1. Open your computer.
2. Configure your sound card.
3. Install the sound card and attach the CD-ROM drive, if present.
4. Close your computer.
5. Install the sound card software.
6. Attach your speakers and other sound accessories.
Installing the Sound Card
Once your computer is open, you can install the sound card. Your sound card may be either an 8-bit or 16-bit expansion card. Select a slot that matches the type of card you have. You don't want to put a 16-bit card (one with dual edge connectors) into an 8-bit slot (one with a single edge connector). An 8-bit card, however, can fit into either an 8-bit or 16-bit slot.
If you have several empty slots from which to choose, you may want to place the new card in one as far away as possible from the others. This reduces any possible electromagnetic interference; that is, it reduces stray radio signals from one card that might affect the sound card.
Next, you must remove the screw that holds the metal cover over the empty expansion slot you've chosen. Remove your sound card from its protective packaging. When you open this bag, carefully grab the card by its metal bracket and edges. Do not touch any of the components on the card. Any static electricity you may transmit can damage the card. And do not touch the gold edge connectors. You may want to invest in a grounding wrist strap, which continually drains you of static build-up as you work on your computer.
You may have to set jumpers or DIP switches to configure your sound card to work best with your computer, although most newer Plug and Play (PnP) sound cards don't have any jumpers or switches and are set by software instead. For example, you may want to turn off your sound card's joystick port because your joystick is already connected elsewhere to your PC. See the instructions that came with your sound card.
If an internal CD-ROM drive is to be connected to the sound card, attach its cables. Attach your CD-ROM's striped ribbon cable to your sound card, placing the red edge of the CD-ROM cable on the side of the connector on which "0" or "1" is printed. The cable must be placed this way for the CD-ROM drive to work.
The CD-ROM drive also may have an audio cable. Connect this cable to the audio connector on the sound card. This connector is keyed so that you can't insert it improperly. Note that there is no true standard for this audio cable, so be sure that you get the right one that matches your drive and sound card.
Next, insert the card in the edge connector. First touch a metal object, such as the inside of the computer's cover, to drain yourself of static electricity. Then, holding the card by its metal bracket and edges, place it in the expansion slot. Attach the screw to hold the expansion card and then reassemble your computer.
You can connect small speakers to the speaker jack. Typically, sound cards provide 4 watts of power per channel to drive bookshelf speakers. If you are using speakers rated for less than 4 watts, do not turn up the volume on your sound card to the maximum; your speakers may burn out from the overload. You'll get better results if you plug your sound card into powered speakers--that is, speakers with built-in amplifiers.
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