Build And Learn

The last computer I built was with my father when I was 14. It was the summer before my sister was going off to college, and he had decided that, not only does she need a computer, she needs one built just for her, with the best hardware he could find. He was convinced that building a computer was relatively quick and easy, as long as one knows about all of the hardware that goes into a computer. He also saw it was a great father son activity, and I guess I can't blame him.

He took me to computer conventions and computer stores and anywhere computer parts are sold, until we had everything we needed. We fit everything into place and turned it on. Nothing. He and I had anticipated this for several weeks, and our dreams came crashing down. After looking it over, we felt the power supply went bad. So we got a new one, and it started right up.

First, the BIOS screen came up, and after that was taken care of, it was up to me to install the operating system. I was expecting an easy time, figuring that once I put the CD in, the install screen would come up and it would be on its way. Unfortunately, that was not the case. For hours I searched on the internet, how to install the operating system on a hard drive with nothing on it.

Finally, I found what I needed. I typed in what someone had suggested, and a dialogue comes up that said "Preparing to install your operating system". I was very relieved and happy that we had finally completed our project. My sister was very appreciative also. I greatly valued the time I spent with my father. Even though it was frustrating at times, the end result was very rewarding.