Build Checklists
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QC Checklist
Welcome to the Build Workshop! Quality checking a few systems that others have built will be your first step, then you'll be ready to move on to assembling and checking software on systems.
Work through every step as well as you can, and then ask a neighbor or your build instructor if you still have questions. Try and learn the reason for each of the steps: this knowledge will come in handy later when, inevitably, things aren't going as smoothly.
To find out who your build instructor is, check the whiteboard at the front of the room. Your instructor will be able to answer questions and check your work. Never overlook, though, the help that the builder to your right or left might be able to lend.
| Steps | Notes/Detailed Instructions | |
| BEFORE YOU POWER ON | ||
| Check what needs to be quality checked, and grab a system from the shelves in the build room | ||
| Does box rattle when you shake it? | If so, find the culprit and fix/remove it. | |
| Screws in tight? | If not, tighten. | |
| Are all slots and bays covered? | If not, cover 'em. | |
| Do you see 2 video, sound, or network ports? | Check with the build instructor; one of the two is extra and needs to be removed or disabled and covered. | |
| Is there Microsoft Branding (Certificates of Authenticity)? | If there is take them off. | |
| Are there Asset tags? (identifying the last owner) | If there are, remove them. | |
| Is the system exterior clean? | If not, use cleaner and rag to clean. | |
| Is the system standard? | Check the Spec Sheet to see what type of box matches the speed and what else should be installed for that type of box, then compare the Spec Sheet to the Printme the builder attached to the box. Is the box missing something the Spec Sheet says should be installed? Does the box have an extra part not included in the box according to the Spec Sheet? If the answer to either of those questions is yes or you aren't sure what type of box you are working with, please check with your instructor to see how to proceed. | |
| BOOT AND ENTER BIOS | ||
| Get into BIOS | If you see "Ubuntu" on your screen, you have gone too far; reboot and try again. | |
| Check boot order | It should be: 1st- floppy (if it is there); 2nd- CD-ROM; 3rd- Hard drive. Get as close as possible, depending on the BIOS. | |
| Is parallel port enabled on 0x378, and set to EPP or Bi-Directional? | EPP and Bi-Directional are the protocols spoken by standard PC computers, as opposed to Macs and some obscure devices. The "0x378" is the standard I/O space for PC parallel ports. If the BIOS does not support EPP or Bi-Directional, leave it as is. The printme test later will determine if the port works properly. | |
| Save and exit. | ||
| HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE TESTING | ||
| Boot to Linux and login to the system | username = oem password = freegeek | |
| Update the software |
If present, select the "Install all Updates" option from the update-notifier icon at the top-right of the screen. This may take some time (to download and install packages), so feel free to continue on with other steps while this runs in the background. | |
| Run "basiccheck" | Click on black monitor icon at top of screen. Type "basiccheck" (remember tab-completion) to run the program. Read through each of the tests and verify that they pass. | |
| Test USB | Plug in a USB mouse, see that the cursor moves and can interact with things. Repeat with all usb ports | |
| Check time and date | Check the time and date in the top right corner. If incorrect:
| |
| Format a floppy disk | (If there is a floppy drive.) From terminal, type "gfloppy" after putting blank floppy disk into drive. Using the default format "DOS" and using format method "Standard", format the disk. | |
| Play an audio CD | Repeat for each CD-ROM drive. Do you hear what you expect? Is it loud enough to be heard easily?
| |
| Read data CD | Repeat for each CD-ROM drive. If your file browser sees files on the drive, the CD-ROM can read files. | |
| Remove all CDs and floppies from the drive(s) | ||
| Stress test the system for a few minutes | Open a terminal and run "stress-test". Wait a few minutes while it runs, and look for error messages. If you want to know more about what it's doing, open up another terminal and run "man stress". | |
| Reboot using software controls | Either open a terminal and run "sudo reboot", or use the graphical interface to reboot. Wait while it reboots, and ensure that the system powers on and offers a login screen without user intervention (e.g. without requiring that you "press F1 to boot"). | |
| Run parallel port testing program, "printme", from terminal | Plug the build printer into your computer. From a terminal, type "printme". A form will appear in the browser. Be sure to fill out anything that is special or unusual about the system. Fill out the form and then click print. In the print dialog window that comes up click print. A sheet with the computers info should print out. Check the sheet carefully, sometimes wrong information is printed. If there are problems, check with your instructor. Save the sheet and tape it to the case. | |
| Add Free Geek Sticker | ||
| Check in with Build Instructor | ||
| Shut down system and place pieces on proper shelf | Use software controls for the shutdown (either "sudo halt" or the System menu at the top). Ask where to put the system. | |
| Clean up work area | ||
Build Checklist
Work through every step as well as you can, and then ask a neighbor or your build instructor if you still have questions. Try and learn the reason for each of the steps: this knowledge will come in handy later when, inevitably, things aren't going as smoothly.
To find out who your build instructor is, check the whiteboard at the front of the room. Your instructor will be able to answer questions and check your work. Never overlook, though, the help that the builder to your right or left might be able to lend.
Your build instructor will check the shelves to figure out what type of boxen we need built. Check with him/her to find out what type of box to build, then work your way down this checklist.
Supplies like cards, rails, hard drives, etc. can be found on the metal racks in the center of the build workshop. An assortment of common SDRAM and DDR memory is kept in a box on the west end of the metal racks. For Rambus and other unusual memory, processors and other specialty supplies ask your build instructor.
| Steps | Notes/Detailed Instructions | |
| BEFORE YOU POWER ON | ||
| Check what needs to be built, and grab a system from the warehouse | ||
| Check capacitors | Visually inspect motherboard capacitors for bulges/leaks. If you find one, check with your instructor. | |
| Make sure that covers are available for open bays | Some cases require specific parts. | |
| Test battery | Set voltmeter to DCV=20, place one wand on battery and one wand on metal part of case. Battery's good if volt reading >3.0. | |
| Install RAM |
For SDRAM, try PC133 first, unless it is a Celeron, then try PC100 first. For DDR try PC2100 first. If that doesn't work, try higher numbers. Sometimes the BIOS will tell you the needed speed.
For Rambus check with the build instructor. | |
| Install video card if needed | If there's onboard video, try using that. | |
| Attach keyboard, mouse, monitor, connect power | These are temporary and should be left at your station. | |
| Initial power on | See if expected memory value is displayed during POST or in BIOS. | |
| Check Processor type and speed | See if proc speed displayed during POST or in BIOS matches expected values.
| |
| Power down | ||
| Does it have a floppy drive with a standard rectangular face plate? | If so, remove floppy drive and replace with blank bay cover. | |
| Install floppy drive if needed | Only if no standard rectangular face plate. Remember to plug in floppy ribbon cable and power. Many cables are not keyed. If you get it backwards, the floppy light will stay on. | |
| Install network card (NIC) | Only if there's no onboard NIC. | |
| Install hard drive on IDE 1 | Get the appropriately sized hard drive from the supply shelf. Set jumper to single or master (unjumpered if Western Digital brand). Plug in power and IDE 1/Primary IDE ribbon cable (Linux calls 'hda' or 'sda'). | |
| Install sound card if needed | If onboard sound, no need to install card. | |
| Install CD/CDRW/DVD Drive(s) | Be sure to first remove any untested CDRW/DVD drives from your system and send them to advanced testing. Check the spec sheet to see what kind of drive(s) to install. Jumper it/them appropriately, and plug into IDE 2/Secondary IDE ribbon cable (linux will refer to these as either 'sc0' and 'sc1'). Some cases require special drives to fit their front covers; look upon such cases with spite and derision. | |
| Cover open slots and bays | Make sure you have coverings for all spaces that will not be filled with a card or drive. Look at similar cases for examples of what case pieces may look like. | |
| BOOT AND ENTER BIOS | ||
| Enter BIOS setup | Turn on the computer. The keystroke to enter setup should be displayed at bootup. If not, you have to guess. Del, Esc, F1, F2 and F10 are typical. | |
| Check date | Make sure the date is correct.
| |
| Restore BIOS defaults | You might need to search around to find the BIOS values that need checking. While you search, enjoy the pleasure of learning about BIOS configuration! | |
| Auto detect hard drive | Find where to perform this function or make sure this feature is enabled. | |
| Set boot order | Set drive A (floppy) to boot first (if it is there), then CD-ROM, then hard drive. Get as close as possible, depending on the BIOS. | |
| Disable virus check if present | Look around... | |
| Does it have a floppy drive with a standard rectangular face plate? | If not, disable floppy drive and floppy seek. | |
| Make sure parallel port is set to 0x378 | Set mode to EPP or Bi-Directional. If the mode doesn't have these options, take the default.
| |
| Save and exit BIOS | The system will reboot | |
| HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE TESTING | ||
| Boot to Linux and login to the system | username = oem password = freegeek | |
| Run "basiccheck" | Click on black monitor icon at top of screen. If the icon is missing you can find it in the Accessories menu under Applications. Drag it to the top of the screen.) Type "basiccheck" (remember tab-completion) to run the program. Read through each of the tests and verify that they pass. Ask your peers and the teacher what parts of basiccheck mean so that you understand what it is checking. | |
| Format a floppy disk | (If there is a floppy drive.) From terminal, type "gfloppy" after putting blank floppy disk into drive. Using the default format "DOS" and using format method "Standard", format the disk. | |
| Play an audio CD | Repeat for each CD-ROM drive. Do you hear what you expect? Is it loud enough to be heard easily?
| |
| Read data CD | Repeat for each CD-ROM drive. If your file browser sees files on the drive, the CD-ROM can read files. | |
| Remove all CDs and floppies from the drive(s) | ||
| Test USB | Plug in a USB mouse, see that the cursor moves and can interact with things. Repeat with all usb ports | |
| Run parallel port testing program, "printme", from terminal | Plug the build printer into your computer. From a terminal, type "printme". A form will appear in the browser. Be sure to fill out anything that is special or unusual about the system. Fill out the form and then click print. In the print dialog window that comes up click print. A sheet with the computers info should print out. Check the sheet carefully, sometimes wrong information is printed. If there are problems, check with your instructor. Save the sheet and tape it to the case. | |
| Check in with Build Instructor | ||
| Shut down system and place pieces on proper shelf | ||
| Clean up work area | ||