Installing Components Such as Video, Sound or Network Cards

In this part we will explain the essential steps to add or replace part cards in your pc. At times these devices will go bad and other times you will want to add or upgrade an existing device.

First you need to make sure the device you want to put in is compatible with your operating system. The vendor will be able to tell you this and there must be a supplies section on the box.

You can observe pc will hold the device. To make sure have room inside your case and that you have the right kind of slot free. You can open the case and identify what slots you have available. Some common slots used for these devices. Here is a slot. This is the type of slot that most of cards will use. That is why you have several PCI slots on your.

This is a picture of a general PCI device. The gold connector on the bottom fits into the white PCI slot below. It is key so it will only fit one way and will not fit into another type of slot.

Beyond is an older ISA slot which is not really used on newer PCs anymore.

This is slot use for video cards. You only have one of these on motherboard.

Another kind of slot being used for video cards and other plans is the PCI Express (or PCI-E) slot. They provide better presentation than AGP video cards. This is the black slot next to the standard white PCI slots.

You made sure that your pc will accept a new tool its time to install it. Make sure the power is off and the pc is unplugged as well. It’s always a good idea to ground by affecting the case to release any electricity so you don’t shock hardware. Insert a new hardware device to the suitable slot and secure it by using a twist to hold it to the case.

The hardware is to install the driver for your new device. A driver is software that lets the hardware work with the working system. At times window will know the new hardware and already have a driver in its database. You need to install one manually. This process will vary depending on the hardware installed. Make sure to read the instructions before doing anything. You may even need to install the software previous to installing the hardware so be aware of that.