that's been one of my biggest concerns regarding people modding their box. like seedybrick said... a lot of people come on not knowing thing one about computers in general. that's why i've said before that i think there are a lot of people out there modding their box when they probably really shouldn't be. it very easily can turn out to be a $200 mistake as it almost was with me countless times. and i pride myself on knowing quite a bit about computers... being a cs major and all. but thankfully i knew enough about what i was doing to figure out my problem and fix it. thanx to hours and hours of reading and research and experimenting and fixing and breaking and reading and research and experimenting and fixing and breaking... you get the idea.
you really gotta understand how all the components fit together and why they work the way they do. you gotta know what a bios is and what it does and why it does it. you gotta know what a mother board is and why it's there. all those little things that come together. i've seen posts by people who don't know what these things are and i think... well i really don't think anyone can give you an "Introduction to Computer Science" course in just a couple of posts.
that's why when my friends come and ask me to mod their xbox... i start from scratch and explain to them how it all works... that way they'll have some idea of what's going on. and that way they can know enough to find answers on their own and not be calling me every 15 minutes. it may take a while but i think it's necessary.
like heinrich said. it's cool to be a "newbie" and all... but put forth the effort and do a little leg work.
and on a side note. i think "newbie" (and every variation) is just a little overused.