When I first arrived at the University of Maryland at College Park on July 5, 2005, I was pleasantly surprised that the minute I walked into the lab, my internship experience promptly began with a lengthy tutorial on how to build computers, part by part. I became acquainted with the names and functions of each part as I disassembled a computer and put it back together again under the supervision of graduate student Lee Elberson. He also taught me some hints and tips on how to build the computer more efficiently, such as following a specific order in which the parts could go into the computer for easier installation, using different types of screws to bolt down different parts, and handling the parts to have them fit more snugly into the machine. Learning how to build a computer also allowed me to see just how the computer works as a whole and how the parts are all interconnected to send and receive commands from the user.

After I took apart the computer and put it back together again, the computer failed to boot. It was at this time that I learned how to troubleshoot internally in the computer and not through Microsoft help and support centers. After I observed the insides of the machine to make sure that there were no problems with the cable connections or incorrect placements of wires, I found that the master and slave settings on the CD-ROM and hard drive were probably giving the computer problems as the computer could not detect the hard drive in the setup screen. I referred to the jumper settings label and switched the master and slave settings to their correct positions, which allowed the computer to detect all the drives properly. Once the computer began working, I learned how to clean install the Windows operating system, install any vital programs or drivers, and change the virtual memory settings on the computer to speed up the computer. I also learned about Linux and how to dual-boot a computer with both the Windows and Linux operating systems on the hard drive. Installing and customizing a computer is just as important as assembling a computer because having the proper configuration and security software enables a computer to run at its best, which I have applied to my computer at home as well as to my friends’ computers who constantly have problems with their computers.

A few days later, the lab received new parts for a brand new computer that I was going to assemble myself. I took my recently learned knowledge and successfully connected all of the parts together. However, when I tried to install Windows XP onto the computer, the computer refused to function properly and kept freezing in the middle of installation. Problems continued over the course of a week as I learned a variety of ways to tackle the situation and get the computer to work correctly, such as using a boot disk instead of a CD to install XP, editing properties in BIOS, and deciphering error messages. I noticed that the errors I was receiving suggested that the memory cards were not functioning properly, so I thought that one of the memory cards was defective. To be certain, I began switching around the memory cards in every possible combination in which two memory cards could fit into three memory slots to see if the computer would work. Eventually, I found two combinations that allowed the computer to work properly; it turned out that the incorrect location of the memory cards had caused problems during the installation. Testing out the memory cards in this way not only dismissed my earlier hypothesis that one of the memory cards was faulty, but it also saved money as we did not have to buy a new memory card. Running these test procedures showed me just how important it is to test out every single possible outcome in a lab scenario before jumping to conclusions and unnecessarily spending money on new equipment.

After I successfully installed the computer with Windows XP and all the necessary drivers and programs, I needed to put a few computers in the lab together on a network so they could all share a central printer. It sounded easy enough, but the real trouble came when I found out that two computers were running Windows 2000 when the newly built computer was running Windows XP. For another week, I heavily searched online forums and message boards to figure out how to network these three computers together, as my many attempts before to simply put all the computers in the same workgroup had failed. The computers could not all see each other despite being labeled under the same workgroup, but when I manually searched for the computer’s IP address or computer name, they were able to access each other’s files. Therefore, this problem was not a connection problem, but a network browsing problem, which essentially meant that the computers were indeed sharing their files correctly though they could not visibly see each other. Taking this into consideration, I searched for the XP computer’s IP address and shared folder on that IP location and manually added the shared folder of the XP computer, which was connected to the printer, to the network drive of the two Windows 2000 computers. In spite of how the computers were unable to show up together on the same network, the computers were in fact connected and could all share the printer perfectly in this system, which is what we intended to set up in the first place.

Working here at Dr. Hill’s lab under the Institute of Physical Science and Technology has been an unparalleled experience. The computer I built will be used to run more simulations and test trials for future innovative projects in Hill’s lab. Also, the computers in the lab can now all print from their own computers to one central printer so that they are not forced to only print from the computer actually connected to the printer. Not only am I glad to have further pursued my hobby in computers, simply being in a working lab environment is an experience that one cannot obtain from anywhere else. The way the students diligently work late nights while also trying to keep things light and fun impresses me, and it is nice to see the same bright atmosphere running throughout all of the labs in this building as I have had the opportunity to learn about the type of work other students do in other labs. I would especially like to thank Dr. Wendell T. Hill for giving me the chance to work here this summer and become familiar with the lab environment and Lee Elberson for his guidance and teaching me many useful things that I will surely use again and again in my life. I am grateful to have this fun, memorable internship experience that will undeniably shape my career path and my future into what I want to do with my life and how I plan to contribute my part to the rapidly advancing world of science and technology today.