Upgrading and Repairing PCs

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
Year after year, Scott Mueller brings together more comprehensive, useful information about PC hardware, repair, maintenance, and upgrades than anyone else, bar none.

Mueller's legendary Upgrading & Repairing PCs, now in its 17th edition, is replete with new coverage. Including, for instance, a complete guide to Intel and AMD's new dual-core processors, the newest chipsets, and today's state-of-the-art video cards. (For the performance freaks among you, there's also a full chapter on overclocking and system cooling.)

In nearly 1,600 pages of small print and great technical illustrations, Mueller has room for nearly everything: motherboards, BIOSes, memory, disks, interfaces, removable storage, video, audio, USB, Internet connectivity, LANs, power, and more. There's even more information on the DVD: from coverage of notebooks and printers to complete PDFs of Mueller's last eight editions.

Our favorite feature: a detailed and up-to-date troubleshooting index that identifies hundreds of common hardware problems, offers likely causes and solutions in a quick phrase or two, and points you to more detailed coverage inside. Audio card sounds weird? Computers invisible on the network? USB peripherals not recognized? Wireless keyboard doesn't work? You'll be on the road to a solution within seconds.

Finally, Mueller's DVD contains two full hours of all-new digital video. (He takes pride in reshooting for every edition: These are today's PC maintenance and repair techniques, not Pleistocene-era stuff.) Best of all, it'll run on your home DVD player, too. (Hey, when are you more likely to need help than when your PC isn't working?)

This classic has spawned an entire series, from Upgrading and Repairing Networks, Fifth Edition to Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows. But it all started here. And, after 17 editions, Mueller's flagship book is better than ever. Bill Camarda, from the May 2006 Read Only

Necessarily subject to frequent new editions, this hefty manual discusses all areas of computer system improvement—upgrading, repairing, maintaining, and troubleshooting—as well as software issues. Mueller, president of an international research and corporate training firm, presents 25 chapters covering state-of-the-art hardware and accessories and discussing the fine points of motherboards, processors, memory, and case and power-supply improvements; proper system and component care; diagnostics hardware and software; and the important differences between major system architectures from the original Industry Standard Architecture to the latest in PCI and AGP systems. The included CD-ROM conteains some two hours of how-to video with the author. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Already in the fourth printing of its updated third edition, clearly a popular reference. For simple users of computers who want to learn to update and repair IBM-type personal computers for themselves or their companies, not only explains the details of specific procedures, but also provides the background information needed to become technically informed enough to perform them. Not advanced enough to prepare readers to become professionals. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Includes information from the most basic, such as how to get into a computer, to fairly technical specifications of various components. Generally focuses on determining whether upgrading or repairing is a good idea and if so finding the best way. Includes primary components, input/output hardware, mass storage, system maintenance, troubleshooting, and applications. The accompanying CD-ROM contains searchable versions of six technical books. The explanations and suggestions are applicable to any type and brand of personal computer. Includes a glossary without pronunciation. No bibliography. New editions have come out frequently since the first in 1988. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.