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| Remove
side panel |
Installing external drives |
Installing external drives |
Case screws |
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Remove the side panel form the
case in order to gain access. Note that, with the case illustrated,
it is only necessary to remove the panel from one side.
This varies from case to case. Whatever the design, most
PC the components are installed from one side only. |
Remove the drive bay blanking
plates that cover the CD and floppy drive bays in the case.
This usually involves unclipping from the inside of the
case. If there are metal covers behind the plastic ones
then remove these also. |
With the blanking plates removed,
slide the drives into their corresponding bays. |
Now turn your attention to the screws supplied
with the case. You will see that there are two types – coarse
threaded (on the left) and fine threaded (on the right).
Note that the fine threaded screws are only used for
optical and floppy drives. The
coarse threaded screws are usually used for all other fixings. |
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| Fixing
the drives |
Drives installed |
Motherboard
mask |
Motherboard
mask |
|
Fix the optical and floppy drives
into place with the (fine threaded) screws provided.. Make
sure that the front of the drive is level with the front
of the case. Note that there will often be screw holes in
the exact locations required |
Pictured – the optical and floppy
drives located in the correct bays in the PC case |
On a modern motherboard many
of the inputs and outputs are built in. These sockets are
overlaid with a metal mask. |
The mask supplied with the motherboard,
which exactly corresponds with the built in sockets at the
back of the board, will be installed in place of the mask
supplied with the case |
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Installing motherboard mask |
Installing motherboard mask |
Installing motherboard mask |
Discard
unwanted parts |
|
Using the handle of a screwdriver,
knock out the original mask so that it falls inside the
case |
Using the handle of a screwdriver,
knock out the original mask so that it falls inside the case |
Install the new mask from the
inside of the case. Press down firmly on all sides until
it clicks into place.
Safety tip – the edges of the mask may be quite sharp |
There
will have been a mask supplied with the case. Discard
the old mask and unused drive blanking
plates |
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Install motherboard pedestals
|
Install motherboard pedestals
|
Install
the motherboard |
Hot
tips |
| The
motherboard is mounted in the PC case on brass pedestals.
If these are not installed already then you will need to screw
them in. |
There
will be screw holes already in the case. You may need to install
the pedestals into the case to correspond with every
hole in the motherboard. Make sure that you use the holes
that correspond to the holes in the motherboard.
Illustrated – motherboard pedestals in place |
Carefully position the motherboard over
the pedestals.
Make
sure that all of the holes line up and that the motherboard
is properly aligned with the mask |
Hot tips for motherboard installation
Use a magnetic screwdriver – this saves chasing screws around
the inside of the case
Do not tighten any of the screws until all of the screws
are in place |
