PC Hardware in a Nutshell

With 25 years of industry experience, Bob Thompson was one of the first Novell Master CNEs, and has been immersed in Windows NT Server 4.0 since it was in alpha. Bob has written or contributed to several computer networking books, including Special Edition Using Windows NT Server 4; Special Edition Using Microsoft BackOffice; Windows Magazine Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Internet and Networking Handbook; and Upgrading and Repairing Networks, all for Que Corporation. Bob is the president of Triad Technology Group, Inc., a Winston-Salem, NC, network consulting practice.Barbara Fritchman Thompson is the vice president and senior researcher for Triad Technology Group, Inc. She has a master's in library science from George Peabody College, and worked for twenty years as a librarian before starting her own research consulting practice. She currently works at home, writing books and reviewing web sites for Library Journal and Electronic Resources Review. She is a Winston-Salem native, and lives with her husband Bob and their three Border Collie dogs, Kerry, Duncan, and Malcolm.

• Foreword Preface 1. Fundamentals PCs Defined PC Components and Technologies System Resources Building or Buying a PC Upgrading a PC Smart Buying Practices Things to Do with Old PCs 2. Working on PCs Rules to Upgrade By Tools General Procedures 3. Motherboards Motherboard Characteristics Choosing a Motherboard Installing a Motherboard Upgrading the System BIOS Our Picks 4. Processors Processor Design Intel Processors AMD Processors Choosing a Processor Forthcoming AMD and Intel Processors Installing a Processor Our Picks 5. Memory Understanding Memory Memory Access Methods CAS Latency Memory Packaging How Much Memory Is Enough? Memory Selection Guidelines Installing Memory Troubleshooting Memory Installation and Operation Our Picks 6. Floppy Disk Drives Diskette Types and Formats Drive Types FDD Interface and Cabling Installing an FDD Working with FDDs Working with Obsolete Diskette Formats Salvaging Diskette Data Our Picks 7. High-Capacity Floppy Disk Drives High-Capacity FDD Types Choosing a High-Capacity FDD Using an ATAPI Zip or SuperDisk Drive as the Boot Device Drive Letter Assignment Problems Our Picks 8. Removable Hard Disk Drives Uses for Removable and External Hard Disk Drives Cartridge-Based Removable Hard Disk Drives Frame/Carrier-Based Removable Hard Disk Drives Our Picks 9. Tape Drives Tape Technologies Choosing a Tape Drive Installing and Configuring a Tape Drive Care and Feeding of a Tape Drive Troubleshooting Tape Drive Problems The Dirty Little Secret of Long Filenames Developing a Backup Strategy Our Picks 10. CD-ROM Drives Compact Disc Fundamentals CD-ROM Drive Performance Choosing a CD-ROM Drive Installing and Configuring a CD-ROM Drive Cleaning a CD-ROM Drive Our Picks 11. CD Writers CD Writers and Media Writable CD Formats CD Recording Methods Buffer Underrun Protection Choosing a CD Writer CD Writer Software Installing and Configuring a CD Writer Updating CD Writer Firmware Media Issues Burning CDs Special Problems and Applications Writable CD Troubleshooting Additional CD-R(W) Source Material Our Picks 12. DVD Drives DVD-ROM DVD Writable and Rewritable Installing and Configuring a DVD Drive Troubleshooting DVD Problems Our Picks 13. Hard Disk Interfaces IDE Serial ATA SCSI ATA Versus SCSI Our Picks 14. Hard Disk Drives How Hard Disks Work Choosing a Hard Disk Installing a PATA (Standard ATA) Hard Disk Installing an SATA Hard Disk Installing a SCSI Hard Disk Preparing a Hard Disk for Use Our Picks 15. Video Adapters Video Adapter Characteristics Choosing a Video Adapter Installing a Video Adapter Configuring Video Under Windows 98/Me/2000/XP Configuring Video under Linux Troubleshooting Video Adapter Problems Our Picks 16. Displays CRT Monitors Flat-Panel Displays Installing and Configuring a Display Troubleshooting Display Problems Our Picks 17. Sound Adapters PC Audio Types MIDI Synthesis Methods Downloadable Sounds Sound Card Components Sound Card Characteristics Choosing a Sound Card Installing a Sound Card Configuring