PCs From Box to Desk in Several Easy Steps

If you got a new PC this year and wonder what to do next, here are a few things you should know to get the machine up and running quickly and efficiently.

For starters, don’t throw away the boxes just yet. If your new computer or monitor is defective or has been damaged during shipping, you’ll need to use these same boxes to return it. In most cases, you can return the system any time during the first 30 days. Plus, the boxes and packing materials are great for transporting your PC.

Before you unpack, think about where to put the PC. You’ll want to place the computer close enough to a telephone jack so that you can connect your modem to it without having to run telephone wire up and around door moldings or under the carpet. Keep in mind that your monitor should not face any surface that will create glare on the screen--or else it will be hard to see.

Make sure to buy a power strip, a unit that plugs into any standard electrical outlet and provides anywhere from four to 10 three-pronged plug outlets. If you don’t mind spending an extra $100 or so, pick up an uninterrupted power supply, which protects your computer from electrical spikes and power outages.

Once out of the box, place the processing tower on the floor so you can see the back of the unit. Notice that there are several places on the back of the computer where various plugs can be inserted. In most cases, the keyboard plug is purple and the mouse plug is green.

Insert the plugs gently. If a plug has a flat side, that side should face your right. If you have a computer desk, route the keyboard and mouse plugs through the keyboard drawer to the computer.

Now connect your monitor to the back of the computer. The monitor input is usually blue and has three rows of pins, although not all of the pins are present. Note that the top of the socket is wider than the bottom. The monitor plug also has a wide top and narrow bottom. Take care not to force the connection. Be gentle because a bent pin can cause monitor problems.

Now plug in your speakers. The speaker connection is a small, round input jack, usually coded in light-green. There are also two other similar-size inputs for devices such as microphones.

If you purchased a modem, you’ll see two phone jack openings on the back of the computer. They are usually labeled Line and Phone. Connect one end of a phone cable to the Line input on the modem and connect the other end to the wall jack. If you want to use a phone while at the computer, connect one end of a phone cable to your phone and the other end of that same cable to the Phone input. Even if you don’t plan to go online right away, connecting your modem now is a good idea because most computer makers will ask you to register electronically.

Once everything is connected, turn on your monitor by pressing the power switch, usually in the lower right corner.

Don’t be alarmed if the monitor doesn’t turn on, as some of them require a signal from the computer before they respond. Now turn on the computer with the power switch, generally on the front of the unit.

Your computer will execute a self-test in which it counts its available memory, checks for a keyboard and drives and then loads Windows. In the process of loading the Windows operating system, you might be asked to supply a special product ID number. You’ll find this number on the Windows package that came with your computer.

Once up and running, your machine probably will prompt you to make a boot disk. Do it. Don’t even think about it. Just do it--and then put it in a safe place. A boot disk can turn a disaster into an inconvenience by allowing you to restore your computer to its original state.

Keep all of the manuals, disks and CD-ROM discs in a safe place, along with the packing list that was included with your computer. Check the packing list to make sure that you got everything you paid for.

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Jeff Levy hosts the “On Computers” radio talk show from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on KFI-AM (640).