The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide, 16th Edition [Paperback]

Mark Minasi (Author), Faithe Wempen (Author), Quentin Docter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0782144314 | ISBN-13: 978-0782144314 | Edition: 16

Clear, Expert Advice for PC Users of Every Stripe

No matter how you use your PC--as a business tool, an entertainment center, or an Internet on-ramp--this latest edition of The Complete PC Upgrade & Maintenance Guide has you covered. Inside, you'll find the clear, expert advice on maintaining, upgrading, and troubleshooting for which this book is famous. It's all updated to cover the latest technologies and guaranteed to help you extend the life and power of your PC. You also get targeted instruction on a wide range of entertainment upgrades--ways to enhance your enjoyment of music, photo, movies, and more. Coverage includes:
* Preventing hardware disasters
* Upgrading memory
* Replacing power supplies
* Partitioning drives using NTFS and FAT32
* Solving data backup challenges
* Protecting your PC from viruses, worms, and spyware
* Adding SCSI cards and drives
* Installing DVDs, CD-ROMs, and EIDE and Serial ATA hard drives
* Troubleshooting printers and scanners
* Installing communications devices
* Resolving mouse and keyboard problems
* Installing video and sound cards
* Tackling networking issues, both wired and wireless
* Troubleshooting Internet connectivity
* Solving laptop problems
* Capturing and editing video
* Managing music and image files
* Watching movies on DVD
* Getting the most out of new storage and networking technologies

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Clear, Expert Advice for PC Users of Every Stripe

No matter how you use your PC—as a business tool, an entertainment center, or an Internet on-ramp—this latest edition of The Complete PC Upgrade & Maintenance Guide has you covered. Inside, you’ll find the clear, expert advice on maintaining, upgrading, and troubleshooting for which this book is famous. It’s all updated to cover the latest technologies and guaranteed to help you extend the life and power of your PC. You also get targeted instruction on a wide range of entertainment upgrades—ways to enhance your enjoyment of music, photo, movies, and more. Coverage includes:

• Preventing hardware disasters
• Upgrading memory
• Replacing power supplies
• Partitioning drives using NTFS and FAT32
• Solving data backup challenges
• Protecting your PC from viruses, worms, and spyware
• Adding SCSI cards and drives
• Installing DVDs, CD-ROMs, and EIDE and Serial ATA hard drives
• Troubleshooting printers and scanners
• Installing communications devices
• Resolving mouse and keyboard problems
• Installing video and sound cards
• Tackling networking issues, both wired and wireless
• Troubleshooting Internet connectivity
• Solving laptop problems
• Capturing and editing video
• Managing music and image files
• Watching movies on DVD
• Getting the most out of new storage and networking technologies

About the Author

Mark Minasi MCSE, is one of the world's leading Windows authorities. He teaches classes in 15 countries and is a much sought-after speaker at conferences and industry gathering keynotes. His firm, MR&D, has taught tens of thousands of people to design and run Windows networks. Mark has written over 15 books for Sybex.

Quentin Docter has over a decade of experience in the networking industry. He holds MCSE+I, MCT, CNE, and A+ certifications.

Faithe Wempen is an adjunct instructor of computer information technology at Purdue University and the author of over 80 computer, including Sybex's A+ JumpStart: PC Operating and Hardware Systems Basics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 928 pages
• Publisher: Sybex; 16 edition (July 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0782144314
• ISBN-13: 978-0782144314
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #642,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Computers & Technology > Hardware > Maintenance, Repair & Upgrading

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Many errors - disappointing, August 27, 2006

By 

Dorbel Tweeter "Howdy!" (Burnsville NC USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide, 16th Edition (Paperback)

Minasi's earlier editions were good (and hardcover - what happened to that?). This one was apparently rushed out without any proofreading just to keep up with the Joneses (Mueller). There are so many errors in the first two chapters, it's unbelievable... Maybe the rest of the book actually got re-written and proofed, but the first part is very disappointing and makes me unlikely to grab this volume when I need an accurate answer.

E.G.
p.17 figure 1.5 shows connectors on back of PC, points to a Centronics 36 connector, labeling it a 25-pin parallel port. Same figure labels a DB-25 port (male? female?) as "External SCSI". (Could be, if a VERY old scsi card is in there... )

p.17 "... be the expert on how many millions of polygons a particular sound card can render per second." Huh?? Since when did sound cards start rendering geometric shapes?

p.22 "Quick Steps: Installing a CPU" gives 6 steps. No mention of heatsinks/fans. Just pop it in, button up the case, and get the marshmallows ready!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars clear instructions, September 10, 2005

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide, 16th Edition (Paperback)

Sybex and the authors have updated this long running and successful text with the 16th edition. The rapid changes in personal computer hardware mean that you might want to consider getting this book for its comprehensive advice of a wide range of hardware items.

I should say that even with the changes in this industry, if you have the 14th or 15th editions, you may well want to stick with those. Not everything changes between consecutive editions, and those still hold considerable relevance.

The book's remit extends across a broad range of hardware. Not just items that might be directly plugged into your computer. For example, there is discussion about routers for your local network. Where these might be wired or wireless devices.

Typically, across all the hardware they describe, there is enough information to be able to install that hardware, even without the manufacturers' instructions. Sometimes, the book's instructions may even be clearer!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Johned, November 6, 2006

By 

Johned (Fla.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide, 16th Edition (Paperback)

Ordered this new edition because of my experience with earlier ones.

This edition lacks the CD which the other edition contained.

The format of this edition is not done as well as the previous one.

I am dissapointed in it's new format and lack of CD.