PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

Installing expansion cards

To install an expansion card, proceed as follows:

1. Remove the cover from the chassis and examine the motherboard to determine which expansion slots are free. Locate a free expansion slot of the type required by the expansion card (expansion slot types are detailed in Chapter 3). Recent PCs may have several types of expansion slots available, including ISA, PCI, combination ISA/PCI, AGP, AMR, CNR, and ACR slots. Older PCs may have other types of unused expansion slots, including VLB (VESA Local Bus, an obsolete bus standard) and EISA. If more than one slot of the proper type is free, you can reduce the likelihood of heat-related problems by choosing one that maintains spacing between the expansion cards rather than one that clusters the cards.

2. An access hole for each expansion slot is present on the rear of the chassis. For unoccupied slots, this hole is blocked by a thin metal slot cover secured by a screw that threads downward into the chassis. Determine which slot cover corresponds to the slot you chose. This may not be as simple as it sounds. Some types of expansion slots are offset, and the slot cover that appears to line up with that slot may not be the right one. You can verify which slot cover corresponds to a slot by aligning the expansion card itself with the slot and seeing which slot cover the card bracket matches to.

3. Remove the screw that secures the slot cover, slide the slot cover out, and place it and the screw aside.

4. If an internal cable blocks ...