Upgrading and Repairing PCs 20th Edition Book/DVD Package

Description

a comprehensive resource for PC enthusiasts and professionals alike. Packed with the latest speeds and feeds, you'll want to keep this book on-hand as an authoritative technology reference.

 - Chris Angelini, Managing Editor, Tom's Hardware

For 20 years, Upgrading and Repairing PCs has been the world's #1 guide to PC hardware: the single source for reliable information on troubleshooting and fixing problems, adding hardware, optimizing performance, and building new PCs. Now, better than ever, this 20th Edition offers beefed-up coverage of the newest hardware innovations and maintenance techniques, plus more than 90 minutes of new DVD video.

Scott Mueller delivers practical answers about PC processors, motherboards, buses, BIOSes, memory, storage, video, audio, I/O, input devices, networks, Internet connectivity, power, and much more. You'll find the industry's best coverage of diagnostics, testing, and repair - plus cutting-edge discussions of improving performance via overclocking and other techniques.

Mueller has taught thousands of professionals in person and millions more through his books and videos - nobody knows more about keeping PCs running perfectly. Whether you're a professional technician, a small business owner trying to save money, or a home PC enthusiast, this is the only PC hardware book you need!

NEW IN THIS EDITION

* The newest processors, including Intel's 2nd generation Core i3, i5, i7 plus the Atom, and AMD's new VISION series CPUs
* 3TB (and larger) disks, 4K sectoring, partition alignment, faster SATA disk interfaces, and SSD (Solid State Drive) hard drive replacements
* New firmware innovations, from full UEFI BIOS support to built-in motherboard flash BIOS upgrade utilities
* Integrated video and audio, including 5.1/7.1 surround sound, HDMI, and DisplayPort connections
* Updated PCI Express and Power Supply specifications for powering high-end video cards
* Emerging interfaces such as USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt
* Updated coverage of building PCs from scratch - from choosing and assembling hardware through BIOS setup and troubleshooting

ON THE DVD

Get more than 90 minutes of up-to-the minute, studio quality how-to videos - all playable on your DVD player or computer! In this edition, Scott Mueller offers true insider information about several of the key components in a PC, including hard disk drives, power supplies, motherboards, and more.

You will see hard drives completely dissected - even see an open hard drive in operation - so you can observe exactly what happens under the covers. One of the most common causes of failure in modern motherboards, power supplies, and many other PC components are bad capacitors - otherwise known as the capacitor plague. Mueller will show several real-world examples of this disease, so you can easily identify and perhaps even repair the problem. Finally, because external hard drives are now commonly used for supplementary storage and backups, you'll find a complete discussion of several alternatives on the market. This includes tips and tricks for building or assembling your own flexible, high performance and highly reliable external storage drives, with several examples shown. This DVD also contains the complete 19th edition of this book in printable form, plus extensive technical reference material, a comprehensive glossary, and more!

CONTENTS:

Introduction 1

Book Objectives 1

The 20th Edition DVD-ROM 2

My Website: informit.com/upgrading 2

A Personal Note 2

1 Development of the PC 5

Computer History: Before Personal Computers 5

   Timeline 5

  Electronic Computers 10

Modern Computers 11

  From Tubes to Transistors 11

  Integrated Circuits 13

History of the PC 13

  Birth of the Personal Computer 13

  The IBM Personal Computer 15

  The PC Industry 30 Years Later 16

2 PC Components, Features, and System Design 19

What Is a PC? 19

  Who Controls PC Software? 20

  Who Controls PC Hardware? 23

  White-Box Systems 25

  PC Design Guides 26

System Types 27

System Components 28

3 Processor Types and Specifications 31

Microprocessor History 31

  The First Microprocessor 31

  PC Processor Evolution 34

  16-Bit to 64-Bit Architecture Evolution 36

Processor Specifications 37

  Data I/O Bus 42

  Address Bus 43

  Internal Registers (Internal Data Bus) 44

  Processor Modes 45

  Processor Benchmarks 49

  Comparing Processor Performance 49

  Cache Memory 54

Processor Features 60

  System Management Mode (SMM) 60

  Superscalar Execution 61

  MMX Technology 62

  Dynamic Execution 64

  Dual Independent Bus Architecture 65

  HT Technology 66

  Multicore Technology 67

Processor Manufacturing 68

  Processor Re-Marking 72

  PGA Chip Packaging 72

  Single Edge Contact and Single Edge Processor Packaging 73

Processor Socket and Slot Types 74

  Socket 478 76

  Socket LGA775 77

  Socket LGA1156 78

  Socket LGA1366 79

  Socket LGA1155 80

  Socket 939 and 940 80

  Socket AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+ 81

  Socket F (1207FX) 83

CPU Operating Voltages 83

Math Coprocessors (Floating-Point Units) 83

Processor Bugs and Steppings 84

Processor Code Names 85

P1 (086) Processors 85

P2 (286) Processors 86

P3 (386) Processors 87

P4 (486) Processors 88

P5 (586) Processors 90

A MD-K5 92

Intel P6 (686) Processors 92

  Pentium Pro Processors 93

  Pentium II Processors 93

  Pentium III 95

  Celeron 97

Intel Pentium 4 Processors 97

  Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 100

  Intel Pentium D and Pentium Extreme Edition 102

Intel Core Processors 104

  Intel Core 2 Family 104

  Intel (Nehalem) Core i Processors 106

AMD K6 Processors 110

  NexGen Nx586 110

  AMD-K6 Series 110

AMD K7 Processors 111

  AMD Athlon 111

  AMD Duron 113

  AMD Athlon XP 113

  Athlon MP 114

AMD K8 Processors 115

  AMD Athlon 64 and 64 FX 115

  AMD Sempron 118

  AMD Athlon X2, 64 X2, and 64 FX 119

AMD K10 Processors (Phenom, Phenom II, Athlon II, Athlon X2, Sempron) 120

AMD Fusion Processors 122

Processor Upgrades 122

Overclocking 124

  Quartz Crystals 124

  Modern PC Clocks 126

  Overclocking Tips 128

  Unlocking Cores 129

  Bus Speeds and Multipliers 130

Processor Cooling 132

  Heatsinks 133

  Liquid Cooling 138

  Thermally Advantaged Chassis 138

Processor Troubleshooting Techniques 141

4 Motherboards and Buses 143

Motherboard Form Factors 143

  Obsolete Form Factors 144

  ATX and Other Modern Form Factors 155

Processor Sockets/Slots 167

Chipsets 169

  Chipset Evolution 169

  Intel Chipsets 171

  Intel Chipset Model Numbers 172

  Intel Integrated Graphics Architecture 173

  AMD Integrated Graphics Architecture 173

  Traditional North/South Bridge Architecture 174

  Hub Architecture 175

  Third-Party North-South Bridge Connections 177

  HyperTransport 178

Intel's Early 386/486 Chipsets 178

Fifth-Generation (P5 Pentium Class) Chipsets 179

Sixth-Generation (P6 Pentium Pro/II/III Class) Chipsets 181

Seventh/Eighth-Generation (Pentium 4/D, Core 2, and Core i) Chipsets 185

  Intel 915 Family 192

  Intel 925X Family 193

  Intel 945 Express Family 193

  Intel 955X and 975X Family 194

  Intel 96x Series 194

  Intel 3x and 4x Series Chipsets 195

  Intel 5x Series Chipsets 198

  Intel 6x Series Chipsets 201

Third-Party Chipsets for Intel Processors 203

  SiS Chipsets 203

  ULi Electronics Chipsets 203

  ATI Chipsets 203

  VIA Chipsets 204

  NVIDIA Chipsets for Intel Processors 204

Chipsets for AMD Processors 204

AMD Athlon Chipsets 205

AMD Athlon 64 Chipsets 206

  AMD 8000 (8151) Chipset 206

  AMD (Formerly ATI) Chipsets for Athlon 64, Sempron, Phenom 207

  Third-Party Chipsets for AMD Processors 213

  VIA Chipsets 213

  SiS Chipsets 213

  NVIDIA Chipsets 213

Super I/O Chips 214

Motherboard Connectors 214

System Bus Types, Functions, and Features 223

  The Processor Bus (FSB) 229

  Types of I/O Buses 229

  The ISA Bus 230

  The Micro Channel Bus 230

  The EISA Bus 230

  Local Buses (VESA, PCI, PCI Express, AGP) 231

System Resources 238

  Interrupts 238

  DMA Channels 243

  I/O Port Addresses 243

Resolving Resource Conflicts 246

  PnP 247

Motherboard Selection Criteria (Knowing What to Look For) 249

  Chipset Documentation 250

5 BIOS 251

BIOS Basics 251

Motherboard ROM BIOS 255

  ROM Hardware 256

  ROM Shadowing 257

  ROM Chip Types 258

  ROM BIOS Manufacturers 262

  BIOS Hardware/Software 264

Upgrading the BIOS 265

  Where to Get Your BIOS Update 266

  Determining Your BIOS Version 266

  Checking the BIOS Date 266

  Backing Up Your BIOS 267

  Backing Up Your BIOS Setup (CMOS RAM) Settings 267

  Upgrading a Flash BIOS 268

  Motherboard CMOS RAM Addresses 276

  Year 2000 BIOS Issues 278

Preboot Environment 278

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) 280

  UEFI and BIOS Limitations 280

  UEFI Support 282

CMOS Setup 282

  Running or Accessing the CMOS Setup Program 282

  BIOS Setup Menus 283

  Maintenance Menu 283

  Main Menu 285

  Advanced Menus 286

  Security Menu 300

  Power Menu 301

  Boot Menu (Boot Sequence, Order) 303

  Exit Menu 305

  Additional BIOS Setup Features 305

PnP BIOS 306

  PnP Device IDs 307

  ACPI 307

BIOS/MBR Error Messages 308

  BIOS Boot Error Messages 309

  MBR Boot Error Messages 312

6 Memory 315

Memory Basics 315

  ROM 317

  DRAM 317

  Cache Memory: SRAM 319

Memory Standards 321

Speed and Performance 322

  Fast Page Mode DRAM 324

  Extended Data Out RAM 325

  SDRAM 326

  DDR SDRAM 328

  DDR2 SDRAM 330

  DDR3 SDRAM 332

  RDRAM 333

Memory Modules 333

  Registered Modules 338

  SIMM Details 340

  SDR DIMM Details 340

  DDR DIMM Details 340

  DDR2 DIMM Details 341

  DDR3 DIMM Details 341

Determining a Memory Module's Size and Features 341

Memory Banks 343

Memory Module Speed 344

Parity and ECC 345

  Parity Checking 347

  How Parity Checking Works 347

  ECC 350

RAM Upgrades 350

  Upgrade Options and Strategies 351

  Purchasing Memory 353

  Replacing Modules with Higher-Capacity Versions 355

  Installing Memory Modules 355

Troubleshooting Memory 358

Memory Defect Isolation Procedures 361

The System Logical Memory Layout 363

7 The ATA/IDE Interface 367

An Overview of the IDE Interface 367

  Precursors to IDE 367

  IDE Origins 368

  Origins of ATA 369

ATA Standards 370

  ATA-1 (ATA Interface for Disk Drives) 372

  ATA-2 (ATA Interface with Extensions-2) 372

  ATA-3 (ATA Interface-3) 373

  ATA/ATAPI-4 (ATA with Packet Interface Extension-4) 373

  ATA/ATAPI-5 (ATA with Packet Interface-5) 374

  ATA/ATAPI-6 (ATA with Packet Interface-6) 375

  ATA/ATAPI-7 (ATA with Packet Interface-7) 376

  ATA/ATAPI-8 376

PATA 377

  PATA I/O Connector 377

  PATA I/O Cable 380

  Longer or Rounded Cables 382

  PATA Signals 382

  PATA Dual-Drive Configurations 383

  PATA PIO Transfer Modes 385

  PATA DMA Transfer Modes 386

SATA 387

  SATA Cables and Connectors 389

  SATA Configuration 391

  Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) 392

  SATA Transfer Modes 393

ATA Features 394

  ATA Commands 394

  ATA Security Mode 395

  Host Protected Area 396

  ATAPI 397

ATA Drive Capacity Limitations 397

  Prefixes for Decimal and Binary Multiples 398

  BIOS Limitations 399

  CHS Versus LBA 400

CHS/LBA and LBA/CHS Conversions 401

BIOS Commands Versus ATA Commands 402

  CHS Limitations (the 528MB Barrier) 403

  CHS Translation (Breaking the 528MB Barrier) 404

  The 2.1GB and 4.2GB Barriers 406

  LBA-Assist Translation 408

  The 8.4GB Barrier 411

  The 137GB Barrier and Beyond 412

  Operating System and Other Software Limitations 413

GPT and the 2.2TB Barrier 415

PATA/SATA RAID 417

8 Magnetic Storage Principles 421

Magnetic Storage 421

History of Magnetic Storage 421

How Magnetic Fields Are Used to Store Data 422

Read/Write Head Designs 425

  Ferrite 426

  Metal-In-Gap 426

  Thin-Film 427

  Magneto-Resistive Heads 427

  Giant Magneto-Resistive Heads 429

Head Sliders 430

Data-Encoding Schemes 432

  Frequency Modulation Encoding 434

  Modified FM Encoding 434

  Run Length Limited Encoding 434

  Encoding Scheme Comparisons 436

  Partial-Response, Maximum-Likelihood Decoders 437

Capacity Measurements 437

Areal Density 438

PMR 441

9 Hard Disk Storage 445

Definition of a Hard Disk 445

Hard Drive Advancements 446

Form Factors 447

  5 1/4-Inch Drive 448

  3 1/2-Inch Drive 449

  2 1/2-Inch Drive 449

  1.8-inch Drive 449

  1-Inch Drives 450

HDD Operation 450

  The Ultimate HDD Analogy 452

  Tracks and Sectors 453

  ECC 456

  Disk Formatting 461

Basic HDD Components 465

  Hard Disk Platters (Disks) 466

  Recording Media 467

  Read/Write Heads 469

  Head Actuator Mechanisms 470

  Air Filters 477

  Hard Disk Temperature Acclimation 479

  Spindle Motors 479

  Logic Boards 480

  Cables and Connectors 481

  Configuration Items 481

Hard Disk Features 482

  Capacity 482

  Performance 484

  Reliability 488

10 Flash and Removable Storage 493

Alternative Storage Devices 493

Flash Memory Devices 493

  CompactFlash 495

  SmartMedia 496

  MultiMediaCard 496

  SecureDigital 496

  Sony Memory Stick 496

  ATA Flash PC Card 497

  xD-Picture Card 497

  SSD (Solid-State Drive) 498

  Virtual SSD (RAMdisk) 498

  Flash-Based SSDs 498

  USB Flash Drives 501

  Comparing Flash Memory Devices 502

  Flash Card Readers 504

  Card Readers 504

  Type II PC Card Adapters 505

High-Capacity Removable Magnetic Storage Devices 505

Floppy Disk Drives 506

  1.44MB 3 1/2-Inch Drives 507

  Floppy Drive Interfaces 507

  Drive Components 508

  Read/Write Heads 508

  The Floppy Controller 509

  Power and Data Connectors 510

  The Floppy Disk Controller Cable 510

  How the OS Uses a Floppy Disk 512

  Disk Change 513

  Floppy Disk Media Types and Specifications 514

  Density 514

  Media Coercivity and Thickness 514

  Floppy Disk Media 515

Tape Drives 516

11 Optical Storage 517

Optical Technology 517

CD-Based Optical Technology 518

  CDs: A Brief History 518

  CD Construction and Technology 519

  Mass-Producing CDs 519

  Writable CDs 531

  MultiRead Specifications 538

DVD 539

  DVD History 540

  DVD Construction and Technology 541

  DVD Tracks and Sectors 542

  Handling DVD Errors 546

  DVD Capacity (Sides and Layers) 547

  Data Encoding on the DVD Disc 550

  Recordable DVD Standards 551

  Multiformat Rewritable DVD Drives 558

BD 559

HD-DVD 561

Optical Disc Formats 562

  CD Formats 562

  DVD Formats and Standards 570

  Optical Disc File Systems 573

Ripping/Copying Discs 579

  For Music Use Only CD-R/RW Discs 580

  CD Copy Protection 580

  CD Digital Rights Management 581

  DVD Copy Protection 581

Optical Drive Performance Specifications 584

  CD Data Transfer Rate 585

  CD Drive Speed 585

  DVD Drive Speed 588

  Access Time 590

  Buffer/Cache 590

  Direct Memory Access and Ultra-DMA 590

  Interface 590

  Loading Mechanism 591

  Other Drive Features 592

How to Reliably Record Optical Discs 592

  Booting from a Floppy Disk with Optical Drive Support 593

  Bootable Optical Discs - El Torito 594

  LightScribe and LabelFlash 594

Troubleshooting Optical Drives 595

  Caring for Optical Media 598

  Updating the Firmware in an Optical Drive 599

12 Video Hardware 603

Display Adapters and Monitors 603

Video Display Adapters 604

  Video Adapter Types 604

  Integrated Video/Motherboard Chipsets 605

  CPUs with Integrated Video 609

  Video Adapter Components 609

  Identifying the Video and System Chipsets 611

  Video RAM 612

  The DAC 615

Video Display Interfaces 616

  The System Interface 616

  The Display Interface 618

  TV Display Interfaces 632

3D Graphics Accelerators 633

  How 3D Accelerators Work 633

  APIs 636

  Dual-GPU Scene Rendering 637

Monitors 639

  Display Specifications 639

  LCD Technology 650

  LED Backlit Technology 652

  CRT Display Technology 652

  Plasma Display Technology 654

  LCD and DLP Projectors 654

Using Multiple Monitors 656

  Dualview 656

  Homogeneous Adapters 657

  Heterogeneous Adapters 657

Video Troubleshooting and Maintenance 657

  Troubleshooting Video Cards and Drivers 658

  Video Drivers 660

  Maintaining Monitors 660

  Testing Monitors 661

  Adjusting Monitors 662

  Bad Pixels 663

  Troubleshooting Monitors 664

  Repairing Monitors 665

13 Audio Hardware 667

Audio Hardware Concepts and Terms 668

  The Nature of Sound 668

  Evaluating the Quality of Your Audio Hardware 668

  Sampling 669

Early PC Sound Cards 670

  Limitations of Sound Blaster Pro Compatibility 670

  Microsoft Windows and Audio Support 670

  DirectX and Audio Support Hardware 671

  Core Audio APIs for Windows Vista and Windows 7 671

  3D Gaming Audio Standards 672

  Legacy Audio Support Through Virtualization 673

Audio Hardware Features 674

  Basic Connectors 674

  Advanced Audio Features 676

  Volume Control 678

  MIDI Support Features 678

  Data Compression 679

  Sound Drivers 680

  Sound Cards for Sound Producers 680

Motherboard Chipsets with Integrated Audio 681

  AC'97 Integrated Audio 682

  Intel Azalia HD Audio 682

Troubleshooting PC Audio Problems 682

  Sound Card and Onboard Audio Problems 682

Speakers 685

  Speaker Selection Criteria 686

  Theater and Surround Sound Considerations 687

Microphones 688

14 External I/O Interfaces 691

Introduction to Input/Output Ports 691

  Serial Versus Parallel 691

  Universal Serial Bus (USB) 692

  IEEE 1394 (FireWire or i.LINK) 707

  Comparing USB and IEEE 1394 (FireWire) 711

  Hot-Plugging (and Unplugging) 714

Thunderbolt Technology 717

Low-Speed External Connections 719

  Serial Ports 719

  Parallel Ports 723

15 Input Devices 729

Keyboards 729

  Enhanced 101-Key Keyboard 729

  104-Key (Windows) Keyboard 731

Keyboard Technology 732

  Keyswitch Design 732

  The Keyboard Interface 737

  Typematic Functions 739

  Keyboard Key Numbers and Scan Codes 740

  International Keyboard Layouts 741

  Keyboard/Mouse Interface Connectors 742

  USB Keyboards 743

  Keyboards with Special Features 744

Keyboard Troubleshooting and Repair 745

  Keyboard Disassembly 746

  Cleaning a Keyboard 746

Keyboard Recommendations 747

Pointing Devices 748

  Ball-Type Mice 749

  Optical Mice 749

  Pointing Device Interface Types 751

  Mouse Troubleshooting 754

  Scroll Wheels 755

  TrackPoint II/III/IV 755

  Alternative Pointing Devices 758

Wireless Input Devices 761

  Power Management Features of Wireless Input Devices 762

  Troubleshooting Wireless Input Devices 763

16 Internet Connectivity 765

Internet Connectivity Trends 765

Broadband Internet Access Types 765

  Cable TV 766

  Digital Subscriber Line 769

  Wireless Broadband 773

  Cellular Broadband 3G and 4G Services 773

  Satellite Broadband 774

  ISDN 777

  Leased Lines 778

  Comparing High-Speed Internet Access 779

Dial-Up Modems 780

  56Kbps Modems 781

Internet Connection Security 784

  Having a Backup Plan in Case of Service Interruptions 786

  Sharing Your Internet Connection 786

  Routers for Internet Sharing 787

  Modem/Router Status LEDs 788

17 Local Area Networking 789

Defining a Network 789

  Types of Networks 790

  Requirements for a Network 790

Client/Server Versus Peer Networks 791

  Client/Server Networks 791

  Peer-to-Peer Networks 792

  Comparing Client/Server and Peer-to-Peer Networks 793

Network Architecture Overview 794

  Wired Ethernet 795

  Wireless Ethernet 797

  Bluetooth 802

Hardware Elements of Your Network 802

  NICs for Wired Ethernet Networks 802

  Network Cables for Wired Ethernet 804

  Wired Network Topologies 813

  Switches for Ethernet Networks 816

  Wireless Ethernet Hardware 819

Network Protocols 825

  IP and TCP/IP 825

  IPX 826

  NetBEUI 826

Other Home Networking Solutions 827

  HomePNA 827

  Power Line Networking 828

Putting Your Network Together 829

  Network Adapters 829

  Cables and Connections Between Computers 830

  Switch/Access Point 831

18 Power Supplies 833

The Power Supply 833

Primary Function and Operation 833

  Voltage Rails 834

  The Power Good Signal 836

Power Supply Form Factors 837

  Modern Form Factors 840

Power Switches 854

  ATX and Newer 854

  PC/XT/AT and LPX Power Switches 855

Motherboard Power Connectors 857

  AT/LPX Power Supply Connectors 857

  ATX and ATX12V Motherboard Power Connectors 859

  Backward and Forward Compatibility 871

  Dell Proprietary (Nonstandard) ATX Design 873

Additional Power Connectors 875

  Peripheral Power Connectors 875

  Floppy Power Connectors 876

  Serial ATA Power Connectors 877

  PCI Express Auxiliary Graphics Power Connectors 878

Power Supply Specifications 881

  Power Supply Loading 881

  Power Supply Ratings 883

  Other Power Supply Specifications 884

  Power Factor Correction 886

  SLI-Ready and CrossfireX Certifications 888

  Safety Certifications 888

Power-Use Calculations 889

Power Savings 891

  80 Plus 891

  ENERGY STAR 892

  Advanced Power Management 892

  Advanced Configuration and Power Interface 893

Power Cycling 896

Power Supply Troubleshooting 899

  Overloaded Power Supplies 900

  Inadequate Cooling 901

  Using Digital Multimeters 901

  Specialized Test Equipment 904

Power Supply Recommendations 906

  Modular Cables 907

  Sources for Replacement Power Supplies 907

Power-Protection Systems 908

  Surge Suppressors (Protectors) 909

  Network and Phone Line Surge Protectors 910

  Line Conditioners 910

  Backup Power 910

Real-Time Clock/Nonvolatile RAM (CMOS RAM) Batteries 913

  Modern CMOS Batteries 914

  Obsolete or Unique CMOS Batteries 915

  CMOS Battery Troubleshooting 916

19 Building or Upgrading Systems 917

System Components 917

  Case and Power Supply 919

  Processor 920

  Motherboard 921

  Memory 923

  Hard Disk/Solid-State Drives 925

  Removable Storage 925

  Input Devices 925

  Video Card and Display 926

  Audio Hardware 926

  Accessories 927

Hardware and Software Resources 928

System Assembly and Disassembly 928

  Assembly Preparation 929

  Installing the CPU and Heatsink 932

  Installing Memory Modules 937

  Mounting the New Motherboard in the Case 938

  Preparing a Modular Power Supply 942

  Connecting the Power Supply 944

  Connecting I/O and Other Cables to the Motherboard 946

  Installing the Drives 948

  Installing a Video Card 952

  Installing Additional Expansion Cards 954

  Replacing the Cover and Connecting External Cables 954

System Startup 954

Installing the OS 956

Troubleshooting New Installations 957

20 PC Diagnostics, Testing, and Maintenance 959

PC Diagnostics 959

Diagnostics Software 959

  The POST 960

  Peripheral Diagnostics 972

  Operating System Diagnostics 973

  Commercial Diagnostics Software 974

  Free/User Supported Diagnostics 974

The Boot Process 975

  The Hardware Boot Process: Operating System Independent 975

  The DOS Boot Process 979

  The Windows 9x/Me Boot Process 980

  Windows 2000/XP Startup 980

  Windows Vista/7 Startup 981

PC Maintenance Tools 982

  Hand Tools 982

  Safety 986

  Test Equipment 987

  Special Tools for the Enthusiast 992

Preventive Maintenance 993

  Active Preventive Maintenance Procedures 994

  Passive Preventive Maintenance Procedures 999

Troubleshooting Tips and Techniques 1003

  Repair or Replace? 1003

  Troubleshooting by Replacing Parts 1004

  Troubleshooting by the Bootstrap Approach 1004

  Problems During the POST 1006

  Problems Running Software 1006

  Problems with Adapter Cards 1007

  Top Troubleshooting Problems 1007

Index 1019