Assignment #2

Installation in windows XP2000

The first method is the easier of the two. But if by any chance, you descide to Hibernate your computer while in WindowsXP for example, then your MBR is overwritten by windowsXP and you will be unable to boot into linux using your bootloader.
Here I will explain how to overcome this setback by using the second method. That is installing the bootloader (LILO or Grub) on the linux partition . Here I am explaining the steps with respect to RedHat Fedora Core 2 distribution. But the steps are equally valid for any linux distribution. This is the procedure to follow:
Install WindowsXP/2000 first.
Now install Fedora core 2. I installed it in /dev/hda3 ; which was my linux ext3 partition.
While installing, enforce LBA32. This is necessary only if you intend to install the bootloader in a partition above 32GB. In my case (I have only 12 GB total) it was not necessary.
At the section where the installer asks whether you want to install a boot loader; select yes (Fedora comes with Grub as default boot loader) and in the advanced settings, select your linux partition as the place to install the bootloader. In my case it was /dev/hda3. Nowcomplete the Fedora core 2 install.
Reboot the computer and load again from the first CD in your Fedora Core 2 distribution.
At the boot prompt, type:

Procedure in installation windows98

3Com (R) Corporation EtherDisk (R) Diskette for the3C90X EtherLink XL 10/100 / EtherLink XL NIC FamilyWindows 98 Information
First time installation of Windows 98
Windows 98 has the built-in ability to support the EtherLink XL family of NICs. Unfortunately, even though Windows 98 is a new product, the EtherLink XL driver that comes with Windows 98 is quite old and may not work well under some conditions. To avoid installing the driver on Windows 98 and install the EtherDisk 4.0 software, follow the steps below.
Do not install the NIC! Install Windows 98 before you install the NIC.
Run PREINSTL on EtherDisk #1. This step prevents Windows 98 from identifying the NIC so it will prompt for external media. Shut down the computer.
Install the NIC and start the computer. Make sure the NIC is connected to the network.
Start Windows 98. During the boot up, Windows 98 will display a screen showing that a PCI NIC has been detected. Put EtherDisk #1 into the floppy drive and press "next".
Windows 98 will read the EtherDisk and display the name of the NIC. Press "next". Windows 98 will continue to read the EtherDisk, then prompt for EtherDisk #2. Insert EtherDisk #2 in the floppy drive, then press "OK". Windows 98 reads files from EtherDisk #2. Windows 98 then reads files from the Windows 98 installation media, and returns to the add new hardware wizard. Press the "finish" button. If Windows 98 cannot find the Windows 98 installion media, it will prompt you for the path to the media (CD_ROM, etc). You must provide this path for the install to work successfully.
Windows 98 then displays the message "Do you want to restart your computer now?". Press the "yes" button.
The computer will reboot. When the system has booted up, the network is ready to use.
Updating from Windows 95 to Windows 98 with a 3C905 or 3C900 NIC
If you have a 3C905 or 3C900 NIC installed, you must follow the steps below to successfully upgrade from Windows 95 to Windows 98.
With Windows 95 running, open the start menu, settings, control panel. On the control panel screen, double click the "network" icon. On the network configuration menu, choose the "3Com EtherLink XL" NIC, and press the "delete" button. Deleting the NIC may delete all network components, so record the configuration settings of the other network components that may be needed when the NIC is reinstalled later. These include the TCP/IP protocol stack settings, if present.
Shut down the computer and remove the NIC. Reboot Windows 95, install Windows 98, and go to step 1 under "First Time Installation of Windows 98" above.
How to recover if the procedures above were not followed
The recovery from not following the procedures above are listed below. The recovery method varies. Each scenario is listed below by path to arrival, problem symptoms, and recovery procedure.
Fresh install of Windows 98 with a 3C905B or 3C900B NIC installed
The problem is network software is not installed and the 3C90XB NIC is not detected on subsequent boots of the operating system.
When Windows 98 installs, if it detects a device it does not have drivers for, that device is put in the unsupported device class "other". This step prevents the NIC from being detected again.
To fix this problem, right mouse button click the My Computer icon, choose "Properties". On the System Properties page, select the "Device Manager" tab. Press the small box with the "+" symbol next to "Other Devices". Select "PCI Ethernet Controller" located under "Other Devices" and press the Properties button at the bottom of the menu. On the PCI Ethernet Controller Properties screen, select the "Driver" tab, then press the "Update Driver" button. This launches the Update Device Driver Wizard. Press the "Next" button. Press the "Next" button on the next screen. Put EtherDisk 4.0 diskette #1 in the floppy disk drive. On the next screen, check the "Floppy disk drives" check box and press "Next". The Wizard will read the diskette and detect a match for the NIC. Now follow the installation procedure from step 5 under First Time Installation of Windows 98 above.
Fresh install of Windows 98 with a 3C905 or 3C900 NIC installed

PCI slots

PCI is short for Peripheral Component Interconnect. The PCI slot is a local system bus standard that was introduced by the Intel Corporation, however, it is not exclusive to any form of processors and PCI slots are found in both Windows PCs and Macs. PCI slots allow numerous different types of expansion cards to be connected inside a computer to extend the computers functionality. Examples of PCI expansion cards are network cards, graphics cards and sound cards

mother of all motherboard

Also called the "system board," it is the main printed circuit board in an electronic device, which contains sockets that accept additional boards. In a desktop computer, the motherboard contains the CPU, chipset, PCI bus slots, AGP slot, memory sockets and controller circuits for the keyboard, mouse, disks and printer. It may also have built-in controllers for modem, sound, display and network, obviating the need to plug in a card. A laptop motherboard typically has all peripheral controllers built in. See CPU, chipset, PCI, AGP and controller.

processor

A Central Processing Unit (CPU), or sometimes just processor, is a description of a certain class of logic machines that can execute computer programs. This broad definition can easily be applied to many early computers that existed long before the term "CPU" ever came into widespread usage. However, the term itself and its initialism have been in use in the computer industry at least since the early 1960s (Weik 1961). The form, design and implementation of CPUs have changed dramatically since the earliest examples, but their fundamental operation has remained much the same.

Early CPUs were custom-designed as a part of a larger, usually one-of-a-kind, computer. However, this costly method of designing custom CPUs for a particular application has largely given way to the development of mass-produced processors that are suited for one or many purposes. This standardization trend generally began in the era of discrete transistor mainframes and minicomputers and has rapidly accelerated with the popularization of the integrated circuit (IC). The IC has allowed increasingly complex CPUs to be designed and manufactured in very small spaces (on the order of millimeters). Both the miniaturization and standardization of CPUs have increased the presence of these digital devices in modern life far beyond the limited application of dedicated computing machines. Modern microprocessors appear in everything from automobiles to cell phones to children's toys.

PC motherboard

A PC motherboard is a printed circuit board used in laptops and personal computers. It is also known as the mainboard or planar board and occasionally abbreviated to mobo or MB. The term mainboard is also used for the main circuit board in this and other electronic devices.

A typical motherboard provides attachment points for one or more of the following: CPU, graphics card, sound card, hard disk controller, memory (RAM), and external peripheral devices. The connectors for external peripherals are nearly always color coded according to the PC 99 specification.

All of the basic circuitry and components required for a computer to function are onboard the motherboard or are connected with a cable. The most important component on a motherboard is the chipset. It often consists of two components or chips known as the Northbridge and Southbridge, though they may also be integrated into a single component. These chips determine, to an extent, the features and capabilities of the motherboard.

A typical motherboard of 2007 will have a different number of connections depending on its standard. A standard ATX motherboard will typically have 1x PCI-E 16x connection for a graphics card, 2x PCI slots for various expansion cards and 1x PCI-E 1x which will eventually supersede PCI.

A standard Super ATX motherboard will have 1x PCI-E 16x connection for a graphics card. It will also have a varying number of PCI and PCI-E 1x slots. It can sometimes also have a PCI-E 4x slot. This varies between brands and models.

Some motherboards have 2x PCI-E 16x slots to allow more than 2 monitors without special hardware or to allow use of a special graphics technology called SLI (for Nvidia) and Crossfire (for ATI). These allow 2 graphics to be linked together to allow better performance in intensive graphical computing tasks such as gaming and video editing.

As of 2007, virtually all motherboards come with at least 4x USB ports on the rear with at least 2 connections on the board internally for wiring additional front ports that are built into the computers case. Ethernet is also included now. This is a standard networking cable for connecting the computer to a network or a modem. A sound chip is always included on the motherboard to allow sound to be output without the need for any extra components. This allows computers to be far more multimedia based than before. It is now often that cheaper machines have their graphics chip built into the motherboard rather than a separate card.

[edit] Nvidia SLI and ATI Crossfire

Nvidia SLI and ATI Crossfire technology allows 2 of the same series graphics cards to be linked together to allow a faster graphics experience. Almost all medium to high end Nvidia cards and most high end ATI cards support the technology.

They both require compatible motherboards. There is an obvious need for 2x PCI-E 16x slots to allow 2 cards to be inserted into the computer. ATI opened the technology up to Intel in 2006 and such all new Intel chipsets support Crossfire.

SLI is a little more propriatry in its needs. It requires a motherboard with Nvidia's own NForce chipset series to allow it to run.

Although this might seem like a great idea it is important to note that SLI and Crossfire only offer up to 1.5x the performance of a single card. They also do not double the effective of amount of Vram