The Underground Guide to Troubleshooting PC Hardware: Slightly Askew Advice on Maintaining, Repairing, and Upgrading your PC [Paperback]

Alfred Poor (Author)

Book Description

Series: Underground Guide Series | Publication Date: March 22, 1996

"Alfred has taken information that could fill volumes and boiled it down to the mere relevant--all that most of us truly need to buy, maintain, and upgrade today's personal computer system." --Ed Perratore, Contributing Editor, Computer ShopperWARNING They don't call it hardware for nothing! You can repair and upgrade your PC without an advanced degree, but before you take thatcover off your computer, arm yourself with the expert advice of Alfred Poor'sThe Underground Guide to Troubleshooting PC Hardware. You've got hardware troubles. Maybe Windows(R) 95 has turned your "screamer"into a cement mixer and you need a RAM upgrade yesterday. Or you've finallydecided to spring for a Pentium, and a little open-heart chip replacementsurgery is in order. Or maybe your old computer and new printer are not onspeaking terms and you'd rather not pay that teenage know-it-all at thecomputer store to mediate the dispute. Whatever. You're smart, reasonablycoordinated, and you know that this is the sort of job you should be able to doyourself. But you hesitate, fearful of frying your hardware and sending uphundreds of hard-earned dollars in a puff of electrical smoke. It's time tocall in a specialist: Alfred Poor, hardware guru and do-it-yourself coach tomillions, will help you face your motherboard (and more!) with confidence. * Get the executive briefing on every hardware component of your system: CPU,memory, hard drive, monitor, printer, CD-ROM, sound card, keyboard, mouse, andmore. Find out what it is, how it works, and how to tell a good one from a badone. * Apply Alfred's hands-on tests to figure out where and what the problem iswhen things go wrong. * Get how-to advice on upgrading any component--and learn which upgrades willdeliver a noticeable performance improvement, which aren't worth themoney, and when it's best to just trade up for a whole new system. * Most importantly, learn how to experiment intelligently with your PCto identify and fix just about any hardware problem you encounter! Every page has something you can use immediately. This book is packed wall towall with advice, warnings, tips, bugs reports, workarounds, and the kind ofnitty-gritty explanations that could come only from someone who eats, sleeps,and breathes PC hardware.Series Editor Woody Leonhard and Addison-Wesley are proud to bring you theUnderground Guides--fun books for serious computer users. 020148997XB04062001

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Alfred has taken information that could fill volumes and boiled it down to the mere relevant--all that most of us truly need to buy, maintain, and upgrade today's personal computer system."

--Ed Perratore, Contributing Editor, Computer Shopper

WARNING They don't call it hardware for nothing! You can repair and upgrade your PC without an advanced degree, but before you take thatcover off your computer, arm yourself with the expert advice of Alfred Poor'sThe Underground Guide to Troubleshooting PC Hardware.

You've got hardware troubles. Maybe Windows® 95 has turned your "screamer"into a cement mixer and you need a RAM upgrade yesterday. Or you've finallydecided to spring for a Pentium, and a little open-heart chip replacementsurgery is in order. Or maybe your old computer and new printer are not onspeaking terms and you'd rather not pay that teenage know-it-all at thecomputer store to mediate the dispute. Whatever. You're smart, reasonablycoordinated, and you know that this is the sort of job you should be able to doyourself. But you hesitate, fearful of frying your hardware and sending uphundreds of hard-earned dollars in a puff of electrical smoke. It's time tocall in a specialist: Alfred Poor, hardware guru and do-it-yourself coach tomillions, will help you face your motherboard (and more!) with confidence.

* Get the executive briefing on every hardware component of your system: CPU,memory, hard drive, monitor, printer, CD-ROM, sound card, keyboard, mouse, andmore. Find out what it is, how it works, and how to tell a good one from a badone.

* Apply Alfred's hands-on tests to figure out where and what the problem iswhen things go wrong.

* Get how-to advice on upgrading any component--and learn which upgrades willdeliver a noticeable performance improvement, which aren't worth themoney, and when it's best to just trade up for a whole new system.

* Most importantly, learn how to experiment intelligently with your PCto identify and fix just about any hardware problem you encounter!

Every page has something you can use immediately. This book is packed wall towall with advice, warnings, tips, bugs reports, workarounds, and the kind ofnitty-gritty explanations that could come only from someone who eats, sleeps,and breathes PC hardware.

Series Editor Woody Leonhard and Addison-Wesley are proud to bring you theUnderground Guides--fun books for serious computer users.

About the Author

Alfred Poor is a contributing editor at PC Magazineand Computer Shopper. He writes four columns, including the hardwareportion of PC Magazine's "Solutions" question-and-answer column and"Alfred Poor's Computer Cures" for Computer Shopper. 020148997XAB04062001

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley Publishing Company; 1st edition (March 22, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 020148997X
• ISBN-13: 978-0201489972
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,275,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alfred Poor is an independent technology industry analyst and freelance writer based in Pennsylvania, specializing in display technology and products. He brings to his work strong communication skills, a broad background covering a wide range of products, more than 30 years of experience with the technology markets, and the ability to make complex concepts accessible to non-technical people. He is the author of HDTV Almanac, a daily compendium of news and commentary on home entertainment technology and related issues. He wrote for more than 20 years for PC Magazine, and wrote the popular "Alfred Poor's Computer Cures" question-and-answer column in Computer Shopper magazine for nearly 13 years.