PC Hardware Annoyances

Description

Through the use of snappy, entertaining, and practical solutions, PC Hardware Annoyances aims to optimize peripheral hardware devices by offering easy fixes to their most annoying traits. Designed for PC users of all levels, this concise guide is broken up into several broad hardware categories, including desktops, laptops and PDAs, graphics, sound, hard drives, CD/DVD drives, network, and printers and scanners.

Full Description

Operating a personal computer requires more than just dealing with the PC itself. As anyone with even a modicum of computer experience can attest, there are all types of hardware devices which you must become familiar with disk drives, printers, monitors, and sound cards, just to name a few. And, naturally, each is fraught with its own set of bugs and snares. PC Hardware Annoyances, the latest installment of O'Reilly's highly successful Annoyances series, aims to optimize these peripheral systems by offering easy fixes to their most annoying traits. With over 40 titles to his credit, author Stephen Bigelow identifies all those annoyances that make you cringe in frustration. Then, through the use of snappy, entertaining, and practical solutions, he shows you how to clear each obstacle one step at a time. After that, the rest is up to you. Designed for PC users of all levels, this handy guide doesn't bore you with long dissertations on the workings of the technology at hand. Instead, it offers straightforward, easy-to-understand troubleshooting solutions. For maximum ease of use, PC Hardware Annoyances is broken up into several broad hardware categories. They include desktops, laptops and PDAs, graphics, sound, hard drives, CD/DVD drives, network, and printers and scanners. And while you may not use each of these accessories currently, chances are it's only a matter of time before you'll need their technological services whether it's for work or recreation. What makes PC Hardware Annoyances especially timely is the growing trend among computer owners to simply upgrade their PCs as they age, rather than replacing them altogether. With peripheral devices becoming increasingly affordable, there's no reason not to. But as with any do-it-yourself project, trouble lurks around the corner if you don't have the right guide. Having difficulty setting up your color inkjet printer? Trying to burn a music CD? Is your modem misbehaving? The remedy: PC Hardware Annoyances, of course!

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Desktop Annoyances
1. SETUP ANNOYANCES
2. KEYBOARD ANNOYANCES
3. MOUSE ANNOYANCES
4. STARTUP ANNOYANCES
5. BIOS/CMOS ANNOYANCES
6. MEMORY ANNOYANCES
7. PROCESSOR ANNOYANCES
8. CARD AND PORT ANNOYANCES
9. MAINTENANCE ANNOYANCES
Chapter 2 Laptop and PDA Annoyances
1. SETUP/STARTUP ANNOYANCES
2. BATTERY ANNOYANCES
3. LCD LCD ANNOYANCES
4. PC CARD ANNOYANCES
5. PDA ANNOYANCES
6. MAINTENANCE ANNOYANCES
Chapter 3 Graphics Annoyances
1. CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES
2. DRIVER ANNOYANCES
3. UPGRADE ANNOYANCES
4. DESKTOP ANNOYANCES
5. MONITOR ANNOYANCES
6. 3D ANNOYANCES
7. VIDEO CAPTURE/PLAYBACK ANNOYANCES
8. PLAYER SOFTWARE ANNOYANCES
Chapter 4 Sound Annoyances
1. CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES
2. SETUP ANNOYANCES
3. SPEAKER ANNOYANCES
4. CD AUDIO ANNOYANCES
5. MUSIC PLAYER ANNOYANCES
Chapter 5 Hard Drive Annoyances
1. CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES
2. PERFORMANCE ANNOYANCES
3. MAINTENANCE ANNOYANCES
4. BACKUP AND RESTORE ANNOYANCES
Chapter 6 CD/DVD Drive Annoyances
1. CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES
2. PERFORMANCE ANNOYANCES
3. PLAYBACK ANNOYANCES
4. RECORDING ANNOYANCES
5. REWRITING ANNOYANCES
6. BURNING SOFTWARE ANNOYANCES
7. DVD PLAYER ANNOYANCES
Chapter 7 Network Annoyances
1. CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES
2. MODEM ANNOYANCES
3. CABLE ANNOYANCES
4. DSL ANNOYANCES
5. WIRELESS NETWORKING ANNOYANCES
6. GENERAL NETWORKING ANNOYANCES
7. PRINTER AND FILE SHARING ANNOYANCES
8. FIREWALL ANNOYANCES
Chapter 8 Printer and Scanner Annoyances
1. SETUP ANNOYANCES
2. PERFORMANCE ANNOYANCES
3. MAINTENANCE ANNOYANCES
4. COLOR PRINTER ANNOYANCES
5. PAPER ANNOYANCES
6. SCANNER ANNOYANCES

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Product Details

Title:

PC Hardware Annoyances

By:

Stephen J. Bigelow

Publisher:

O'Reilly Media

Formats:

Print
Safari Books Online

Print Release:

November 2004

Pages:

272

Print ISBN:

978-0-596-00715-7

| ISBN 10:

0-596-00715-9

Customer Reviews

About the Author

Stephen J. Bigelow

Stephen J. Bigelow has written for Computer Currents, CNET, and other periodicals, and is the author of many hardware books for Osborne/McGraw and others, such as Troubleshooting, Maintaining & Repairing PCs, Bigelow's PC Hardware Desk Reference, Troubleshooting and Repairing Computer Printers, and 40 other titles. He is also known for his long-running PC Toolbox newsletter.

View Stephen J. Bigelow's full profile page.

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Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. Genevieve d'Entremont was the production editor and proofreader for PC Hardware Annoyances. Derek Di Matteo was the copyeditor. Patti Capaldi, Melanie Wang, and Genevieve d'Entremont did the typesetting and page makeup. Colleen Gorman and Claire Cloutier provided quality control. Mary Agner provided production assistance. Julie Hawks wrote the index.

Volume Design, Inc. designed the cover of this book using Adobe Illustrator and produced the cover layout with Adobe InDesign CS using Gravur Condensed and Adobe Sabon fonts.

Patti Capaldi designed and implemented the interior layout using Adobe InDesign CS. The text and heading fonts are Rotis Sans Serif, Lineto Gravur, and Myriad Pro; the code font is The Sans Mono Condensed. Julie Hawks converted the text to Adobe InDesign CS. The screenshots and technical illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano amd Jessamyn Read using Macromedia Freehand MX and Adobe Photoshop 7. The cartoon illustrations used on the cover and in the interior of this book are copyright © 2004 Hal Mayforth.

O'Reilly Books & Videos

How to Fix the Most Annoying Things about Your Computer Hardware

Chapter 1 Desktop Annoyances

SETUP ANNOYANCES

KEYBOARD ANNOYANCES

MOUSE ANNOYANCES

STARTUP ANNOYANCES

BIOS/CMOS ANNOYANCES

MEMORY ANNOYANCES

PROCESSOR ANNOYANCES

CARD AND PORT ANNOYANCES

MAINTENANCE ANNOYANCES

Chapter 2 Laptop and PDA Annoyances

SETUP/STARTUP ANNOYANCES

BATTERY ANNOYANCES

LCD LCD ANNOYANCES

PC CARD ANNOYANCES

PDA ANNOYANCES

MAINTENANCE ANNOYANCES

Chapter 3 Graphics Annoyances

CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES

DRIVER ANNOYANCES

UPGRADE ANNOYANCES

DESKTOP ANNOYANCES

MONITOR ANNOYANCES

3D ANNOYANCES

VIDEO CAPTURE/PLAYBACK ANNOYANCES

PLAYER SOFTWARE ANNOYANCES

Chapter 4 Sound Annoyances

CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES

SETUP ANNOYANCES

SPEAKER ANNOYANCES

CD AUDIO ANNOYANCES

MUSIC PLAYER ANNOYANCES

Chapter 5 Hard Drive Annoyances

CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES

PERFORMANCE ANNOYANCES

MAINTENANCE ANNOYANCES

BACKUP AND RESTORE ANNOYANCES

Chapter 6 CD/DVD Drive Annoyances

CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES

PERFORMANCE ANNOYANCES

PLAYBACK ANNOYANCES

RECORDING ANNOYANCES

REWRITING ANNOYANCES

BURNING SOFTWARE ANNOYANCES

DVD PLAYER ANNOYANCES

Chapter 7 Network Annoyances

CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES

MODEM ANNOYANCES

CABLE ANNOYANCES

DSL ANNOYANCES

WIRELESS NETWORKING ANNOYANCES

GENERAL NETWORKING ANNOYANCES

PRINTER AND FILE SHARING ANNOYANCES

FIREWALL ANNOYANCES

Chapter 8 Printer and Scanner Annoyances

SETUP ANNOYANCES

PERFORMANCE ANNOYANCES

MAINTENANCE ANNOYANCES

COLOR PRINTER ANNOYANCES

PAPER ANNOYANCES

SCANNER ANNOYANCES

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Stephen J. Bigelow