PC Technician Black Book: The PC Technician's Secret Weapon (Paperback)

by Ron Gilster (Author) "The motherboard can easily be called the most important part of the computer..." (more)
Key Phrases: system resource conflicts, glidepoint mouse, system resource assignments, Immediate Solutions, Pentium Pro, South Bridge (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This book is a ready reference of troubleshooting, diagnostics, and repair processes and procedures for a range of commonly used personal computers and peripheral devices. Written in the popular Black Book format with a hardware focus. Unlike other PC troubleshooting books, you don't have to read through pages of text to find a solution. This book cuts out the unnecessary background reference material and filler to bring you clear, concise, and necessary reference information followed by problem solving solutions in an easy-to-use format. Each unit within the book contains: a common customer complaint, symptoms common to the problem, tools needed (hand, hardware, or software), step-by-step processes used to verify the problem, and the step-by-step processes used to correct the problem. Also includes numerous illustrated photos to help you repair something quickly.

About the Author
Ron Gilster, MBA, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA i-Net+, CCNA, CCSE, is the bestselling author of PC Hardware: A Beginner's Guide.

Helen Heneveld, MBA, CEDIA Installer I, DHTI+, is a recognized industry expert who speaks, trains, and consults worldwide in the converging home systems industry.

Product Details

• Paperback: 744 pages
• Publisher: Paraglyph; 1 edition (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932111034
• ISBN-13: 978-1932111033
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,960,597 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the money, April 5, 2002

By	benn333 (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PC Technician Black Book: The PC Technician's Secret Weapon (Paperback)

The cover says "Ideal for A+ certified technicians," which I am not, but I could imagine they'd be even more frustrated with this book that I am.

I bought this book after acquiring a large collection of older PC parts. I thought it would be handy to have a troubleshooting reference nearby while working with the parts. I've had this book a number of months now, built 2 fully operational computers from scratch, and have not found this book helpful ONCE. I'd recommend saving your money and buying another book or searching Google Groups for your answers.

Just to be fair, there is a lot of interesting information about how certain technologies evolved and is fairly comprehensive. (Such as full page pictures of what midtower cases and toolless screws look like.) But when it comes to troubleshooting issues while working on a computer, it's just about worthless. (Plot spoiler: just about all the "Immediate Solutions" sections tell you to check the cables, or something that obvious.)

I'll admit I'm a software technician by trade and enjoy fiddling with stuff. This book may very well be good for the novice or intermediate user. But if you've built computers before or know your way around troubleshooting an issue, look elsewhere for a hardware reference.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE book for technical assistance, September 2, 2001

By	Sheila R. Johnson (Collinsville, Al. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PC Technician Black Book: The PC Technician's Secret Weapon (Paperback)

This book is as up to date as possible considering the fast changing technology and publishing times.It is a huge book and covers everything. It has answered a hundred questions I didn't even know to ask. The detail with which it answers these questions is wonderful. I only hope the author will see fit to give us a yearly update supplement.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book with Great Tips, April 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: PC Technician Black Book: The PC Technician's Secret Weapon (Paperback)

There are many things in this book of interest to either the beginner or the experienced technician. I found the background information to be informative without going way into the history and technical details of legacy gear. It had just enough of the past to make the present meaningful. The troubleshooting tips included many things I would not have thought to even ask and cleared up some things I was confused about. I recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about their computer and how to keep it running.