The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide: (With CD-ROM) - Hardcover

Mark Minasi

3.93

28 ratings by Goodreads

9780782140750: The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide: (With CD-ROM)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0782140750 ISBN 13: 9780782140750

Publisher: Sybex Inc, 2002

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The 2003 edition of the best-selling Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide is yet another milestone in the continuing evolution of a title recognized as the leader in its field. Written in Mark Minasi's friendly style, it shows you how to get the best performance from your computer system through upgrading and how to prevent disasters and fix them when they occur. Based upon the author's extremely popular world-wide PC upgrade and maintenance seminars (which cost $800 per person to attend), the 2003 Edition gives PC owners and support personnel all they need to know to deal with the most common PC problems. You'll find new chapters on troubleshooting scanners and flash memory, as well as updated networking coverage and new material on Windows XP, USB, Firewire, and data recovery. This book comes with two CDs: the first includes an hour of instructional video in which PC expert Mark Minasi teaches you his field-proven upgrade and repair techniques; the second CD includes over 30 system tune-up and diagnostic tools.

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Review:

Rarely does one see a book written with authority and clarity the way this one is. Author Mark Minasi takes information from his experiences as a computer technician (among other things) and explains problems you may encounter. This book is full of sentences that begin, "I once saw ..." or "This happened to me ..." Rather than explain the differences among different kinds of screwdrivers in the beginning of the book, the author gets right to the point by showing how to disassemble a machine and see what's inside. Then, there's a sort of "hall of horrors" for PC components--a section that details how different parts can fail. Quickly, the book moves into explanations of general troubleshooting and problem-solving techniques. The bulk of this book is a series of chapters explaining how to install and fix various components, such as RAM, hard disks, modems, video-capture cards, and audio peripherals. There aren't a lot of illustrations, but most of the ones here are useful.

Minasi wraps up his book with a table of hard drive specifications, manufacturer contact information, and an excellent, lengthy glossary of computer and hardware terms. You'll also find two companion CD-ROMs, one containing video clips of Minasi's lectures and the other containing handy diagnostic software. Taken as a whole, The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide, Seventh Edition, is an excellent value. The author does an outstanding job of communicating his ample knowledge to the reader.

From the Back Cover:

The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide, 2003 Edition is a problem-solving wonder. In simple, easy-to-follow language, it shows you how to prevent disasters, fix the ones that occur, and maximize your PC's power and longevity. Based on author Mark Minasi's popular $800 seminars, this book is an unbeatable value. For only $59.99 U.S., it teaches you everything you need to know to meet all your PC challenges.

Coverage includes:
Building a customized PC
Preventing hardware disasters
Upgrading memory
Replacing power supplies
Installing EIDE hard drives
Adding SCSI ports
Partitioning and formatting EIDE and SCSI drives
Protecting your PC from viruses
Solving data backup challenges
Adding and repairing DVDs and CD-ROMs
Troubleshooting printers
Installing communications devices
Upgrading mice and keyboards
Installing video and sound cards
Tackling networking issues
Troubleshooting Internet connectivity
Solving laptop problems

Featured on the CDs
On the first CD, you get over an hour of instructional video featuring PC expert Mark Minasi and his field-proven upgrade and repair techniques. On the second CD, you get over 25 system tune-up and diagnostic tools-utilities that help you monitor and fine-tune your PC's performance, restrict access to programs and data, and recover quickly from disasters. Also includes an exclusive chapter on recovering data and repairing hard drives.

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