Upgrading and Repairing PCs (18th Edition) (Upgrading & Repairing)
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| Upgrading and Repairing PCs (18th Edition) (Upgrading & Repairing) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"...perhaps the most comprehensive book on the subject we've ever seen. It's incredibly well researched, well written, and jam packed with useful information."
--Josh Norem, Reviews Editor, Maximum PC Upgrading and Repairing PCs is the definitive guide to the inner workings of your PC. Whether you're adding a faster processor or bigger hard drive, tracking down a problem, or just want to understand how the components of your computer work together, this book explains everything you need to know. Trust the one book that has become the de facto standard among PC professionals and enthusiasts around the world. World-renowned PC hardware expert Scott Mueller has taught thousands in his week-long seminars and millions through his books, videos, and magazine articles. Major changes in the PC hardware industry--including coverage of new Core 2 processors from Intel, Socket AM2 processors from AMD, and significant advances in motherboard chipsets, Blu-ray, and HD-DVD--make Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 18th Edition, an indispensable addition to every serious computer user's bookshelf...that is, if it ever leaves their desks. Readers from around the world trust their computers to Scott. Upgrading and Repairing PCs is found on the desks of teachers, students, hobbyists, repair technicians, and even law enforcement agencies that use this book to aid them in tracking criminals. New in This Book
On the DVD DVD contains 2 hours of all new, studio-quality video--playable in your set-top DVD player and your computer! Scott digs deep into networking, showing all the components needed to build a SOHO (Small Office Home Office) network. Coverage includes network adapters, routers, switches, access points, cable/DSL modems, and cabling. Upgrading an existing network to gigabit speeds is also covered, as well as the latest wireless network technology. The DVD also contains a previously published edition of the book as well as technical reference material, a glossary, and an acronym index. Whether you’re building a hot new PC for home or work, or nursing an aging and ailing PC back to health, these materials prove to be worth their weight in gold to the serious PC technician or hobbyist. www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com If you don’t have a DVD player or only have a set-top DVD, visit www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com to download all the video from the DVD in Windows Media Player format as well as the PDFs and other materials on the DVD! Plus, check out monthly articles, FAQs, and video from earlier editions you might have missed! Introduction 1 1 Development of the PC 7 2 PC Components, Features and System Design 25 3 Microprocessor Types and Specifications 39 4 Motherboards and Buses 235 5 BIOS 441 6 Memory 509 7 The ATA/IDE Interface 581 8 Magnetic Storage Principles 637 9 Hard Disk Storage 663 10 Removable Storage 707 11 Optical Storage 747 12 Physical Drive Installation and Configuration 851 13 Video Hardware 885 14 Audio Hardware 987 15 I/O Interfaces from Serial and Parallel to IEEE-1394 and USB 1025 16 Input Devices 1059 17 Internet Connectivity 1103 18 Local Area Networking 1151 19 Power Supplies 1207 20 Building or Upgrading Systems 1295 21 PC Mods: Overclocking and Cooling 1335 22 PC Diagnostics, Testing and Maintenance 1367 ON THE DVD: A Glossary B List of Acronyms and Abbreviations |
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| 07-12-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This is the best book I've ever read of it's kind, I have a decent ammount of experience upgrading but if only I had had this book before, I would have saved several hours of looking on the internet for info that was not accurate or as extensive,or doing trial and error until I got it right. If you're serious about upgrading, repairing, or anything that has to do with computer hardware this is the best for you.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-05 05:59:09 EST)
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| 06-13-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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I've been doing PC repairs and custom builds for a few years. This book is a good reference book for the technician. It's also a good reference material book when studying up on some certifications. This book is for both the novice and the experienced pc technicians.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-07-13 05:42:39 EST)
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| 06-02-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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I read one of these computer repair books every couple of years to keep up with changes. I have found this author to be a very good source of the latest information.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-13 12:45:45 EST)
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| 05-27-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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I am not a computer technician so can not be very specific about the real nuts and bolts of the book from a technician's point of view. But as a person who just likes computers and is interested in how they work, I find this book quite informative and helpful. It is good for learning about what to look for when things go wrong, getting ideas for upgrading, maintenance, etc. And, you can't beat the Amazon.com price on this one. Recommended.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-03 05:18:27 EST)
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| 05-11-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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I am a machine control technical person where my main focus is not on PCs, but I sometimes have to work on PCs as they are often associated with machine control systems. Over a year ago my 2003 vintage OEM PC motherboard stopped working. I felt I was ready to put together my first PC using as much of the previous PC components as possible. Based upon the advice of a friend I purchased a copy of the 13th edition as it was written in the time frame of my PC. The book was extremely helpful as it put a spot light on a lot of "fuzzy" knowledge I had gained over the years, or had heard talked about. I ended up reading the majority of the book. Anything in the book that applied to my situation at home or at work I read about and I felt filled to the brim with the information I gathered from the book.
Recently, my wife's PC motherboard stopped working. I gave her my 2003 vintage PC and started work on building a brand new PC for me. The first action I took was to purchase the 18th edition of Upgrading and Repairing PCs. When I progressed with trying to determine my future PC components and needed to understand questions of SATA & Multi-Core theory & PCI Express 1 PCI Express 2 & CPU comparisons & knowledge on the latest System memory RAM, I went straight to the 18th edition book. But I just did not feel like I got the warm feeling inside which knowledge and understanding gives you. Compared to what I got out of the 13th edition (which was appropriate to my vintage of PC) to what I got out of the 18th edition (which was appropriate to the build of my newest PC), I felt like the authors have not been on top of "updating" the "upgrading" book. So with hopefulness, I attempted to go to the author's website. upgradingandrepairingpcs. com and found it led me to another website called informit. com. It appears the author has banded with a group of other technical people to share their knowledge and expertise on this informit website & buying the 18th edition book allows free access to a lot of this web site. But this website was not satisfying for a person with a specific problem or question who is trying to link up with an answer. I ended up gathering a lot of my knowledge and understanding from the multitude of technical websites available on the internet. Including information on what a person has to do to repair Windows XP in order to use a hard drive from a broken PC on a different hardware platform. I would have thought that situation would be very common for "Upgrading and Repairing" a PC. With that all said, I am giving the book 4 stars and I really wanted to be able to give the book 5 stars. The author is very good at explaining things in just the right manner. The knowledge & understanding I have gained from the books was well worth the full retail price for one book and made me a groupie of the book. But the next time I have to build a new PC in a few years, I won't be buying the latest edition without making sure it has been given a healthy dose of updating. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-28 05:21:21 EST)
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| 03-23-08 | 4 | 3\4 |
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Authour should get rid of the information about old IBM 80286 processors and other vintage trivia. If we want to know about that we can order the 10th or earlier edition of the book. The 17th edition had a lot of good explanation about current technology but lacked the dual and quad processors that the 18th edition carries. Unfortunately they took out some of the good stuff (dual channel memory explanation for example) but again kept pages and pages about 80's computers.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-26 05:20:42 EST)
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| 02-25-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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very useful reference and all around great book, if you so much as think you may want to pep up your PC, GET THIS BOOK.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-03-24 13:13:14 EST)
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| 02-14-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This is the book that i've been dreaming to own 8 years ago...I finally got it and it's all worth it. It's a must have books for computer enthusiast.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-26 10:41:59 EST)
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| 02-08-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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If you are building a new computer from scratch, this is a useful resource. Has a lot of basic information (goes back too far with historical information in my opinion). Publishing time makes it somewhat dated for leading edge technology, but that is the nature of a dynamic computer industry. Also, would be somewhat helpful in trouble shoothing an older system. Check the internet for very lastest info.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-14 04:08:41 EST)
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| 01-21-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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As described, this book is a complete reference manual and I'd recommend it to anyone that wants to learn more about the fine details of computers, their history and the technology that makes them work. Just started the book and have continued to read it.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-08 18:40:10 EST)
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| 01-21-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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A most comprehensive treatment of computers from their beginning to present. the author has a long and extensive experience with the subject and offers critical insights and knowledge, especially for those building their own computer. At times the history is too much, but interesting, nonethless a good book for those so inclined to more fully understand the workings of the modern marvel known as the personal computer!! a bonus is the cd on networking setup!!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-01-22 22:50:45 EST)
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| 01-21-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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The book is excellent except that the enclosed cd is not what I expected and would open only with DVD player, not computer. I would still strongly recommend this book to someone who wants to learn a lot more about computers and how to repair or improve them.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-08 18:40:10 EST)
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| 01-20-08 | 4 | 1\1 |
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A most comprehensive treatment of computers from their beginning to present. the author has a long and extensive experience with the subject and offers critical insights and knowledge, especially for those building their own computer. At times the history is too much, but interesting, nonethless a good book for those so inclined to more fully understand the workings of the modern marvel known as the personal computer!! a bonus is the cd on networking setup!!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-08 18:40:10 EST)
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| 12-31-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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I got this book for my Fiance as a Christmas present. He owns a PC Repair business and he loved it. It has some new information on Vista and it's quirks as well as some other newer technology items. Came with a 2 hour DVD as well.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-01-21 15:42:05 EST)
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| 12-03-07 | 2 | 2\3 |
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Great for the beginner, but too much of the book is just a rehash from previous years. Scott is a 'Wintel fanboy' without a doubt, as it is clear he favors Intel products over AMD. Though he mentions AMD, most of the book is devoted to Intel processors, motherboards and chipets.
He wastes space explaining keyboard and mouse design which he has for the past 5+ editions along with the history of computers. Why waste space when it was only described in just about all of his previous editions. Some areas he goes into great detail, others he brushes over the topic. BTW; that DVD is a 'Networking" DVD as stated twice in the beginning of the book for those that complained about getting the wrong DVD. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-01-01 01:44:45 EST)
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| 12-03-07 | 5 | 2\2 |
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Since I'm on my way to completing my Microsoft Certification in System Administration I was looking for a complete reference to the PC. This book more than fits that need and has provided me many solutions to problems I've already encountered at work. I highly recommend this for anyone who needs an in-depth, easily searchable and complete PC reference book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-01-01 01:44:45 EST)
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| 12-02-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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As usual Scott Mueller has written a book that covers everything about computers, it is the first book I go to when trying to find something out.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-01-01 01:44:45 EST)
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| 10-29-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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The first edition I bought was the 4th. I have now just received the 18th edition from Amazon and I am still amazed at the amount information contained in this book. A must for anyone working, tinkering or wanting to learn more about PC's. A fantastic reference book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-03 13:46:56 EST)
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| 10-19-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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This book really is fantastic. A real credit to its author. It is the Volvo of the computer world.......indeed the entire book world. Amazon discount this book to make it a really great bargain. Further, I would still have been delighted even if I had paid full price.
I cannot praise this book enough. The perfect 10 out of 10! In addition, the book is hardback. A joy to have, to hold and to own. The paper is very good quality and is lovely and white (not oatmeal/grey like some books.) Now we come to the 'But.......'. The DVD that is with the book is the WRONG DVD! It is not about upgrading and repairing pc's but about networking. My guess is that the company that duplicates the DVD got them mixed up. (The author also writes a book about networking.) Amazon offered me a replacement or a refund, but I declined both. There was no point in have a replacement because I strongly suspect that ALL the books have the wrong DVD (perhaps hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands of them.) I am so pleased with the book that I didn't want a refund. In all honesty, I bought this item for the book and the DVD was just a bonus. So not having my 'bonus' is not too important. I have emailed the publisher to try to help them, and the author, but no reply yet. I have written to Amazon, and spoken to their customer help. But of course it is not Amazon's fault in any way. So that is my review. The book is brilliant and very highly recommended at any price. The DVD is totally the incorrect DVD. Hopefully in due course this will be corrected. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-29 11:39:54 EST)
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| 10-13-07 | 3 | 1\1 |
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When I first started reading the Upgrading and Repairing PCs series at 15th Edition, I thought it was an outstanding reference manual. While it's still quite an order of magnitude superior to other general PC architecture references out there, I no longer feel it is conforming to its own standards of in depth coverage.
The book claims to extensively review Core 2 micro architecture. If you expect a half page summary complete with marketing information you can already find on Intel's website, then this book is for you. I was hoping for better. The book still does not cover PCI-Express in-depth. He points you to the PCI-SIG website. PCI-Express has been out long enough for Upgrading and Repairing PCs to provide detailed coverage. I would rather have more extensive PCI-Express coverage than say an extra ten pages of PC evolution and history. Also, there is virtually zero attention spent on Intel's new EFI ROM technology or the GUID Partition Table. There is very in-depth coverage provided in the Mac OS X Internals book, but Upgrading and Repairing PCs doesn't even so much as talk about them. Surely you can do better than the Macintosh book? The included DVD video leads me to believe that networking is not Scott's area of expertise. It's OK for your typical neophyte, but I was previously led to believe that Scott places a lot of emphasis on accuracy and I cringed every time he said "Private Shared Key" in the video. It's "Pre-Shared Key" dude. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-19 13:23:03 EST)
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