Building Your Own Computer – Part Six
Congratulations! You now have a working computer. Before
you can use it, though, you have to install an operating system.
The two main contenders are Windows and Linux. While Linux has
some advantages over Windows, the majority of software on the market
today is designed to be used under Windows. It is advisable to
install the latest version of Windows (Windows XP), and if you have a
special need for Linux or just want to see what it has to offer, it can
be installed as a second operating system later.
Windows XP
Installing Windows XP is straightforward -- insert the CD and let it
run. You will be presented with the option of formatting your
drive with the FAT32 or NTFS file systems. NTFS is the better
choice -- it allows you to use larger hard drives and has extra
security features.
You also have the opportunity to partition your hard drive.
Partitioning a hard drive divides it up into smaller sections that the
operating system sees as individual drives. For example, if you
divide an 80 GB hard drive into two partitions, the first partition
will show up as drive 'C' and the second partition will be drive
'D.' Unless you have a particular reason to partition your hard
drive, you are advised to skip this step.
SATA Drives
After making the selections for partitioning and formatting the hard
drive, the operating system will install itself with very little
input. The only special consideration is if you are using a SATA
hard drive. You will need to provide the drivers that allow
Windows XP to recognize the drive.
At the beginning of the installation process, you will see a blue
screen with the words "Press F6 to install any third party SCSI or RAID
drivers." Press the F6 key and wait until you see the screen that
reads "Setup could not determine the type of one or more mass storage
devices installed in your system, or you have chosen to manually
specify an adapter." Press the 'S' key and insert the floppy disk
that came with your SATA drive. From the list of drivers that
appears on your screen, select the one for Windows XP.
After this step, you may be prompted one or two more times to
provide information about your location and the primary languages you
will be using on the computer. This information is just to get
the operating system up and running -- it can be changed at a later
time.
Security
With the operating system installed and running properly, your first
priority should be security. Windows XP comes with a firewall
that can protect your computer against hackers from the Internet.
Make sure the firewall is activated before using the Internet.
The firewall settings are found by clicking the 'Start' button and then
navigating to 'Settings' 'Control Panel' and then 'Security.'
Before installing any other software, get the latest updates from
the Windows Update Center on the Internet. Click on the 'Start'
button and 'Windows Update' at the top of the menu. You can
download the latest security features and updated drivers for your
hardware devices.
Windows XP comes with basic software that allows you to do many
common tasks like surfing the Internet and word processing. You
may also wish to install more specialized software according to your
computing needs. You can find a huge selection of software
packages on the Internet – both commercial and free-of-charge.
