1 How To Set Up An Old Computer

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You probably have a dusty, old computer set at your home and wondering if it can still work to serve your needs. Of course there is a chance that it may still work at your command if it doesn't have visible damages. The best thing to do is to check the hardware of the computer. It doesn't matter how old it is, there's always a chance for an electronic device to work even if it was stuck for a long time. Let's get started.

Photo used under Creative Commons from commons.wikimedia.com.

Cleaning the Hardware
It is important to clean the hardware first because it has a great effect on the performance of your computer, whether old or new. Furthermore, it adds beauty to your stuff too. This task is quite easy and will consume at most an hour.

1.  Remove all the screws of the CPU case and detach all of the hardware inside it.
2. Clean up the dusts and other dirt on every hardware, be careful on handling to avoid damage. Be sure to clean your monitor, keyboard and mouse too!
3. After everything has been cleaned, reassemble the CPU and reconnect the input/output devices (that's the monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc.).
4. Power up your computer. If the green LED light blinked and you heard some kind of a beep, then you're good to go.If not, you may want to check your power cables.

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Booting to BIOS
When booting your computer it is important to go to the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) to see your computer's condition and all its basic information. Here you can perform memory test and run diagnostics on your computer. You can also set the boot settings of your computer.

1. Press the BIOS access key repeatedly while booting. Access key differs from brand, you can check yours here.
2. Check if all connected parts are detected in BIOS. It should detect everything that is connected to the motherboard including hard disk, video cards, sound cards, network controllers, keyboard and mouse.
   
3. Configure the boot order of the computer. The default must be the Hard Disk.
4. Press F10 to save the changes made and to exit.

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Installing an Operating System
If you don't have an operating system installed on your PC, you cannot use it. Determine the hardware specifications of your computer in order to install an Operating System  your hardware can run. If you have a very old computer, probably it can run Microsoft Windows XP. Here is the minimum hardware requirements for Microsoft Windows XP.

1. Insert the Windows installation disc on your computer's CD/DVD reader.
2. Let the windows load the installation process.
3. Just read and follow the instructions on the screen.
4. After less than an hour, you had already installed Microsoft Windows XP.

After completing the steps above, your old computer would be running Microsoft Windows. Nice! :)