Build Your Own Computer SIG, (Special Interest Group)

Cerificate Presentations for Sucessful Alpha Boots
August 2007

(Alpha Boot Explained At Bottom Of Page)

	Left to Right Team and Sig Leader Vic Symonds Presenting Certificate to Builder Tim Neddy
These Award Ceremonies Are Indeed A Happy Occasion For All The Participents. All The Work Done To This Point Has Been "Proven" To Be "Right-On" !!

What is an “Alpha Boot” you may well ask? In building a Computer from the ground up there are three
major milestones that must be successfully negotiated. The first (and most important), is known
as the “Alpha Boot”. This is where the crucial hardware components of Case, Motherboard,
Central Processing Unit, Random Access Memory, Video Card (if required), and Power Supply
are assembled and checked. The Computer is then turned on, and all of the components must work
together for the machine to run. An indication of success is when the first installed Operating System
(the BIOS), that is an integral part of the Motherboard is accessed and reviewed.

The remaining two milestones are less dramatic but equally important. They are: the “Bravo Boot”
where the Hard and Optical Drives are installed, followed by the installation of the Windows XP or
Vista Operating System. Finally, the “Charlie Boot” completes the process where Anti-Virus
and Application Software is installed, and the Computer is Benchmarked and field tested.
Together we call these three milestones the “ABCs” of Computer Building .