The motherboard is the most expensive computer component so be sure to treat and handle it with great care.There are a few things you should do to ensure no motherboard damage occur as you prepare for the installation.

Be sure you have a clean,well lit,and level work place.Relax your mind and make this task both fun and educational.You will need such tools as a phillips screwdriver,maybe some needle nose pliers and the manual that came with the board.


Most importantly you must remove any and all electrical static discharge from your body and clothes.Static electricity is a big problem and will quickly damage chips on your new board.

PREPARING FOR THE INSTALLATION

Preparing to work on your system envolves work area,lighting, and much more.One great danger is the chance of electrical static charge.But this will be no problem when this static buildup is properly removes.

Remove this danger by grounding yourself.Touch the metal case of the system unit or better yet,touch a door nobt in your work area to remove all electrical static charge.

Set down and carefully read your user's manual and familiarize yourself with your new motherboard and its layout.Taking this time will boost your motherboard installation performance ike you never thought.

Study your new motherboard and keep the box it came in.Remove it from its protective wrap very carefully and without damaging the wrap.This is done just in case you need to return the motherboard.

You may need to return the motherboard if you made any mistakes in the purchase.Does the holes of your new motherboard line up with the holes in the case?If there are any reason to return the board,you can simply put it back in the box to return.

Make the installation of your new motherboard fun and prepare well.Go to www.ultimatepcrepair.com and click on the photos page to familiarize yourself with all of the components in the cmputer.Follow these procedures as a guildline to install your new motherboard.

REMOVING THE OLD MOTHERBOARD

First Turn on your computer and access your cmos setup. This is done as the computer counts its memory.Press the combination of keys to access your bios.once inside your bios,select "Standard CMOS Setup" and write down all information about your computer's drives.

Make sure you get the density of your floppy drives and the type of hard drive you have. Once you have this, turn off and unplug the computer and remove the case.

Second Study your system unit layout and you may want to take notes as your remove components and connections so that it will be easier when it comes to re-installing these components or connections.

Go about unplugging the wires that are connected to your old motherboard.Remember to label any and all connections to make re-installing them easier later.Here's where its very important to take awhile to study your old and new boards before disconnecting anything.

Third Carefully disconnect all drives and label the connectors if needed.Remove the drives and set them out of the way in a safe place.Place all small screws in a cup or something where them won't get lost.

Carefully grasp the motherboard and give it a gentle tug upwards to be sure on connections,screws,or other devices are not interferring with the board's removal.

Once you are certain there are no obstruction for the board to be removed,lift the board out of the system unit.Look to see if such components as the memory need to be installed onto the new motherboard.

INSTALLING THE NEW MOTHERBOARD

Installing the new motherboard is the reverse order of removing the old motherboard.Be sure you remove all electrical static discharge from you body and clothes.Inspect the new board for damage and to be certain it is the right motherboard for your computer.

Carefully align the new motherboard with the system unit case and secure the board.Be careful not to secure the screws too much.Install the CPU chip if it is not installed on the board from the manufacturer.

Connect the large power connector from the power supply the the motherboard connector.Take care in not forcing the connector which may bend a pin.

Install RAM Memory into their sockets and check to be sure they are puched in completely.Re-connect all other devices such as controllers,expansion cards and finally the drives.

Check the sound,and videos cards for proper installation. Did you install your internal modem,or scanner adapter card? Connect the leads to the On-Off switch as well the hard drive indicator.

After all connections and components are installed,stop and go back to check again,and then,check some more.Replace the system unit cover once you know all is well.

Your system should now be ready to go.The motherboard may come with a cdrom containing device drivers and other software utilities that may be required to be installed.

Now try turning on the computer and if the POST completed without a hitch,you're there.If you experience problems,go back and check all connections and devices.

Ita that easy to install or upgrade not only the motherboard,but nearly every other component in the system unit.Get busy understanding your computer now and save big on future PC repair costs.

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My new laptop is fantastic, with it's nice new squeaky-clean operating system it runs like a dream. But it wasn't long before I had to face the technical challenge of getting all my old data from my old desktop computer (which was bursting at the seams with data!) onto my new laptop.



I was also intending to format and give away my old computer, so I could not afford to lose any of this data in the process.

I sat down at my old computer and listed all of my important files to assess exactly what and how much data I needed to transfer over to the new laptop.

Including my pictures, MP3's, Office documents, work backup's and so on, I was looking at transferring about 20 Gigabytes worth of data, it seems to build up so quickly! Thank goodness for my new laptop's 100 Gigabyte Hard Drive, which will allow me to transfer all of my data to it and still have room for a lot more. I know that the main application programmes (Word, Excel and so on) from my old computer will all have to be reinstalled on to the new laptop from their original install disks, but how do I get all the rest of the data over to the new laptop?

Floppy disk? - no way, even if my laptop had a floppy disk drive I would need about 14,000 disks!

CD or DVD? - Both my new laptop and my old computer have CD ROM drives, to get all my data over using CD's I would need about 30 disks as well as some software to package all the data up nice and tidily across the 30 disks, viable but a lot of work and time needed. DVD's would be better but my old computer does not have a DVD drive! There must be an easier way.

USB Memory Stick? - Not really a viable option, the maximum capacity of the USB Memory Stick that I can afford is 512MB, so this would require about 40 swaps from the old computer to the new and as my old computer is only USB1.1 which transfers at 1.5 mega bytes this process is going to be possible but really slow.

Networking? - Apparently I could network my two machines together with a "Cross Wired Network lead" and a copy of "Networking Computers for Dummies", but unfortunately my old dinosaur of a computer does not have a network card! Network cards are cheap enough but I still don't want to spend any money on this old computer and really don't fancy fiddling around inside the desktop. Although it does sound good to be able to connect the two computers together and transfer the data through the cable.

This is when I came across a very handy cable called a USB Data Link Cable. Apparently I can just plug one end into the USB port on my old PC and the other end into the USB port on my new laptop and then as if by magic, I should have a USB Network between both computers. Now this sounds more like it! Both my computers have USB ports and even though my old computer is USB1.1 and my new laptop is USB2.0 the cable should work anyway, although the transfer rate will only be at the lower USB1.1 speed.
After finding more about this cable on the Internet I found out that it is also known as a USB File/Data Transfer Cable. Once connected, the transfer of data is done quickly and effortlessly by simply dragging and dropping files from one window to another, just as you normally would when moving files around on your system. So I ordered one online right away.

The USB Data Transfer Cable arrived the next day and I got down to the business of getting the thing to work, the hardest part was working out the blatantly "translated" instructions. All I had to do was install the included software from the CD, once only on each of my computers, then plug the cable into a USB port on each computer and run the software. Two Windows Explorer type windows appeared, one showing files on the laptop and the other showing files on the PC, then I simply dragged and dropped files between the two computers.

I was amazed, this USB cable solution was fantastic. It was so easy to set up and turned out to be the cheapest option by far at only £15 and much less hassle than any other option, almost too good to be true, magic!

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In order to preserve your memories and films, converting your VHS videos to DVDs is a great idea.

When preserving your favorite movies or memories, the standard used to be VHS video tapes. But with the advancement of DVD technology, the advantages of DVDs proved to outweigh those of VCR tapes. Video tapes can wear out over time, becoming bent, damaged or dirty. The cassette casings are vulnerable to damage as well, rendering the tape inside useless. Storage is easier with DVDs since they take up less space than videos. Not to mention the quality of picture and sound is higher on DVDs.



So the question becomes, how do I convert my video tapes to DVDs in order to preserve them for my future enjoyment? There are several options. First, you could use a VHS to DVD conversion service that will do the transfer for you. However, if you have a great deal of videos to convert, over time you'll save money by doing the conversions yourself in the convenience of your home.

The computer savvy among us will use their computer to transfer their videos to DVD. It requires copying the video to a digital file on the computer using an analog converter. The file gets compressed into MPEG-2 format before being burned onto a DVD. This method takes some time, but it does allow you to make changes to the video, like special effects or music, before you burn it to the DVD. Depending on the burning software that you use, you might be able to add a menu or other special features. However, the process can be quite slow because you have to transfer the file twice: first from the video to the computer and then again from the computer to the DVD.

So in order to save time and effort, you can copy the tapes to a DVD without the use of a computer. There are two ways to do this:

• The first involves buying a DVD recorder that allows input from another source. You simply connect your VCR by cable to the DVD recorder. Then while the video plays, it is also recording. If you choose this option, consider purchasing a video processor called a proc amp or a time base corrector. These devices stabilize and improve the quality of the analog video as it is fed to the DVD recorder and can greatly improve the resulting images that you get on the DVD.
• The second option is to purchase a combination DVD/VCR recorder. It does the same thing as the previous option without needing to connect any cables. If you are planning to copy a lot of videos, it is worth your time and effort to find out what kind of processing the machine does to the analog signal from the video tape before it converts it to the digital signal that gets recorded in DVD format. You want the best possible result that you can get.

If you do the conversion yourself, always follow the manufacturer's instructions to ensure you capture the video appropriately. Make sure that you have cleaned the heads of the VCR between copying videos. Old tapes carry a lot of dust or other particles that can clog up your VCR. And since you are copying directly from the video to the DVD, whatever picture quality issues you have with the video will appear on the DVD. Understand that if you have videos which are recorded at SLP (6 hours of video on a tape) you will not get the same quality of recording onto a DVD as if the video was recorded at SP (2 hours of video on a tape). If you find the quality is not acceptable for you, consider changing your method of converting videos to DVD. However, for many people, the time and energy saved in converting the videos on their own will outweigh any concerns over video quality.

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There is a huge market for used computers because of their affordability. If you are planning to dispose your used computer, read on to learn what you should do to get the best deal while doing so.



Many people sell their used computers for a variety of reasons. Some sell their used computer instead of throwing them as a trash get some money from them, while others sell their used computers to buy new computers with the latest features and technology. Not only individuals sell their used computers, but also large numbers of organizations or firms sell their used computers. They do so because the computer systems may require maintenance and repairs, after some time due to the decrease in performance seen in the computers after some years. Instead of spending more money on the maintenance and repairs they sell and gain money, as there is a great demand for used computers. Such companies easily sell their used computers online through auctions or exchange for new computers with less effort in no time.

Used computers are bought by either students who do not have good savings or earnings or they are bought by educational institutions like the schools and universities. Some parents buy used computers for their children just for browsing the Internet and to play games. For this purpose, a used computer is more than sufficient than spending huge amounts on a new computer. These target segments however require used computers in a good working condition as well as for a lesser price. Most of the used computers are sold in the online market, as it attracts all sorts of buyers. There are many numbers of online classifieds or auctions or online dealers who sell used computers. Selling used computers are a better option than throwing them as trash or keeping them in a corner occupying space and collecting dust.

The first and important step is to improve the appearance of the used computer by wiping it clean free of dust and dirt. Any buyer would get impressed by the way the computer looks, looks make the first impression. The selling price of a clean used computer is always better than the one, which is full of dirt and dust.

All the software manual, operating system and other supporting discs that came with the computer should be in tact. This will add more value, when selling the used computer and also will make the buyer consider the person who is selling the used computer as a trusted seller.

The most important thing to do before selling a used computer is to erase all the personal details or information from the hard disk or drive. Instead of just putting them in the trash folder it is very important to purge all the personal data from the computer’s memory, even invisible backup files can cause danger. A tech savvy person’s help can be got if the seller does not know how to do it. If not done it may lead to accessing the bank accounts, or emails by any unknown person leading to identity theft. For that when there is a remedy. Unused scanners, printers can also be bundled with the sale of the used computer. A buyer may sometime value it. The benefits or features of the computer can be highlighted for better sales.

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Computers are wonderful inventions, until they go wrong. Every company stores data on its computers, instead of in filing cabinets. That data includes invoices payable, customer details, debts, etc. If something goes wrong with the computer hard drive the data could be lost. Every day, companies go out of business because of catastrophic data loss caused by computer crashes.


Large companies do back up their data, but what about the one-man company where the paperwork is done on a Sunday morning? More and more people are working from home on personal computers that have zero protection against data loss caused by hard disk failure or power surges.

Every company, large or small should back up their data, preferably to an alternative location, yet most one-man businesses fail to follow this basic survival strategy because of the time it takes to back up the data each day.

Even these companies need to develop the habit of backing up all customer information to a removable hard disk, pen-drive or similar, or to a CD/DVD. Another alternative is to buy a RAID hard drive for your PC. These drives save your data to more than one hard disk, and check for inconsistencies between the two or more data sets. If there are differences then this can be a sign that one of the hard disks will fail soon, enabling you to avoid losing the data in the first place.

Hard drive disks spin at up to 8,000 revolutions a minute, They are highly engineered, but, because they have moving parts, wear occurs, and disks stop working.

There are many companies who will attempt to retrieve your data from a non-functional hard drive. The service is not cheap, and if you employ a contractor to do this who is not using the correct software, you have a 50% chance of your data being totally destroyed.

If your company depends on that data for its survival, and it does, the high cost is worth it. Much better though, to get into the habit of backing up your data every night

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