My first build. I knew nothing about computers and had never used internet - like 99% of the population back then. I'd just opened up the DX-2 50mhz family IBM and figured "why not".
I bought the P200mmx parts, the first lot of parts that is, from a mail order company. I had realised I would need a new motherboard, memory and harddrive - or at least I ordered those anyway.
The mail order company was genius. The CPU & HSF came pre-installed in the mobo. Good job really, the old machine (i.e. my sole reference) just had a plain tiny little heatsink clipped on dry.
Right away it was all f'd up. This stuff was all different in unimagined ways. For example, I hadnt realised I'd need a new case, got one from a local store. I did use the manuals but they've come a long, long way since what 1995? After much head-scratching, and phone calls to a friend's dad, it was together - or at least it looked right.
Picture me gaping at the back of the box with a monitor cable in hand, looking most confused. WTF? Cue trip to local computer store for a "video card".
It all looked good. Turned on, all still seemed good. Wasn't really doing much though. Turns out the IBM setup wouldnt do and I'll have to learn reinstalling an OS. DOS and Windows 3.1 weren't fun, but it worked. Worked better with Windows 95.
As I recall it took me at least a week and required about twice as much stuff as I'd initially purchased. But, I did it, it worked and it worked good - better than I could buy in the shops and for half the money. And it was all me. I learned more than 5 years of computing classes at high school, which I subsequently aced with no effort whatsoever. More importantly I learned to believe "where there's a will, there's a way".
Why such "will"? Quake. thanks id.
Sometime later I bought a dial-up modem. Damn thing wouldnt work. Sent the whole pc to my friendly local computer shop who said it worked right away, nice job there son they're tricky beasts. When I got it back I plugged the phone line, without looking, into the correct socket and was surprised when it worked right away.