Upgrading and Repairing PCs

The #1 selling hardware title on the market. This new edition shifts the focus from IBM PCs to Intel-based systems and is updated to address Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 issues and concerns. A complete update of Communications and Networking section covers recent enhancements and Internet issues.

Upgrading and Repairing PCs is more likely to have the answers to your PC hardware questions than any other book on the market. If you're in the business of assembling, upgrading, or troubleshooting machines based on the IBM/Intel architecture, you must have this book near your workbench.

The newest edition of this hardware classic contains information on the latest offerings from the chipmakers (including CPUs and support chipsets). Author Scott Mueller also has improved his SCSI coverage by including the most complete documentation of SCSI-1, SCSI-2, and SCSI-3, as well as explanations of the pseudonyms by which those technologies go (Wide SCSI, Ultra Wide SCSI, Fast SCSI, and so on)--something that's harder to find than you might think. He also includes tables of SCSI signals for troubleshooting purposes, which is rare to find in print anywhere else.

As he always has done, Mueller earns points for his clear statements of what connects with what and how. There are tables that correlate standard processor receptacles with the chips (from Intel, AMD, and Cyrix) that fit into them. There are thorough and well-annotated lists of memory addresses, beep codes, and hard-disk specifications. He's used clear line drawings instead of the murky photos that diminish the value of many hardware books. Furthermore, Mueller has an excellent writing style that's a pleasure to read. Mostly, you'll value Upgrading and Repairing PCs as a reference, but it also includes tutorials on certain topics, including the assembly of a custom PC. --David Wall

Topics covered: New RAM technologies, new motherboard standards (including ATX), new ATA bus specifications; peripheral goodies such as SuperDisk, rewritable CD-ROM drives, DVD drives, and LCD monitors; and SCSI (SCSI-1, SCSI-2, and SCSI-3).