LESSON ELEVEN
BASIC COMPUTER INSTALLATION
Connection of basic components of computer - Cables, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse.
7.1 How do we set up a new PC?
Step 1. Connect the keyboard and mouse
These days, all keyboards and mice connect to a USB port. Even if they're wireless, there will still
be a receiver which plugs into one (or possibly two) USB ports.
The USB cable looks like this:
BY: MR. KEVIN NJAGI (LECTURER - MOUNT KENYA UNIVERSITY) @ JAN - APRIL 2024 1
The plug will fit only into a matching USB port on your PC. If there's a choice between black or
blue USB ports, use the black ones. Blue ones use the new USB 3.0 standard, which is best reserved
for fast storage devices such as hard drives and USB flash drives.
Ideally, plug your keyboard and mouse into USB ports at the back of your PC rather than the front.
You might see green and purple connectors (below) on your PC for the keyboard and mouse: these
are the old PS/2 standard and aren't used these days.
Step 2. Connect the monitor
Monitors use a variety of standards to connect to PCs, but the main ones are: VGA, DVI and HDMI.
There's also Display Port, which looks a bit like HDMI, but that's still rare.
If there's a choice, use DVI or HDMI. VGA is best avoided as it isn't a digital connection. Your
monitor may have come with only a VGA cable (below) but might have DVI and HDMI inputs as
well. If this is the case, you should buy an HDMI or DVI cable and merely use the VGA cable as a
temporary measure.
Below is an HDMI cable, and can send both video and audio to a monitor.
BY: MR. KEVIN NJAGI (LECTURER - MOUNT KENYA UNIVERSITY) @ JAN - APRIL 2024 2
Some monitors with HDMI don't have built-in speakers, and might only have a headphone output.
Generally it's best to connect separate speakers to your PC (see below).
This is a DVI cable, and sends only video from the PC to the monitor.
If your monitor has only a VGA input, but your PC doesn't have a VGA output, you will need a
VGA-to-DVI converter. They look like this:
You should find one has been supplied with your PC, but if not, they are inexpensive to buy.
When connecting the video cable to your PC, be sure to connect it to the right output. Some PCs
have two graphics cards - one that's built-in and a separate one that's on a plug-in card (PCI
Express).
If this is the case, you want to connect the monitor to the PCI Express graphics card, which will be
located separate to the other connectors on the back of the PC.
The general rule is to plug your monitor into the lowest possible port.
Step 3. Connect the network
Unless your PC has built-in Wi-Fi, you'll need to connect a network cable to get internet access.
This is a network cable.
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This is the socket into which you need to plug it:
If your PC doesn't have wireless networking and isn't close enough to your broadband router, you
might need to buy some powerline networking (HomePlug) adaptors. Here's a guide on setting up
powerline networking adaptors.
Step 4. Attach speakers and microphone
Most PC speakers connect via a standard 'minijack' cable which has the same 3.5mm connector as
most headphones. Connect your speakers to the green minijack output on the rear of your PC.
Most PCs will have three minijack outputs, since they can produce surround sound. If you have
surround-sound speakers - also known as 5.1 - they should have colour-coded connectors. Green is
for the main left and right speakers, orange is for the centre speaker and subwoofer, and black is for
the rear (surround) left and right speakers.
A pink minijack connector is for a microphone. Light grey is for side speakers in a 7.1-channel
speaker system. There may also be green and pink connectors on the front panel of your PC, to
which you can connect headphones and a microphone respectively.
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Step 5. Connect power to PC and monitor
Virtually all PCs and monitors use the standard 'kettle' lead connector for power.
Typically you'll need two power cables, one for the PC and one for the monitor. Some monitors,
however, have an external power supply, so you won't plug the kettle lead directly into the monitor.
Once both the PC and monitor are connected to the mains, ensure any switches are set to the I
position, rather than O and then press the power buttons on the front of both devices and your new
PC should spring into life.
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7.2 Computer Cable types and descriptions
With so many types of cables, it’s hard to find a singular source of information that highlights the
important differences between them all. Here’s an overview of the most common computer cable
types you’ll encounter when dealing with computers.
1. VGA Cable
Also known as D-sub cable, analog video cable
Connect one end to: computer monitor, television (PC input port)
Connect other end to: VGA port on computer (see image below)
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2. DVI Cable
Connect one end to: computer monitor
Connect other end to: DVI port on computer (see image below)
However there are 2 types of DVI, DVI-I and DVI-D.
DVI-D does not have the extra pins around the long pin, this is also a pure digital signal over
DVI-I.
3. HDMI Cable
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Connect one end to: computer monitor, television
Connect other end to: HDMI port on computer (see image below)
Note: If you're hooking up a television to your computer, then we would recommend that you use a
HDMI cable as your PC cable connection since it is able to transmit both display and sound - So you can
not only use your TV screen as a monitor, but also make use of your TV speakers to play PC audio.
4. PS/2 Cable
Connect one end to: PS/2 keyboard, PS/2 mouse
Connect other end to: PS/2 ports on computer (see image below)
Purple PS/2 port: keyboard
Green PS/2 port: mouse
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5. Ethernet Cable
Also known as RJ-45 cable
Connect one end to: router, network switch
Connect other end to: Ethernet port on computer (see image below)
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6. 3.5mm Audio Cable
Also known as phone connector (since 3.5mm jacks are often found on mobile phones too)
o Connect one end to: computer speakers, 3.5mm headphones, 3.5mm microphone
o Connect other end to: audio ports on computer (see image below use Green socket)
Green audio port: computer speakers or headphones
Pink audio port: microphone
Blue audio port: MP3 player, CD player, DVD player, turntable, electric guitar etc (line-in
port to play and record sounds from the above devices)
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7. USB Cable
For USB computer cable connections, there are two popular formats: USB 2.0 and the newer
USB 3.0
How to tell USB 2.0 and 3.0 cables apart: USB 3.0 cables have a blue tip, and sometimes you
can find a SS "Super Speed" label on it.
Since USB was intended to be the one computer cable connection to replace them all, it's no
surprise that the possible uses for a USB port are quite mind-blowing. For this computer cable
guide, we have listed its more common uses below:
Connect one end to: USB device
Storage devices: USB flash drive, external hard drive, external optical drive
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Input devices: USB keyboard (wired and wireless), USB mouse (wired and wireless), webcam,
scanner, gamepad
Output devices: printer, all-in-one office machine, USB speaker
Wireless adapters: network (Wi-Fi) adapter, bluetooth adapter, 3G adapter
Data (and charging) cable for mobile devices such as mobile phone, tablet, MP3 player
Connect other end to: USB ports on computer (see image below)
How to tell USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports apart: USB 2.0 ports have black tips while USB 3.0 ports come
with blue tips. See image below:
USB 3.0 is backwards-compatible... meaning that you can connect a USB 2.0 device to a USB 3.0
port and vice versa (but the USB 3.0 devices hooked up to a USB 2.0 port will perform at lowered
rates)
There are also USB cables which connect new external backup drives (see below), these are
described as USB-A to Micro-B
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8. Computer Power Cord (Kettle Plug)
Connect one end to: AC power socket
Connect other end to: power supply unit (see image below), computer monitor
Note: Always turn off your power supply unit (with the 1-0 switch at the back) before
connecting a power cord to it.
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9. ThunderBolt/USB-C
Mostly seen on laptops and Apple Macs these cables are high speed and are capable of carrying
Data, video and other information.
There are 2 current types of Thunderbolt, the older version Thunderbolt 2 is seen below but this can
also be confused with Mini Display ports as they look identical and only visual difference is the
picture beside the port. Thunderbolt 2 (left) has a lightning symbol and carries Data and video.
The Mini Display Port (right) will only carry Video.
And Thunderbolt 3 also known as USB-C on Apple Macs.
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10. Display Port
Display Port is the best to use if you require a fast, high-resolution image.
The cable has better quality over HDMI and is the best option if you have this interface.
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CLASS EXERCISE 7:
1. Which among the following is not a peripheral hardware device in a computer system?
A. Keyboard
B. Optical Drive
C. HDD
D. Printer
2. Which among the following hardware you usually can’t find inside a CPU Casing?
A. Power Supply box
B. Video card
C. Video display unit
D. Graphics processor
3. Teletypewriter terminal is an example of
A. input devices
B. output devices
C. input/output devices
D. storage devices
4. The part of the computer which allows you to type the information into the computer.
A. Mouse
B. Monitor
C. Keyboard
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D. Cpu
5. 2. This computer part shows me information from the computer.
A. Speakers
B. Mouse
C. Monitor
D. Scanner
6. 3. A machine that processes data and performs tasks according to a set of instructions is a
A. Desktop
B. Cursor
C. Laptop
D. Computer
7. 4. What type of device is a monitor?
A. Input
B. Keying
C. Looking
D. Output
8. What type of device is the keyboard?
A. Output
B. Typing
C. Input
D. Storage
9. This device gives sound from the computer.
A. Speakers
B. Monitor
C. Mouse
D. Cpu
10. What most likely explains a keyboard not working properly, after upgrading the memory,
where the touchpad is working?
A. The keyboard is malfunctioning
B. The RAM is not installed properly.
C. The RAM is not compatible.
D. The keyboard connector is not seated properly.
11. What does a yellow exclamation point next to a device in the Device Manager indicate?
A. A driver is not properly installed for this device.
B. The device is disabled.
C. The driver is not digitally signed.
D. The device driver needs to be upgraded.
12. How should you apply spray cleaner to a monitor?
A. Spray the cleaner directly on the monitor screen.
B. Spray the cleaner on the top of the monitor and wipe down.
C. Spray evenly on the monitor.
D. Spray the cleaner on a clean, lint-free cloth first.
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13. Which of the following devices can be classified as hardware?
A. Monitor, Word, and Internet Explorer
B. Keyboard, mouse, and monitor
C. Keyboard and windows
D. All of the above
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