1.7 Computer setup

• Types of ports used in computer systems
• Types of cables and their connectors
• Matching cables to their corresponding ports
• Tools needed for setting up a computer
• Safety precautions when setting up a computer
• The procedure for setting up a computer
• Reusing electronic waste that is still in working condition

• explain types of ports and cables used in computers
• relate cables to their corresponding ports in a computer
• set up a computer for use
• appreciate following the correct procedure when setting up a computer

“How are computers interfaced with the external environment?”

“Why is it important to practise safety when setting up computers?”

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1. Ports and cables, and matching one to the other
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The ports on a computer, the cables that fit them, what each carries, and why a connector will not go into the wrong socket.
2. Safety precautions and setting up a computer
   40 min · 2 practice tasks · quiz
   The tools, the safety rules and why each exists, the setup procedure in order, ergonomics, and reusing working equipment from electronic waste.
3. Video ports: getting a picture and sound
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   VGA, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort in a Kenyan classroom, and why a projector can show a picture with no sound.
4. USB: shapes, versions, power and hot-swap
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   USB-A, USB-B and USB-C, why 3.0 is usually blue, and why USB replaced a drawer of different ports.
5. Network, telephone and audio jacks
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   RJ-45 against RJ-11, why you press the clip, fibre in brief, and the green-pink-blue audio standard.
6. Cables inside the case
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   SATA data against SATA power, the 24-pin and 8-pin power blocks, PCIe and M.2 - and why none of them should be forced.
7. Tools for the setup bench
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Assembling the toolkit the curriculum requires, and what each tool is for - including what a magnetic tip must not touch.
8. Electrical and electrostatic safety
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Why you unplug as well as switch off, why a PSU stays shut, and why static you cannot feel can still kill a chip days later.
9. Power last, then the first test
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The ordered setup procedure, switching on from the wall inwards, watching POST, and the faults that look like a dead machine.
10. Ergonomics and working e-waste
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The setup is unfinished until the person fits the desk, and until working parts from retired machines are reused instead of burnt.