I have the PS and most of the components and want to make sure they are all working. Can I provide power to the hard drive, DVD drive, motherboard prior to startup? Or should I have everything hooked up before I flip the switch?
2007-03-27 02:08:54 · 4 answers · asked by drf2684 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Yes you can. The motherboard might beep at you loudly becuase it isn't properly connected yet to all your components but it won't cause any harm. Just don't short out anything.
2007-03-27 02:15:38 · answer #1 · answered by kernisme 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You *can* power up the peripherals independently (provided your power supply doesn't require the mobo to pull power from all of the rails to stabilise it)... but what is the point?
What do I mean by 'what is the point'? Well, what will it tell you if the DVD drive ejects and loads a DVD? It won't tell you the drive works to the point of copying data to the computer. Same with the hard disk... and powering up the mobo with no CPU in may give the mobo a hissy as it won't be able to identify the CPU that (isn't) present.
Put it all together... what does that take you, 30 mins?... then power it all up assembled. The bios checks will ensure the BIOS sees into the DVD and disk... and can see the video, memory and CPU. That's a worthwhile test... powering up a standalone drive with nothing hooked to it isn't.
Don't run the mobo and CPU without its heatsink though... or you may kill the CPU from overheating.
You don't need to load an OS to run the BIOS up... just hang all the kit together. Actually, you don't even need to assemble the bits into a case, you could just spread them out on a sheet of cardboard or something non-conductive and wire them up like an exploded computer.
2007-03-27 09:23:17 · answer #2 · answered by bambamitsdead 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no reason to do that....and would possibly hurt more than ya think...just hook up everything (properly) and start 'er up...then go into the BIOS setup and check if all is good before going into the OS install! Make sure ya have all the latest drivers...I usually check the manufacturers websites for all the hardware and get the latest from there...
2007-03-27 09:38:47 · answer #3 · answered by Stuart B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
have everything hooked up before start. the system won't recognize a device without power.
2007-03-27 09:15:26 · answer #4 · answered by softlogicaguy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋