Macworld Mac Upgrade and Repair Bible, Second Edition [Paperback]

Todd Stauffer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0764535226 | ISBN-13: 978-0764535222 | Edition: 2

The Mac Upgrade and Repair Bible, 2nd Edition addresses the changes in the Mac market, offering coverage of new Macs and new Macintosh technologies. Specifically, the book has been enlarged and expanded to cover the iMac line, from the original iMac through the iMac DV series, the iBook line, the PowerBook G3 series and the Power Macintosh G3 and G4 machines that have been introduced since the first edition. All of these machines offer new ways to expand and upgrade storage, processing and input/output tasks. Likewise, they offer new troubleshooting and repair issues. Includes a CD-ROM packed with powerful utilities.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

I like Todd's writing--and, boy, this book has a lot of it: 1,000-plus pages. Egad! Right away, the personality in the book jumped off the page at me. I was expecting this, being familiar with Todd's work--primarily his writing with David Pogue on (an out-of-print edition of) "Macworld Mac Secrets" and other books. (Believe it or not, I've been a Mac user since 1987.)

Unbeknownst to most PC users, there are many makes and models of the Macintosh, some of which were designed specifically never to be upgraded. Yet this book covers them all. Like other good books in this category, background and historical information are provided, in addition to data on upgrades, maintenance, and troubleshooting. Todd washes the whole engine here, not skimping on anything, and often telling a good story along the way.

My key issue of hard-drive partitioning is covered only modestly, which is unusual when one considers the vast discussion of disk storage in general. Granted, hard-disk partitioning is not as core to the Mac as it was to the early PCs (and still is today). But it'd be nice to have at least a reference to partitioning software, or a Web page--which is done often, and well, for just about every other topic in the book.

My only complaint has to do with the photographs. While the line-art illustrations are done nicely, nearly all of the photographs are too dark and contrast-y. This makes them useless in a book in which such photographs are almost crucial to getting a point across. Ignoring that single thorn in this elephant's foot, however, I was completely satisfied and enjoyed the book. It's a valuable, useful reference that I plan on keeping. --Dan Gookin

From the Back Cover

Keep your Mac(r) smiling... Does your Mac crash a lot? Does it choke on big media files? Or limp along on the Web? Are you overdue for an upgrade? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you've come to the right place. Now revised to cover all of the latest Mac operating systems, models, and technologies - including Mac OS 9, an overview of Mac OS X, iMacs(TM), iBooks(TM), USB, FireWire(r), and DVD - this comprehensive do-it-yourself reference is just what you need to get a handle on problems, analyze annoyances, and implement the right repair or upgrade solution. Inside, you'll find complete coverage of Mac repairs and upgrades
* Refurbish an old Mac II - or fine-tune the latest models
* Identify the most common Mac problems - and what to do about them
* Understand your Mac's innards, from chips and cards to slots and ports
* Get hands-on advice for upgrading sound, networking, storage, and other subsystems
* Get the scoop on 3D graphics, digital video editing, and other cutting-edge upgrade options
* Troubleshoot problems and resolve Sad Mac and compatibility issues
* Optimize and manage the Mac OS, including backups and reinstallation
Bonus CD-ROM
* Aladdin Flashback(TM) and Shrinkwrap(TM) demo versions
* BBEdit(TM) demo from Bare Bones Software, Inc.
* TechTool(r) and Extension Overload evaluation versions
* And more
www.idgbooks.com System Requirements: PowerPC Mac running system OS 7.5.5 or later; CD-ROM drive

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1120 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (October 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764535226
• ISBN-13: 978-0764535222
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,508,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars better than Apple Service Source!, January 8, 2000

By 

R. Mathusz "remat457" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macworld Mac Upgrade and Repair Bible (Paperback)

This book is very good. It is one of the few books that is comprehesive of the entire Mac line (from the original mono-MAC to the iMAC). So many Mac books now only focus on the current models forgetting the earlier ones.

It is arranged by topic (memory, hd, input devices, etc.) and very easy to use. It is also suprisingly accurate. Twice I have found the information in the book's spec tables to be accurate where Apple's own ServiceSource specs were incorrect. (If only I had access to where they get their info!) :-)

Want to work on Macs? Get this book!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource; makes the technical simple!, March 15, 1999

By 

Owen W. Linzmayer (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macworld Mac Upgrade and Repair Bible (Paperback)

As MacAddict's Ask Us columnist and author of Apple Confidential, I'm happy to recommend Mac Upgrade and Repair Bible by Todd Stauffer. This massive 942-page paperback helps you identify the bottlenecks in your system, then plan, perform, and troubleshoot the entire upgrade process. Stauffer not only covers increasing your raw processing power by replacing your Mac's CPU, he also discusses the pros and cons of adding memory, hard drives, input devices, networking capability, and a whole range of peripheral possibilities. At just $39.99, Mac Upgrade and Repair Bible is a lot cheaper and more reliable than most consultants, plus it comes with a CD-ROM loaded with more than 50 useful freeware, shareware, and demo tools.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Todd, December 12, 1999

By 

Charles R. Dewey "chuckwagen" (Phoenixville, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Macworld Mac Upgrade and Repair Bible (Paperback)

If your Mac's out of warranty, you have nothing to lose by trying to fix it yourself. Stauffer's the man when it comes to clear explanations of needed repairs. I replaced the hard drive and CD-ROM drive following his book's advice. The book paid for itself.