The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide,9780072255539

The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide

by
Edition: 1st
ISBN13: 9780072255539
ISBN10: 0072255536
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: 2004-08-18
Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill Education
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Summary

Get advice and solutions for solving myriad of your PC problems, including expert tips on researching solutions on your own. Learn how to maintain your computer, keeping it in good working condition, plus how to upgrade and install new software safely. Troubleshoot Linux, Windows, and personal devices, use the internet effectively as a problem-solving tool, get up to speed on computer security, and set up small home and wireless networks. The companion Web site provides additional support.

Author Biography

Adrian W. Kingsley-Hughes is a technical director and consultant for a UK computer company specializing in the integration of IT and Internet technologies into current work practices.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xii
Introduction xiii
PART I Overview
What's What---the Anatomy of a PC
3(26)
ID the Parts
4(22)
Outside the Box
5(8)
Inside the Box
13(13)
Doctor's Notes
26(1)
PC Anatomy Checklist
27(2)
Files and Folders
29(26)
Files
30(15)
Filenames
33(1)
The File Extension
33(2)
Renaming Files
35(1)
Files, Files, and More Files
36(9)
Folders/Directories
45(7)
The Right Term
45(1)
What Is a Folder?
46(1)
Navigating Folders
47(3)
Creating/Deleting Folders
50(2)
Where Stuff Is Saved
52(1)
Doctor's Notes
53(1)
Files and Folders Checklist
53(2)
Improving on Perfection
55(18)
Why Upgrade?
56(3)
Reasons for Upgrading
56(2)
Reasons for Replacing
58(1)
Upgrading
59(8)
Not All Systems Are Upgradable
60(1)
Decide on the Right Upgrade for You
61(2)
Check the Specifications
63(2)
Check that You Can Physically Do the Upgrade
65(1)
Trouble-Free Upgrades
66(1)
Finding Parts for Older Systems
67(2)
Upgrading Drivers
69(2)
Benefits of Upgrading Drivers
69(2)
Doctor's Notes
71(1)
Upgrade Checklist
71(2)
Safe Computing
73(24)
The Threats Exist
74(1)
Viruses
75(6)
Types of Threat
75(3)
What Malicious Code Is Capable Of
78(2)
Virus Myths
80(1)
Hackers
81(3)
How Hackers Operate
82(1)
Hacker Myths
83(1)
Your Defense Against the Marauders at the Gate
84(4)
Common Sense
84(1)
Firewalls
85(2)
Antivirus Software
87(1)
Safe vs. Unsafe Files
88(1)
If the Worst Does Happen
89(1)
Passwords
90(4)
Good Passwords and Bad Passwords
91(1)
Rules for Creating Good Passwords
91(2)
Sensible Password Use
93(1)
Securely Deleting Files
94(2)
The Anatomy of Data
95(1)
Doctor's Notes
96(1)
Safe Computing Checklist
96(1)
Helping Yourself
97(18)
If You Have a Problem, Chances Are, Someone Else Has Had It Too
98(1)
Helping Yourself on the Internet
99(6)
Support Websites
99(2)
Search Engines
101(2)
Internet Forums
103(1)
Newsgroups
104(1)
When to Call in the Pros
105(6)
Online Tech Support
106(1)
Telephone Support
106(1)
On-Site Warranty
106(1)
Return to Base
107(1)
Tech Support Tips
108(1)
If You Have to Pay for Tech Support
109(1)
Hidden Costs of Replacements
110(1)
Subscription Services
111(1)
Are Subscription Services Worth the Cost?
112(1)
Giving Something Back
112(1)
Doctor's Notes
113(1)
Help Yourself Checklist
113(2)
What You Need to Fix-It-Yourself---and Stay Safe
115(20)
Staying Safe Checklist
116(3)
Leave the Monitors to Experts
117(2)
Handling Devices Safely
119(9)
What Is Static Electricity?
120(1)
ESD (Electro-Static Discharge)
120(8)
Tools of the Trade
128(2)
Workshop Safety
130(1)
Doctor's Notes
131(1)
Stay Safe Checklist
131(4)
PART II The Details: Hardware
The PC Case and the Power Supply
135(24)
Function of a PC Case
136(1)
Case Types
136(3)
Removing the Case
139(3)
Spring Cleaning the Inside of the Case
142(4)
Cleaning the System
143(3)
The PC Cooling System
146(4)
Giving the Cooling System the Once-Over
146(1)
Signs of Trouble with the Cooling System
147(2)
Improving the Cooling System
149(1)
Power Supply Unit (PSU)
150(7)
PSU Outputs
151(1)
Power Supply Connectors
152(1)
Advanced Power Management (APM) and Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)
153(1)
A Question of Power
154(1)
Troubleshooting PSUs
155(2)
Doctor's Notes
157(1)
PC Case and PSU Checklist
157(2)
Motherboard, RAM, CPU, and BIOS
159(36)
The Motherboard
160(11)
Layout, or Form Factor
161(1)
Motherboard Connections
162(5)
Backup Battery
167(1)
Common Motherboard Problems
168(2)
Keep the Inside of the Case Tidy
170(1)
RAM
171(2)
Troubleshooting RAM Errors
172(1)
Testing RAM
172(1)
CPU
173(7)
CPU Speed
174(1)
CPU and Socket/Slot Types
174(1)
Upgrading a CPU
175(3)
Overclocking
178(2)
Signs of Trouble with the CPU
180(1)
BIOS
180(13)
The BIOS and the EEPROM
181(1)
What Does the BIOS Do?
182(1)
Not All BIOSs Are the Same
182(2)
BIOS and POST Codes
184(5)
Accessing the BIOS
189(1)
Navigating the BIOS
190(2)
Upgrading the BIOS
192(1)
Doctor's Notes
193(1)
General Checklist
194(1)
Hard Drives and Floppy Drives
195(18)
The Hard Drive
196(8)
Hard Drive Upgrades
196(3)
Hard Drive Problems---and Solutions
199(5)
Master/Slave Layout of Drives
204(1)
Floppy Drives
204(5)
Floppy Drive Problems
205(3)
Replacing a Floppy Drive
208(1)
Floppy Disk Care
209(1)
Doctor's Notes
209(1)
Hard Drive/Floppy Drive---Troubleshooting Checklist
210(3)
Other Data Storage Devices
213(20)
CD/DVD/CD-R/CD-RW
214(16)
The Discs
215(1)
Common Optical Drive Issues
216(8)
Upgrading CD/DVD Drives
224(3)
External Storage
227(1)
Transfer Speed
228(1)
Physical Space
228(1)
It's Not All About the Hardware
229(1)
Is It External Storage That You Actually Need?
230(1)
Troubleshooting External Storage
230(1)
Doctor's Notes
231(1)
Other Storage---Troubleshooting Checklist
231(2)
Monitors and Graphics Adapters
233(16)
The Monitor
234(5)
Monitor Dangers
234(2)
Monitor Care
236(3)
Graphics Adapters
239(8)
Onboard Graphics Adapters
240(1)
Problems with Graphics Adapters
241(6)
Doctor's Notes
247(1)
Monitors and Graphics Adapters---Troubleshooting Checklist
247(2)
Expansion Cards
249(14)
Expansion Slots
250(3)
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)
250(1)
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
251(1)
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)
252(1)
Card Removal and Refitting
253(5)
Card Removal
253(3)
Replacing an Expansion Card
256(2)
Special Considerations for Other Cards
258(2)
Graphics Cards
258(1)
TV Cards
258(1)
Modems
259(1)
Sound Cards
259(1)
Doctor's Notes
260(1)
Expansion Cards---Fitting/Removal Checklist
261(2)
Networking
263(20)
What Is a Network?
264(1)
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
265(1)
Network Hardware
266(10)
The Network Interface Card
266(2)
Network Cable
268(3)
Network Hub
271(3)
Troubleshooting Network Hardware
274(2)
Wireless Network Solutions
276(5)
Wireless Hub/Router
276(2)
Wireless Network Interface Cards
278(2)
Wireless Security
280(1)
Doctor's Notes
281(1)
Networking Checklist
282(1)
Connections
283(14)
The Serial Port
285(4)
Signs of Trouble with Serial Ports
286(3)
Repairing Serial Ports
289(1)
Adding Serial Ports
289(1)
The Parallel Port
289(2)
Signs of Trouble with Parallel Ports
290(1)
The USB Port
291(2)
Signs of Trouble with USB Ports
292(1)
The FireWire/IEEE1394 Port
293(1)
Signs of Trouble with FireWire Ports
294(1)
Doctor's Notes
294(1)
Ports---Troubleshooting Checklist
295(2)
Input Devices
297(22)
The Keyboard
298(4)
Hooking Up a Keyboard
299(1)
Keyboard Maintenance
299(2)
Signs of Keyboard Trouble
301(1)
The Mouse
302(3)
Hooking Up a Mouse
303(1)
Mechanical Mouse
303(1)
Optical Ball Mouse
304(1)
Optical No-Ball Mouse
305(1)
Signs of Mouse Trouble
305(1)
Graphics Tablets
305(1)
Hooking Up a Graphics Tablet
305(1)
Maintenance of Graphics Tablets
306(1)
Web Cams
306(1)
Hooking Up a Web Cam
306(1)
Maintenance of Web Cams
306(1)
Digital Video (DV)
307(1)
Hooking Up DV
307(1)
Troubleshooting DVs
307(1)
Digital Cameras
308(3)
Hooking Up a Digital Camera
308(1)
Troubleshooting Digital Cameras
309(2)
Joysticks
311(2)
Hooking Up a Joystick
312(1)
Maintenance of Joysticks
312(1)
Other Input Devices
313(1)
Doctor's Notes
314(1)
Input Devices---Troubleshooting Checklist
315(4)
PART III The Details: Software and Data
File System Care
319(30)
Taking Care of the File System
320(3)
Hard Errors and Soft Errors
320(1)
Types of File Systems
321(2)
Checking the Drive for Errors
323(11)
Free Tools
324(8)
Not So Free Tools
332(2)
Safe Install of Software
334(4)
The Groundwork
334(1)
The Install
335(1)
Safe Uninstall
335(3)
The Operating System
338(9)
Repair of the Operating System
338(1)
Update of the Operating System
339(1)
Upgrade of the Operating System
340(2)
Taking Care of the Operating System
342(2)
Lost Files
344(3)
Doctor's Notes
347(1)
File System Care Checklist
347(2)
Backup
349(18)
What Is a Backup?
350(5)
Types of Backups
352(3)
What to Back Up
355(2)
How to Do a Backup
357(6)
The Manual Method
357(1)
The Utility Method
357(2)
Disk Cloning
359(2)
How Often to Back Up
361(1)
How Long to Keep the Backup
362(1)
Protecting Backups
363(1)
Keeping Backups Off-Site
364(1)
Backup Media Pros and Cons
364(1)
Disaster Recovery
365(1)
Doctor's Notes
366(1)
Backup Checklist
366(1)
Improving Performance and Stability
367(22)
Getting the Best Out of Games
368(4)
Signs of Problems with Games
369(2)
Tips for Better Gaming
371(1)
Improving Your Online Experience
372(2)
Tips for Optimum Online Performance
373(1)
Hardware Drivers
374(3)
When It's Time to Get a New Driver
376(1)
Windows XP---Signed Drivers vs. Unsigned Drivers
377(6)
Driver Rollback
379(1)
Windows XP System Restore
380(3)
Windows Update Issues
383(3)
Installing Windows Update Controls
383(1)
Troubleshooting Windows Update
384(2)
Doctor's Notes
386(1)
Improving Performance Checklist
387(2)
Making More of the Internet
389(48)
Connectivity---Modem Dial-Up
390(7)
Phone Line Quality
390(2)
The Modem Cable
392(1)
The Modem
393(4)
Connectivity---DSL/ADSL/Cable
397(2)
Problems with DSL/ADSL/Cable
397(2)
Email
399(2)
Decide on Who You Actually Are!
399(1)
Install Antivirus Software
400(1)
Email on Web Pages
400(1)
Web Browsers
401(3)
Cookies
402(1)
Proxy Servers
403(1)
Internet Time Sync
404(1)
Doctor's Notes
404(1)
Modem Checklist
405(4)
PART IV Appendixes
Appendix A Glossary of Common PC Terms and Abbreviations
409(10)
Appendix B Websites
419(8)
Appendix C Tools
427(4)
Appendix D Common File Extensions
431(6)
Index 437

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