Conquering computer fear

If you're not a computer professional, you're probably afraid to open your PC to find out what makes it tick. It makes sense not to tamper with it. In some cases there is a seal on the PC which, if broken, will terminate the warranty. However, there are several reasons that you might want to open the PC. Typical examples would be when you want (or need) to change the hard drive or add a PC card or DVD drive.

Take the first step

Okay, let's assume that you've plucked up the courage to open the PC. If you are lucky, there will be no screws to take out. Some more modern PC's have a simple unlock mechanism to allow you to open them easily. Less expensive ones often have 3 to 6 screws to take out before you can get started. It's not very difficult if you have the right size screwdriver. However, if this is your first time, you might end up unscrewing the power supply screws instead of the holding screws! Don't panic. Just re-seat any screws that are not holding the chassis together. Be careful once you get the lid off. Don't touch anything unless you know what you are doing.

What's inside

Looking into a PC for the first time is rather like opening the hood on a car. You know there is an engine there, but you can't isolate the various comp-onents. If you take some time to look around, you may notice small writing on several components.

Another simple trick is to look at the various interfaces at the back of the PC. On most modern PC's, these will be attached directly to the motherboard. The motherboard is the big flat board which all the other components slot into in some way.

The CD and the diskette drive

Have a look at the front of the PC now. Look at where you normally insert a CD or a diskette. Just behind this, inside the PC, you will see the CD and diskette drives. At the back of these drives, you will notice several small electric cables, which are connected to the power supply. You should also see a larger grey cable, which connects the drive to the motherboard.

The CD and diskette drives are easy enough to remove if you want to replace them. One or two screws are all that holds them inside. The grey cables are also easy to disconnect. You can simply pull them out.