Repairing and Upgrading Your PC (Paperback)

by Robert Thompson (Author), Barbara Fritchman Thompson (Author)
Key Phrases: keyboard properties, cable select, system configuration utility, Hard Disk Drives, Getting Started, System Maintenance (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Most computer users think that fiddling with the insides of their PC is taboo. They fear that by removing the screws that hold the case on, they're crossing into forbidden territory. And even for those who know they can open the box and fix or upgrade their PC, analysis paralysis often stops them in their tracks:

Which upgrades offer the best bang for the buck? How do you pinpoint the faulty component that's making your system freeze? What about compatibility issues?

Get ready to get unstuck and get your PC running fast and running right. Repairing and Upgrading Your PC delivers start-to-finish instructions, simple enough for even the most inexperienced PC owner, for troubleshooting, repairing, and upgrading your computer. Written by hardware experts Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson, this book covers it all: how to troubleshoot a troublesome PC, how to identify which components make sense for an upgrade, and how to tear it all down and put it back together. This book shows how to repair and upgrade all of your PC's essential components:

• Motherboard, CPU, and Memory. Choose the optimal match of these core components to keep your PC running at top speed
• Hard Drive, Optical Drive, and Removable Storage
• Give your computer what it needs for long-term and short-term storage
• Audio and Video. Enhance your computing experience with the right sound and graphics devices for your needs
• Input Devices. Pick the best keyboard and mouse to keep your hands happy and healthy
• Networking. Set up secure wireless networking to keep the bits flowing between your computers and the outside world
• Cases and Power Supplies. Keep everything running cool and reliably

With its straightforward language, clear instructions, and extensive illustrations, this book makes it a breeze for PC owners of any skill level to work on their computer.

About the Author
Robert Bruce Thompson is a coauthor of Building the Perfect PC and PC Hardware in a Nutshell. Robert built his first computer in 1976 from discrete chips. It had 256 bytes of memory, used toggle switches and LEDs for I/O, ran at less than 1MHz, and had no operating system. Since then, he has bought, built, upgraded, and repaired hundreds of PCs for himself, employers, customers, friends, and clients. Robert reads mysteries and nonfiction for relaxation, but only on cloudy nights. He spends most clear, moonless nights outdoors with his 10-inch Dobsonian reflector telescope, hunting down faint fuzzies, and is currently designing a larger truss-tube Dobsonian (computerized, of course) that he plans to build.

Barbara Fritchman Thompson is a coauthor of Building the Perfect PC, PC Hardware in a Nutshell, and Astronomy Hacks. Barbara worked for 20 years as a librarian before starting her own home-based consulting practice, Research Solutions, and is also a researcher for the law firm Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge, & Rice, PLLC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 447 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; illustrated edition edition (May 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059600866X
• ISBN-13: 978-0596008666
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,307 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide, April 23, 2007

By	L. Kirk "amazonslim" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book about a year ago when I was contemplating stretching the life of my 4+ year old PC. The book proved very useful for me to zero in on the biggest bang-for-the-buck upgrades, and which ones were best to avoid because they yield low performance for the dollar.

About a month ago, I decided to build my own PC. This book again proved useful in helping guide me in making decisions on what equipment to choose.

It's rare that I spend over twenty bucks for a book. This book has paid for itself a few times over in helping me save money by not spending unnecessarily, or spending unwisely.

The instructions are written clearly. There are many photographs illustrating the steps being described, sometimes a few different photos of variations of different types of components. There is plenty of "theory of operation" on how various components work and how different standards compare (IDE vs SATA, for example). There are specific brand recommendations. There are specific techology type of recommendations. And there is just the right amount of humor throughout the book.

You may think this sort of book is only for guy geeks. Well, I'm a woman who's just about to pass the mid-century mark, and I found it to be a valuable reference for building, repairing, and upgrading PCs. You can pay the Geek squad lots of money to fix your stuff, or you can pay a bit over $20 and learn how to fix it yourself. That's a great feeling.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific resource for keeping your PC up to snuff, March 30, 2006

By	James Holmes "Co-Author 'Windows Developer Po... (South Central Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a terrific follow on to the authors' earlier "Building the Perfect PC." It's got the same great style with outstanding photographs, and clearly-written directions.

The Thompsons do a great job of explaining a wide range of upgrade options -- and they're adamant about where the sweet spots in the performance/price curves are. Their knowledge of hardware and software is greatly enhanced in this book by sidebar inputs from the four tech reviewers the Thompsons had -- these contributors bring a different viewpoint to the material and it's a great addition.

Sure, the upgrade sections are terrific, but I found the maintenance chapters are invaluable. Lots of great info on cleaning the guts of PCs, plus a wealth of info on tools and tricks for keeping the OS running smoothly. This book pointed me to a couple terrific apps I've already added to my collection.

The one downside of the book came in the "Securing the system" section of the System Maintenance chapter. There's a constant stream of complaints regarding security issues in Internet Explorer, Outlook, and the Windows XP operating system with recommendations for working around those. (Install Firefox, install Thunderbird, consider Linux.) Not once do the Thompsons mention using a non-administrator account as the primary logon for day-to-day use, a step everyone using XP or Win2K should have taken a long time ago.

That pet peeve aside, I'm extremely happy to have the book on my shelf. It's a great book!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, you *can* clean your keyboard in a dishwasher..., March 19, 2006

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Repairing & Upgrading Your PC by Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson is the latest addition to my "hardware repair" shelf, and it's a worthy one to be there.

Contents: Getting Started; Working on PCs; System Maintenance; Motherboards; Processors; Memory; Hard Disk Drives; Optical Drives; External and Removable Storage Devices; Video Adapters; Displays; Audio; Input Devices; Wireless Networking; Cases; Power Supplies and Power Protection; Index

The Thompsons have put together an excellent book that covers both repairing, upgrading, and just plain cleaning up your computers. The writing is clear and concise, and does an excellent job explaining the "why" behind their recommendations and techniques. There are also a large number of sidebar tips that add even more value and color to your computing experience. For instance, I didn't know that spindles of optical disks with the same brand name can contain discs manufactured by different companies (and as such could have varying levels of quality). There are even utilities that help you identify the underlying manufacturer. Interesting stuff. And if you like plenty of pictures to show you how to do various tasks, this book fits that criteria too. Full color photos document all the important steps, so there should be no confusion between what you read and what you see. There are even before and after pictures of a keyboard that has been cleaned using the dishwasher method. That's right... they cover how to clean that grungy old keyboard with your dishwasher...

An excellent book, and one that will more than pay for itself when it comes to keeping your computers running at an optimal level. Now if you excuse me, I have to go try out the dishwasher trick...