Troubleshooting and Maintaining Your PC All-in-One For Dummies [Paperback]

Dan Gookin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 28, 2011 | ISBN-10: 0470878673 | ISBN-13: 978-0470878675 | Edition: 2

Diagnose and solve your PC problems with this easy-to-understand guide

Written by veteran For Dummies author Dan Gookin, this straightforward guide shows you how to diagnose and solve the most common hardware and software problems your PC may encounter. In addition, he presents advice for preventing PC problems in the first placeand clearly explains how to create a safe and secure PC environment.    

• Walks you through ways to diagnose the most common PC hardware, software, and operating system problems
• Offers clear and easy-to-understand solutions for confidently handling these problems
• Shares valuable advice about maintaining your system to maximize its lifespan
• Reviews an array of useful tools
• Covers Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Internet Explorer 8

Troubleshooting & Maintaining Your PC All-in-One For Dummies, 2^nd Edition helps you to confidently handle whatever PC problems you may encounter.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

PC on strike? Let Dan Gookin show you how to fix your PC problems — and prevent new ones!

Dan Gookin helps you get things back on track, and he shows you how different PC problems often have similar origins. He also guides you through proper maintenance steps that can head off future headaches. Discover what makes that magical machine tick and how to keep it happy!

• Maintain happy hardware — resolve start-up and shutdown issues and problems with peripherals while adding a little pep to your PC

• Power to the laptop — manage power and battery issues, keep it clean, and learn laptop travel safety

• Cure Internet insanity — make peace with Internet Explorer, explore other browsers, troubleshoot email problems, and protect your PC

• Network for success — solve problems with routers, modems, workgroups, and wireless issues

• More geeky stuff — repartition drives, schedule tasks, and venture inside the case

Open the book and find:

• Solutions for Windows 7, Vista, and XP

• What some common error messages mean

• Built-in Windows tools that help solve problems

• Why your laptop needs a good warranty

• URLs for useful video tutorials

• Translations of terms like NIC, DCHP, and FTP

• How to back up files, programs, and your entire PC

• A guided tour of what's inside the console

Visit the companion web site at www.dummies.com/go/troubleshootingandmaintainingyourpcaio2e for videos and other examples from the book.

6 Books in 1

• Hardware

• Software

• Laptops

• Internet

• Networking

• Maintenance

About the Author

Dan Gookin is the bestselling author of the very first For Dummies book, DOS For Dummies. With more than 11 million copies in print, his books have been translated into 32 languages and include PCs For Dummies, Laptops For Dummies, and Word 2010 For Dummies. Visit Dan's web site at www.wambooli.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 792 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (June 28, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470878673
• ISBN-13: 978-0470878675
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.6 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #235,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Computers & Technology > Hardware > Maintenance, Repair & Upgrading

More About the Author

Dan Gookin has been writing about technology for over 20 years. He combines his love of writing with his gizmo fascination to create books that are informative, entertaining, and not boring. Having written more over 120 titles with 12 million copies in print translated into over 30 languages, Dan can attest that his method of crafting computer tomes seems to work.

Perhaps his most famous title is the original DOS For Dummies, published in 1991. It became the world's fastest-selling computer book, at one time moving more copies per week than the New York Times #1 bestseller (though as a reference, it could not be listed on the NYT Bestseller list). From that book spawned the entire line of For Dummies books, which remains a publishing phenomena to this day.

Dan's most popular titles include PCs For Dummies Word For Dummies, Laptops For Dummies, and Droid X For Dummies. He also maintains the vast and helpful Web site, www.wambooli.com.

Dan holds a degree in Communications/Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego. Presently, he lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he enjoys spending time with his sons playing video games inside while they watch the gentle woods of Idaho.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Well Organized and Thorough Guidebook February 10, 2012

By Clifford Brodsky

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

An excellent guide for those interested in both maintaining and / or troubleshooting apparent problems with their PC. It is an easy read, extensive in its content, and provides detailed and understandable steps to enable one to solve asoftware / hardware problems. Personally, I highly recommend it as well worth the cost.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars basic help December 11, 2011

By kenneth

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

this is a good book for starting out doing your own repairs. but for more info you need a more advanced book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars This book was useless to me--I sent it back March 25, 2013

By Esprit64

Format:Paperback

I'm an experienced computer user and can deal with most software quirks on the front end. But, when it comes to fixing "the system," I start zoning out. Hence, I bought this book to fix my PC with its promise of helping the challenged because the book stated that it covered, in part, the Windows XP product. My computer's plumbing was getting so constipated, it slowed, it stopped, it did things without my approval--in effect, it was a mess.

This book reminds me of a bread crumb trail that forks in too many spots leaving an inexperienced "computer fixer" clueless which way to go. Like a bread crumb trail, this book, for beginners, has gaps in the instructions that are truly annoying. Frankly, I don't believe that this author is aware enough to effectively write PC books for "dummies." Such writing requires a certain talent that most computer tech writers don't have--meaning--you have to write for a reader who doesn't understand what you're writing about and needs the author to lead the way. It's like an author writing "Everything you need to know about fixing cars." You buy the book, instructions are within, you're ready to learn, but, the author forgets to write, "This is a spark plug, here's where you find it," etc. Without such info, the inexperienced reader is quickly lost and must now guess what to do.

What I found particularly annoying was that this author would suggest a great solution--then, tell you, that the solution isn't found in XP. When I read such sections, I'd find myself slamming the book down in disgust. Why didn't he just tell me it wasn't for XP before I started reading? Every time I thought I'd find help, the information provided was for VISTA or other products.... Then, the author says to use "X," BUT HE DOESN'T TELL YOU WHERE TO FIND IT--causing you to stop your reading, find the term in the index, turn to a different page, read that section--and, come back to the previous section to again try to figure out what to do. Or, he'll give you a vague reference to where you'll find the information you need in another chapter, no page number, causing you to search, flip pages--who needs this kind of "help"? The author really needed to present his information better.

Perhaps more experienced computer users will find this book useful and easy enough to use. If so, I wish I had your talents. As for me, I gave up trying to use this book. I went online, found a PC clean-up product and clicked. For $30, I saved myself $70+ had I taken my PC to a pro. I'd still rather learn how to fix my PC myself, but, I cannot find an author yet to help me do that. Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great deal October 21, 2012

By Ron

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I brought 15 of these for my career and tech class that I teach in computer repair. These high school students found the language very easy to read. The layout of the book makes it easy to move among different chapters out of order and still understand the concepts and skills taught. I haven't found such a good book and valued deal anywhere else on the internet.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hey, I can do this! October 13, 2012

By K. JOHNSON

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Dan Gookin has a knack for simplifying the seemingly unsimple...i.e. self-diagnosing and, in most cases, self-remedying many computer woes. He identifies issues we've all experienced, then lays out the steps in logical, easy to follow, order. Even when I don't feel comfortable tackling an issue myself, Gookin's explanation of it allows me to describe it intelligently to a pro. I highly recommend.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellant condition September 14, 2012

By David F. Henn

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Informative and builds on my knowledge of the computers and software. One cant know everything and this book helps to advance your knowledge getting ready for the next level learning. One thing is though you will have to have some working knowledge to understand the reasons for some of the commands and where they are located but all together I give this books high marks. I would hope to see more virus removal techniques in the future additions. But knowing and using Dummies for years I bet they have a book on Dummies for eliminating viruses. Wished they sold the software for repairing windows back to its previous settings and make it cd repair for Dummies.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars But I'm dummer than Dummies March 18, 2013

By mrs bear

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Using this book as a basic guide, I managed to change out the power supply to an older computer; thankfully I remembered not to unplug any interior connections on the bad part till I had figured out which ones from the new part would work. I'm still working thru chapter by chapter trying to get my pc to go faster but I think I've just overloaded it with stuff. Now to determine which 'stuff' to delete... The book is helpful and I do recommend it to non-techies.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Troubleshooting and Maintaining Your PC All-In-One for Dummies January 10, 2013

By Dotty

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is a beg help with problems you have on the computer and I'm glad I ordered it. Thanks.