Mark Minasi
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By: Sybex Inc
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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> General AAS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> Maintenance, Repair & Upgrading
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> PCs
Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8
Average rating: 4.0 of 5
The most authoritative book I've ever owned or read 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.
I've taken several technical support certification courses, and this was the textbook I used in half of them. Mark Minasi is an excellent writer who is able to "dumb down" all the minute details and translates very well the technical jargon of the trade. Minasi is also the writer of several Windows 2000 books which I've also read, and I've taken a fondness for his ability to start really big and progress quickly into smaller details without ever losing my interest or attention.The chapters on hardware installation and introduction to networks are the best written and most authoritative material I've used to learn the subtle aspects of TCP/IP, ethernet, and token/bus ring topologies. Also, the chapters on computer upgrading and "building a dream computer from scratch" are well laid-out and detailed for avid geeks like me who like to destroy and build machines from scrap piles. I guess the best thing to say about this book is that it fostered an even deeper interest in computers than I had before reading.
One of the best perks of this book is that there is a moderate balance of graphics, charts and diagrams to go with his text. There is hardly anything intimidating about his presentation; novice and intermediate learners will have no problem getting to grasp every topic in this book. The twelfth edition also makes several revisions, particularly with misstated bandwidth numbers for Firewire and USB in the last edition). I haven't had a chance to test out the CDROMs, but several of my peers have recommended the video installation procedures, where Minasi goes over all the basics (like how to ground yourself properly, installing master/slave IDE devices, setting up SCSI cards, etc.)
I don't like giving heavily-biased support for any book, product or service, but in all honesty, this is by far the best and most authoritative source I've ever used to fix any hardware-related issue with a computer. There is no topic I can think of that doesn't get covered, and he throws in a little history and conceptual technology as well to spur more interest in the future technology.
In conclusion, the book is well worth the price, and I highly doubt most beginning and intermediate-level IT people will ever need to go beyond this edition as a reference source.
Editorial Review:
This extensively revised and updated 12th edition of the best-selling guide to PC upgrading and maintenance includes updated information on memory, modems, sound boards, disk drives, printing problems, operating system upgrades, video capture, digital audio, networking, combo printers, vendor guides, memory, and more. --Written in a friendly, easy-to-follow style, the book provides essential background and conceptual information that teaches readers how computers work.
--Loaded with more than 1,600 pages of hardcore information, this is the one book no professional, student, or serious home user can afford to be without!
