Troubleshooting Your PC for Dummies, 3rd Edition [Paperback]

Dan Gookin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470230770 | ISBN-13: 978-0470230770 | Publication Date: March 4, 2008 | Edition: 3

Troubleshooting your PC isn’t as hard as you think. In fact, with a little help from Troubleshooting Your PC for Dummies, 3^rd Edition, you can save yourself lots of time, money, and headaches by diagnosing and fixing those snags, glitches, and predicaments that would otherwise drive you crazy. Bringing a touch of humor and a strong dose of sanity into play PC expert Dan Gookin makes it easy!

This fully updated edition features new and expanded coverage of laptop woes as well as Internet and e-mail issues, broadband connections, spam blocking, and security concerns. You’ll find answers to all of your questions about getting out of PC pickles, recognizing when you’re headed for trouble, keeping Vista on the straight and narrow, creating a safe and secure PC environment, and even preventing problems down the road. Discover how to:

• Remove documents from the file menu
• Recognize warning signs of hard drive failure
• Stop a program that’s misbehaving
• Reclaim missing Internet passwords
• Distinguish hardware problems from software problems
• Mediate conflicts between Windows and your applications
• Solve startup problems
• Diagnose email calamities
• Troubleshoot Internet connection malfunctions
• Understand puzzling error messages

Complete with lists of essential rules of tech support and things you should never or always do, Troubleshooting PCs For Dummies, 3^rd Edition, gives you the tips, tricks, and solid knowledge you need to keep your PC healthy and strong for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" ... consistently reassuring... detailed explanations... " (Computer Active, 15 May 2003)

From the Back Cover

Find out what to do when good PCs go bad

See how to test for problems, find the causes, and get back in business

Don't be paralyzed by PC paranoia! Dan Gookin has been making PC hardware, software, and operating systems behave for years. This step-by-step guide answers your questions about getting out of PC predicaments, recognizing when you're headed for trouble, keeping Vista on the straight and narrow, and even preventing problems down the road.

Discover how to:

• Remove documents from the File menu

• Recognize warning signs of hard drive failure

• Stop a program that's misbehaving

• Reclaim missing Internet passwords

• Determine whether it's a hardware or software problem

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 3 edition (March 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470230770
• ISBN-13: 978-0470230770
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #596,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful "geek" in soft cover, October 9, 2008

By 

J. levy (stuart, fl) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Troubleshooting Your PC for Dummies, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

This is probably the most helpful book you can have. It has helped me to solve my computer problems, and also, to learn more about computers. I am not new to computers, but every once in a while something goes wrong, and, instead of reaching for the phone, I reach for this book. I recommend it without hesitation to anyone who would like to be independent and enjoy using one's computer.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Troubleshooting your PC for Dummies, March 23, 2009

By 

Valerie Miles "bookaholic" (Harrison, Arkansas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Troubleshooting Your PC for Dummies, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

I learned so much from this book. It is all written in language that a novice can understand. Great book, I would recommend it to anyone have trouble with their computer.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Stuff, May 7, 2009

By 

Desert Dog "Steve" (Joshua Tree,CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Troubleshooting Your PC for Dummies, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

This book has been a great aid in lowering my Type A blood pressure... "For Dummies" ... The title is quite fitting in regard to my knowledge of the PC, yet Mr. Gookin has assisted me in solving the few problems that were giving me fits....