on the motherboard. Make sure the clip on the side lines up. It should fit only one way.
Now if you’ve been building along with me, you have the following installed.
Asus A7V, with processor, and memory.
1 Asus v7700 Deluxe video card in AGP slot one.
2 hard drives. 1 master, one slave. Cable connected to Primary IDE (ata66)
1 CD-RW drive set to master on it’s own cable, and plugged into the primary ata100 controller.
1 CD-ROM ,drive set to master on it’s own cable, and plugged into the secondary IDE connector (ata66)
1 USB add-on card for the A7V
This is the basic configuration.
On the first boot of a new system it is always best to leave out all PCI expansion cards(except the video card if you are using PCI video). Leaving out the other cards at first can help you pin point a problem should the system not respond properly the first time. In some cases a system will not load if there is a conflict with the video card and another expansion card.
The next part is to connect all the external cables in the back, and to check the voltage setting on your powersupply.
Now let’s plug the basic cables into the back of the case. Plug the DB-15 cable from the monitor, into the back of the Asus video card. Plug the keyboard into the keyboard port, and plug the mouse into the ps/2 mouse port.
Now look at the little red switch on the powersupply. Make sure that the little white numbers read "115" if they don’t get a small object and flip the switch to 115. This ensures that the powersupply is setup for U.S. power standards.
Attach the power cables to your new computer’s power supply, and to your monitor. Plug both into your surge protector or UPS unit. Turn on your monitor.
Quickly double check that all cables that are needed are attached to the appropriate places. Look at the position of the bus speed and processor multiplier dipswitches. They should be set to either jumper free mode
or to the speed of your processor as outlined in the motherboard manual. Usually the A7V ships with the dipswitches set to jumper free.
If you do not have a heatsink/fan combination installed on the processor stop immediately. Going further without a heatsink/fan combination will destroy the processor, motherboard, and may start a fire.
 NEXT: | III. BIOS & OS | IV. Configuration | Appendix |
 BACK: | Preface | I. Introduction |
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