Linux (often pronounced LIH-nuhks with a short "i") is a Unix-like operating system that

was designed to provide personal computer users a free or very low-cost operating
system comparable to traditional and usually more expensive Unix systems. Linux has a
reputation as a very efficient and fast-performing system. Linux's kernel (the central part
of the operating system) was developed by Linus Torvalds at the University of Helsinki
in Finland. To complete the operating system, Torvalds and other team members made
use of system components developed by members of the Free Software Foundation for
the GNU Project.

Sometimes the term “mail merge” can be a little misleading. We assume from
the title that the intent of mail merge is to produce letters for mass mailing
purposes. That's not necessarily the case.Mail merge is for simplifying repetitive
documents and tasks. Mail merge can be used for creating many documents at
once that contain identical formatting, layout, text, graphics, etc., and where only
certain portions of each document varies. Mail merge is also used for generating
mailing labels, envelopes, address lists, personalised training handouts, etc. As
well as hard copy mailshots, it can be used to generate multiple emails and
electronic faxes. And it can even be used to create a “friendly” front-end to
spreadsheet or database information.
Whenever you need to assemble similar data, mail merge is the answer!Mail
merge primarily consists of two files, the Main Document and the Data Source.
The Main Document contains the information that will remain the same in each
record, and the Data Source contains all the variable information, in the form of
fields. This is the information that will change in the Main Document when the
merge is completed. Along with the information that remains the same, the Main
Document also contains merge fields, which are references to the fields in the
Data Source

FirmwareFirmware is a combination of software and hardware. Computer chips that

have data or programs recorded on them are firmware. These chips commonly include the
following:

 ROMs (read-only memory)

 PROMs (programmable read-only memory)
 EPROMs (erasable programmable read-only memory)

A computer virus is a program which reproduces itself. It may attach to other programs,
it may create copies of itself (as in companion viruses). It may damage or corrupt data,
change data, or degrade the performance of your system by utilizing resources such as
memory or disk space. A computer virus may be categorized with one or more of the
following four designations:
 • Boot sector computer virus
• Master Boot Record (MBR) computer virus
• File infector computer virus
• Macro computer virus

A computer virus which displays characteristics of more than one of these categories
is known as a multi-partite computer virus.

A computer worm is a self-replicating computer program. It uses a network to send

copies of itself to other nodes (computers on the network) and it may do so without any
user intervention. Unlike a virus, it does not need to attach itself to an existing program.
Worms almost always cause at least some harm to the network, if only by consuming
bandwidth, whereas viruses almost always corrupt or devour files on a targeted computer.

A computer worm differs from a computer virus in that a computer worm can run itself.
A virus needs a host program to run, and the virus code runs as part of the host program.
A computer worm can spread without a host program, although some modern computer
worms also use files to hide inside.

A BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is an electronic set of instructions that a computer

uses to successfully start operating. The BIOS is located on a chip inside of the computer
and is designed in a way that protects it from disk failure. A main function of the BIOS is
to give instructions for the power-on self test (POST). This self test ensures that the
computer has all of the necessary parts and functionality needed to successfully start
itself, such as use of memory, a keyboard and other parts. If errors are detected during the
test, the BIOS instructs the computer to give a code that reveals the problem. Error codes
are typically a series of beeps heard shortly after startup.

Installing an operating system

1. Decide what you would like to do. Are you going to reinstall your
operating system because of problems? Or are you upgrading your current
version? Or are you installing an operating system on a new computer?

2. Back up your data. If you are reinstalling your operating system, it is

likely that you will need to wipe the disk. Back up your data before doing so,
as everything on the disk will be destroyed. If you are simply upgrading, it is
okay to skip this step, but it is advisable to save at least the most important
files on your computer.

3. Boot up. Turn on your computer. Quickly insert the operating system disk
into your disk drive. Then enter the boot menu. The owner's manual for your
computer or motherboard should have instructions on how to do this, and
they should also be onscreen. Select the disk drive that contains the setup
disk.
 4. Start the installation. It may take the install program a few minutes to
load, this is normal. Once it has loaded, follow the onscreen instructions. If
you are installing a new operating system on a new computer or reinstalling
due to a problem, wipe the disk, but be sure you have saved everything that
you would like to save. If you are upgrading, do not wipe the disk, allow the
program to upgrade the operating system.

5. Sit back and relax. The installer may ask you for some information while
it's installing, but for the most part, just waiting is okay. Near the end of the
installation, the installer will ask you for last-minute information, like your
name, the name of the computer, time zone, etc. Do not be alarmed by this,
none of this information can be used to identify you, it's all for personal
preference.

6. Enter the product ID. If you are installing a consumer operating system,
you will likely be prompted to enter a product ID. Look at the back of the CD
case for the product ID, and type it in.

7. Reboot. Once you reboot, the computer will finalize everything and log
you in. At this point, you may need to install drivers. Insert any disks that
came with your computer or it's parts that are NOT an operating system, and
allow the drivers to be installed (if necessary).

8. Use it! You're done, now what you do is totally up to you. Set a password,
install programs, customize, create user accounts, etc. If you have any files
you backed up, you may restore them now. Or, just enjoy the clean slate and
redo everything, whatever you like. You may need to use it a little more than
usual on the first few days or weeks, so that you get your browser history, file
history, programs, files, etc. It's better this way, because in a little while, your
computer will better suit your needs for now than your last operating system,
who suited your needs for both 2 years ago, 6 months ago, and now, taking
up too much space and leaving too big a list for file history.

Assembling a pc

Things to get in place before starting:

• Anti-static wrist strap

• Set of screwdrivers and pliers
• Piece of cloth
• CPU Thermal compound (recommended)
• PC components
Tip: CPU Thermal compound is not a necessity but it is recommended to keep your CPU
cool under load conditions by helping heat dissipate faster. It is a must if you intend to
overclock your PC.

Note: You can find the meaning of an abbreviation at the end of this article under the
heading Jargon Buster.

Step 1: Installing the motherboard

Make sure you have all the components in place and a nice, clean and big enough place to
work with.

Put your antic-static wrist strap on to prevent your components from getting affected.
Make sure your hands are clean before starting. First we will be installing the
motherboard which is a piece of cake to install.

• Open the side doors of the cabinet

• Lay the cabinet on its side
• Put the motherboard in place
• Drive in all the required screws

Tip: Most motherboards come with an antistatic bag. It is advisable to put the
motherboard on it for some time and then remove it from the antistatic bag before placing
it in the cabinet.

Step 2: Installing the CPU

CPU is the heart of a computer so make sure you handle it properly and do not drop it or
mishandle it. Also try not to touch the pins frequently so that they do not get dirty. Get
hold of your motherboard and CPU manual. You need to place the CPU on the dotted
white patch of the motherboard in a particular fashion for it to fit properly. There is a
golden mark on the CPU to help you assist. Consult both your motherboard and CPU
manual to see which position it fits exactly or you could also use try all the 4 positions.

• Lift the CPU lever on the motherboard

• Place the CPU properly on the motherboard
• Pull down the lever to secure the CPU in place

Warning: Do not try to push the CPU into the motherboard!

Got the thermal compound? Now is the time to use it. Take small amount of it and
carefully apply it on the top surface of the processor. Be careful not to put it on the
neighboring parts of the motherboard. If you do so clean it immediately using the cloth.

Tip: Thermal compounds should be changed once every six months for optimal
performance.
Step 3: Installing the heat sink

After installing the processor we proceed to installing the heat sink. There are different
kinds of heat sinks that are bundled with the processor and each has a different way of
installation. Look into your CPU manual for instructions on how to install it properly.

• Place the heat sink on the processor

• Put the jacks in place
• Secure the heat sink with the lever

After this you will need to connect the cable of the heat sink on the motherboard. Again
look into the motherboard manual on where to connect it and then connect it to the right
port to get your heat sink in operational mode.

Step 4: Installing the RAM

Installing the RAM is also an easy job. The newer RAMs ie. DDR RAMs are easy to
install as you don’t have to worry about placing which side where into the slot. The older
ones, SDRAMs are plagued by this problem.

If you want to use dual channel configuration then consult your manual on which slots to
use to achieve that result.

• Push down the RAM into the slot

• Make sure the both the clips hold the RAM properly

Step 5: Installing the power supply

We will now install the power supply as the components we install after this will require
power cables to be connected to them. There is not much to be done to install a PSU.

• Place the PSU into the cabinet

• Put the screws in place tightly

Tip: Some PSU have extra accessories that come bundled with it. Consult your PSU
manual to see how to install them.

Step 6: Installing the video card

First you will need to find out whether your video card is AGP or PCI-E. AGP graphics
cards have become redundant and are being phased out of the market quickly. So if you
bought a spanking new card it will certainly be a PCI-E.

• Remove the back plate on the cabinet corresponding to the graphics card
• Push the card into the slot
• Secure the card with a screw
 • Plug in the power connection from PSU (if required)

High-end graphics cards need dedicated power supply and if your graphics card needs
one then connect the appropriate wire from PSU into the graphics card.

Step 7: Installing the hard disk

Hard disk is another fragile component of the computer and needs to handled carefully.

• Place the hard drive into the bay

• Secure the drive with screws
• Connect the power cable from PSU
• Connect the data cable from motherboard into the drive

If your hard drive is a SATA one then connect one end of SATA cable into the
motherboard and other into the SATA port on the hard disk. If your hard disk is PATA
type then use the IDE cable instead of the SATA cable.

Tip: If your PSU does not support SATA power supply then you will need to get an
converter which will convert your standard IDE power connector to a SATA power
connector.

Step 8: Installing optical drive

The installation an optical drive is exactly similar to an hard drive.

• Place the optical drive into the bay

• Drive in the screws
• Connect the power cable and data cable

Tip: When installing multiple optical drives take care of jumper settings. Make sure you
make one as primary and other slave by using the jumper. This is not applicable if the
drives are SATA drives.

Step 9: Connecting various cables

First we will finish setting up internal components and then get on to the external ones.
You will need to consult your motherboard manual for finding the appropriate port for
connecting various cables at the right places on the motherboard.

• Connect the large ATX power connector to the power supply port on your
motherboard
• Next get hold of the smaller square power connector which supplies power to the
processor and connect it to the appropriate port by taking help from your
motherboard manual
 • Connect the cabinet cables for power,reset button in the appropriate port of the
motherboard
• Connect the front USB/audio panel cable in the motherboard
• Plug the cable of cabinet fans

You are done with installing the internal components of the PC. Close the side doors of
the cabinet and get it upright and place it on your computer table. Get the rest of the PC
components like monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers etc. which we will connect now.

• Connect the VGA cable of the monitor into the VGA port
• If mouse/keyboard are PS/2 then connect them to PS/2 ports or else use the USB
port
• Connect the speaker cable in the audio port
• Plug in the power cable from PSU into the UPS
• Also plug in the power cable of the monitor

You are now done with setting up your PC. Power on and see your rig boot to glory.

Step 10: Installing the OS and drivers

We are done with the hardware part. Now get your favorite OS disks ready and the CD
that came with your motherboard.

• Set the first boot device to CD/DVD drive in BIOS

• Pop in the OS disk
• Reboot the PC
• Install the OS
• Install drivers from motherboard CD (applicable only to Windows OS)

Voila! You have your PC up and running. Enjoy your journey with your self assembled
rig!