This visual guide offers advice on how to install new components into an existing computer. Each piece of hardware is identified, its position located and the potential problems with its installation addressed.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Corey Sandler, in his Upgrade Your Own PC acknowledges an inescapable truth that many aspiring hardware hackers will find more than a little grim: What you find inside your computer's case likely will be significantly different from what appears in any set of instructions. With that out of the way, Sandler proceeds to explain how to perform a whole slew of useful hardware upgrades on a test-bed machine--a Pentium 133 with insufficient memory, a too-small hard drive, an old-fashioned video card, and a slow CD-ROM drive. By the book's end, the once-humble box has a 10 GB hard drive, a DVD-ROM drive, a Zip drive for removable storage, 128 MB of RAM, a better video card, and a host of other improvements. The machine is absolutely suited to running Windows 98 or Windows Me when the surgery is done.
As you'd expect, Sandler documents the whole process with words, photographs, and a few line drawings. The photos look "pixilated" and kind of bland--publishers of computer books aren't used to including photos in their publications--but they do the job of clarifying the procedures Sandler undertook on the test-bed machine. The text is of decent quality, too, and you'll be able to use Sandler's presentation as a guide if you're willing to experiment a bit and apply common sense to the specific machine you're upgrading. If you want details on many different hardware devices (especially older models), look at Upgrading and Repairing PCs. If performance is what you're after, look at Tom's Hardware Guide. --David Wall
Topics covered: The mechanics of opening up a computer's case, spotting hardware that needs to be upgraded, and replacing it with more capable equipment. Sections address IDE hard drive replacement; memory addition and replacement; CD-ROM and DVD-ROM installation; video card replacement; and other upgrades suitable for late-1990s home machines.
From the Back Cover
Learn to install new components into your PC with confidence!
Want more memory on your PC? Or a DVD drive instead of the CD-ROM that came with your computer? Adding and installing these kinds of components to an existing computer is a smart idea and can be a cost-efficient way to improve your computer's functionality. But it's not always easy to find clear instructions for these procedures, especially if you're a computer novice. This highly visual guide is packed with over 100 easy-to-follow photographs that walk you through each step of installing new components into your PC. Complete with a troubleshooting section, this is an ideal resource for everyone wanting to upgrade his or her computer.
This crystal-clear guidebook explains:
- Reasons for upgrading
- How to get the best price
- Video, sound cards, and DVD
- All types of storage including hard drives, CD-ROMs, Zip and Jazz
- Migrating data to a new system
- Windows installation on hard drives
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More About the Author
Corey Sandler is the author of more than 100 books on history, travel, computer, and business topics with more than two million copies in print. He has appeared on NBC's "Today Show" and National Public Radio, and has been profiled on CNN.
His fascination with the mystery of the life and death of Henry Hudson took him on a year-long, 25,000-mile journey to England, the North Pole, and deep into Canadian wilderness areas accessible only by boat or bush plane. His book, "Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession" retraces the four known voyages of the Age of Exploration's least-known adventurer.
He is co-author, with Red Sox broadcaster and former star second baseman Jerry Remy, of "Watching Baseball."
Earlier in his career, his experience as a reporter for the Associated Press and Gannett Newspapers made him one of the pioneers of computer journalism. He was the first Executive Editor of "PC Magazine".
He turned his passion for travel into the "Econoguide Travel Book" series.
His websites:
www.hudsondreams.com
www.econoguide.com
His fascination with the mystery of the life and death of Henry Hudson took him on a year-long, 25,000-mile journey to England, the North Pole, and deep into Canadian wilderness areas accessible only by boat or bush plane. His book, "Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession" retraces the four known voyages of the Age of Exploration's least-known adventurer.
He is co-author, with Red Sox broadcaster and former star second baseman Jerry Remy, of "Watching Baseball."
Earlier in his career, his experience as a reporter for the Associated Press and Gannett Newspapers made him one of the pioneers of computer journalism. He was the first Executive Editor of "PC Magazine".
He turned his passion for travel into the "Econoguide Travel Book" series.
His websites:
www.hudsondreams.com
www.econoguide.com
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Enough information to a little bit dangerous.,
By Michael J Woznicki "Michael J Woznicki" (Holland, MA USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Upgrade Your Own PC (Paperback)
One thing about these computer self help books is that sometimes the information can be confusing and lead to trouble. Upgrade your won pc gives you 150 pages of information and with it you become the technician.For the most part the book is easy to follow and the instructions are fairly clear. There is however some areas that may need improvement as the less experienced "tech" might not understand the whole explanation. The books has a great number of screen shots, figures, tables and diagrams that will make the learning and reading easier. Also the break down of parts and what to do during the installation is more than adequate for most people. One thing that I really like about this book is that way it never tells you what manufacturer to buy from, but rather what part to buy leaving the important decisions up to you.
While the book makes the upgrade process easier and less complicated you might want to take some sort of training or have the tech support number handy. Finally the overall value of the book may not exceed the problems that may arise; also the cost of the book is a little higher than I would pay.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All you need to know!,
By Jim (Toronto,On Can) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Upgrade Your Own PC (Paperback)
This book has all you need to know about upgrading and tell you step by step what to do! A must have!Easy to follow and very helpfullin the process of upgradeing your own PC.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Practical yet boring,
By A Customer
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Upgrade Your Own PC (Paperback)
There aren't many books out there like this. There is definitely a need for more. This one isn't very exciting. It's a good start, though.
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