installing a motherboard

[wah]

hi. my motherboard will arrive after a few days.
and i am a newbie.

whats the basic things of setting up a motherboard?
any clock settings and bios settings +++ ?

because i dont want to make any damage of it :\

thanks

[Telexen]

Don't have the system plugged in while you're installing it/components

Touch a ground source (metal from a hanging light above, screws on a slight switch fixture) before grabbing a component to install into the system, or touching the mainboard.

Be careful when installing the HSF/thermal grease

Read your manual on any parts you're not completely sure about...this will cover things like BIOS settings, jumper settings, switch settings, and so on.

[Buzioid]

What motherboard are you getting?
Make sure your board fits in your case!
There shouldn't be too much to set up, but your manual will help you with most of it.

[PartsMan]

Don't have the system plugged in while you're installing it/components

Really ??? I always have mine plugged in while building .... that way I know the computer's chassis is grounded. And I use what I'm building to ground myself (with one of those grounding bracelets)

I just make sure that I have the power switch on the rear of the case turned off .... that way it won't matter if I accidentally touch the start button on the front of the case.

But I whole heartedly agree on reading the manual before building, you'll spend less time scratching your head wondering, if you have a good idea of what you need to do to start with.

edit:

for example Had I read the manual better on one of my builds, would have known how much memory would or would not be recognized, and it would have saved me two trips to the store, two calls to MicroSoft, and I'd have completed the build and burn-in in a day instead of several days (you know, with the trips to the store that was 50 miles away and all).

Turns out, the mobo would accept any one chip of SDRAM but would only accept three 128s, not three of anything else and only two of 8s, 16s, and 32s. Odd? Well, its true. And if you tried to do anything different, the black sreen info was correct but Windows would not load. Weird huh?

[Telexen]

There are pros and cons to leaving the system unplugged.

Pros
- if you use a wrist strap, you and the computer have the same electrical charge, so there electrons won't transfer (does it really make much of a difference?)
- you can't turn the system on by mistake
- dropping a screw on the board will not damage it...when plugged in, if dropped in the right spot, a screw can fry the board and/or other components

Cons:
- the case is not grounded as it is when the system is plugged in

[Buzioid]

Well, stick the case in the ground then install the motherboard!

[wah]

thank you very much..

the mother board is :

MSI KT4V-L Hovedkort for Socket A Retail
KT400

=)

[PartsMan]

Originally posted by Buzioid
Well, stick the case in the ground then install the motherboard!

Ya, I always build mine out in the yard .....

[Xeroid]

You guys might want to look into ESD protection that uses an ESD matt as well as wrist strap. That's what I use. Then you can unplug the PC and still have it grounded. You place the piece of equipment you are servicing on the grounded matt. The harness for the ESD matt/wrist strap compo has a single pin plug that attaches to the ground recepticle of your outlet. If I'm in a customers office I always like to use a multimeter to make sure the electrician hooked the ground up correctly.

Mike

[originel]

yeah a matt is by far the best way to go.

but i would recommend NOT plugging in the comp as well. that used to work fine, but mobos have actually changed quite a bit as of late. turning off the PS might keep any charge out of the mobo, but i'm not too certain on that (cause the PS keeps a charge in it anyways). i think it would just be safer to unplug it.

besides, i've been building systems for years and have yet to fry a single component *goes and knocks on some wood*

usually i touch the frame of the case on a regular basis (even tho it is unplugged) to make sure that the difference in charge between you and the case is the same (which is the most important).

electrical charge aside...a few other things worth mentioning. always handle components very carefully. be especially careful with the memory and processor. also avoid touching any pins on any devices to avoiding getting oil from your hands on them. and be as gentle as possible when installing your hsf (if your cpu isn't retail that is) to avoid cracking the core.

also most mobo's have a FSB jumper that you should check. i've seen so many people, including my self once, that couldn't figure out why their cpu was clocking in at only 2/3 the actual speed and it was because of this switch.

as far as the other settings for the cpu and mem stuff, it should be detected by the bios so you won't have to manage.

and most important of all: take your time (and make sure to set aside a lot of time).