Maintenance, Repair & Upgrading Books - Page 12

Troubleshooting, Maintaining & Repairing PCs, Millennium Edition

Stephen J. Bigelow

List Price: $59.99 By: Computing Mcgraw-Hill Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $1.43

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> Maintenance, Repair & Upgrading

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

PC repair for everyone, even computer illiterates like me 5 out of 5 stars.
18 of 18 people found this review helpful.

I'm not a computer technician. Heck, I can barely operate a computer! I "grew up" (computer-wise) with Macs, which never seem to need fixing and seldom wear out, but because my husband had a typical PC person's prejudice against Macs, I started using PCs. Toshibas, IBMs, Dells -- each and every one sooner or later had problems. Tired of talking to technicians from Wales to Holland, I decided to take an online course in computer repair and this book was required reading.

Voila! Help at last.

Information is thorough and easy to find. Fixes work.

If you HAVE to have a PC and you run into problems, this is the book to have.

Better than Certified Technical Support ! 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 18 people found this review helpful.

I bought a HP Pavillion 8785C and within the year had so many problems that the PC was racking up more mileage than me!

It was 'fixed??' twice by HP. Motherboard changed, Modem changed, RAM changed.. You name it, they changed it and still couldn't solve the problem!

I was ready to dump the PC after spending [money] in phone calls to HP Help! They even re-routed my call to India! And kept advising me to re-format my hard drive.

Then I bought this book and the solution was on page 698! Symptom 19-3.
Within an hour after checking the heat sink and changing the fan, I was back in business.

I could have saved so much money if I had bought this book earlier. Fedup with Tech Support? Get this book!

Maybe HP should invest in a couple of hundred copies for their staff.

Editorial Review:

An excellent resource for people who want to understand how personal computers work and how to fix them when they fail.

A+ Certification Study Guide (Global Knowledge Network Certification Press)

List Price: $49.99 By: Mcgraw-Hill Osborne Media Amazon Marketplace: 23 new & used starting at $0.01

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Certification Central -> A+

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Good Information, Well Laid Out, Help Me Pass Exam 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I would definately recommend this to anyone taking the A+ certification. It is well laid out, and easy to work through. My only issue is the fact that the practice tests and questions were quite different from what was on the actual test. Other than that, I would recommend to anyone looking at an A+ certification. I will continue to use Syngress books for my Net+ and MCSE track.

Another great study guide by Syngress! 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I have been through more than 7 of this series and this A+ book keeps up with the positive reputation of Syngress. Very well written, to the point and comprehensive. Used it to pass my A+ exam with a 96. Even if your not heading for the A+ exam, this one will give you a good understanding of computer hardware and troubleshooting.

Editorial Review:

The only established hardware competency certification in existence. Exam has gained much momentum during the past year--close to 40,000 people are expected to take the test in 1998--creating a need for a successful study guide. More than 100 leading companies in the PC industry helped to define/build the A+ certification qualifications--demonstration the wide support and future strength of the exam. Study guides are one of the fastest growing sections in bookstores and there will only be two other A+ books on the market.

PC Annoyances

Steve Bass

Amazon Price: $15.19 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: O'Reilly Amazon Marketplace: 58 new & used starting at $0.01

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Programming -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 40 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In every PC user's life, there's a point when desperate measures must be taken. Some push their PC off a pier or chuck it into a landfill. Others turn their former computing ally into a planter box. But don't give up on your PC yet--help is at hand.

This easy to read, accessible book from PC World expert Steve Bass covers the waterfront of PC gripes and gremlins, with fixes for everything from Windows glitches to browsers that won't browse. These tips and tricks are served up in bite-sized portions for quick reading and even quicker fixing.

Among the topics covered:

• Windows--King of Annoyances! You'll learn how to kick Windows in the rear, get past glitches, take charge of the interface, live with the dreaded activation, and more.
• Conquer your email, from Outlook to Eudora! Beat back spam, get inside info, avoid mailing lists, send big files, manage folders, and more, for a half dozen email programs.
• Master Microsoft Office. From little-known right-click wonders to backing up the unbackable to automating data entry, you'll find workarounds for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Wrassle with hardware--and win! Learn to wake up your DSL, tame your notebook, shut up your PC's fan, save your data, and save paper.
• Internet knots untied! Shake up IE, stop Flash, outsmart defaults, control Favorites, add the Google toolbar to Netscape, and more.

Plus, you get access to more than one hundred utilities that will help you squash bugs, enhance your email, untangle a system snarl, and much more.

If your PC has ever annoyed you (do we see several billion raised hands?), PC Annoyances is for you. With the flip of a page or two, you can fix that faux pas and have your PC purring again.

Troubleshooting the PC: With A+ Preparation (2nd Edition)

Patrick Regan

Amazon Price: $117.33 List Price: $117.33 Usually ships in 24 hours By: New Riders Press Amazon Marketplace: 17 new & used starting at $2.95

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Certification Central -> A+

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

If you want to fix computers, this is it. 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This is the best book that you will find if you want to learn how to fix computers (including motherboard problems, harddrive problems, sound cards and Windows problems) or prepare for the A+ Exam. I found it very helpful in troubleshooting a some of my friends computers and it had information that was not included in many other computer troubleshooting books. In addition, I found the book was easy to understand, it imparted a lot of 'real-world' experience and had lots of examples. Lastly, I think it gave me a good foundation, not to mention some confidence, to pursue my MSCE certification. I strongly recommend this book and is well worth the money.

Editorial Review:

This book provides real-world coverage of PC troubleshooting and coverage of the topics required to pass the A+ PC technician exam. It shows readers how to become successful PC technicians by offering comprehensive coverage of both old and new technology and plenty of real-world applications. Chapter topics include A PC overview, basic electronics, the disassembly and assembly of the PC, microprocessors, RAM, motherboards, the expansion slots and cards, the case and power supply, the hard drive, the floppy drive and other removable media, the compact disk drive, the disk structure, tape drives and data protection, the video system, input devices, sound cards, serial ports and modems, parallel ports and printers, MS-DOS, Windows 3.XX, Windows 9X, Windows NT, family operating systems, and computers connected to a network. For future PC technicians—especially those preparing for the A+ Certification exam.

Introduction to PC Hardware and Troubleshooting

Michael Meyers

Amazon Price: $62.50 In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. By: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $4.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Coupled with the All in One study guide - unbeatable! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

One of the most respected names in the A+ and IT industry has to be Mike Meyers; his All in One Study guide is simply one of the best books on the market. Now Mike has gone and released an add-on to the book that will make the learning of the A+ material easier to understand and comprehend.

Looking through the book brings back so many memories for me over the past 15 years and reading through the material I found a wealth of information, that I was able to pass on to my A+ classes. From cover to cover the information is nothing short of amazing and takes apart the pc from stem to stern and allows you to put it back together.

The breakdown is some of the best classroom material I have ever seen and I have been teaching for over 5 years and A+ for over 4. This book covers the hard drives, including FDISK and Disk Management within NT and 2000. I was hard pressed to find a hardware topic that wasn't covered; there is even material on joysticks and musical instruments.

If you are looking for a breakdown of the hardware exam for A+ than you might want to grab a copy of this book. For the instructor out there this book is a great addition to the classroom material. I think that the next release should have a cd with hardware utilities, but overall this is another outstanding effort from Mike Meyers.

Editorial Review:

The Mike Meyers’ Computer Skills series offers students of varying ability and experience a practical working knowledge of baseline IT skills and technologies. This full-color text is filled with real-world case studies, step-by-step tutorials, illustrations with callouts, end-of-chapter questions, challenging lab exercises, and review questions.

Build Your Own High-Performance Gamer's Mod PC

Joel Durham Jr., Edward Chen

Amazon Price: $18.99 List Price: $24.99 In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. By: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Wires, what wires? 1 out of 5 stars.
18 of 22 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book expecting to have everything explained, in a simple manner. This was true until it came time to wire together the parts. If you ask me, the hardest part of building a computer is the wiring, it's pretty complicated. This book tells you how to install the parts themselves sans the wires. I had to figure out all of the wires on my own: the book told me how to install only about 2 of the wires. I ended up mostly using the instruction booklets that came with the parts. I ended up even having to call tech support!!! After the wiring was set up it came time to install the OS which believe it or not the book has no instructions on. If you are looking for a book to help you build a computer don't get this one!!!

Editorial Review:

Rev it up, take it into overdrive, and transform your ordinary desktop PC into a cool looking, high-performance gamer’s mod PC. Learn to acquire and install the latest CPUs, the largest hard drives, and the fastest RAM. Plus, tweak sounds and video cards so applications and games look and sound better. Also explains physical modifications including painting and lighting design.

Degunking Your PC

Joli Ballew, Jeff Duntemann

Amazon Price: $18.24 List Price: $24.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Paraglyph Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Degunking Your PC takes Paraglyph's unique "degunking" approach--an easy to follow, tried and true, 12 step method to get your PC and all your gadgets running in tip-top shape. It covers techniques for everything from tweaking your monitor to suit your needs, installing/uninstalling peripherals, to networking several computers without technical jargon. Is your wireless keyboard fighting with your wireless mouse? Do you really need to keep those desktop speakers? Don't know how to get rid of old drivers or where they are hiding? Do you know how to physically clean your hard drive, scanners, print heads, and monitors? Can you see the top and the underside of your desk or is it cluttered with devices and cables and unidentifiable wires? If this sounds familiar, you have some degunking to do! Learn about the joys and headaches of Wi-Fi networking, why good printers go bad, all about USB and FireWire and free yourself from cords. If you are still in the dial-up Dark !

Ages, you'll learn everything you need to know about Moving to DSL or cable. When it's finally time to say goodbye to your old devices, learn the proper way to donate, recycle or dispose of them and choose the right upgrades for your needs.

PC & Electronics: Connecting Your PC to the Outside World (Productivity Series)

Bernd Zoller

List Price: $39.95 By: Abacus Publishing Company Amazon Marketplace: 16 new & used starting at $4.95

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> Circuitry -> Solid State Circuits

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 1.5 of 5

Terrible 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The whole subject really could be picked off the net. I am
a EE (but rusty) and wanted a simple book to get started prototyping a design off a parellel port.

This book was a hindrence. The so called diagrams are horrid, the writup terse and cryptic, and the scope very limited. (...)

If you are a Technical Hobbyist this book will be useless to you. In fact if you have a pulse this book will be useless to you.

Awful 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

One would read this book expecting to learn how to interface electronic systems with a pc, but this book leaves you learning nothing. The book gives you sample circuits you can build but can't seem to explain why or how any of them work. Nor can it furnish a schematic. Finaly the book promises to teach you about both serial and parallel interfaces, yet not a single one of the sample circuits are serial. If you're interested in electronics and want to walk away from a book having learned something then this is not the book for you.

Editorial Review:

A must for technical hobbyists, this text teaches readers how to use a personal computer as a control device and shows them how to create simple circuits that connect a PC to external electronic devices, running them from the PC. It provides all the information needed to create the circuits and describes what can be accomplished with them. The CD-ROM contains the software needed for running these circuits, detailed circuit diagrams, executable files, and the source code for each circuit's software.

Upgrading and Repairing PCs Training Course: A Digital Seminar from Scott Mueller

Scott Mueller

List Price: $69.99 By: Prentice Hall PTR Amazon Marketplace: 6 new & used starting at $81.03

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Editorial Review:

Upgrading and Repairing PCs Training Course takes you inside one of Scott's highly coveted 4-day classroom seminars previously available only to corporate customers. Learn PC architecture, upgrading and repair from the ground up with this CD-ROM--which uses video, PowerPoint presentations and animation to re-create the classroom experience that has made Scott's seminars a classic! Scott Mueller's industry-leading classic Upgrading and Repairing PCs has taught millions of people how to diagnose, repair and upgrade their PCs. Now, Scott has created the ultimate video companion to his one-of-a-kind book and classroom seminars. Take a video tour of your PC's core components, including a description of how the BIOS interacts with the hardware, how data courses through a PC and how data is stored and accessed from a hard drive. Don't just think you understand PC architecture. Watch this long-awaited video today and know it.

Troubleshooting Your PC Bible

Jim Aspinwall, Mike Todd

Amazon Price: $29.69 List Price: $44.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wiley Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $1.73

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Include a lot of out-of-dated information 2 out of 5 stars.
16 of 18 people found this review helpful.

Even though this is the 4th edition and was just published this January, I still found there are a lot of out-of-dated information in this book. The author has referred a lot on the very old system, such as 8086, 80286... but give very little information about the new systems. For example, the author even didn't mention the use of DIMMS in the memory chapter but solely mentioned EDOs or previously released memory.

A Book Worth the Money 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

A generally useful text that is like a supplement to this series' Complete Guide to Upgrade and Repair, and though it rates a general five stars, in my opinion, it is more like a slightly outdated manual for the rapidly advancing industry. I don't know how any large books can keep up with this field, because by the time they are written and published most of the equipment they cover will be outdated. This is like a background text and you have to go to the web sites to view the latest information and changes. You have to do your own work, at some point, and can't have it spoon-fed to you. I'd recommend the book for this price and don't agree with the fellow who gave it two stars, which is a very harsh rating and speaks of superiority in a way. All of us regular guys will find the book useful.

Editorial Review:

From boot-up to shutdown, keyboard to network adapter, hard disk to modem, PC/XT to P6, DOS to Windows 2000 and Linux, and CONFIG.SYS to REGEDIT, Troubleshooting Your PC Bible, Fifth Edition, is the definitive PC solution and reference guide. This wonderfully comprehensive, highly readable book promotes self-maintenance, guides technical support, and helps you improve system performance, setup and repairs. This expanded fifth edition includes coverage of Windows Millennium, Windows 2000, Linux, the Internet and more.