Assembly And Maintenance Of Computer System

1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
Computer is an electronic device which is capable of receiving information (data) in a particular form and of performing a sequence of operations in accordance with a predetermined but variable set of procedural instructions (program) to produce a result in the form of information or signals [1].
A computer accepts and then processes input data according to the instruction it is given. The main components of a computer system are Input, Output, Processing and Storage units.
Assembling and maintenance of a computer system gives maximum satisfaction to the user and a very rewarding experience. To Assembles Desktop PC (Personal Computer) the users/builders of such systems are probably contemplating building or assembling a computer instead of purchasing one pre-built or pre-assembled. This project is to enlighten us on how a computer students can build a computer and peer to peer network with less stress and less amount of money, and how the computer built can meet up with the processing requirement of the school Laboratory. This research has managed to purchase the Sub-Assembly computer components and couple it to make a computer system that could rival the performance of the branded version.
Building the computer system on this research embarks on gathering different components/devices of computer system together in other to make a well-functioning computer system available to the computer laboratory and to enable students to be more familiar to each components of the computer system. Thus, this project will cover all the process of purchasing components, coupling, and the process of installing the OS (operating system) into the computer system. The main aim of this work is to assemble and maintain a Pentium 4 computer system.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
When assembling a personal computer, there are a large number of potentially fatal mistakes an owner of computers (and even a veteran) can make while assembling his or her own system which can lead to damage of the system, which this study was carried out to bring solution to such problems. Such problems are as below:
• Wrong use of tool and wrong fixing of computer parts which can lead to overheating or damaging the motherboard. If you want to ensure that you won’t face overheating, random crashes (resets and the infamous “Blue Screen of Death”) and performance issues with your PC you should check whether it is assembled 100% correctly or not.
• Internal main power cord: In AT cases it is quite common to have the main power cord that connects the power supply to the power-on switch in front panel hanging loose over motherboard, often hindering the heat dissipation and even contacting the processor fan, causing it to stop running and PC to crash due to overheating. The ideal would be to lay this cable to the power supply switch by the right side of the case (facing front of case in upright position), in the upper part of the frame, and not hanging loose by left side, as it is common to find.
• Other loose cables: The same idea applies to all other cables inside the PC, like the power supply cables and the flat cables used to connect the hard disk drives, optical drives and floppy disk drives. You should fasten these cables with a cable holder and put them inside an empty 5 ¼” bay in order to prevent these cables from blocking the airflow inside the PC and also preventing them to stuck the CPU fan.
Antistatic foam: Most motherboards come from factory with antistatic foam (usually pink, white or black) in their packing. Many technicians, when installing the motherboard to the case, pinch this foam between motherboard and metallic chassis, thinking that this procedure will avoid that motherboard from touching the case metallic frame. It happens that this foam holds motherboard-generated heat, hindering the normal airflow that exists between motherboard and the case chassis. Therefore, it is quite common that a computer assembled using these foam crashes or issues random errors, due to the overheating.

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
The main aim of this work is assemble and maintain a computer system. The objectives of this work are:
i. To assemble a complete computer system
ii. To keep computers in a good state of repair.
iii. To have good and satisfactory quality computer system at low cost
iv. To know about computer components and how they fit and work together.
v. To understand the internal and hardware workings of a computer.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This project shall be a means of exposing the student involved and all readers of this book the function of a computer system and its hardware components. It will serve as a means of teaching computer owners the way to keep their computer in a good condition.
The study has exposed me to the history and full meaning of Pentium 4 computer and its capacity and the uniqueness of Pentium 4 computer.
In addition, students will gain confidence with the components of desk top and laptop computers by learning the proper procedures for hardware and software installations, upgrades, and troubleshooting.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
This work will cover the assembling and maintenance of a personal computer. The process of assembling your own PC is actually very simple in contrast to most people’s expectations. Compared to researching part selection, actual assembly is a much simpler task.
In this study, the procedure on how to assemble a computer from the scratch was carried out.

1.6 LIMITATION OF THE PROJECT
Static electricity is the major problem builders used to face, after all, an invisible threat which has the potential to do damage to delicate and expensive components is a scary thought. A very commonly asked question is what precautions can be taken and which are necessary. In truth, the vast majority of experienced PC builders do not use grounded wrist straps and similar solutions and simply take basic precautions such as touching a grounded object (for instance the metal case of a plugged in appliance). However it is of note that ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) damage does not have to prevent booting or functionality totally and can cause minor damage which may only be evident as BSODs (Blue Screens of Death) in very specific circumstances.

1.7 RESEARCH QUESTION
At the end of this study, students shall be able to answer the following question:
i. What is information technology (IT ) and describe the components of a personal computer ?
ii. How can one Protect herself or himself against accidents and injury, protect equipment from damage, protect data from los s , and protect the environment from contamination?
iii. What are the steps of assembling a desk top computer tower?
iv. What is the importance of computer assembly?
v. What is assembling of computer system?
vi. What is the purpose of the systems unit in a computer system?

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Computer system: is a set of integrated devices that input, output, process, and store data and information
Assembling of computer: Assembling of computer components refers to collection Computer hardware, which is the collection of physical components that constitutes a computer system. A combination of hardware and software forms a usable computing system.
Computer maintenance. Computer maintenance is the practice of keeping computers in a good state of repair.
input device: An input device is any hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing you to interact with and control it. The most commonly used or primary input devices on a computer are the keyboard and mouse. However, there are other devices that input data into a computer.
output device: An output device is any peripheral that receives data from a computer, usually for display, projection, or physical reproduction.