Troubleshooting, Maintaining & Repairing PCs with CDROM [Hardcover]

Stephen J. Bigelow (Author)

Book Description

Series: Troubleshooting, Maintaining & Repairing PCs | Publication Date: August 16, 2001

A reference to troubleshooting, maintaining and repairing PCs. This fifth edition includes the following features: information about Pentium 4, Itanium, Athlon, Duron, and other late-model processors; cable and DSl modem information; online troubleshooting techniques; and updated SCSI coverage.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Covering everything from general troubleshooting strategies to specific problem-solving procedures, Troubleshooting, Maintaining & Repairing PCs is an excellent resource for people who want to understand how personal computers work and how to fix them when they fail.

Bigelow explains, in great detail, how each subsystem of an IBM-compatible PC works. In the BIOS section, for example, he details the actions, in sequence, taken by various popular BIOS routines at boot up. The CD-ROM section describes exactly how to make a bootable CD-ROM that takes advantage of the El Torito standard. In other chapters, he takes on video monitors, processors from all three major vendors, DVD drives, diagnostic beep and power-on self test (POST) codes, modems, and tons more. Throughout, he combines excellent "how it works" text with bountiful reference material. Bigelow also has paid considerable attention to troubleshooting, concluding each chapter with statements of common problems and their solutions.

A "Symptoms at a Glance" section lists common problems, along with references to the pages that describe what to do about them. This is a useful feature, but it would be easier to find a particular problem if the list were broken up by subsystem. A companion CD-ROM includes lots of shareware and freeware programs that assist with benchmarking and problem solving. --David Wall --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Fix all of your PC and peripheral problems before the screen goes black

When it won't just plug-and-play, turn to the hands-on, authoritative information contained in this comprehensive troubleshooting resource. Fully revised and updated, Troubleshooting, Maintaining & Repairing PCs contains all you need to know about administering and the latest Windows, Linux, and OS/2 systems and peripheral devices. This fifth edition provides full coverage of cutting-edge technologies--from DVD drives, cable, and DSL modems to Ultra360 SCSI devices, AGP accelerators, USB, IEEE 1284, and Infrared ports. This essential volume also contains a valuable CD-ROM with over 120 diagnostic and maintenance utilities. PC expert Stephen Bigelow provides real-world examples and condition-specific troubleshooting advice that will have you fixing common and little-known PC problems in no time.

• Identify, de-assemble, and replace each subassembly, expansion board, and connector in the latest Intel-based, AMD, Cyrix, Athlon, Duron, and Via desktops and towers
• Fix hardware conflicts and configuration errors in Windows 3x/95/98/Me/NT/2000, Linux, and OS/2 systems
• Avoid data loss by implementing sound backup and power management strategies
• Correct interface problems in system, expansion, option, and adapter BIOS
• Isolate and repair faults in ISA, PCI, and AGP busses, power supplies, motherboards, and chipsets
• Recover data lost from corrupt files, accidental deletions, and hard drive failures
• Deploy USB, FireWire, Infrared, serial, parallel, and AGP ports
• Get optimal performance from state-of-the-art DSL and cable modems, 3D video accelerators, mice, trackballs, joysticks, network devices, fax, and sound cards

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1500 pages
• Publisher: Osborne/McGraw-Hill; 5th edition (August 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072132728
• ISBN-13: 978-0072132724
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.8 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #850,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #81 in Books > Computers & Technology > Hardware > Maintenance, Repair & Upgrading

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Bang for Your Buck!, October 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Troubleshooting, Maintaining, and Repairing PCs (Hardcover)

As the author rightfully states in his introduction,that this book concentrates on PC symptoms and repair. I own several PC repair books including a recent edition of Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PC's. Where this book excels is in the formatting and content. Its not a computer theory book. Rather symptoms and their corresponding solutions can be quickly discerned. Working as a PC repair technician I don't have time to wade through lengthy discourses,in order to find a solution for uncommon problem.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly outstanding, and it pays for itself, May 19, 2000

By 

Timothy Walker (Orlando, Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Troubleshooting, Maintaining & Repairing PCs, Millennium Edition (Hardcover)

This is one of the finest books on PC troubleshooting ever written. Each chapter contains a list of symptoms, suggestions, and solutions in an accessible format, helping a technician solve even the most obscure hardware problem quickly. Any book that keeps you from looking like a fool in front of a customer is worth its weight in gold (and it hasn't let me down yet).

This book is also good for aspiring technicians, presenting exhaustive (but not overwhelming) coverage of topics you are sure to see on the A+ or CST exams. The author is kind enough to include useful diagrams and historical tidbits throughout the work, making the arcane comprehensible and the boring bearable. How many computer books can you think of that accomplish such a feat?

Mr. Bigelow, if you're reading this, I would like to thank you for producing such a wonderful book. Suggesting it to others is the least I can do.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PC repair for everyone, even computer illiterates like me, September 27, 2002

By 

R. Tiedemann "Sunnye" (Bellevue, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Troubleshooting, Maintaining & Repairing PCs with CDROM (Hardcover)

I'm not a computer technician. Heck, I can barely operate a computer! I "grew up" (computer-wise) with Macs, which never seem to need fixing and seldom wear out, but because my husband had a typical PC person's prejudice against Macs, I started using PCs. Toshibas, IBMs, Dells -- each and every one sooner or later had problems. Tired of talking to technicians from Wales to Holland, I decided to take an online course in computer repair and this book was required reading.

Voila! Help at last.

Information is thorough and easy to find. Fixes work.

If you HAVE to have a PC and you run into problems, this is the book to have.