The ATX motherboard form factor was first introduced in 1995. If you’ve ever built a PC, you’re obviously familiar with the 12-inch long by 9.6-inch wide size. microATX, a 9.6×9.6-inch size, shortly followed ATX with its introduction in 1997. Mini-ITX, a 6.7×6.7-inch form factor, was released by VIA Technologies in 2001; it has gained a...

I had the opportunity to check out the next version of Windows Live Mail, that being Wave 4, a.k.a. Build 15:…and here’s my take on it. The ribbon interface There are many that say the ribbon interface is one of the worst things Microsoft has ever done, but, the one thing the naysayers always forget to mention is that any clickable function...

The U in USB stands for Universal which is a very good word to use considering the vast array of devices which work via these plugs. For those of you who like to hack your own hardware, you can build your own USB powered devices. For some ideas and help on getting started, check out this MaximumPC guide. The guide has several other projects you can try, but I...

The best box that Apple makes is the Mac Pro. The best box that Dell makes is the Precision Workstation, commonly abbreviated as PW. Both are business machines first and foremost. It is very easy to configure either to run you $20,000 for final cost. How to do it? Simple. Check off every single possible option you can throw in when configuring it. First, the Mac...

A few definitions up front: Most people know what a netbook is, which is a small-form laptop/notebook computer. The nettop is the same thing in a desktop form, meaning a small-form desktop PC. Right now those of us using traditional tower PCs are very used to the ATX or MicroATX form factor motherboard. It allows a fair amount of room to get inside and add or...

When it comes time to get a new computer, whether you are building your own or purchasing a pre-built, to really get the most bang for your buck you should only pay for the hardware you need. For example, if you are getting a machine for just internet and email, you don’t need a fancy graphics card because you ‘might’ play games on it…...

The single largest advantage of building is the ability to transfer parts from build to build. What this means is that when I upgrade, I don’t have to build a complete computer each time. And this is where the true savings come in when you build PCs. For example, I don’t have to buy a new case, nor do I have to buy a new optical drive. I also...

While I’m sure a lot of our readers are not into gaming, I am also sure a large number are. If you are and prefer to build your own system over purchase a ready made, then this tip is for you. This article on Tom’s Hardware titled ‘System Builder Marathon: Performance & Value : Is Spending More Justified?‘ covers building a gaming...

Situation: You’ve decided that you’re going to build a new computer. You put your part list together (case, mainboard, RAM, hard drive, processor, etc.) and then come to the point where you have to purchase an optical drive. Seems like a waste of money, doesn’t it? On the Linux side of things, it has been proven that you can install a full...

This chapter is a video presentation. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/BYOPC/17_installing_the_hard_drive.flv 610 458] [/hidepost] [hidepost=2] Download video (MOV) [/hidepost]

This chapter is a video presentation. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/BYOPC/20_reviewing_installing_components.flv 610 458] [/hidepost] [hidepost=2] Download video (MOV) [/hidepost]

This chapter is a video presentation. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/BYOPC/18_installing_the_optical_drive.flv 610 458] [/hidepost] [hidepost=2] Download video (MOV) [/hidepost]

This chapter is a video presentation. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/BYOPC/10_connecting_power_to_cpu_fan.flv 610 458] [/hidepost] [hidepost=2] Download video (MOV) [/hidepost]

This chapter is a video presentation. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/BYOPC/03_notes_about_hardware.flv 610 458] [/hidepost] [hidepost=2] Download video (MOV) [/hidepost]

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Now that we have used a table to create a basic layout for our website, we can expand the site to more than one web page. Watch below as I show you how to do this. After all, almost all sites have more than one page involved. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/introhtml/multi_page_site.flv 610 364] [/hidepost]

Tables can obviously be used to lay out data in an organized way. However, you can also use tables to create the overall structure of your website. This video below will explain and show how to do this. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/introhtml/tables_for_layout.flv 610 364] [/hidepost]

Now that this course has provided the basics on hand-coding your HTML, we will delve into the world of WYSIWYG editors. Using an editor like this will allow you to create your web pages in a much quicker fashion and in a style much more similar to a word processor. You can accomplish much of what you need without doing any HTML coding by hand. [hidepost=1] Now,...

Often, the difference between a “blah” looking webpage and a good looking one comes down to the images used. Images are used not only to accent your text, but also for the actual design and layout of your web page. We will get into how to actually design a web page a little later in this course, but for now it is necessary to know how to insert...

OK, it is now time to start actually creating a webpage. In this lesson, I am going to introduce you to HTML. In the following lessons, we will get into specific areas of HTML. HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. An HTML file is just a text file which contains small “markup tags”. A markup tag is a small little bunch of text which tells the...