Upgrading and Fixing Macs and iMacs For Dummies - Softcover

Stauffer, Todd

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0764506447 ISBN 13: 9780764506444

Publisher: John Wiley &Sons, 7376

Mac users can keep their new or older machines humming with this fun and easy guide to the internal workings of Macs and iMacs. The book explains, step by step, how to upgrade a Mac -- processor, RAM, video, removable storage, and almost anything else. It also shows how to use a little preventive medicine and how to diagnose your problem in order to help you decide whether you need to repair or upgrade. Common repair scenarios, from hard disk glitches to peripheral problems, are covered. And the little gems that make this ...For Dummies edition shine are a list of utilities for getting to know your inner-iMac and special G3 and G4 fixes. With this trusty guide, you'll be thinking different" in no time.

Review:

Now that they've been around for a couple of years, older "Renaissance" Macs (meaning iMac and G-series computers) are starting to need upgrades. Upgrading and Fixing Macs and iMacs for Dummies shows how you can extend your Mac's set of capabilities and improve its performance through hardware additions and modifications. Author Todd Stauffer ably explains what you can do, and comments extensively on what's worth doing. He also documents some common failures (such as the "Click of Death" problem that crops up on some Iomega Zip drives) and explains how to deal with them.

Because Apple designed the Macintosh line with easy upgrades (among other things) in mind, the job of this book is mainly to explain what sorts of upgrade products you can buy and how to distinguish among them. In large measure, this is a matter of decoding jargon and explaining at a fairly high level how things work. For example, Stauffer goes into detail on video resolution and why you might want to replace your current monitor and video card with better ones, defining terms and trade names as he goes. He also tells how to perform some upgrades step by step: for instance, how to upgrade a processor chip and configure a Mac for use on an AppleTalk network. --David Wall

Topics covered: Hardware upgrades for iMac and PowerMac G-series computers, and the related software procedures. Input devices (keyboards, scanners, and the like), connectivity units (such as modems), monitors, storage media (including CD recorders, extra hard disks, removable disks, and tape drives), and network hardware.

From the Back Cover:

Hands-on advice to boost your system's performance

Covers USB, FireWire, Power PC G3/G4 acceleration, and more

Rev up performance and resolve problems — no experience required! Is your Mac acting sluggish? Does it crash all the time? Relax! With the step-by-step instructions in this friendly do-it-yourself guide, you'll soon have your system back in tip-top shape. From installing today's coolest add-ins and peripherals to troubleshooting typical problems, it's just what you need to get the most out of your Mac.

Discover how to: Formulate an upgrade plan Select high-performance peripherals Set up high-speed Internet access Upgrade cards, RAM, drives, and processors Maintain and troubleshoot your system

The Dummies Way™ Explanations in plain English "Get in, get out" information Icons and other navigational aids Tear-out cheat sheet Top ten lists A dash of humor and fun

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