PC Upgrade and Repair Bible, 3rd Edition brings together the personal and professional editions of this popular series into one enormously comprehensive volume. Whether you just bought your first computer or are an IT professional managing thousands of workstations, this book is indispensable. Virtually all descriptive upgrade sequences and graphics have been updated for today's technology, and all of the current issues pertaining to Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 are fully explained in easy-to-understand language. Plus, PC Upgrade and Repair Bible, 3rd Edition includes product reviews and comparisons, a Q&A, and an exhaustive online vendor list. This book is ideal if you want to: Evaluate the suitability of upgrading an existing computer. Determine the upgrades needed to make an under-powered machine suitable for your specific purposes. Specify an effective new configuration of an existing machine to meet your requirements. Build a new machine from components that precisely meet your needs. Design an approach for integrating personal computers into local area networks, wide area networks, and the Internet. Tune your computer system for peak performance. Repair or install upgrades into an existing machine.

Updated and revised with eighty percent new material, this book is 100 percent of what readers need to upgrade, fix, or troubleshoot PCs Sixty-five percent of U.S. households own a PC; this book caters to the do-it-yourselfers in these households, both novices and tech hobbyists alike, who are looking for an approachable reference A one-stop reference for topics such as video, CD, and DVD; multimedia; storage; communications (network and Internet); peripherals; and integrating with laptops and handhelds Concludes with a step-by-step tutorial on building an "extreme" machine that can handle the most demanding multimedia or gaming applications Written by Marcia and Barry Press, authors of PC Toys (076454229X)

PART I: Introduction and IssuesChapter 1: Getting ReadyChapter 2: Why Isn't the Same Computer Right for Everyone?Chapter 3: Windows System Requirements and Support OptionsPART II: Your Workload Determines What Your Computer DoesChapter 4: Choke Points: Where Your Computer Slows DownChapter 5: WorkloadsPART III: Specs, Lies, and Duct TapeChapter 6: Cases, Power Supplies, and Uninterruptible Power SuppliesChapter 7: Processor, Memory, and BusChapter 8: ProcessorsChapter 9: Cache, Memory, and BusChapter 10: The Real World: Motherboard and BIOSChapter 11: I/O and PeripheralsChapter 12: I/O BusesChapter 13: Hard Disks and Disk ArraysChapter 14: CD-ROMs, CD-ROM Changers, CD-Rs, and DVD-ROMsChapter 15: Removable DisksChapter 16: TapeChapter 17: VideoChapter 18: Video AdaptersChapter 19: MonitorsChapter 20: KeyboardsChapter 21: Sound Cards, Speakers, and MicrophonesChapter 22: Mouse / Trackball / Joystick / TabletChapter 23: ModemsChapter 24: Digital Still Cameras, Video Capture, and Video ConferencingChapter 25: ScannersChapter 26: Printers and All-in-One UnitsPART IV: Networking Know-HowChapter 27: Network Cabling and InterfacesChapter 28: Peripheral Network EquipmentChapter 29: Hands-On NetworkingChapter 30: Accessing and Serving the InternetPART V: Putting It TogetherChapter 31: Growth and Combining ComponentsChapter 32: Making Choices That Fit the Road WarriorChapter 33: System ManagementChapter 34: You're Going to Put That Where?Chapter 35: BenchmarkingChapter 36: Diagnosis and RepairPART VI: Just Do ItChapter 37: Building a Desktop - HardwareChapter 38: Building a Desktop - Software InstallationChapter 39: Building a Server - HardwareChapter 40: Building a Server - Software InstallationChapter 41: Certification

The authors provide a comprehensive reference for PC repair and upgrade, updated to include: Windows 98 and preview of Windows 2000; Pentium III and Xeon processors; ISDN, satellite, and cable modems; plug-and-play operation with Universal Serial Bus (USB) and IEEE1394 connections; and all information necessary to build an effective, customized computer from ground up.

Grade level: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, k, p, e, i, s, t.