PCs Books

MacBook For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

Mark L. Chambers

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Apple -> Mac OS X
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> Macs
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> PCs

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Got a new MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro? Want the scoop on Mac laptop basics, using Mac OS X Leopard, networking a laptop, or connecting your laptop to wireless devices? There’s no better place to find what you need than MacBook For Dummies, 2^nd Edition!

With your Mac laptop, you can take your movies, music, documents, e-mail, and Internet wherever the action is. MacBook For Dummies, 2^nd Edition provides the lowdown on maintaining and upgrading your MacBook, customizing the Dock and desktop, traveling with a laptop, turning iPhoto into your portable darkroom, and much more. Learn to:

• Locate the battery compartment, iSight camera, ports, and “on” button
• Move your existing files from an older computer
• Use all the cool new features of Mac OS X Leopard
• Work with iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, and GarageBand, all packaged with your MacBook
• Identify the signs of a well-functioning laptop and check for trouble
• Set up your Mac for multiple users
• Explore the cool options available with a .Mac account and iDisk storage that lets you retrieve your files anywhere
• Manage your digital music, photos, and movies
• Use Bluetooth and get all your wireless devices communicating with each other

And if you’ve been considering switching from a PC to a Mac, MacBook For Dummies, 2^nd Edition guides you through the process and even shows you how to run Windows on your Mac laptop. If there’s a MacBook in your future — or present — this is the book for you!

iPod: The Missing Manual

Jude Biersdorfer, David Pogue

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> Software Engineering -> Information Systems
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Music -> iPods
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Music -> iTunes

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Have you recently upgraded to a new iPod--Classic, Nano, Shuffle, or Touch--and want to learn about all the new features? Or, do you just want more information on the latest version of iTunes, the App Store and a whole lot more about Apple's incredible device? If so, you need an easy illustrated guide to get the most out of your sleek little entertainment center. iPod: The Missing Manual will get you rockin' in no time.

Preview Tips from iPod: The Missing Manual

Set Up Multiple iTunes Libraries Many households have just one computer for the whole family. Wouldn't it be great if everyone had a personal iTunes library? To use multiple libraries, follow these steps: 1.Quit iTunes 2. Hold down the Shift [Option] key on your PC or Mac keyboard and launch iTunes. In the box that pops up, click Create Library and give it a name.

3. iTunes opens up, but with a blank library with nothing in it. If you have music in your main library that you want to move over to this one, choose File--> Add to Library. 4. Navigate to the music you want and add it. If the songs are in your original library, they're probably in My Documents-->My Music--> iTunes-->iTunes Music [Home-->Music-->iTunes-->iTunes Music] in folders sorted by Artist name. Choose the files you want and add. To switch between libraries, just hold down the Shift [Option] key when you're starting iTunes, and you'll get a box that lets you pick the one you want. (The program opens the last library if you don't choose one.) Tracks from CDs you rip go into whatever library's open. And now that you have those songs in this library, you can switch back to the other one and get rid of them there.

Change a Song's Start and Stop Times Got a song with onstage chitchat before it starts or after the music ends? Fortunately, you don't have to sit there and listen. You can a change a song's start and stop times so you hear only the juicy middle part. As you play the song you want to adjust, observe the iTunes status display window; watch for the point in the timeline where you get bored. Then: 1. Click the track you want to adjust. 2. Choose File-->Get Info to call up the song's information box. 3. Click the Options tab and take a look at the Stop Time box, which shows the full duration of the song. 4. Enter the new stopping point for the song, as you noted earlier. You can perform the exact same trick at the beginning of a song by adjusting the time value in the Start Time box.

Move the iTunes Music Folder to an External Drive Media libraries grow and hard drives shrink as thousands of song and videos fill up the space. You may be thinking of getting a big external hard drive to use for iTunes storage, and if so, make sure iTunes knows what you intend to do. If you rudely drag the iTunes Music folder to a different place without telling iTunes, it thinks the songs and videos in your collection are gone. The next time you start the program, you'll find it empty. To move the iTunes Music folder to a new drive, just let the program know where you're putting it. Move the folder to the desired location, then, in the Preferences box, click the Advanced icon or tab. In the area labeled "iTunes Music folder location," click the Change button, and navigate to the place where you moved the folder. Finally, click OK.

Make a Genius Playlist in iTunes With the Genius feature, you click any song that you're in the mood for and iTunes brings back a playlist of 25 to 100 songs that it thinks go well with the one you picked. Here's the procedure: 1. Click a song title in your library. 2. Click the Genius button at the bottom of the iTunes window. 3. iTunes presents you with your new playlist in a flash. 4. Use the buttons at the top of the Genius window to adjust the number of songs in the playlist, refresh it with new songs if you want a different mix, and--best of all--save the playlist permanently.

Make Playlist Folders If you like to have a playlist or five for every occasion, but find your iTunes Source list is getting crowded, iTunes lets you store multiple playlists inside convenient folders. 1. To add a folder to your Source list, click the Source list's Library icon and then choose File-->New Playlist Folder. 2. A new "untitled folder" appears, inviting you to change it's name to something more original. 3. Drag any playlists you want to store inside the folder onto its icon. If the whole family shares one computer, folders can give each person a tidy receptacle to store his or her personal playlists. Folders are also great for storing a bunch of playlists that go well together. That way, when you select the folder and hit play, iTunes plays all the folder's songs consecutively.

The Best of MAKE (Make)

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> PCs
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> Peripherals
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

After two years, MAKE has become one of most celebrated new magazines to hit the newsstands, and certainly one of the hottest reads. If you're just catching on to the MAKE phenomenon and wonder what you've missed, this book contains the best DIY projects from the magazine's first ten volumes -- a surefire collection of fun and challenging activities going back to MAKE's launch in early 2005.

Find out why MAKE has attracted a passionate following of tech and DIY enthusiasts worldwide with one million web site visitors and a quarter of a million magazine readers. And why our podcasts consistently rank in the top-25 for computers and technology. With the Best of MAKE, you'll share the curiosity, zeal, and energy of Makers -- the citizen scientists, circuit benders, homemakers, students, automotive enthusiasts, roboticists, software developers, musicians, hackers, hobbyists, and crafters -- through this unique and inspiring assortment of DIY projects chosen by the magazine's editors.

Learn to:

• Hack your gadgets and toys
• Program micontrollers to sense and react to things
• Take flight with rockets, planes, and other projectiles
• Make music from the most surprising of things
• Find new ways to take photos and make video
• Outfit yourself with the coolest tools

Put together by popular demand, the Best of MAKE is the perfect gift for any maker, including current subscribers who missed early volumes of the magazine. Do you or someone you know have a passion for the magic of tinkering, hacking, and creation? Do you enjoy finding imaginative and unexpected uses for the technology and materials in your life? Then get on board with the Best of MAKE!

Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (Addison-Wesley Signature Series)

Martin Fowler

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Small Business & Entrepreneurship -> New Business Enterprises
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> Microprocessors & System Design -> Computer Design
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> PCs

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 56 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Misses out on the important patterns 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This book is a complete beginner's handbook for enterprise patterns.

1) The "Mapping to Relational Database Patterns" section discusses patterns that are completely intuitive. I recall logically coming to this conclusions when I started programming in Visual Basic in 99. Nothing new in this section.

2) The "Concurrency" section is criminal in nature and assumes that the application runs on high-cost server. Process-per-session? Thread-per-request? Come on!! Has the author missed out on the Reactor, Proactor and Active Object patterns (he does reference ACE but only as a reference). These patterns have been recognized as not scalable in the late 90s.

3)The distribution patterns are clearly incomplete and desire a lot of details.

If you're just starting out,as a System Architect :-), you'll find this useful. Otherwise, use MSDN or ACE for enterprise patterns.

Editorial Review:

Noted software engineering expert, Martin Fowler, turns his attention to enterprise application development. He helps professionals understand the complex--yet critical--aspects of architecture. Enables the reader to make proper choices when faced with a difficult design decision.

Computers For Seniors For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

Nancy C. Muir

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> PCs
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Software -> Introductory Guides
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> General

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

Editorial Review:

This task-oriented, step-by-step guide is specifically written for mature people like you, folks who are relatively new to using a computer and want to discover the basics of buying a computer, working with software, and getting on the Internet. It takes the guesswork, the confusion, and the jargon out of every aspect of getting started, from choosing the computer and software that' are right for you to learning the basics of working with applications and going online, to taking advantage of all that this powerful tool has to offer. You'll discover how to:

• Choose among desktops, laptops, PCs, and Macs
• Use the mouse and keyboard
• Find your way around the desktop
• Set up and use an email account
• Work with files and folders, numbers and finances
• Add a printer, scanner, or fax
• Take advantage of online and offline Help
• Have a ball with digital photos and music
• Browse the Web with Internet Explorer
• Connect with people online

The world is just a mouse-click away and with your shiny new computer and a little help from Computers for Seniors For Dummies, you'll get there safe and sound in no time.

Upgrading and Repairing PCs (18th Edition) (Upgrading and Repairing)

Scott Mueller

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> Maintenance, Repair & Upgrading
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> PCs
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Networking -> Networks, Protocols & APIs -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"...perhaps the most comprehensive book on the subject we've ever seen. It's incredibly well researched, well written, and jam packed with useful information."
--Josh Norem, Reviews Editor, Maximum PC

Upgrading and Repairing PCs is the definitive guide to the inner workings of your PC. Whether you're adding a faster processor or bigger hard drive, tracking down a problem, or just want to understand how the components of your computer work together, this book explains everything you need to know. Trust the one book that has become the de facto standard among PC professionals and enthusiasts around the world.

World-renowned PC hardware expert Scott Mueller has taught thousands in his week-long seminars and millions through his books, videos, and magazine articles. Major changes in the PC hardware industry--including coverage of new Core 2 processors from Intel, Socket AM2 processors from AMD, and significant advances in motherboard chipsets, Blu-ray, and HD-DVD--make Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 18th Edition, an indispensable addition to every serious computer user's bookshelf...that is, if it ever leaves their desks. Readers from around the world trust their computers to Scott. Upgrading and Repairing PCs is found on the desks of teachers, students, hobbyists, repair technicians, and even law enforcement agencies that use this book to aid them in tracking criminals.

New in This Book

• Deep coverage of the new Core 2 (8th gen or "886") processors, featuring the new "Core Microarchitecture"
• Cutting edge coverage of quad-core desktop (Kentsfield) processor versions
• Detailed coverage of AMD’s Socket AM2 processors
• Coverage of evolutionary changes in chipsets, including new versions of Intel's 9xx series chipsets and new 3x series Intel chipsets; coverage of new chipsets from Nvidia, VIA, and SiS has also been added
• Coverage of the new DTX and Mini-DTX motherboard form factors from the newly formed alliance between AMD and ATI
• Beefed-up coverage of Blu-ray and HD-DVD drives/players
• Extensive coverage of new GPUs in addition to heavy-duty coverage of SLI and Crossfire
• Building a PC from scratch--from assembling the hardware to BIOS setup and installing Microsoft Windows XP or Vista

On the DVD
DVD contains 2 hours of all new, studio-quality video--playable in your set-top DVD player and your computer! Scott digs deep into networking, showing all the components needed to build a SOHO (Small Office Home Office) network. Coverage includes network adapters, routers, switches, access points, cable/DSL modems, and cabling. Upgrading an existing network to gigabit speeds is also covered, as well as the latest wireless network technology. The DVD also contains a previously published edition of the book as well as technical reference material, a glossary, and an acronym index. Whether you’re building a hot new PC for home or work, or nursing an aging and ailing PC back to health, these materials prove to be worth their weight in gold to the serious PC technician or hobbyist.

www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com
If you don’t have a DVD player or only have a set-top DVD, visit www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com to download all the video from the DVD in Windows Media Player format as well as the PDFs and other materials on the DVD! Plus, check out monthly articles, FAQs, and video from earlier editions you might have missed!

Introduction 1
1 Development of the PC 7
2 PC Components, Features and System Design 25
3 Microprocessor Types and Specifications 39
4 Motherboards and Buses 235
5 BIOS 441
6 Memory 509
7 The ATA/IDE Interface 581
8 Magnetic Storage Principles 637
9 Hard Disk Storage 663
10 Removable Storage 707
11 Optical Storage 747
12 Physical Drive Installation and Configuration 851
13 Video Hardware 885
14 Audio Hardware 987
15 I/O Interfaces from Serial and Parallel to IEEE-1394 and USB 1025
16 Input Devices 1059
17 Internet Connectivity 1103
18 Local Area Networking 1151
19 Power Supplies 1207
20 Building or Upgrading Systems 1295
21 PC Mods: Overclocking and Cooling 1335
22 PC Diagnostics, Testing and Maintenance 1367

ON THE DVD:
A Glossary
B List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

How Computers Work (9th Edition) (How It Works)

Ron White, Timothy Edward Downs

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> General
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 86 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Updated to include all the recent developments to the PC and complete with a CD-ROM, the third edition of How Computers Work is like a cool science museum in a book. But make no mistake--this is not a book for children. How Computers Work aims to teach readers about all the intricacies held within the machine, and it's a daunting task. The author, Ron White, doesn't dumb down his material; instead he provides thorough and substantive definitions. The pages of fun and colorful graphics ease the tension, though, and bring the abstract concepts--the difference between RAM and ROM, for example--into real life.

The book has incredible depth, explaining everything you could want to know about your computer, with each piece of hardware being given full treatment over two to five pages. (Macintosh and UNIX users should be aware, though, that the book's model is the "Wintel," a Windows PC with an Intel microprocessor.) The book is well-structured and can easily be used as a reference resource beyond the first reading. --Jennifer Buckendorff

PCs For Dummies (Pcs for Dummies)

Dan Gookin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Explaining the fundamentals of personal computing to those who would rather read words than look at pictures, PCs for Dummies tells you everything you need to know in order to use an IBM-compatible PC running Windows 98. Dan Gookin's prose is technically astute and fun to read.

This isn't the book for you if you're looking through a computer catalog and wondering what all the jargon means (Buying a Computer for Dummies covers that). Rather, this book will help you when you've gotten the machine into your home and you need to know what to do next. Starting with the process of unpacking the box and plugging in all the cables, this book shows you what to do with your new machine.

After assembly is out of the way, Gookin shows you how to get around in Windows 98 (and Windows 95, which is almost identical). He explains concepts like files, directories, and applications, and frequently explains the exact procedures involved in common tasks like adjusting screen resolution. Once you've heard all about the basics, Gookin goes on to explain modem configuration, printer problems, productivity software, and a fair amount about Internet use. --David Wall

BlackBerry For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

Robert Kao, Dante Sarigumba

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> Handheld & Mobile Devices
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

What’s part PDA, part smartphone, and part media player? Your BlackBerry, naturally! Whether it’s the popular Pearl, the sleek Curve, or the hardworking 8800, your BlackBerry handheld device is loaded with features to make your life easier—if you can figure out how to use them.

BlackBerryFor Dummies,2^nd Edition comes to the rescue with just what you need to know to get the most from this amazing device.   It covers the newest BlackBerry models and all the latest developments, like SureType vs. QWERTY keyboards and the new trackball navigation method. You’ll discover how to set up your BlackBerry as a full-fledged PDA, but also how to use the camera, play music and videos, make phone calls, and know where you are with GPS. BlackBerryFor Dummies, 2^nd Edition shows you how to:

• Surf the Web and send and receive e-mail
• Keep your calendar, contacts, and to-do list
• Make your BlackBerry a mobile mini-office
• Sync data with your desktop
• Install a MicroSD card for extra memory
• Watch movies and listen to music
• Let your BlackBerry double as a laptop modem
• Protect your personal information
• Use your BlackBerry almost anywhere in the world

Because the BlackBerry world changes so quickly, BlackBerryFor Dummies, 2^nd Edition features a companion Web site that maintains the latest news and updates, so you’ll always be up to date. It’s a pretty sweet deal!

Serial Port Complete: COM Ports, USB Virtual COM Ports, and Ports for Embedded Systems (Complete Guides series)

Jan Axelson

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> Microprocessors & System Design -> Computer Design
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> Microprocessors & System Design -> Embedded Systems
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Hardware -> PCs

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

Jan Has It Covered! 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

If you work with or need to work with RS-232, USB or RS-485, this book is a must-have reference. The subject matter of this book is heavy on the embedded side of serial communications as Jan covers .NET serial programming and explains how to completely configure a serial port on a microcontroller. Jan then goes on to tell you how to bring up an RS-485 network. Leaving no stone unturned, Jan explains how to design and deploy an embedded RS-232 network.

In addition to the discussion of traditional serial data formats and serial hardware implementations, Jan includes tips on how to use the special-function FTDI USB/Serial IC. She even explains why wires pick up noise and how to choose the right wire for the application.

Jan's new book is a one-stop serial communications reference which includes serial connector pinouts, data format illustrations, example soource code and a multitude of schematic representations. If you need to know how to successfully deploy serial links, you need to have this book on your desk.

Editorial Review:

PC COM ports, USB virtual COM ports, and ports in embedded systems are all addressed in this updated guide to programming, interfacing, and using serial ports. Topics include using .NET’s SerialPort class for COM-port communications on PCs; upgrading existing RS-232 designs to USB or wireless networks; and creating serial networks of embedded systems and PCs. Example circuits and code provide a quick start to projects. Installation and maintenance staff will also find tips for ensuring reliable operation and problem tracking.