Buying Options
Repairing and Upgrading Your PC
Print $34.99
Add to Cart
Print+Ebook $38.49
Add to Cart
Ebook $27.99
Add to Cart
Safari Books Online
Add to Cart
What is this?
Print £26.99
Add to Cart
What is this?
Description
Repairing and Upgrading Your PC delivers start-to-finish instructions, simple enough for even the most inexperienced PC owner, for troubleshooting, repairing, and upgrading your computer. Written by hardware experts Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson, this book covers it all: how to troubleshoot a troublesome PC, how to identify which components make sense for an upgrade, and how to tear it all down and put it back together. This book shows how to repair and upgrade all of your PC's essential components.
Full Description
Table of Contents
  1. Chapter 1 Getting Started

    1. Upgrading or Repairing Versus Buying New

    2. Popular Upgrades

    3. Choosing Components

    4. Buying Components

    5. Troubleshooting

  2. Chapter 2 Working on PCs

    1. Rules to Upgrade and Repair By

    2. Hand Tools

    3. Software Tools

    4. General Procedures

  3. Chapter 3 System Maintenance

    1. System Cleaning

    2. Preventative Maintenance

  4. Chapter 4 Motherboards

    1. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Motherboards

    2. A Motherboard Tour

    3. Identifying a Motherboard

    4. Replacing a Motherboard

    5. Troubleshooting and Maintaining Motherboards

  5. Chapter 5 Processors

    1. The Truth About Processor Performance

    2. Processor Characteristics

    3. Processor Types

    4. CPU Coolers

    5. Processor Upgrade Considerations

    6. Replacing the Processor

    7. Troubleshooting Processors

  6. Chapter 6 Memory

    1. Understanding Memory

    2. Memory Performance

    3. Other Memory Issues

    4. Choosing Memory

    5. Installing Memory

    6. Troubleshooting Memory Installation and Operation

  7. Chapter 7 Hard Disk Drives

    1. Hard Disk Drive Interfaces

    2. Choosing a Hard Disk Drive

    3. Installing a Hard Disk Drive

    4. Enabling DMA Mode Transfers (PATA Only)

    5. Troubleshooting Hard Drive Problems

  8. Chapter 8 Optical Drives

    1. Optical Drive Types

    2. Optical Drive Performance

    3. Optical Disc Types

    4. Installing and Configuring an Optical Drive

    5. Troubleshooting Optical Drives

  9. Chapter 9 External and Removable Storage Devices

    1. Uses for External and Removable Storage

    2. External Hard Drives

    3. External Drive Enclosures

    4. Removable Hard Drive Enclosures

    5. USB Flash Memory Drives

    6. Tape Drives

  10. Chapter 10 Video Adapters

    1. Video Adapter Interfaces

    2. Choosing a Video Adapter

    3. TV Tuner/Capture Cards

    4. Installing a Video Card

    5. Configuring Windows Video

    6. Troubleshooting Video Adapters Problems

  11. Chapter 11 Displays

    1. CRT Displays

    2. LCD Displays

    3. Troubleshooting Display Problems

  12. Chapter 12 Audio

    1. Audio Adapters

    2. Audio Adapter Characteristics

    3. Choosing an Audio Adapter

    4. Installing a Sound Card

    5. Configuring an Audio Adapter Card Under Windows

    6. Speakers and Headphones

    7. Choosing Speakers and Headphones

    8. Troubleshooting Audio Problems

  13. Chapter 13 Input Devices

    1. Keyboards

    2. Mice and Trackballs

    3. Game Controllers

  14. Chapter 14 Wireless Networking

    1. Wireless Networking Standards

    2. Wireless Components

  15. Chapter 15 Cases

    1. Case Characteristics

    2. Tweaking Your Current Case

  16. Chapter 16 Power Supplies and Power Protection

    1. Power Supplies

    2. Choosing a Power Supply

    3. Power Protection

  1. Colophon

View Full Table of Contents
Product Details
Title:
Repairing and Upgrading Your PC
By:
Robert Bruce Thompson, Barbara Fritchman Thompson
Publisher:
O'Reilly Media
Formats:
  • Print
  • Ebook
  • Safari Books Online
Print Release:
March 2006
Ebook Release:
February 2009
Pages:
448
Print ISBN:
978-0-596-00866-6
| ISBN 10:
0-596-00866-X
Ebook ISBN:
978-0-596-10488-7
| ISBN 10:
0-596-10488-X
Customer Reviews
About the Authors
  1. Robert Bruce Thompson

    Robert Bruce Thompson is a coauthor of Building the Perfect PC, PC Hardware in a Nutshell and Astronomy Hacks. Robert built his first computer in 1976 from discrete chips. It had 256 bytes of memory, used toggle switches and LEDs for I/O, ran at less than 1MHz, and had no operating system. Since then, he has bought, built, upgraded, and repaired hundreds of PCs for himself, employers, customers, friends, and clients.

    View Robert Bruce Thompson's full profile page.

  2. Barbara Fritchman Thompson

    Barbara Fritchman Thompson is a coauthor of Building the Perfect PC, PC Hardware in a Nutshell, and Astronomy Hacks. Barbara worked for 20 years as a librarian before starting her own home-based consulting practice, Research Solutions, and is also a researcher for the law firm Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge, & Rice, PLLC.

    View Barbara Fritchman Thompson's full profile page.

  • Book cover of Repairing and Upgrading Your PC