case swap

[grampsjp]

yo from Japan. I' m retired here in Japan with waaaay too much free time on my hands. I have been using macs for 18 years and have decided to come on over to the pc side after all these years because i enjoy tinkering:o I think XP is everybit as good or better than mac.My question is anything to watch out for stripping my small form factor barebones pc and moving everything over to a larger atx case? If any of you good folk could give some advice i'd be grateful.

[Sterling_Aug]

You may want to check the HCL (hardware compatibilty list) before you attempt the install of XP, or since you like to tinker then just "jump on in".

I would bet you may have smooth sailing during the install with XP finding all of your devices and installing the correct drivers for you.

[BipolarBill]

Howdy from Texas and welcome to SysOpt! :D

Hardware is a simple thing for the most part. You will need a good ATX power supply (350W or better recommended). A mid-tower (3 or more 5.25" bays) is recommended as well.

I would test the motherboard outside of the case first. Rest the board on a soft, non-conductive surface. Install the CPU and memory. Place the VGA card in it's slot and connect the monitor. Plug in the keyboard and floppy drive. Now connect the ATX power supply. Hold the VGA card down and short the PWRBTN (power button) pins on the mainboard with a screwdriver. If it POSTs (power on self test) and boots a floppy, you're ready to install.

The critical thing is placing the motherboard in the case. There should be flexible washers included in the case package. Use those to fasten the mainboard. Do not overtighten them! You don't need to use them all either - the PCI cards will hold the board in well. I put one screw in by the VGA card and one each on the opposite corners. Grounding out the mainboard to the case is the single biggest boo-boo in new installations. "Gentle but firm" is the term to remember. Use lots of light and don't force the drive connections.

That should get you going pretty well.

[grampsjp]

thankee kindly for the advice - lemme at that sucka lol. I'll be into it tomorrow :)