Removing The Cover, and
Preparing the Case

Minitower cases are usually
chosen by build-it-yourself-ers, in part because
the lower cost, and in part because they really
are a better design to work on. Make sure the
case you buy has a removable motherboard pan.
The unique feature of the ATX style case is the
large rectangular opening on the right side,
where all of the motherboard mounted I/O ports
will be accessed.

The first step to removing the
cover from the standard minitower case is to
remove the three to six screws that hold the
cover to the frame. The easiest way to identify
which screws to take out is to note which screws
heads are completely surrounded by the painted
edge of the cover.

Once the screws are removed, the
cover may be very stubborn about coming off. Use
both hands, placing the fingers of each along
the top and side of the cover, then push with
your thumbs against the back of the case. If the
cover doesn't want to release, try lifting a
little at the back, top edge, which helps free
the sides of the cover from the channels they
slide in.

One of the best features of the
tower type case is the removeable motherboard
pan, which allows you to mount the motherboard
and components without obstructed reach or view
from the case frame or installed components. You
can usually hook up the power, LEDs, switches
and ribbon cables, all before screwing the pan
back in.

In order to remove the drive cage
for the 3-1/2" drives (floppies and hard
drives), you usually need to first remove the
plastic front cover of the case. Check how this
is attached before you start prying. This
faceplate was held in place by six clusters of
spring fingers. Some are held in place by screws
from the inside.

With the faceplate removed, you
can see the manufacturer assumes that at least a
CD-ROM (5-1/4") and a 1.44MB floppy drive
(3-1/2") will be installed in every case,
because the openings in the sheet metal would
otherwise be potential sources of RF
interference.

One of the most important steps
you don't want to forget at this stage is to
install the shield for the I/O core. The metal
cover shields RF emissions, and frames the ports
so that dust and bugs (the insect kind) stay out
of your warm and cozy PC. Match the shield plate
against the I/O core on your ATX motherboard to
make sure it fits and to get the orientation
correct.

The shield is actually little
thicker than tin foil, so it can't stand rough
handling. On this shield, you can see the
pictograph symbols for the device ports, mouse,
keyboard, speakers, etc.. Some shields don't
have these symbols, but the motherboard should
be shipped with a large stick-on map of the port
layout.

One more look at the I/O shield,
properly installed in the case. The only thing
that holds the shield in place is the spring
force of the folded edges, which press against
the sides of the opening. All of the little tabs
shown press against the various ports, providing
a little structural firmness, and maybe some
additional grounding.

The speaker assembly can actually
be left until after the motherboard is
installed, but it doesn't hurt to put it in now.
Four plastic legs lock into slots in the metal
front of the case. The back of the speaker
assembly provides supprt for any full length
adapter cards you might install later.
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