Cost of Repair

In this tutorial I will guide you through the process of installing an IDE hard drive into a desktop computer. Installing a new hard drive is a very common procedure for computer user, especially if the computer is older then three years old. IDE hard drives are not that popular any more as they have slower transfer rates then the newer SATA hard drives but they are still being manufactured. One other draw back of IDE drives is that they require wide ribbon cables which restricts airflow in the computer case. Even with those negatives people still like using IDE drives. Let’s get started.

Steps:

1. The first step is to find out if you have any room in your desktop computer for another hard drive. If you are replacing your current drive then you can move onto the next step.

2. Find out how your hard drive fits into your computer. Most computers use four screws that go into the hard drive’s side and then you slide the drive into your desktop. Some computer cases have screw less systems that require you to attach a bracket to the hard drive and then slide it into the case.

3. All desktop computer IDE hard drives have two connectors. The four pin connector is for the power and the 39 pin connector is for the data cable. If you are adding a second hard drive to your computer then you can use the second connector in the ribbon cable and slave the drive. You’ll also need a free power connector from your power supply.

4. Make sure that your power supply and motherboard can support an IDE hard drive. If your motherboard has only one IDE controller and the ribbon cable is already plugged into the CD drive and hard drive then you can’t add another hard drive. If you’re replacing the current drive then there are no problems.

5. Attach the IDE ribbon cable to the IDE connector on the motherboard. Then make sure to arrange your power supply cable to accommodate the new drive.

6. Place the hard drive into the computer case and make sure it is securely fastened.

7. Attach the power cable and the data cable to the hard drive and then you’re done. Just power on your computer and your ready to go.

Tips:

- If you are adding another hard drive (or slaving) then you might need to change the jumper settings on the IDE drive to the slave position. Consult the diagram on the hard drive for the proper jumper settings

- If you have a choice then always choose the 80 wire ribbon cable as this cable has faster transfer rates then the old 40 wire cable.

- Always use a anti-static strap when working with hard drives.

That’s it! It’s really that simple. We hope the tutorial “How to Install an IDE Hard Drive” has helped you with your computer repair issue.

You can watch this tutorial on video by clicking the play button below. For the full screen version click the second button from the right on the video.

Video:

If you need more help regarding this “How to Install an IDE Hard Drive” tutorial then let us know by visiting our Repair Questions page.

Cost of Repair

In this tutorial I will show you how to remove and install a wireless card in a laptop. The reliability of wireless cards is very good but sometimes they do fail and sometimes a person might want to have two wireless cards in their laptops if they have the slots. The difficulty of this tutorial varies greatly from laptop to laptop because some laptop don’t have an easy access panel for the wireless card and some laptops have to be completely taken apart to get access to the adapter. Another problem is where to find a new or used laptop wireless adapter. The best source is usually from eBay or direct from the manufacturer. Once you’ve figured out all the details you can follow the simple steps below.

Steps:

1. Before getting starting, you will need a screwdriver to complete this tutorial.

2. Find the panel that covers the wireless adapter and unscrew it. Sometimes the adapter will be hiding under a shared panel with the RAM.

3. Once you’ve found the wireless card, disconnect the two antenna contacts from the card.

4. Now remove the screws from the wireless card and gently pull out the card from the slot.

5. Grab the replacement laptop wireless card and insert it into the slot at a 45 degree angle and then keep the card down with your finger while replacing the screws.

6. Once the adapter is screwed in, then reconnect the antenna to the adapter.

7. Place the panel back on the laptop and screw it in. Now you’re done.

Tips:

- It is always recommended that you unplug the power supply and remove the battery from the laptop before proceeding with this tutorial.

That’s it! It’s really that simple. We hope the tutorial “How to Replace a Laptop Wireless Card” has helped you with your computer repair issue.

You can watch this tutorial on video by clicking the play button below. For the full screen version click the second button from the right on the video.

Video:

If you need more help regarding this “How to Replace a Laptop Wireless Card” tutorial then let us know by visiting our Repair Questions page.

Cost of Repair

In this tutorial I will show you how to install a desktop motherboard. A computer motherboard is one of the most important components of the computer. It is the highway that allows are the parts of a computer to communicate. So it is a good idea to always get the best motherboard you can afford because if you get a cheap mainboard chances are high it’s going to fail. When a motherboard fails there are no quick fixes or tricks, you have to buy a new one. Also, the motherboard is one of the main reasons for system bottlenecks so I would recommend getting find a good board then finding any other part. It may seem a little intimidating to install a desktop motherboard at first but if you follow our instructions you’ll be fine.

Steps:

1. Before installing your motherboard place your computer case on it’s side and make sure you have a lot of light shinning into your case.

2. Insert your motherboard into the case and line up the ports with the holes, then line up the screw holes with the case.

3. Now start screwing the motherboard to the case and make sure all the screw are tightly secured.

4. Once you’ve secured the board to the case then connect the power supply connectors to the motherboard, followed by all the LED’s, power, USB, Firewire pins at the bottom of the board.

5. Lastly connect the peripherals to the mobo like the hard drive and DVD data cables and then insert the memory into the slots.

6. If everything is connected then start your computer and then load all your drivers for the chipset, LAN, Audio and Video. You’re done.

Tips:

- Installing the CPU and heatsink is easier to do before you install the motherboard into the computer case.

- Not all cases are compatible with all motherboards so do your research before buying a motherboard.

That’s it! It’s really that simple. We hope the tutorial “How to Install a Motherboard” has helped you with your computer repair issue.

You can watch this tutorial on video by clicking the play button below. For the full screen version click the second button from the right on the video.

Video:

If you need more help regarding this “How to Install a Motherboard” tutorial then let us know by visiting our Repair Questions page.

Cost of Repair

In this tutorial I will show you how to install a DVD drive into a desktop computer. You can use this tutorial to install any type of optical drive like CD, DVD or Blu-ray but I will be using a DVD drive. With the quality and size of today’s LCD screen many people are choosing to watch movies on their computer. If they want to do that then they will need a DVD or Blu-ray drive. DVD drives are fairly reliable and if you buy a good brand you will never have to buy another DVD drive again. If they do fail then you can use this tutorial to guide you through the process. The instructions are fairly easy with the hardest part figuring out how to get access to your drive.

Steps:

1. The first step is to open your computer case so you can see the DVD drive. Sometimes you will also need to take off the front panel of your system to allow access to the drive.

2. Once you’ve got access to the drive then unplug it from the power supply and the motherboard by pulling out the power and data cable.

3. Next, depending on the type of case you might need to unscrew the DVD drive to release it from the computer or you will need lift a release latch and then pull it out from the front.

4. When the drive is out you might need to unscrew four screws from the DVD case.

5. Now grab your new DVD drive and screw in the four screws into the side of the DVD case and then insert it into the computer.

6. Attach all the cables to the new drive and close your computer case. Now turn on your system and let your operating system recognize your new DVD drive. That’s it.

Tips:

- Having a DVD drive doesn’t mean you can burn DVD’s. You will still have to install burning software on your computer before being able to burn DVD’s.

That’s it! It’s really that simple. We hope the tutorial “How to Install a DVD Drive” has helped you with your computer repair issue.

You can watch this tutorial on video by clicking the play button below. For the full screen version click the second button from the right on the video.

Video:

If you need more help regarding this “How to Install a DVD Drive” tutorial then let us know by visiting our Repair Questions page.

Cost of Repair

In this tutorial I will show you how to clean a CPU and heatsink. Why would someone want to clean their processor or heatsink? The main reason would be when a person wants to upgrade their CPU but the second reason would be to apply a better conductive thermal paste to the CPU and heatsink to allow for better overclocking. Either reason is valid but I wouldn’t recommend playing with the CPU too much as eventually it will get damaged. Sometimes the thermal paste can get pretty stuck on the heatsink or processor making it difficult to fully remove but if necessary you can use a hard plastic utensil to get the stubborn pieces off. Follow the instructions below and you have a clean surface in no time.

Steps:

1. Open the side panel of your desktop computer and find the CPU and heatsink.

2. Remove the heatsink and fan assembly according to the manufacturers specifications.

3. Once you removed the heatsink grab a lint free cloth and some isopropyl alcohol and clean the bottom of the heatsink until it’s completely clean. You may need to use multiple cloths to get the heatsink perfectly clean.

4. Now release the latch holding the CPU in place and gently grab the processor and clean it with a lint free cloth and isopropyl alcohol like the heatsink.

5. If both units are completely clean and without thermal paste then you are now ready to re-apply some fresh thermal paste.

Tips:

- Using a Q-tip dipped in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol can help you clean all the groves of the computers CPU and heatsink.

- When purchasing the isopropyl alcohol try getting the 99% kind so that it doesn’t leave any residue on the surface and it’s easier to clean.

That’s it! It’s really that simple. We hope the tutorial “How to Clean a CPU and Heatsink” has helped you with your computer repair issue.

You can watch this tutorial on video by clicking the play button below. For the full screen version click the second button from the right on the video.

Video:

If you need more help regarding this “How to Clean a CPU and Heatsink” tutorial then let us know by visiting our Repair Questions page.

Cost of Repair

In this tutorial I will show you how to install a video card into a desktop computer. While video cards have evolved over the years installing them hasn’t change much at all. With the popularity of gaming increasing and more and more people use their computers to watch movies and TV the need for video cards is increasing. It’s not only gamers or movie watchers that benefit from video cards, everyday users can benefit from the extra speed that video card can provide. The only problem with deskop video cards is that they produce a lot of heat and as a result they can fail quite easily if not properly cooled. Since most people don’t know much about proper cooling or a the proper power supply people need to replace there video cards often. I’ll now show you how to perform this quick installation.

Steps:

1. Open your desktop computer and find what slots you have for your video card. New computers all have a PCI Express slot while older computer have a PCI or AGP slot.

2. Once you’ve determined what type of slot your motherboard has then find the right video card for your computer.

3. Before inserting the card into the slot make sure to blow out your computer case to remove all the dust and particles.

4. Now align the video card with the slot, making sure the notch is in the right place, then insert it into the slot until you hear a click.

5. If you video card requires power directly from your power supply then connect it right now. Usually video cards use a 6-pin power connector.

6. Now close you computer case and connect your monitor cable (VGA or DVI) to the video card and turn on your computer.

7. Once your computer starts up your screen will look a little weird because the drivers need to be installed. So insert the CD or download the proper drivers and install all the software and drivers for you video card. Then restart your computer.

8. Now your computer is ready to experience to benefits of a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU).

Tips:

- Before purchasing your video card make sure that your power supply has enough watts and the proper power connectors to support your video card. Always go above the video card manufacturers recommendations for a power supply as it’s always good to have the extra room.

- Make sure your computer has proper cooling (ie. fans) to keep the video card cool. also make sure to blow out your video card often as the card fans usually get clogged with dust pretty fast.

That’s it! It’s really that simple. We hope the tutorial “How to Install a Video Card” has helped you with your computer repair issue.

You can watch this tutorial on video by clicking the play button below. For the full screen version click the second button from the right on the video.

Video:

If you need more help regarding this “How to Install a Video Card” tutorial then let us know by visiting our Repair Questions page.

Cost of Repair

In this tutorial I will show you how to install a CPU and heatsink. The CPU, or central processing unit, is the brains of the whole computer. Without it your computer couldn’t add one plus one. There are basically only two CPU manufacturers for computers, Intel and AMD, with Intel being the market leader. A heatsink is a large piece of conductive metal that takes the heat from the CPU and transfers it away from the chip to allow for cool operation. Usually the heatsink has a fan attached to it to help in the heat transfer proceed. CPU’s are the most reliable piece of hardware in your computer system so chances are high you’ll never have to replace a CPU but you might want to upgrade your processor to a faster one for better performance. I’ll walk you though the process right now.

Steps:

1. First locate the CPU socket on your motherboard.

2. Make sure your computer is unplugged and insert the CPU into the motherboard socket and then depending on your socket type secure the CPU with the brackets.

3. Now apply the thermal paste to the CPU according to the type of CPU you have. If you have a Pentium 4 then apply a half a pie sized ball in the center of the chip. If you have a Core 2 Duo then apply a thin line vertically on the chip. If you have a Quad Core or new i5 or i7 then apply a thin line horizontally on the chip.

4. After the thermal paste has been applied, then place the heat sink onto the processor and give it a one degree turn both clockwise and counter clockwise. Now secure the heatsink.

5. Once you’ve screwed down the heatsink and fan then you’re ready to boot up your computer.

Tips:

- We recommend using Artic Silver thermal paste as we’ve found it to be the most effective as transferring the heat.

- If you get any thermal paste outside of the CPU then clean it up right away as Artic Silver is conductive and make cause a short on your motherboard if not cleaned up.

That’s it! It’s really that simple. We hope the tutorial “How to Install a CPU and Heatsink” has helped you with your computer repair issue.

You can watch this tutorial on video by clicking the play button below. For the full screen version click the second button from the right on the video.

Video:

If you need more help regarding this “How to Install a CPU and Heatsink” tutorial then let us know by visiting our Repair Questions page.

Cost of Repair

In this tutorial I will teach you how to install the BIOS battery on the motherboard. The BIOS battery is what supplies power to the BIOS. The BIOS is what stores all the hardware information of your computer. So how to know when to replace the battery? Most people will never have to replace the BIOS battery of their computer because these little batteries will last a long time. If you do need to replace the little cell then it’s more then likely the motherboard is beginning to fail. If your computer always asked you to save the hardware settings when you boot up the system or if your system clock can’t keep the time then you will have to replace the BIOS battery. Let’s get started.

Steps:

1. Open the computer case and locate the BIOS battery on the motherboard. The battery is the size of a quarter and is usually near the bottom of the motherboard.

2. Depending on the socket type, you will need a small flat head screw driver and press it against the release clip.

3. Once you pressed the release clip with your screw driver the battery will pop out. If it doesn’t pop out then just use your finger to gently nudge it out.

4. Now get your replacement battery and place it the socket with the non-clip side in first. Then press down until you hear a click. Your done.

Tips:

- When replacing or installing a new BIOS battery it’s a good idea to update your BIOS after the install.

That’s it! It’s really that simple. We hope the tutorial “How to Install the BIOS Battery” has helped you with your computer repair issue.

You can watch this tutorial on video by clicking the play button below. For the full screen version click the second button from the right on the video.

Video:

If you need more help regarding this “How to Install the BIOS Battery” tutorial then let us know by visiting our Repair Questions page.

Cost of Repair

In this tutorial I will show you how to install a power supply into a desktop computer. The power supply is what converts the AC voltage from your wall socket to DC voltage for your computer to use. It is quite common for a desktop power supply to fail so don’t be surprised it happens to you. The steps the remove and install the power supply unit are simple but sometimes pulling out the power cables can be difficult, especially with a molex power connector. If you’re replacing a failed power supply then I would recommend you blow out your computer case before proceeding. Also, make sure that the wattage and connectors of your new unit is sufficient and compatible with all your computer hardware.

Steps:

1. Unplug the power cables from all the computer components like the motherboard, hard drive, optical drive, etc…

2. Once all the cables are unplugged, then proceed to unscrew the power supply from the computer case. There are usually four screws that will need to be unscrewed. When you are unscrewing the last screw make sure to support the power supply or it might fall and damage some components.

3. When you unscrew all the screws then remove the power supply from the case.

4. Grab your new power supply and screw it onto the computer case

5. Attach all the power cables to all the hardware inside the case.

6. Plug in the power cable into the power supply and your done.

Tips:

- If the power supply has any unused cables then use a cable tip to attach them to the main strand of cables to allow for proper airflow inside your desktop case.

That’s it! It’s really that simple. We hope the tutorial “How to Install a Power Supply” has helped you with your computer repair issue.

You can watch this tutorial on video by clicking the play button below. For the full screen version click the second button from the right on the video.

Video:

If you need more help regarding this “How to Install a Power Supply” tutorial then let us know by visiting our Repair Questions page.

Cost of Repair

In this tutorial I will show you how to fix a seized computer fan. All fans, especially cheap ones, will eventually slow down or seize sooner or later. This is definitely true of case fans that are never clean regularly. The case fan is a fairly simple piece of hardware and as a result it a pretty easy fix. The hardest part is sometimes getting the fan out of the computer case, but after that it’s straight forward to bring a fan back to life. The purpose of the case fan is to keep the computer hardware cool by blowing out the hot air from the case. This method of cooling is very effective and a great idea if you want to preserve the life of your system. If you notice that your fan is not running smoothly or not rotating at all then the lubrication in the bearing has burnt off so you need to add some more to get it working again. I’ll show you how.

Steps:

1. Before getting started you’ll need some general purpose lubricating oil and a utility knife or pointy tool. Any hardware store or big box store carries these items.

2. Remove the faulty fan from your computer case and unplug it from the power supply or motherboard.

3. Next, place the fan with the stick side facing up

4. Now use a utility knife or point tool and gently peel back the sticker until you see the bearing cover. Do not peel back the sticker all the way as you’ll need to put the sticker back after the repair.

5. Remove the bearing cover and pour a tiny amount of lubrication onto the bearing and manually rotate the fan to allow the lubrication to permeate all the areas.

6. After pouring sound lube on the fan bearing replace the cover and the sticker and then plug your fan into your power supply or motherboard. Now turn on your computer.

7. Let the fan run for a few minutes and then shutdown your computer.

8. Screw the computer fan back into the case and your done.

Tips:

- Try not to get any oil on the fan sticker as it will remove the stickiness of the sticker and you won’t be able to re-apply the stick to the fan.

That’s it! It’s really that simple. We hope the tutorial “How to Fix a Computer Fan” has helped you with your computer repair issue.

You can watch this tutorial on video by clicking the play button below. For the full screen version click the second button from the right on the video.

Video:

If you need more help regarding this “How to Fix a Computer Fan” tutorial then let us know by visiting our Repair Questions page.