PC Repair Bench Book [Paperback]

Ron Gilster (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764525786 | ISBN-13: 978-0764525780 | Publication Date: March 3, 2003

• A get-in, get-out Power Pack guide that focuses strictly on what PC technicians and serious hobbyists need to know to maintain, upgrade, and repair PCs
• Each chapter focuses on one particular hardware feature, briefly explaining its design, operation, characteristics, features, and purpose, with information and tips on installing, upgrading, troubleshooting, diagnosing, and problem solving
• Highly-illustrated approach-at least one figure for every two pages
• Find-a-Fix tool takes readers through all the most common symptoms of computer problems, helps them refine a diagnosis, and provides immediate solutions
• Ron Gilster is bestselling author of A+ Certification For Dummies, Second Edition (0-7645-0812-1) with more than 250,000 copies sold in all editions
• CD-ROM provides valuable diagnostic software, searchable text of the entire book and Find-a-Fix tool

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Your one-stop guide to

• Understanding and repairing motherboards, processors, chipsets, BIOS, and system resources
• Updating and optimizing memory and aging systems
• Diagnosing common PC problems and performing routine maintenance
• Installing and configuring system upgrades
• Working safely with the electrical components of a PC
• Troubleshooting peripherals, storage systems and devices, sight and sound systems, and more

Here’s everything you need to know to fix or maintain a PC–and nothing you don’t

If you’re a PC technician, time is money. Bestselling author Ron Gilster trimmed every scrap of fat from this indispensable reference guide, packing it with clear, concise information that helps you do your job. Organized by hardware or component groups–motherboards, storage devices, printers, communications and networking, operating system software, and so on–it’s liberally illustrated for faster comprehension. There’s even a searchable e-version of the book on CD-ROM to help you diagnose problems. This is the one book you can’t afford not to have on your repair bench.

CD-ROM Includes

• Find-a-Fix tool, which lists many common PC problems and their solutions
• Bonus content, including glossary and troubleshooting tips
• Evaluation versions of PC Certify Pro and ToolStar Test demo

About the Author

Ron Gilster has gained experience in virtually every aspect of computing technology during 35 years as a programmer, systems analyst, technician, manager, and executive in a variety of industries. He operates his own consulting business and has written more than a dozen books on hardware, software, programming, networking, and career certification.

Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (March 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764525786
• ISBN-13: 978-0764525780
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,190,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ron Gilster was born in Vallejo, California in 1947. Which is the last time he actually lived in any one place for very long at all. Ron began his computing and technology career in 1965 in the Air Force, in which he took refuge from the draft, but ended up a Vietnam vet anyway. Over the years, he has been a punch-card machine operator, a computer programmer, a systems analyst, a database manager, a manufacturing production manager, a consultant for what was then a Big 8 accounting firm, an executive in the audio/visual and telecommunications industry, a college instructor and administrator, and, oh yes, a writer.

Ron has had a number of best-selling books, including his first "A+ Certification for Dummies," "CCNA For Dummies," "Cisco Networking For Dummies," and a dozen more. He lives in Spokane, WA and continues to write at least four books per year; the latest being "MCAS: Exam Guide."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars There Are Much Better Books On The Subject, July 8, 2006

By 

Gary E. Albers "Ishipaco" (Shell Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: PC Repair Bench Book (Paperback)

Hendrik Olaerts is 100% correct in his review (19 May 2006), when he describes this book as "outdated." But I feel more needs to be said, and my opinion of this book differs greatly from most of the earlier reviewers. What I fear is that someone might be looking for a good technical book on legacy PCs. Gilster's book would NOT be a good choice!

I've spent most of the last eleven years traveling in third world countries, after leaving a long-term job running and maintaining a PC lab at a community college. I fear that someone working in these more remote places might want to buy this book as a technical introduction to legacy PCs, because such PCs are common in much of the world outside the U.S. and a few other industrialized countries. One can still find PC ATs and even XTs.

Having read the whole book, I feel the author has made a number of technical errors, used misleading and confused explanations for many technical subjects, glossed over numerous important nitty-gritty configuration topics, and dwelt much too often on unnecessarily detailed treatment of relatively trivial matters. For anyone new to PC technology (i.e., anyone without enough technical knowledge to be able to recognize the mistakes and misconceptions), this book would be a very poor choice.

For only about $6 more, you can buy the latest edition (currently 17th) of Scott Mueller's excellent book: Upgrading & Repairing PCs, which I highly recommend. For those interested in legacy systems, Mueller's book has always included a CD with earlier editions in PDF format. You can go as far back in PC history as you like.

Let the uninitiated be forewarned. There's probably a good reason why Wiley Publishing, Inc., has never issued a second edition of this book. I'm used to expecting better than this from Wiley.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gilster is the Greatest!, March 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: PC Repair Bench Book (Paperback)

This is the second book by Ron Gilster I have used to learn more about computers. I thought at first I may have made a mistake with this book in that it may be too advanced for me, but that was not the case, for the most part. My husband, who works in computing, says that this book covers all of the basic problems a repair technician would need help with, which is what worried me, since I am not a technician by any stretch of the imagination. I am an office manager stuck with the job of supporting our computer network. The background and explanation of how things work and why they can go awry is very helpful to me in understanding what a problem may be, how to explain it to the serviceperson, and in knowing if the right things are being fixed.

Thanks, Mr. Gilster. I am a devoted fan!

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, April 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: PC Repair Bench Book (Paperback)

Agreeing with the previous review 100%. This is an excellent book, and I can lift it over my head, so it won't be such a pain in the butt to drag around with me. At around 800 pages, it's still a hefty reference, but a little more manageable than some of the bigger books out there. The language is plain. The organization is sensible, and I appreciate the many genericized diagrams in addition to photos. Photos are nice, but the diagrams make it easier for me to figure out what I'm looking at from machine to machine. I wish more hardware books were put together like this one.